Episcopate

Episcopate is the office, jurisdiction, or collective body of bishops within certain Christian churches. The term comes from the Greek episkopos, meaning overseer, and entered Latin as episcopus, later forming episcopatus to denote the office and its authority. In churches that observe episcopal polity, bishops govern dioceses, ordain priests and deacons, confirm members, and oversee doctrinal and liturgical life. They participate in synods and councils and claim apostolic succession, in which ordination is transmitted through an unbroken chain of laying on of hands believed to connect the contemporary church with the apostles.

The episcopate can refer to the office itself, the jurisdiction of bishops, or the collective body of bishops. It is distinct from other orders, such as the presbyterate (elders) and the diaconate (deacons), though bishops preside over these orders within their dioceses. In many traditions, bishops hold the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and exercise authority with regard to teaching, sanctifying, and governing in communion with a higher ecclesial authority, such as a pope, patriarch, or synod, depending on the church.

Practices and structures of the episcopate vary. In the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Anglican and other historic churches, a hierarchical episcopal structure is central, with roles such as archbishop, metropolitan, and patriarch in some contexts. In Protestant traditions that retain bishops, the episcopate often functions within a synodal or episcopal system to balance episcopal authority with regional or national representation. The concept remains foundational to churches that affirm apostolic succession and episcopal governance.