episcopatus

Episcopatus is a Latin term meaning the office, jurisdiction, or dignity of a bishop. Derived from episcopus, bishop, it denotes both the episcopal order and the system of governance by bishops within a Christian church. The term is used in official Latin documents of the Catholic Church and in scholarly works to refer to the institution as such.

Historically, the episcopatus developed from early Christian communities led by local presbyters and elders, but over the second to fourth centuries the role of bishops became more centralized. Bishops exercised oversight of a diocese, ordained clergy, confirmed believers, and safeguarded doctrine and discipline. The structure expanded further into metropolitan, archiepiscopal, and patriarchal forms in various regions, creating a hierarchical episcopal system recognized across many traditions.

In modern usage, episcopatus refers to the institution of the episcopate. In the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic canon law frames bishops as successors of the apostles; the episcopate includes ordination, governance of a diocese, and participation in universal Church governance. In the Anglican and some Eastern Churches, the episcopate likewise underpins ecclesial authority, though organizational forms differ; many Protestant groups emphasize non-episcopal governance. The idea of apostolic succession is central to the legitimacy and continuity of the episcopatus for those traditions that affirm it.

The term also appears in discussions of liturgy, ecumenism, and church law, often in phrases such as the episcopal see or metropolitan see, and in descriptions of the Catholic Church's episcopal hierarchy (dioceses, patriarchates, archdioceses).