Definition of Terms:
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The Development of Church Hierarchy in the Early Church
The hierarchical structure of the Church finds its antecedents in the Old Covenant, where the people of Israel were organized around a divinely established priesthood. The high priest, priests, and Levites performed liturgical, sacrificial, and teaching functions on behalf of the people (Exod. 28–29; Lev. 8–10). The Christian Church, as the New Israel, would inherit and transform these offices around Christ, the eternal High Priest (Heb. 4:14–5:10), establishing a new ministerial structure for a new covenant people.
In the New Testament, three primary Greek terms emerge that lay the groundwork for ecclesiastical order:
- Episkopos (ἐπίσκοπος) – “overseer” or “bishop.” Paul instructs the elders in Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopoi)” (Acts 20:28). This term, drawing from civic and religious leadership in the Greco-Roman world, implies supervisory and pastoral authority.[^1]
- Presbyteros (πρεσβύτερος) – “elder.” The term often overlaps with episkopos in the New Testament (cf. Titus 1:5–7; 1 Pet. 5:1–2), drawing from Jewish synagogue leadership. It denotes spiritual maturity and governance within the community.
- Diakonos (διάκονος) – “deacon” or “servant.” In Acts 6:1–6, the apostles appoint seven men to oversee daily distributions, allowing themselves to focus on “prayer and the ministry of the word.” This is widely seen as the origin of the diaconate, later formalized as a distinct office.
While these offices were at first fluid, the seeds of hierarchical distinction were already planted. As J.N.D. Kelly notes, “In the New Testament the terms ‘bishop’ and ‘presbyter’ appear to be used interchangeably… [but] a development toward the monarchical episcopate can already be discerned by the end of the first century.”[^2]
The Apostolic Fathers: Clarifying Church Offices
By the late first and early second centuries, Church order had begun to crystallize. Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. 110), in his seven letters written en route to martyrdom in Rome, provides the clearest evidence of a threefold ministry:
- Bishop (episkopos)
- Presbyters (presbyteroi)
- Deacons (diakonoi)
To the Magnesians, he writes:
“Take care to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God, and with the presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles, and with the deacons, who are most dear to me.”[^3]
He insists that the Eucharist is only valid under the bishop or his delegate (Smyrnaeans 8), reflecting the increasingly sacramental and juridical function of the episcopate. Scholars such as Henry Chadwick have remarked that for Ignatius, the bishop is “the guarantee of unity, orthodoxy, and valid sacraments.”[^4]
The Didache (late 1st century) also mentions bishops and deacons, seemingly without reference to presbyters, suggesting a time of local variation or transition (Didache 15).
Clement of Rome (c. 96), in his Letter to the Corinthians, offers the earliest extrabiblical affirmation of apostolic succession:
“Our apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife over the office of the bishop. For this reason… they appointed the leaders mentioned earlier and afterward gave them a permanent character.”[^5]
This indicates that, even at this early date, Church leaders were consciously ensuring continuity with apostolic origins.
The Pre-Nicene Fathers: Episcopacy and Catholic Unity
In the 2nd century, the monarchical episcopate becomes increasingly uniform. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 180), combating Gnosticism, emphasizes the role of bishops as successors of the apostles and guardians of orthodoxy:
“We can enumerate those who were appointed bishops by the apostles and their successors… which is the most complete proof that the faith of the apostles has been preserved in the Church.”[^6]
He singles out Rome for special emphasis:
“For with this Church, on account of its more excellent origin, every Church must agree.”[^7]
While some interpret Irenaeus’s statement as referring to moral or theological precedence rather than juridical primacy, many scholars agree that it reflects a growing awareness of Rome’s centrality in matters of faith.
Tertullian (c. 200), despite later joining the Montanist sect, reinforces apostolic succession as the mark of the true Church:
“Let them produce the original records of their churches; let them unfold the roll of their bishops running down in due succession from the beginning.”[^8]
This consistent appeal to unbroken episcopal lineage reflects a growing recognition of hierarchical continuity as both theological and practical necessity.
The Rise of Roman Primacy
Although the concept of papal supremacy developed more fully in the post-Nicene era, Rome’s primacy was already implicitly recognized in the pre-Constantinian Church:
- Clement of Rome’s intervention in Corinth (c. 96), despite the Apostle John likely still living, shows that Rome saw itself as having moral authority beyond its own boundaries.
- Irenaeus regards Rome as a doctrinal center.
- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250), though challenging Pope Stephen I on the question of heretical baptism, nonetheless speaks of the Roman See as the “chair of Peter and the principal Church, whence sacerdotal unity has arisen.”[^9]
Cyprian’s model of episcopal collegiality, where each bishop possesses full sacramental authority in his own church, coexists with his recognition of Rome’s special role in unity—a tension the Catholic and Orthodox traditions continue to interpret differently, yet respectfully.
As Eusebius of Caesarea later chronicles in his Ecclesiastical History, the succession lists of bishops, especially those of Rome, were treated as essential to tracing doctrinal fidelity.[^10]
Conclusion
The hierarchical structure of the Church emerged not as a sudden institutional imposition but as a gradual development rooted in Scripture, tradition, and the needs of the growing Christian community. From the overlapping roles of bishops, presbyters, and deacons in the New Testament, the early Church moved toward a threefold ministry that ensured sacramental unity, apostolic continuity, and doctrinal integrity.
By the early third century, the episcopate had become the normative structure of Christian leadership. Among the bishops, the bishop of Rome came to be regarded as a focal point of unity and a trusted arbiter of orthodoxy—due to his apostolic foundation, geographical centrality, and consistent appeal in disputes.
This historical trajectory, far from being a later invention, reflects the early Church’s self-understanding and its commitment to visibly embodying the unity and continuity of Christ’s Body. While different Christian traditions interpret the implications of this development differently, the historical evidence robustly supports the Catholic and Orthodox understanding of apostolic succession and hierarchical order as being present from the earliest centuries.
Footnotes
[^1]: Raymond E. Brown, Priest and Bishop: Biblical Reflections (New York: Paulist Press, 1970), 15–17.
[^2]: J.N.D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines, 5th rev. ed. (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1978), 193.
[^3]: Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Magnesians, 6; in The Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael W. Holmes (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 165.
[^4]: Henry Chadwick, The Early Church (London: Penguin, 1993), 45–47.
[^5]: 1 Clement 44, in The Apostolic Fathers, ed. Holmes, 78–79.
[^6]: Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3.1, in The Apostolic Fathers, ed. Holmes.
[^7]: Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.3.2.
[^8]: Tertullian, De Praescriptione Haereticorum 32.
[^9]: Cyprian, Epistle 59.14 to Cornelius of Rome.
[^10]: Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 4.
Bible Verses:
1 Thes. 5:12-13
But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
Heb. 13:7
Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Heb.13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing—for that would be harmful to you.
1 Tim 5:17
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching;
Phil. 1:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
1 Pet. 5:1-2
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly.
1 Tim 3:1
The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.
1 Cor. 12:12-27
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body… Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it”
1 Peter 2:5-9
“like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.”
1 Tim. 2:1-4
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone… This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
John 20:21-23
Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’
2 Cor. 2:10
Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ.
2 Cor. 5:18
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation
Rom. 15:15-16
because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor. 5:20
So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
James 5:14
“Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.”
Acts 1:20
‘For it is written in the book of Psalms, “Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it”; and “Let another take his position of overseer.”
Church Father Quotes:
The Didache (Written ca 50-70 A.D.)
“Appoint therefore for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, meek men, and not lovers of money, and truthful and approved, for they also minister to you the ministry of the prophets and teachers.” –Didache Chapter 15:1
Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.)
“Now, therefore, it has been my privilege to see you in the person of your God-inspired bishop, Damas; and in the persons of your worthy presbyters, Bassus and Apollonius; and my fellow-servant, the deacon, Zotion. What a delight is his company! For he is subject to the bishop as to the grace of God, and to the presbytery as to the law of Jesus Christ” (Letter to the Magnesians 2 [A.D. 110]).
“Take care to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God, and with the presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles, and with the deacons, who are most dear to me, entrusted with the business of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father from the beginning and is at last made manifest” (ibid., 6:1).
“Take care, therefore, to be confirmed in the decrees of the Lord and of the apostles, in order that in everything you do, you may prosper in body and in soul, in faith and in love, in Son and in Father and in Spirit, in beginning and in end, together with your most reverend bishop; and with that fittingly woven spiritual crown, the presbytery; and with the deacons, men of God” (ibid., 13:1–2).
“It is necessary, therefore—and such is your practice that you do nothing without the bishop, and that you be subject also to the presbytery, as to the apostles of Jesus Christ our hope, in whom we shall be found, if we live in him. It is necessary also that the deacons, the dispensers of the mysteries [sacraments] of Jesus Christ, be in every way pleasing to all men” (Letter to the Trallians 2:1–3 [A.D. 110]).
“In like manner let everyone respect the deacons as they would respect Jesus Christ, and just as they respect the bishop as a type of the Father, and the presbyters as the council of God and college of the apostles. Without these, it cannot be called a church” (ibid., 3:1–2).
“He that is within the sanctuary is pure; but he that is outside the sanctuary is not pure. In other words, anyone who acts without the bishop and the presbytery and the deacons does not have a clear conscience” (ibid., 7:2).
“I cried out while I was in your midst, I spoke with a loud voice, the voice of God: ‘Give heed to the bishop and the presbytery and the deacons.’ Some suspect me of saying this because I had previous knowledge of the division certain persons had caused; but he for whom I am in chains is my witness that I had no knowledge of this from any man. It was the Spirit who kept preaching these words, ‘Do nothing without the bishop, keep your body as the temple of God, love unity, flee from divisions, be imitators of Jesus Christ, as he was imitator of the Father’” (Letter to the Philadelphians 7:1–2 [A.D. 110]).
Clement of Alexandria (150-215 A.D.)
“A multitude of other pieces of advice to particular persons is written in the holy books: some for presbyters, some for bishops and deacons; and others for widows, of whom we shall have opportunity to speak elsewhere” (The Instructor of Children 3:12:97:2 [A.D. 191]).
“Even here in the Church the gradations of bishops, presbyters, and deacons happen to be imitations, in my opinion, of the angelic glory and of that arrangement which, the scriptures say, awaits those who have followed in the footsteps of the apostles and who have lived in complete righteousness according to the gospel” (Miscellanies 6:13:107:2 [A.D. 208]).
Hippolytus of Rome (170-235 A.D.)
“[The bishop conducting the ordination of the new bishop shall pray:] God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Pour forth now that power which comes from you, from your royal Spirit, which you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and which he bestowed upon his holy apostles . . . and grant this your servant, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, [the power] to feed your holy flock and to serve without blame as your high priest, ministering night and day to propitiate unceasingly before your face and to offer to you the gifts of your holy Church, and by the Spirit of the high priesthood to have the authority to forgive sins, in accord with your command.” –Apostolic Tradition 3
“When a deacon is to be ordained, he is chosen after the fashion of those things said above, the bishop alone in like manner imposing his hands upon him as we have prescribed. In the ordaining of a deacon, this is the reason why the bishop alone is to impose his hands upon him: he is not ordained to the priesthood, but to serve the bishop and to fulfill the bishop’s command. He has no part in the council of the clergy, but is to attend to his own duties and is to acquaint the bishop with such matters as are needful.” –Apostolic Tradition 3
“On a presbyter, however, let the presbyters impose their hands because of the common and like Spirit of the clergy. Even so, the presbyter has only the power to receive [the Spirit], and not the power to give [the Spirit]. That is why a presbyter does not ordain the clergy; for at the ordaining of a presbyter, he but seals while the bishop ordains.” –Apostolic Tradition 3
“Over a deacon, then, let the bishop speak thus: ‘O God, who have created all things and have set them in order through your Word; Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom you sent to minister to your will and to make clear to us your desires, grant the Holy Spirit of grace and care and diligence to this your servant, whom you have chosen to serve the Church and to offer in your holy places the gifts which are offered to you by your chosen high priests, so that he may serve with a pure heart and without blame, and that, ever giving praise to you, he may be accounted by your good will as worthy of this high office: through your Son Jesus Christ, through whom be glory and honor to you, to the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit, in your holy Church, both now and through the ages of ages. Amen.” –Apostolic Tradition 3
Origen of Alexandria (184-253 A.D.)
“Not fornication only, but even marriages make us unfit for ecclesiastical honors; for neither a bishop, nor a presbyter, nor a deacon, nor a widow is able to be twice married” (Homilies on Luke17 [A.D. 234]).
The Council of Elvira (305 A.D.)
“Bishops, presbyters, and deacons may not leave their own places for the sake of commerce, nor are they to be traveling about the provinces, frequenting the markets for their own profit. Certainly for the procuring of their own necessities they can send a boy or a freedman or a hireling or a friend or whomever, but, if they wish to engage in business, let them do so within the province” (Canon 18 [A.D. 300]).
The Council of Nicaea I (325 A.D.)
“It has come to the knowledge of the holy and great synod that, in some districts and cities, the deacons administer the Eucharist to the presbyters [i.e., priests], whereas neither canon nor custom permits that they who have no right to offer [the Eucharistic sacrifice] should give the Body of Christ to them that do offer [it]. And this also has been made known, that certain deacons now touch the Eucharist even before the bishops. Let all such practices be utterly done away, and let the deacons remain within their own bounds, knowing that they are the ministers of the bishop and the inferiors of the presbyters. Let them receive the Eucharist according to their order, after the presbyters, and let either the bishop or the presbyter administer to them” (Canon 18 [A.D. 325]).
John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.)
“[In Philippians 1:1 Paul says,] ‘To the co-bishops and deacons.’ What does this mean? Were there plural bishops of some city? Certainly not! It is the presbyters that [Paul] calls by this title; for these titles were then interchangeable, and the bishop is even called a deacon. That is why, when writing to Timothy, he says, ‘Fulfill your diaconate’ [2 Tim. 4:5], although Timothy was then a bishop. That he was in fact a bishop is clear when Paul says to him, ‘Lay hands on no man lightly’ [1 Tim. 5:22], and again, ‘Which was given you with the laying on of hands of the presbytery’ [1 Tim. 4:14], and presbyters would not have ordained a bishop” (Homilies on Philippians 1:1 [A.D. 402]).
Pope Innocent I (Died 417 A.D.)
“To presbyters and deacons, and all the clergy and people of the Church of Constantinople, the brethren beloved who are subject to the bishop John (Chrysostom), greetings. . . From the letters of your love which you have sent by the hands of Germanus the presbyter, and Casianus the deacon, I have studied with anxious care the scene of calamity which you have placed before my eyes. . . Not only therefore do we say that these ought not to be followed, but rather that they should be condemned among heretical and schismatic decrees, as was formerly done in the Council of Sardica by the bishops who were before us.” –The Letter of Pope Innocent I to John Chrysostom (Written ca 416 A.D.)
Theodoret of Cyr (393-458 A.D.)
“At that time they called the same persons presbyters and bishops; and those we now call bishops they designated apostles. In the course of time, however, they abandoned the name of apostle to those who truly were Apostles; and the title of bishop they accorded to those who had of old been called apostles. Thus Epaphroditus was apostle of the Philippians: ‘Your apostle,’ he says, ‘and the co-worker of my necessity.’ Thus in Crete Titus and in Asia Timothy were apostles. Thus too the apostles and the presbyters wrote from Jerusalem to those in Antioch.” –Interpretation of the Fourteen Epistles of Paul [On 1 Tim. 3:1]
Patrick of Ireland (396-460 A.D.)
“I, Patrick, the sinner, am the most rustic and the least of all the faithful . . . had for my father Calpornius, a deacon, a son of Potitus, a priest, who belonged to the village of Bannavem Taberniae. . . . At that time I was barely sixteen years of age . . . and I was led into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of persons, in accordance with our deserts, for we turned away from God, and kept not his commandments, and were not obedient to our priests, who were wont to admonish us for our salvation” (Confession of St. Patrick 1 [A.D. 452]).
“I, Patrick, the sinner, unlearned as everybody knows, avow that I have been established a bishop in Ireland. Most assuredly I believe that I have received from God what I am. And so I dwell in the midst of barbarous heaths, a stranger and an exile for the love of God” (Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus 1 [A.D. 452]).
Non-Catholic Quotes:
Dr. James Allen Hewett, Pastor, PhD, University of Manchester
“This tense . . . occurs rarely in the [Greek New Testament], but the student will do well to be familiar with it. Consider Matthew 16:19 (two examples) and 18:18 (two examples): “Whatever you bind on the earth will have been bound [estai dedemenon] in heaven and whatever you loose on the earth will have been loosed [estai lelumenon] in heaven.” The construction declares that a completed heavenly action and its continuing results will come to exist on earth upon the completion of a future earthly event.” –New Testament Greek: A Beginning and Intermediate Grammar, 152