ἐπίσκοπος

ἐπίσκοπος, ου, ὁ (s. prec. entry; Hom. et al.; Diod S 37, 28, 1 [of a king w. synonym θεατής], ins, pap, LXX; JosAs 15:7 cod. A [p. 61, 16 Bat.] μετάνοια … ἐπίσκοπος πάντων τῶν παρθένων; Philo, Joseph.—LPorter, The Word ἐπίσκοπος in Pre-Christian Usage: ATR 21, ’39, 103–12) gener. ‘one who watches over, guardian’. BThiering, ‘Mebaqqer’ and ‘Episkopos’ in the Light of the Temple Scroll: JBL 100, ’81, 59–74 (office of ‘bishop’ adopted fr. Essene lay communities; cp. CD 14, 8–12; בקר Ezk 34:11 [LXX ἐπισκέπτειν]).

① one who has the responsibility of safeguarding or seeing to it that someth. is done in the correct way, guardian (so Il. 22, 255, deities are guardians of agreements, i.e. they ‘see to it’ that they are kept; Aeschyl., Sept. 272; Soph., Ant. 1148; Pla., Leg. 4, 717d; Plut., Cam. 5, 6 θεοὶ χρηστῶν ἐπίσκοποι καὶ πονηρῶν ἔργων; Maximus Tyr. 5, 8e ὦ Ζεῦ κ. Ἀθηνᾶ κ. Ἄπολλον, ἐθῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐπίσκοποι; Babrius 11, 4 P. ’84=L-P.; Herodian 7, 10, 3. Oft. Cornutus, ed. Lang, index; SIG 1240, 21; UPZ 144, 49 [164 B.C.]; PGM 4, 2721; Job 20:29; Wsd 1:6; Philo, Migr. Abr. 115 al.; SibOr, Fgm. 1, 3) παντὸς πνεύματος κτίστης κ. ἐπίσκοπος creator and guardian of every spirit 1 Cl 59:3.—Of Christ (w. ποιμήν) ἐ. τῶν ψυχῶν guardian of the souls 1 Pt 2:25. The passages IMg 3:1 θεῷ τῷ πάντων ἐ.; cp. 6:1 show the transition to the next mng.

② In the Gr-Rom. world ἐ. freq. refers to one who has a definite function or fixed office of guardianship and related activity within a group (Aristoph., Av. 1023; IG XII/1, 49, 43ff [II/I B.C.], 50, 34ff [I B.C.]; LBW 1989; 1990; 2298; Num 31:14 al.; PPetr III, 36a verso, 16 [III B.C.]; Jos., Ant. 10, 53; 12, 254), including a religious group (IG XII/1, 731, 8: an ἐ. in the temple of Apollo at Rhodes. S. Dssm., NB 57f [BS 230f]. Cp. also Num 4:16. On the Cynic-Stoic preacher as ἐπισκοπῶν and ἐπίσκοπος s. ENorden, Jahrb. klass. Phil Suppl. 19, 1893, 377ff.—Philo, Rer. Div. Her. 30 Moses as ἐ.). The term was taken over in Christian communities in ref. to one who served as overseer or supervisor, with special interest in guarding the apostolic tradition (Iren., Orig., Hippol.). Ac 20:28 (RSchnackenburg, Schriften zum NT, ’71, 247–67; ELöwestam, Paul’s Address at Miletus: StTh 41, ’87, 1–10); (w. διάκονοι) Phil 1:1 (JReumann, NTS 39, ’93, 446–50); D 15:1; 1 Ti 3:2; Tit 1:7 (s. BEaston, Pastoral Epistles ’47, 173; 177; 227). ἀπόστολοι, ἐ., διδάσκαλοι, διάκονοι Hv 3, 5, 1; (w. φιλόξενοι) Hs 9, 27, 2. Esp. freq. in Ignatius IEph 1:3; 2:1f; 3:2; 4:1; 5:1f and oft.; 2 Ti subscr.: Tim., overseer of the Ephesians; Tit subscr.: Titus overseer of the Cretan Christians. The ecclesiastical loanword ‘bishop’ is too technical and loaded with late historical baggage for precise signification of usage of ἐπίσκοπος and cognates in our lit., esp. the NT.—EHatch-AHarnack, D. Gesellschaftsverf. d. christ. Kirchen im Altert. 1883; Harnack, D. Lehre d. 12 Apostel 1884, 88ff, Entstehung u. Entwicklung der Kirchenverfassung u. des Kirchenrechts in d. zwei ersten Jahrh. 1910; ELoening, D. Gemeindeverf. d. Urchristent. 1888; CWeizsäcker, D. apost. Zeitalter² 1892, 613ff; RSohm, Kirchenrecht I 1892; JRéville, Les origines de l’épiscopat 1894; HBruders, D. Verf. d. Kirche bis z. J. 175, 1904; RKnopf, D. nachapostl. Zeitalter 1905, 147ff; PBatiffol-FSeppelt, Urkirche u. Katholicismus 1910, 101ff; OScheel, Z. urchristl. Kirchen-u. Verfassungsproblem: StKr 85, 1912, 403–57; HLietzmann, Z. altchr. Verfassungsgesch.: ZWT 55, 1913, 101–6 (=Kleine Schriften I, ’58, 144–48); EMetzner, D. Verf. d. Kirche in d. zwei ersten Jahrh. 1920; KMüller, Beiträge z. Gesch. d. Verf. in d. alten Kirche: ABA 1922, no. 3; HDieckmann, D. Verf. d. Urkirche 1923; GvHultum, ThGl 19, 1927, 461–88; GHolstein, D. Grundlagen d. evangel. Kirchenrechts 1928; JJeremias, Jerusalem II B 1, 1929, 132ff (against him KGoetz, ZNW 30, ’31, 89–93); BStreeter, The Primitive Church 1929; OLinton, D. Problem d. Urkirche usw. ’32 (lit. from 1880); JLebreton-JZeiller, L’Eglise primitive ’34; HBeyer, D. Bischofamt im NT: Deutsche Theologie 1, ’34, 201–25; HGreeven, Propheten, Lehrer, Vorsteher bei Pls: ZNW 44, ’52/53, 1–43 (lit.); HvCampenhausen, Kirchl. Amt u. geistl. Vollmacht in den ersten 3 Jahrhunderten ’53; WMichaelis, Das Ältestenamt der christlichen Gemeinde im Lichte der Hl. Schrift ’53; RBultmann, Theol. of the NT (tr. KGrobel) ’55, II, 95–111; TManson, The Church’s Ministry ’56; FNötscher, Vom Alten zum NT ’62, 188–220; DMoody, Interpretation 19, ’65, 168–81; HBraun, Qumran u. das NT ’66, II 326–42; RGG³ I 335–37 (lit.); JFitzmyer, PSchubert Festschr., ’66, 256f, n. 41 (lit.); RAC II 394–407; RBrown, TS 41, ’80, 322–38 (rev. of NT data).—Poland 377. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc nom sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem nom sg

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc nom sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem nom sg

ἐπίσκοπ-ος (A), ὁ, (

A

σκοπός 1

) one who watches over, overseer, guardian, ἦ γὰρ ὄλωλας ἐπίσκοπος, ὅς τέ μιν αὐτὴν ῥύσκευ (sc. τὴν πόλιν), of Hector, Il.24.729,

ἐ... ὁδαίων Od.8.163

; ἐπίσκοποι ἁρμονιάων watchers over compacts, of the gods, Il.22.255;

νεκροῦ S.Ant. 217

;

σῆς ἕδρας Id.OC 112

; ἐ. ὀϊστῶν, of an archer, v.l. in Theoc.24.107; in education, tutor, Pl.Lg. 795d; ἐ. σωφροσύνης καὶ ὕβρεως ib. 849a: c.dat., ἀγυιαῖς ἔσσῃ καὶ λιμένεσσιν ἐ. Call.Dian.39; esp. of tutelary gods (cf. ἐπισκοπέὠ, Παλλὰς ἐ. Sol.4.3;

Δίκη Pl.Lg. 872e

;

Κλειὼ ἐ. χερνίβων Simon.45

; Χάριτες Μινυᾶν ἐ. Pi.O.14.3;

θεοὶ ἐ. ἀγορᾶς A.Th. 272

; πατρῴων δωμάτων ἐ. Id.Ch. 126; τὸ δεινὸν.. φρενῶν ἐπίσκοπον guardian of the mind, Id.Eu. 518 (lyr.); νυχίων φθεγμάτων ἐ., of Bacchus, S.Ant. 1148 (lyr);

Ἐρινύες IG12(9).1179.33

(Euboea, ii A.D.); [Χριστὸς] ἐ.

τῶν ψυχῶν 1 Ep.Pet.2.25

: rarely c. dat.,

πᾶσι γὰρ ἐ. ἐτάχθη.. Νέμεσις Pl.Lg. 717d

.

------------------------------------

ἐπίσκοπ-ος (B), ον, (

A

σκοπός 11

) hitting the mark, successful, βάλλειν ἐ. Them.Or.11.143a ([comp] Sup.);

τοξότης Him.Ecl.14.3

;

ἠχή Opp.C.1.42

; reaching, touching,

νίκης μὴ κακῆς ἐπίσκοπα A.Eu. 903

; ἄτηστῆσδ' ἐ. μέλος having regard to the calamity, S.Aj. 976: neut. pl. ἐπίσκοπα, as Adv., successfully, with goodaim,

ἐ.τοξεύειν Hdt.3.35

, Jul.Or.1.11c: regul.Adv. -πως, ἀκοντίζειν

ἢ τοξεύειν Alcid.Soph.7

, cf. Poll.6.205: [comp] Comp.

-ώτερα, βάλλειν Them.Or.8.116b

: [comp] Sup.

- ώτατα Poll.1.215

. Cf. εὔστοχος, εὔσκοπος.

-ου ⁺ ὁ N 2 2-7-1-4-2=16 Nm 4,16; 31,14; Jgs 9,28; 2 Kgs 11,15

one who watches over, overseer, guardian Nm 4,16; supervisor, inspector Nm 31,14 Cf. GEHMAN 1972, 197-207; LARCHER 1983, 182; →NIDNTT; TWNT

bishop

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc nom /voc /acc dual

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc gen sg (doric aeolic)

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem /neut nom /voc /acc dual

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem /neut gen sg (doric aeolic)

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc dat sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem /neut dat sg

πρεσβύτερος, α, ον (Hom.+; comp. of πρέσβυς)

① pert. to being relatively advanced in age, older, old

ⓐ of an individual person older of two ὁ υἱὸς ὁ πρ. (cp. Aelian, VH 9, 42; TestJob 15:2 τῷ ἀδελφῷ τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ; JosAs; Just., A II, 6, 1) Lk 15:25; of Manasseh (w. Ephraim) B 13:5. In contrast to the younger generation οἱ πρεσβύτεροι the older ones J 8:9. Opp. οἱ νεανίσκοι Ac 2:17 (Jo 3:1). Opp. νεώτεροι (s. νεός 3aβ) 1 Ti 5:1 (similar advice, containing a contrast betw. πρ. and νεώτ., from ins and lit. in MDibelius, Hdb. ad loc.); 1 Pt 5:5 (though here the πρεσβύτεροι are not only the older people, but at the same time, the ‘elders’; s. 2bβ). The same double mng. is found for πρεσβύτεροι in 1 Cl 1:3 beside νέοι, while in 3:3; 21:6, beside the same word, the concept of being old is the dominant one (as Jos., C. Ap. 2, 206). On the disputed pass. Hv 3, 1, 8 (οἱ νεανίσκοι … οἱ πρεσβύτεροι) cp. MDibelius, Hdb. ad loc.—Fem. πρεσβυτέρα old(er) woman (opp. νεωτέρα, as Gen 19:31) 1 Ti 5:2.—With no ref. to younger persons, w. complete disappearance of the comparative aspect: πρεσβύτερος an old man (Jos., Ant. 13, 226; 292 [as a witness of events in the past, as Ps.-Pla., Virt. 3, 377b; 4, 377c]) Hv 3, 12, 2; cp. 3, 11, 3. The personified church is called λίαν πρεσβυτέρα very old 3, 10, 3; cp. 3, 11, 2. She appears as ἡ πρ. the elderly woman 2, 1, 3; 3, 1, 2; 3, 10, 6; 9 and has τὰς τρίχας πρεσβυτέρας the hair of an old woman 3, 10, 4; 5; 3, 12, 1.

ⓑ of a period of time (Petosiris, Fgm. 3 and 4 mention οἱ πρεσβύτεροι and οἱ νεώτεροι. In both instances the context shows that the reference is to astrologers from earlier and more recent times) οἱ πρεσβύτεροι the men of old, our ancestors Hb 11:2. ἡ παράδοσις τῶν πρεσβυτέρων the tradition of the ancients (cp. Iambl., Vi. Pyth. 35, 253 τῶν π. συγγράμματα) Mt 15:2; Mk 7:3, 5 (ELohse, D. Ordination im Spätjudentum u. NT, ’51, 50–56: scholars).

② an official (cp. Lat. senator), elder, presbyter

ⓐ among the Jews (the congregation of a synagogue in Jerusalem used πρεσβύτεροι to denote its officers before 70 A.D.: SEG VIII, 170, 9; cp. Dssm., LO 378–80 [LAE 439–41]).

α. for members of local councils in individual cities (cp. Josh 20:4; Ruth 4:2; 2 Esdr 10:14; Jdth 8:10; 10:6) Lk 7:3; 1 Cl 55:4.—Schürer II, 185.

β. for members of a group in the Sanhedrin (Schürer II, 206–8; JJeremias, Jerusalem z. Zt. Jesu II B 1: Die gesellschaftl. Oberschicht 1929, 88ff). They are mentioned together w. (the) other groups: ἀρχιερεῖς (Ac 4:5 has ἄρχοντες for this), γραμματεῖς, πρεσβύτεροι (the order is not always the same) Mt 16:21; 26:3 v.l.; 27:41; Mk 8:31; 11:27; 14:43, 53; 15:1; Lk 9:22; 20:1.—Only ἀρχιερεῖς (Ac 4:8 has for this ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ) and πρεσβύτεροι (τοῦ λαοῦ: cp. Ex 19:7; Num 11:16b, 24; 1 Macc 7:33; 12:35; Just., D. 40, 4 al.) Mt 21:23; 26:3, 47, 59 v.l.; 27:1, 3, 12, 20; 28:(11), 12; Lk 22:52 (here, as an exception, οἱ στρατηγοὶ τοῦ ἱεροῦ); Ac 4:23; 23:14; 25:15; cp. 24:1. Also οἱ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς GPt 7:25 (for this combination cp. Jos., Ant. 11, 83; 12, 406).—Only πρεσβύτεροι and γραμματεῖς Mt 26:57; Ac 6:12.—The use of πρεσβύτερος as a title among the Jews of the Diaspora appears quite late, except for the allusions in the LXX (cp. Schürer III/1, 102; MAMA III [Cilicia], 344; 448 [cp. ZNW 31, ’32, 313f]. Whether πρεσβύτερος is to be understood in the older Roman inscriptions [CIJ 378] as a title [so CIJ p. lxxxvi], remains doubtful).

ⓑ among the Christians (for their use of the word as a title one must bear in mind not only the Jewish custom, but also its use as a t.t. among the ἔθνη, in connection w. associations of the ‘old ones’ [FPoland, Geschichte des griech. Vereinswesens 1909, 98ff] and to designate civic as well as religious officials [Dssm., B 153ff=BS 154–57, NB 60ff=BS 233–35, also LO 315, 5; HHausschildt, ZNW 4, 1903, 235ff; MStrack, ibid. 213ff; HLietzmann, ZWT 55, 1914, 116–32 [=Kl. Schr. I ’58, 156–69]; MDibelius, exc. on 1 Ti 5:17ff; RAlastair-Campbell, The Elders, Seniority within Earliest Christianity ’94.].—BGU 16, 6 [159 A.D.] πρεσβύτεροι ἱερεῖς θεοῦ Σοκνοπαίου; 347, 6; PVindBosw 1, 31 [87 A.D.].—As honorary title: Iren. 4, 26, 5 [Harv. II 238, 3]. The Engl. word ‘priest’ comes fr. πρεσβύτερος via Lat. presbyter; later Christian usage is largely, if not entirely, responsible for this development; s. OED s.v. ‘priest’ B).

α. Ac 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22f; 16:4 (in all the places in Ac 15 and 16 mention is made of οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι in the Jerusalem church); 20:17; 21:18; 1 Ti 5:17, 19 (Nicol. Dam.: 90 Fgm. 103a Jac. νεωτέρῳ πρεσβυτέρου καταμαρτυρεῖν οὐκ ἔξεστι); Tit 1:5; Js 5:14; 1 Pt 5:1, 5 (s. 1a above); 1 Cl 44:5; 47:6; 54:2; 57:1. WWrede, Untersuchungen zum 1 Cl 1891, 8ff.—Acc. to 2 Cl 17:3, 5 exhortation and preaching in the church services were among their duties.—In Ign. the πρεσβύτεροι come after the bishop, to whom they are subordinate IMg 2; 3:1; 6:1, or betw. the bishop and the deacons IPhld inscr.; 10:2; IPol 6:1, or the higher rank of the bishop in comparison to them is made plain in some other way ITr 3:1; 12:2 (s. πρεσβυτέριον b; cp. Hippol., Ref. 9, 12, 22).—Polycarp—an ἐπίσκοπος, accord. to the title of the Ep. bearing his name—groups himself w. πρεσβύτεροι in Pol inscr., and further takes the presence of presbyters in Philippi for granted (beside deacons, though no ἐπίσκοπος is mentioned; cp. Hdb. on Pol inscr.) Pol 5:3.

β. Just how we are to understand the words ὁ πρεσβύτερος, applied to himself by the author of the two smallest Johannine letters 2J 1; 3J 1, remains in doubt. But in any case it is meant to indicate a position of great dignity the elder.—HWindisch, exc. on 3J, end; ESchwartz, Über den Tod der Söhne Zebedaei 1904, 47; 51; HWendt, ZNW 23, 1924, 19; EKäsemann, ZTK 48, ’51, 292–311; DWatson, NTS 35, ’89, 104–30, rhetorical analysis of 2J.—ὁ πρ. and οἱ πρ. are mentioned by Papias in these much-discussed passages: 2:3, 4, 5, 7, 14, 15. For some of the lit. s. the note on JKleist’s transl. ’48, p. 207 n. 18.

γ. In Rv there are 24 elders sitting on thrones about the throne of God; they form a heavenly council of elders (cp. Is 24:23) 4:4, 10; 5:5–14; 7:11, 13; 11:16; 14:3; 19:4. The elders have been understood as glorified human beings of some kind or astral deities (or angels) (for the var. views s. RCharles, ICC Rv I 128–33; JMichl, D. 24 Ältesten in d. Apk. d. hl. J. ’38); the number 24 has been referred to the following: the 24 priestly classes of the Jews (1 Ch 24:7–18; Jos., Ant. 7, 365–67) whose heads were called ‘elders’ (Yoma 1, 5; Tamid 1, 1; Middoth 1, 8); the 24 stars which, according to Babylonian belief, stood half on the north and half on the south of the zodiac (Diod S 2, 31, 4; POsl 4, 19: HGunkel, Z. religionsgesch. Verständnis des NT 1903, 42f; Boll 35f); the 24 hours of the day, represented as old men w. shining garments and w. crowns (acc. to the Test. of Adam [ed. CBezold, TNöldeke Festschr. 1906, 893–912]: JWellhausen, Analyse der Offb. Joh. 1907, p. 9, 1; NMorosof, Offb. Joh. 1912, 32); the 24 Yazatas in the state of the gods in heaven, acc. to Persian thought (Bousset). It is certainly an open question whether, or how far, the writer of Rv had any of these things in mind.—On the presbyters, and esp. on the question how ἐπίσκοπος and πρεσβύτερος were originally related to each other (a question which is raised particularly in the pastorals; cp. MDibelius, Hdb. exc. after 1 Ti 3:7 section 2 [w. lit.] and before 5:17), s. the lit. s.v. ἐπίσκοπος.—BEaston, Pastoral Epistles ’47, 188–97; WMichaelis, Das Ältestenamt ’53; GBornkamm, πρεσβύτερος; RCampbell, The Elders ’94.—B. 1472. DELG s.v. πρέσβυς. M-M. EDNT. TW.

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc acc comp sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: neut nom /voc /acc comp sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: adverbial

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc acc comp sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: neut nom /voc /acc comp sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: adverbial

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc acc pl (doric)

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: adverbial

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem acc pl (doric)

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc acc pl (doric)

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: adverbial

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem acc pl (doric)

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc acc sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem acc sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: neut nom /voc /acc sg

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc acc sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem acc sg

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: neut nom /voc /acc sg

ἐπισκόπους, ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc acc pl

ἐπισκόπους, ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem acc pl

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: adverbial superl

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: neut nom /voc /acc superl pl

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: adverbial superl

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: neut nom /voc /acc superl pl

ἐπίσκοπος 1

one who watches over: masc dat pl

ἐπίσκοπος 2

hitting the mark: masc /fem /neut dat pl