Editing Episcopal polity (section)

==Formation==
The [[Paul the Apostle|Apostle Paul]] in the [[Epistle to the Philippians]], [[Pope Clement I|Clement of Rome]] and the ''[[Didache]]'' when talking about the ecclesial system of governance, mention “bishops and deacons”, without the word “presbyter”, which has been argued by some to show that there was no presbyter-bishop distinction yet in the first century.<ref name=":1">Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100–325 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org)</ref>

[[Ignatius of Antioch]], writing in already the early second century, makes a clear distinction of bishops and presbyters, meaning that his letters show that an episcopal system was already in existence by his time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100–325 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library |url=https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2/hcc2.v.vi.v.html |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=ccel.org}}</ref> However, [[Bart D. Ehrman|Bart Erhman]] sees it as significant that Ignatius never mentioned a bishop in Rome.<ref name="Ehrman2008p83">{{cite book |last=Ehrman |first=Bart D |url=https://archive.org/details/peterpaulmarymag00ehrm_0/page/83 |title=Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-534350-2 |page=83 |author-link=Bart D Ehrman}}</ref> Later, [[Tertullian]] also very clearly distinguishes the presbyters and bishops as a separate office, [[Irenaeus]] made lists of the succession of bishops, though such lists made by the early [[Church Fathers]] are highly contradictory.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100–325 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library |url=https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2/hcc2.v.vi.vi.html |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=ccel.org}}</ref> By the second century, it appears that the episcopal system had become the majority, universal view among Christians.<ref name=":1" />

Even [[Schism in Christianity|schismatic]] sects such as the [[Novatianism|Novatians]] and [[Donatism|Donatists]] would also use the episcopal framework,<ref name=":2" /> except for [[Aerius of Sebaste]], who contested the system and began his own sect.<ref name=":0" />

[[Jerome]] stated that churches were originally governed by a group of presbyters, only later electing bishops to suppress schisms.<ref name=":1" />{{Catholic Church sidebar}}

[[File:G.P.A.Healy, Portrait of Pope Pius IX (1871).jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Pope Pius IX]] convened the [[First Vatican Council]] that approved the dogma of the pope as the visible head of the church, prime bishop over a hierarchy of clergy and believers.<ref>Decrees of the First Vatican Council,  Session 4 : 18 July 1870 – First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ. [http://www.dailycatholic.org/history/20ecume3.htm Daily Catholic Online edition] retrieved on September 1, 2006.</ref>]]