church officers
Preserved but no longer current.
He ordained metropolitans, convened councils, received appeals, and was the chief bishop over several countries or provinces, as an archbishop is over several dioceses. It was also the title given by the popes to the archbishops of Lisbon and Venice, in order to make the patriarchal dignity appear distinct from and lower than the papal, and is that of the chief bishop of various Eastern rites, as the Jacobites, Armenians, and Maron- ites.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “church officers” mean?
He ordained metropolitans, convened councils, received appeals, and was the chief bishop over several countries or provinces, as an archbishop is over several dioceses. It was also the title given by the popes to the archbishops of Lisbon and Venice, in order to make the patriarchal dignity appear distinct from and lower than the papal, and is that of the chief bishop of various Eastern rites, as the Jacobites, Armenians, and Maron- ites.
Is “church officers” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.