Episcopal promotions, and the role of assistant bishops

[Alex Haig]

It is my understanding (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that originally bishops were appointed for their diocese and would stay there for life.


Why then are bishops 'raised' to archbishops or patriarchs of a different See? When did this start?
Where does the tradition of assistant bishops (bishops without their own diocese) come from? When did it start?


I know there are a lot of questions here, please feel free to break them up and deal with the seperately.

With love in Christ

Alex

[Father David Moser]

Where does the tradition of assistant bishops (bishops without their own diocese) come from? When did it start?


Not sure I can answer the first question, but this one is pretty easy. In the writings of the early Fathers and during the conciliar period, you will come across references to chorepiscopoi or "country bishops". These were what today are referred to as "vicar bishops" in that they have the sacramental standing of a hierarch, but are not "ruling" bishops and therefore cannot act on their own initiative. By the way vicar bishops *do* have their own diocese, usually within the archdiocese of the ruling hierarch (for example in my case, I am in the diocese of Seattle, which is itself within the Archdiocese of San Francisco and Western America. The bishop of Seattle (currently a vacant see) is a vicar to the Archbishop of San Francisco. The current Archbishop of SF (Kyrill) was previously the Bishop of Seattle when he was a vicar.)

St Bede, in his history of the English Church, often refers to the event of a particular English bishop receiving a "pallium" from the Pope (keep in mind we are talking 6th century here so this is still Orthodoxy). The significance of this is that having received the pallium, a bishop is given the privilege of consecrating new bishops and can act independently in the administration of his diocese. Only the bishops of major sees were given the pallium and only after they had proved themselves to be capable and worthy. Again this is an indication of the vicar/ruling bishop dichotomy.

Fr David Moser