God. The bishop was the source of unity: There was no true
Eucharist apart from the bishop.o The elders (“priests”) and deacons were lower orders aligned
with the bishops and clearly subordinate. Here, we find the
start of a “clerical order” in the proper sense.• A series of compositions of the 2nd and 3rd centuries known as Church
Orders devote themselves to the regulation of the common life and
show how the roles of the clergy were steadily more developed.
o The Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, comes from
Syria at the end of the 1st or start of the 2nd century. More
complex is the Apostolic Tradition attributed to Hippolytus,
coming from Rome sometime in the 2nd century. More complex
still is the Didascalia Apostolorum, originating in Syria
in the 3rd century. Finally, the eight books of the Apostolic
Constitutions from the 4th century contain elements of the
earlier books.
o The authority of the bishop increasingly appeared as supreme
within the church, and the bishop was at the center of every
activity, especially worship. We can begin to see the language
of the Old Testament with respect to sacrifices and high
priests now being applied to these Christian leaders and their
liturgical activities.o Below the bishop, we find a variety of “lower” clerical orders:
acolytes, exorcists, lectors, deacons, deaconesses, priests, and
widows. The clergy was responsible for community activities,
and its members were sharply contrasted to the laity.o Because our sources take the form of regulations rather than
reports of real life, we are left in the dark about many things
we would like to know about the ordinary life of Christians in
this time. What were those who were not bishops and clergy
doing? The sources suggest a vibrant religious life in which the