Historic episcopate

What it is: The historic episcopate is the conviction that the Church should preserve episcopal order and ministerial continuity through bishops.

How the tradition understands it: In much of Anglicanism, the bishop is a sign of diocesan unity, pastoral oversight, ordination, and apostolic continuity. The theme has strong ecclesiological value, although there is debate about the exact way of defining this continuity.

Textual or traditional basis: Pastoral passages of the New Testament, the Ordinal, the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, and the historical practice of the Church are frequently invoked.

Historical context: Preservation of the episcopate differentiated the English Reformation from other Protestant traditions that adopted presbyterian or congregational structures.

Common objections: Some contest the strict necessity of this form of government or question the historical validity of certain lines of succession.

Internal variations: The value of the episcopate is widely shared, but interpretation of its absolute necessity and of its ecumenical weight varies.