ECCLESIASTICAL HIERARCHIES. 757 



monotheistic in theory, cannot recognize or tolerate other 

 religions, there still, as it spreads, arises an organization 

 similar in its centralization and specialization to those just 

 contemplated. Describing the development of Church-govern 

 ment in Europe, M. Guizot says : 



w The bishop was, originally, the inspector, the chief of the religious 

 congregation of each town. . . . When Christianity spread into the 

 rural districts, the municipal bishop no longer sufficed. Then appeared 

 the chorepiscopi, or rural bishops . . . the rural districts once 

 Christian, the chorepiscopi in their turn no longer sufficed . . . 

 each Christian agglomeration at all considerable became a parish, 

 and had a priest for its religious head . . . originally parish priests 

 acted absolutely only as representatives, as delegates of the bishops, 

 and not in virtue of their own right. The union of all the agglome 

 rated parishes around a town, in a circumscription for a long time 

 vague and variable, formed the diocese. After a certain time, and 

 in order to bring more regularity and completeness into the rela 

 tions of the diocesan clergy, they formed a small association of many 

 parishes under the name ot the rural chapter. . . . At a later period 

 many rural chapters were united . . . under the name of district, 

 which was directed by an archdeacon . . . the diocesan organization 

 was then complete. . . . All the dioceses in the civil province formed 

 the ecclesiastical province, under the direction of the metropolitan or 

 frrchbishop.&quot; 



Fully to understand this development of ecclesiastical 

 organization, it is needful to glance at the process by which 

 it was effected, and to observe how the increasing integration 

 necessitated the increasing differentiation. 



ft During a great part of this [the second] century, the Christian 

 church is were independent on each other, nor were they joined 

 together by association, confederacy, or any other bonds, but those of 

 charity . . . But, in process of time, all the Christian churches of a 

 province were formed into one large ecclesiastical body, which, like 

 confederate states, assembled at certain times in order to deliberate 

 about the common interests of the whole. . . . These councils . . . 

 changed the whole face of the church, and gave it a new form ; for by 

 them the ancient privileges of the people were considerably dimi 

 nished, and the power and authority of the bishops greatly augmented. 

 The humility, indeed, and prudence of these pious prelates prevented 

 their assuming all at once the power with which they were afterward 

 invested. . . . But they soon changed this humble tone, imperceptibly 



