presbyters
T
he Acts of the Apostles 20:15–38 (NABRE) describes Paul addressing the Church in Ephesus. He seems specifically to be talking with the leaders of Church, in this context the presbyters and overseers. This passage is of particular interest because the terminology Paul uses eventually was adopted by the entire Church and remains in use today.
The gathered leaders of the Church, the presbyters, take their name from the Greek word πρεσβύτης (presbutes), which means an old or elderly person. This context specifically uses a comparative form meaning “older” or “senior.” These are the elders and guides of the community and serve as the origins of modern-day priests.
The word overseer in Greek is ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos), a word that literally means “one who looks or watches over” and was used to refer specifically to shepherds among other things. Modern-day bishops take their name from these overseers.
In this passage, we see that in the very early Church there was no clear distinction between presbyters and overseers. As the church grew, however, the need for oversight and leadership also expanded. The role of the overseers expanded as well into what we know today as bishops.
related topic: bishop & deacon
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