Bishop
Bishop names 4 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Bishop an ecclesiastical functionary in the apostolical churches
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
an ecclesiastical functionary in the apostolical churches. The term presbyteros was borrowed from the synagogue; etymologically it implied that, as a rule, the person so designated was pretty well advanced in life, while episkopos, borrowed from the polity of the Grecian states, pointed to the duty incumbent on him of overseeing the church. The qualifications of a ons of a New Testament bishop are given at length by St. Paul (1 Tim. iii: 1-7; Titus 1:7-9). In the post-apostolic period a bishop was a church functionary superior to, and ruling over, the elders or presbyters. ops in Great Britain, the bishop of the presbyters. ops in Great Britain, shop for the At the deliberations held by the presbyters of Philippi, of Miletus, or other Christian churches, in all probability, one of their number was voted into the chair. Times of persecution bring the strongest to the front, and that strong man would, at nearly every crisis, preside over his fellows. A distinctive appellation was required to discriminate him from his colleagues, and gradually he monopolized the term episkopos overseer or bishop, leaving the humbler designation of presbyteroi presbyters or elders, to his former equals. In modern times, and in England, a bishop is a spiritual overseer ranking beneath an archbishop, and above the priests or presbyters and deacons of his diocese, but his jurisdiction is territorial, not personal. Before a bishop can be consecrated he must be 30 years of age. The Established Church of England is Episcopal, and of its 40 bishops (1920) 24 sit in the House of Lords. They are technically called lords spiritual, but are not considered peers of the realm; they are only lords of Parliament, nor is their dignity hereditary. They rank in precedence below viscounts and above barons. Their style is the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of -, and they are addressed as My Lord. Among the spiritual duties which they discharge are the confirmation of young people prior to their partaking of the communion, the ordination of priests and deacons, the consecration of churches and of burial grounds, the institution or collation to vacant churches, with a general superintendence of morals and doctrine of the clergy. In the United States a bishop is the highest dignitary, the chief pastor, in the Greek Catholic and Protestant Episcopal Churches. These bishops generally claim to be successors of the apostles. In the Methodist Episcopal, and other evangelical Churches, the office of the bishop is maintained, but with less of formal dignity and without any claim to apostolic succession. All Catholic bishops claim direct apostolic succession. Bishops in partibus infidelium (in parts occupied by the infidels), in the Roman Catholic Church, are bishops consecrated in succession to those who were the actual bishops in places where Christianity has become extinct, or almost so, through the spread of Mohammedanism, as in Syria, Asia Minor, and the N. coast of Africa. Such titles are given to missionary bishops in countries imperfectly Christianized, Christianized, and were formerly given to the Roman Catholic bishstance, up to 1878 having the title of Bishop of Nicopolis. Nico Suffragan bishops are bishops consecrated to assist other bishops in discharging the duties of their dioceses, though any bishop is a suffragan in relation to his archbishop.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
literally an overseer, from the Greek episcopus. In the Greek, the Catholic, and the Episcopal churches, the name is given to those priests of the highest order who are held to be the successors of the twelve apostles. In Russia the bishops are appointed by the czar who is the head of the church. In Catholic countries the practice varies. The bishops are named, however, either directly by the pope, or by an agreement between the pope and sovereign. In the Church of England bishops are named by the sovereign. Of twenty-eight English bishops twenty-six are entitled to a seat in the House of Lords . In the United States the title is used in the Catholic, Episcopal, and Methodist churches. In general the bishop is supposed to travel and visit the various churches in his charge, examining into and settling difficulties, confirming members, and advancing the interests of his congregations. His home church in which he has a pulpit, a chair, or cathedra, is called a cathedral. See Archbishop
Bishop ISABELLA BIRD, an English author and traveler
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
ISABELLA BIRD, an English author and traveler, born in Yorkshire about 1832; made her first trip abroad 1855, when she visited Prince Ed ward's Island and United States, and has since circumnavigated the globe three times. She spent much time in Japan, and in 1894-1895 made her third trip to Korea. She was in Seoul when the war broke out, 1894, and was the first person whose war correspondence reached London. Her publications include "Six Months in the Sandwich Islands" (1873); "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains" (1874); "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan" (1880); "Journeys in Persia and Kurdestan" (1892); 2); "Among the Tibetans" (1894); "Korea and Her Neighbors" (1898); "The Yangtze Valley" (1899); etc. She died in 1904.
Bishop SIR HENRY ROWLEY, an English composer
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
SIR HENRY ROWLEY, an English composer, born in London in 1780; was trained under Bianchi, composer to the London Opera House. From 1800, he composed about 100 works for the stage-among others the music of "Guy Mannering," "The Slave," "The Miller and His Men," "Maid Marian," "The Virgin of the Sun," "Aladdin," "Hamlet," versions of operas by Rossini, Meyerbeer and others, "Waverley," "Manfred," etc. From 1810 to 1824 he was musical composer and director to Covent Garden Theater. He also arranged several volumes of the National melodies. In 1841 he became Professor of Music in Edinburgh University, and in 1848 in the University of Oxford. He died in London, April 30, 1855.
Bishop MAJOR WILLIAM AVERY, a Canadian aviator
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
MAJOR WILLIAM AVERY, a Canadian aviator, born in 1885. He was a member of the Canadian military establishment in 1911, and went to France with the first expeditionary force at the outbreak of the World War. He joined the aviation arm, and soon became known as one of the most daring and successful airmen on the Allied side. He had numberless hairbreadth escapes and brought down a larger number of German machines than any other aviator who served in the war. He won the Victoria Cross by his exploits. He wrote "Winged Warfare; Hunting the Hun in the Air" (1918).
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Aiton's 1910 note that "In Russia the bishops are appointed by the czar who is the head of the church" was overtaken within a decade: the Moscow patriarchate was restored in 1917, the monarchy fell, and Russian bishops endured Soviet persecution before the church's revival after 1991. The far larger change is one neither account contemplated: the Episcopal Church in the United States consecrated Barbara Harris in 1989, and the Church of England consecrated Libby Lane in 2015, so women now serve as bishops through much of the Anglican Communion, while the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches continue to ordain only men. Collier's count of "40 bishops (1920)" of whom 24 sit in the Lords still roughly holds wo two archbishops and twenty-four bishops sit as Lords Spiritual), though appointment now runs through a Crown Nominations Commission rather than the sovereign's personal choice, and there are periodic calls to remove them from a reformed upper house. Collier's Latin phrase for missionary sees, bishops "in partibus infidelium", has been dropped in favour of "titular bishops".
Written for this edition, 2026.