The nature of episcopal authority in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa : (with special reference to the Constitution and Canons, recent Commissions on Episcopacy and the Metropolitan, and the Third Draft of the Plan of Union) : a contribution to the church union debate

Lindhorst, Alan M

The nature of episcopal authority in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa : (with special reference to the Constitution and Canons, recent Commissions on Episcopacy and the Metropolitan, and the Third Draft of the Plan of Union) : a contribution to the church union debate

Master Thesis

1988

Abstract

The c.P.S.A. as a daughter of the Church of England is part of the Catholic .Church and has inherited the Historic Episcopate. In sorting cut its legal status, the C.P.S.A., unlike the Church of England came to be not an established Church, tut a voluntary religious association, free £ran state control, with its and corpus of Cancns (adopted in 1870), by which its members agree to abide. This meant that the Bishops were no longer appointed by the but elected by the Church; and their authority was defined and limited by the Constitution and Canons. Episcopal authority is inherently spiritual, and is exercised in a number of episcopal functions, which are the special ministry of the bishop. A premium! of this thesis is that the 1:e.sic unit of church organisation is the territorial diocese under the jurisdiction of one bishop. He is its Father-in-God, teacher, leader in worship ordained; he exercises discipline and presides over Synod. He is linked collegially with his clergy in the diocese; and with his brother bishops in the province, of which the Archbishop/Metropolitan is the first anaig equals, and the focus of unity of the province as a whole. The heavy demands ai the Metropolitan in his dual role as Metropolitan and diocesan bishop lead us to that the C.P.S.A. be divided into three or four provinces, being held together under a Primate.

Keywords

Episcopacy

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