Abstract:Over the course of three centuries, the institutional organisation of the Christian church evolved from small, loosely organised groups meeting in house churches to a form of hierarchical organisation known as monepiscopacy. Monepiscopacy denotes a form of ecclesial polity in which a single bishop possesses authority over the church and oversees the administrative responsibilities of that church as head of its ministry. This paper develops a theory that explains why the early Christian church ([Formula: see te… Show more
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