Presbyter

Presbyter (Greek πρεσβύτερος, : "elder" or "priest" in Christian usage) in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, with presbyter being from the Greek "presbyteros" and meaning elder/senior and episkopos meaning overseer, referring exclusively to the office of bishop, but with presbyteros being understood by many as referring to the same person functioning as overseer. In modern Catholic and Orthodox usage, presbyter is distinct from bishop and synonymous with priest. In mainline Protestant usage, the term is however not seen as referring to a member of a distinctive priesthood and terms such as minister, pastor and elder are used.

Etymology

The word presbyter derives from Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), the comparative form of πρέσβυς (presbys), "old man". The English word priest has presbyter as the etymological origin, although the distinctive Greek word for "priest" is never used for presbyteros/episkopos in the New Testament, except as being part of the general priesthood of all believers.