Priesthood (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Semi-Autonomous: Presbyter is, in the Bible, a synonym for bishop (episkopos), referring to a leader in local church congregations.

But this requires the consent of the whole people of God, so at a point in the service, the congregation acclaim the ordination by shouting "Axios!"

It is church doctrine that the priesthood must strive to fulfill the grace given to them with the gift of the "laying on of hands" in the most perfect that they can.

The same as with bishops, it is Christ, through his chosen ministers, who acts as teacher, good shepherd, forgiver, and healer.

They preside at the celebration of the liturgy and teach, preach, counsel and exercise the ministries of forgiveness and healing.

On the altar table of each parish, there is the cloth called the antimension signed by the bishop, which is the permission to the community to gather and to act as the Church.

The earliest organization of the Christian churches in Judea was similar to that of Jewish synagogues, who were governed by a council of elders (presbyteroi).

Initially, these presbyters were apparently identical with the overseers (episcopate, i.e., bishops), as such passages as Acts 20:17 and Titus 1:5,7 indicate, and the terms were interchangeable.

Shortly after the New Testament period, with the death of the Apostles, there was a differentiation in the usage of the synonymous terms, giving rise to the appearance of two distinct offices, bishop and presbyter.

The distinction between presbyter and bishop is made fairly soon after the Apostolic period, as is seen in the 2nd century writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch, who uses the terms consistently and clearly to refer to two different offices (along with deacon).