''Protothronos'' ( el, πρωτόθρονος, "first-throned") is a Greek term used in the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
to denote precedence among bishops (or rather their sees). Thus it can denote the first-ranked
metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis.
Originally, the term referred to the ...
within a
patriarchate
Patriarchate ( grc, πατριαρχεῖον, ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, designating the office and jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical patriarch.
According to Christian tradition three patriarchates were est ...
, or the first among the
suffragan bishops of a metropolitan see. Such bishoprics were in turn often raised to separate archbishoprics or metropolises.
See also
*
Primate (bishop)
Primate () is a title or rank bestowed on some important archbishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority ( title of authority) or (usually) ceremonial precedence ( ...
, Catholic counterpart
References
Sources
* {{cite book , editor-last=Kazhdan , editor-first=Alexander , editor-link=Alexander Kazhdan , title=
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
The ''Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium'' (ODB) is a three-volume historical dictionary published by the English Oxford University Press. With more than 5,000 entries, it contains comprehensive information in English on topics relating to the Byzant ...
, year=1991 , location=New York and Oxford , publisher=Oxford University Press , isbn=978-0-19-504652-6 , ref={{harvid, ODB
Greek words and phrases
Eastern Orthodox Church