patriarch

patriarch, title used for some Old Testament leaders (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s 12 sons) and, in some Christian churches, a title given to bishops of important sees. The biblical appellation patriarch appeared occasionally in the 4th century to designate prominent Christian bishops. By the end of the 5th century, however, in the course of growing ecclesiastical centralization, it acquired a specific sense. After the Council of Nicaea in 325, the church structure was patterned...