Religious Titles

[MaxKaladin]

I'm trying to create offices for a religion in my game and I'm looking for a list of religious titles and offices so I can borrow some. I have not been able to find anything of the kind online in my searches so far and I don't have access to my 1e DMG.

Thanks to anyone who can help!

 

[Azure Trance]

Well, for the real world (as far as I know):

Catholicism:
Pope
Cardinal
Bishop
Priest

Protestant:
Minister

Orthodox:
Patriarch
(Rest of the hierarchy perhaps same as Catholicism?)

 

[Beelzebub]

I had a rather zealous member of St. Cuthbert in one of my games. Here are a few fanciful titles we used in no particular order:
Father
Brother
Petor
Inquisitor
Grand Inquisitor
Templar
Cardinal
Bishop
Arch-Bishop
Pope

 

[Tabarnak Smokeblower]

OD&D Blue Box (translated from french):

Abbot, Vicar, Bishop, Archbishop

1stEd PHB:

Acolyte, Adept, Priest, Curate, Canon, Lama, Patriarch, High priest.

2ndEd CPH:

(Kits) Pacifist, Prophet, Scholar (Personalities) Crusader, Novice, Philosopher, Proselytizer, Sage (Other) Martyr

Google:

Eminence, Reverend, Father, Confessor, Inquisitor, Overseer, Minister

Novice, Adept, Proficient, Student, Keeper of Lore, Teacher of Legends, Disciple of the 1st Circle, Disciple of the 2nd Circle, Disciple of the High Circle, Councilor, Subordinate Chancellor, Recognized Keeper, Honored Master, Student of the Lord's Teachings, Teacher of the Lord's Teachings, and High Hand of the Old Father,

TS

Edit: from http://www.angelfire.com/la2/funcollege2/materials.html

Titles
We grant religious titles upon request. We have no hierarchical structure.

Currently available titles:

Abbe , Abbess, Abbot, Ananda, Angel, Apostle of Humility, Apostolic Scribe, Arch Deacon, Arch Priest, Archbishop, Arch cardinal, Ascetic Gnostic, Baron, Baroness, Bible Historian, Bishop, Brahman, Brother, Canon, Cantor, Cardinal, Channel, Chaplain, Colonel, Cure', Deacon, Dervish, Directress, Disciple, Druid, Elder, Emissary, Evangelist, Faith Healer, Father, Field Missionary, Flying Missionary, Free Thinker, Friar, Goddess, Guru, Hadji, Healing Minister, High Priest, High Priestess, Imam, Lama, Lay Sister, Magus, Martyr, Messenger, Matriarch, Metropolitan, Minister of Music, Minister of Peace, Missionary, Missionary Doctor , Missionary Healer, Missionary of Music, Missionary Priest, Monk, Monsignor, Most Reverend, Christian Mother Superior, Mystical Philosopher, Orthodox Monk, Parochial Educator, Pastor General, Pastoral Counselor, Patriarch, Peace Counselor, Preacher, Preceptor, Priest, Priestess, Prophet, Psychic Healer, Rabbi, Rector, Religious Preacher, Revelator, Reverend, Reverend Father, Reverend Mother, Right Reverend, Saintly Healer, Scribe, Seer, Shaman, Sister, Soul Therapist, Spiritual Counselor, Spiritual Healer, Spiritual Warrior, Starets, Swami, Teller, Thanatologist, The Very Esteemed, Universal Rabbi, Universal Philosopher of Absolute Reality, Universal Religious Philosopher, Vicar, Wizard, Sex God, Sex Goddess, Jedi Knight.

 

[DerianCypher]

The only ones I can see that aren't here are Deacon and Sister (for nun types obviously)

DC

 

[Brennin Magalus]

In addition to what has already been listed, off the top of my head:

prelate

canon

rector

pastor

acolyte

friar

abbot

metropolitan (bishop)

archpriest

archdeacon

apostle

curate

 

[Kilmore]

Man, how could you all forget Presbyter?

 

[Agback]

G'day

Let's put flamines, augurs, pontifices, hieroi, mantides, druids, bikkhus, rabbis, and brahmins aside for a moment, and look at the hierarchy of ordinaries of the mediaeval Church.

In English (and Latin) the titles are:

Pope (Pontiff): ruler of the Church

Patriarch (patriarchus): ruler of a Rite, eg, the Pope is Patriarch of the West and the Latin Rite

Primate (primatus): ruler of a national Church. eg. the Pope was Primate of Italy. Other primates use the title of their archdiocese: eg. the Archbishop of Canterbury was Primate of England.

Metropolitan (episcopus metropolitanus). A bishop with special authority over bishops of neighbouring sees. These subordinates are technically 'suffragan bishops'. Example: the Archbishop of York was the metropolitan of northern England.

Archbishop (archiepiscopus): Bishop of a diocese that (usually because it is old or important) has been chartered as an archdiocese by the Pope. The bishop only technically becomes an archbishop when the Pope sends him a special vestment called a 'pallium', but this is routine. Nearly all metropolitans are archbishops, but the reverse is only true in the north.

Bishop (episcopus): Ruler of the Church within a district called a diocese. Bishops were originally elected for life by the people of their diocese, but in the absence of secret voting the voters were controlled by local nobles, and in some countries by the King. The Investitures Struggle of 1059-1123 ended with all lay Christians being excluded from the voting (Lateran Council of 1123). The vote was then confined to certain privileged clergy: in the Holy See (diocese of Rome) the electors of the Bishop (Pope) were the so-called cardinals (originally seven bishops whose dioceses were subject to the archbishopric of Rome, seven priests of parishes in Rome, and the seven deacons of St Peter's basiilica, these later became more numerous, and developed into powerful administrative figures in the Papal Court). Later still papal appointment came to dominate over election by the canons in most episcopal appointments, though this authority was not uncontested and was exercised subject to political considerations. The diocese was and remains the basic unit of church administration. Strictly speaking, bishops who are not metropolitans are suffragan bishops if they are subject to a metropolitan and bishops nullius if they are subject directly to the Pope.

Auxiliary bishop (episcopus auxiliar) The auxiliary ('assistant') bishop is a person in episcopal orders and with delegated authority who discharges [some of] the duties of a bishop who is busy, ill, infirm, or absent from his see. Thus some auxiliary bishops are in effect the vicars of absentee and pluralist ordinaries of episcopal sees.

Vicar Apostolic The vicar apostolic is a man in episcopal orders who exercises the authority of a bishop as a delegate of the Pope, either in a vacant see, or in an area of missionary activity in which the Church is not yet sufficiently established for regular dioceses to be organised.

Vicar CapitularWhen a see (diocese or above) falls vacant its canons elect a priest to rule it pro tem as vicar capitular.

Archdeacon (?) Originally the chief of the deacons of the diocese, the archdeacon later developed into a senior priest wielding administrative authority within the diocese. In some areas there was only one archdeacon per diocese, and he was a sort of disciplinary superintendant (and a considerable rival to the bishop). In other areas the diocese was divided up into archdeaconries, each with an archdeacon acing as a sort of archpriest.

Vicar General The vicar general is appointed by the bishop to exercise a disciplinary supervision over the clergy in a diocese where this function is not customarily performed by the archdeacon.

Dean (Decanus). A dean is a superintending priest of a group of priests. Cathedral churches (the churches in which bishops had their thrones) were served by a team (the chapter) of priests (the canons of the cathedral) who also made up the bishop's court. Certain other churches ("collegiate churches") were also served by teams ("colleges") of canons, and the heads of these colleges (usually elected by the members or appointed by the bishop or pope) were also known as deans. The other type is the 'rural dean', who is in some ares appointed by the bishop as archpriest of a division of the diocese (a deanery).

Archpriest (archipresbytus). Appointed by the bishop, the ordinary of a parish that has several churches in it, with authority over the priests and chaplains of those churches. The church of the archipriest is the 'mother church' or 'baptismal church' of the parish. In some areas teh archpriests are known as deans or even archdeacons.

Apostolic Delegate A priest delegated by the Pope to supervise an area of missionary activity in an area in which the Church is insufficiently developed to require the appoinment of a vicar apostolic, let alone the creation of diocese and the appointment of bishops. Apostolic Delegates are often given special faculties to perform certain services normally reserved to bishops.

Rector (?Rector?) The priest who is the nominal incumbent of a parish is called its rector. He is appointed either by the bishop or by the founder of the parish (builder of the church and donor of the glebe) and his heirs.

Vicar (?Vicarius?) A priest hired by the rector to perform his duties while the rector (who may hold other Church offices) collects the revenues is a vicar. He exercises a delegated authority over his parish.

Chaplain (?) A chaplain is a priest who has a job performing services for some group or person, but does not have ordinary jurisdiction over any territory. A chaplain is often paid by a lay employer, but remains subject to the bishop (and, arguably, the local archpriest.

Cantor Lowliest office that an ordained priest can hold. A cantor is a priest employed in a chantry to say prayers over and over, to celebrate masses in the names of long lists of dead people, etc. Cantors often perform services in unison in large groups, like canons, but they lack the authority, secure tenure, and comfortable incomes of canons.

That's enough for one post. More later.

Regards,


Agback

{edited: coding, bishops suffragan and nullius}

 

[Tidus4444]

....
I see someone paid attention in Church History class.

 

[Agback]

G'day

The mediaeval Church eventually recognised nine grades in ordination, though there was continual argument about the sacramental nature of some of these status, and of the distinctions among them.

1. Simple Vows (aka. 'First Tonsure') This rite could be administered by a priest, and was accompanied by a tonsure. It gave no sacramental power. But arguable it did make the recipient a member of the clergy rather than the laity. This was as far as the lay members of most monastic orders even went.

2. Doorkeeper This is the first order. Originally it was given to people who would act in effect as ushers in church, later it was confined to minor office holders among the lay members of monasteries and to students in seminaries, one of the steps to priesthood.

3. Reader (Latin lector). Originally given to people who would give readings in church services (and otherwise preach), it was later confined to actual monks and to students in seminaries, one of the steps to priesthood.

4. Exorcist Originally given to empower members of the congregation to cure the sick and fend off demons, it was later confined to students in seminaries, one of the steps to priesthood.

5. Acolyte The ordained status that allowed a person to serve at the altar during Mass. Ordination at this level was a sacrament that could only be performed by a bishop.

6. Subdeacon (Latin Subdiaconusi]The minimum status permitting a person to carry the sacrament to another (without special faculties, of course). Deacons were the lowest grade of clergy with real jobs in the hierarchy: they visited the sick (taking the sacrament to the bedridden, etc.), collected and distributed alms, etc.

7. Deacon (Latin Diaconus). Deacons had powers and functions effectively the same as subdeacons, but in some areas the Church adhered to a tradition that there could be only seven deacons to each diocese. This was the status to which the secular clergy (ie. the diocesan hierarchy) felt that abbots needed and ought to be ordained.

8. Priest (Latin Presbytus). This was the grade of ordination necessary to perform the most important routine sacraments: Reconciliation (confession) and the Eucharist (mass). A priest was required to say Mass exactly once every day. The diocesan hierarchy struggled long and hard to confine this ordination to people who actually needed it for their role in the Church, and to maintain the dignity of the status. There were laws preventing bishops from ordaining priests who were not born and resident in their dioceses without permission from the candidate's bishop, etc. There were also laws forbidding a bishop to ordain any person a priest unless he had a Church office that would allow him to live in a dignified style on its income. The monastic movement wanted all full monks to be ordained priests, the secular clergy wanted monks to depend on secular priests for their confessions and Masses, thus maintaining the power of the bishop to discipline the regular clergy in his diocese and prevent abuses. They therefore resisted routinely ordaining even abbots as priests.

9. Bishop (Latin Episcopus) This grade of ordination gave the recipient the full sacerdotal power, the capacity to perform all the sacraments (including Confirmation, Ordination) and to make chrism (consecrated oil). Episcopal ordination required at least two bishops to perform it, and was usually performed by a metropolitan and a suffragan bishop or three suffragans. The law insisted that nobody be consecrated a bishop unless he were appointed ruler of some diocese, so men who needed the episcopal powers to serve as auxiliary bishops or bishops apostolic were nominally appointed to various fictional sees, often Christian cities that had long since fallen to Islam, or even cities that had fallen to pagans during the collapse of the Roman Empire, even if the barbarians had subsequently converted, and the cities become towns in new dioceses. The monastic movement wished all abbots to be consecrated as bishops, but only a few ever were.

Regards,


Agback