archdeacons
archdeacons. Literally chiefs of the deacons. The office traces its origins to the New Testament church, where the ministry of Stephen and others is described in the Acts of the Apostles as their diaconia. The term archidiaconus emerged in the 4th cent., when Caecilianus was referred to as archdeacon of Carthage. He was the chief administrative assistant of the bishop in the diocese. As dioceses were established and grew in size, their bishops delegated administrative authority in a specified area to an archdeacon, thus giving him a territorial title, e.g. archdeacon of Cleveland, a practice discernible in England by the late 12th cent. The archdeacon became in effect an intermediary between the bishop and the parochial clergy. From the mid-12th cent. archdeacons held regular visitations, and following the third Lateran Council they became responsible for ensuring that church buildings and other church property in their jurisdiction were kept in repair.
Revd Dr John R. Guy
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archdeacons