DIOCESE

(Yunanca köken — orijinale bakınız.) The terri torial extent of a bishop's jurisdiction, embracing several paraecia? or parishes. As in early times the Christian converts were most, numerous or most easily collected into a congregation in large towns, so in these towns did the bishop reside and minister to the faithful in his cltui el sisted by his priests and deacons. When the number of be. lievers required the accommodation of additional temples, or congregations were formed in the neighbouring villages, the bishop was wont, to appoint priests for Iheir service, and the districts inhabited by these subsidiary congregations would become the parishes of his diocese. [s. 362]