DIOCESE

(Yunanca köken — orijinale bakınız.) The territorial extent of a bishop's jurisdiction, embracing several parseciae 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 church, a isted by his priests and deacons. When the number of believers required the accommodation of additional temples, or congregations were formed in the neighbouring villages, the bishop was wont to appoint priests for their service, and the districts inhabited by these subsidiary congregations would become the parishes of his diocese. [s. 359]