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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, "Archpriest" is an honorific title. There's not a whole lot to it, really. In the Byzantine churches, an archpriest is distinguished from a lower-ranking priest by the right to wear a pectoral cross. Today, it's generally bestowed on priests after about a decade in the priesthood. Most priests who serve as deans are archpriests. 

I assume you're working from Latin. What's the term? In Greek, there are a couple of honorific titles: archipresbyteros ("archpriest") and protopresbyteros ("protopresbyter"). The two titles are essentially synonymous, but there can be a technical distinction, depending on the practice and tradition of a particular jurisdiction. Another honorific title for a priest is economos.

In fact, a priest I know, who is the dean of a cathedral in Houston, was just elevated to archpriest over the weekend. I'm trying to remember if I've ever seen the rite and can't recall. If I'm correct, a elder priest serves as the "sponsor" (in this case, it was the protopresbyter of my local cathedral) and presents the guy being elevated to the bishop, who, in turn, says a quick prayer, bestows the pectoral cross on the priest (I'm thinking that, like an ordination, the congregation is called upon to proclaim him worthy), and probably says some nice things about the priest that may even be true.

- Kurt

On Thu, Nov 5, 2015 at 9:00 AM, BRIGGS JOHN <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

"Cormack, Margaret Jean" wrote:

I´m wondering if there is a good English translation for the term 'archpriest' who in the case I am interested in appears to be the 'head' priest at a cathedral?

Er, if that's what it says, it is best to stick with "Archpriest"! I don't have them to hand, but see A. Hamilton Thompson, The English Clergy and their Organization in the Later Middle Ages, and Kathleen Edwards, The English Secular Cathedrals in the Middle Ages for the way that the "Archpriest" is (gradually) replaced by "Dean" (and also "Rural Dean").

John Briggs

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