The History of the Office of Elder (4): After the Apostolic Age

This article traces the history of the office of elder from its Old Testament and New Testament foundations through the post-apostolic church period to the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. Kuiper examines how closely the church adhered to biblical norms for the elder office, beginning with the early church's understanding that "bishop" and "elder" referred to the same office, and continuing through the office's historical deformation. This resource provides valuable historical context for understanding Presbyterian ecclesiology and the biblical basis for church polity.