TheCatholicchurchwasadministeredbythespiritualandlegaljurisdictionofeighteenhundredbishops；^86ofwhomonethousandwereseatedintheGreek，andeighthundredintheLatin，provincesoftheempire。Theextentandboundariesoftheirrespectivedioceseshadbeenvariouslyandaccidentallydecidedbythezealandsuccessofthefirstmissionaries，bythewishesofthepeople，andbythepropagationofthegospel。
EpiscopalchurcheswerecloselyplantedalongthebanksoftheNile，onthesea—coastofAfrica，intheproconsularAsia，andthroughthesouthernprovincesofItaly。ThebishopsofGaulandSpain，ofThraceandPontus，reignedoveranampleterritory，anddelegatedtheirruralsuffraganstoexecutethesubordinatedutiesofthepastoraloffice。^87AChristiandiocesemightbespreadoveraprovince，orreducedtoavillage；butallthebishopspossessedanequalandindeliblecharacter:theyallderivedthesamepowersandprivilegesfromtheapostles，fromthepeople，andfromthelaws。WhilethecivilandmilitaryprofessionswereseparatedbythepolicyofConstantine，anewandperpetualorderofecclesiasticalministers，alwaysrespectable，sometimesdangerous，wasestablishedinthechurchandstate。Theimportantreviewoftheirstationandattributesmaybedistributedunderthefollowingheads:I。PopularElection。II。OrdinationoftheClergy。III。Property。IV。
CivilJurisdiction。V。Spiritualcensures。VI。Exerciseofpublicoratory。VII。Privilegeoflegislativeassemblies。
[Footnote86:Thenumbersarenotascertainedbyanyancientwriterororiginalcatalogue；forthepartiallistsoftheeasternchurchesarecomparativelymodern。ThepatientdiligenceofCharlesaStoPaolo，ofLukeHolstentius，andofBingham，haslaboriouslyinvestigatedalltheepiscopalseesoftheCatholicchurch，whichwasalmostcommensuratewiththeRomanempire。TheninthbookoftheChristianantiquitiesisaveryaccuratemapofecclesiasticalgeography。]
[Footnote87:Onthesubjectofruralbishops，orChorepiscopi，whovotedintynods，andconferredtheminororders，SeeThomassin，Disciplinedel\'Eglise，tom。i。p。447，&c。，andChardon，Hist。desSacremens，tom。v。p。395，&c。Theydonotappeartillthefourthcentury；andthisequivocalcharacter，whichhadexcitedthejealousyoftheprelates，wasabolishedbeforetheendofthetenth，bothintheEastandtheWest。]