Charles Gore noted that Clement of Alexandria made adistinction between “bishops” and “presbyters”:
‘The grades in the Church here of bishops, presbyters, deacons I believe
to be imitations of the angelic glory’ (Strom. Vi. 13. 107: αι
ενταυθα κατα την εκκλησιαν προκοπαι επισκοπων, διακονων, μιμηματα οιμαι
αγγελικης δοξης.) (Charles Gore, The
Church and the Ministry [5th ed.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1902], 122
n. 6)
The entire passage from Stromata 6.13 reads thusly:
He, then, who has first moderated his passions and trained himself for
impassibility, and developed to the beneficence of gnostic perfection, is here
equal to the angels. Luminous already, and like the sun shining in the exercise
of beneficence, he speeds by righteous knowledge through the love of God to the
sacred abode, like as the apostles. Not that they became apostles through being
chosen for some distinguished peculiarity of nature, since also Judas was
chosen along with them. But they were capable of becoming apostles on being
chosen by Him who foresees even ultimate issues. Matthias, accordingly, who was
not chosen along with them, on showing himself worthy of becoming an apostle,
is substituted for Judas.
Those, then, also now, who have exercised themselves in the Lord’s
commandments, and lived perfectly and gnostically according to the Gospel, may
be enrolled in the chosen body of the apostles. Such an one is in reality a
presbyter of the Church, and a true minister (deacon) of the will of God, if he
do and teach what is the Lord’s; not as being ordained by men, nor regarded
righteous because a presbyter, but enrolled in the presbyterate8 because
righteous. And although here upon earth he be not honoured with the chief seat,
he will sit down on the four-and-twenty thrones, judging the people, as John
says in the Apocalypse.
For, in truth, the covenant of salvation, reaching down to us from the
foundation of the world, through different generations and times, is one,
though conceived as different in respect of gift. For it follows that there is
one unchangeable gift of salvation given by one God, through one Lord,
benefiting in many ways. For which cause the middle wall which separated the
Greek from the Jew is taken away, in order that there might be a peculiar
people. And so both meet in the one unity of faith; and the selection out of
both is one. And the chosen of the chosen are those who by reason of perfect
knowledge are called [as the best] from the Church itself, and honoured with
the most august glory—the judges and rulers—four-and-twenty (the grace being
doubled) equally from Jews and Greeks. Since, according to my opinion, the
grades here in the Church, of bishops, presbyters, deacons, are imitations of
the angelic glory, and of that economy which, the Scriptures say, awaits those
who, following the footsteps of the apostles, have lived in perfection of
righteousness according to the Gospel. For these taken up in the clouds, the
apostle writes, will first minister [as deacons], then be classed in the
presbyterate, by promotion in glory (for glory differs from glory) till they
grow into “a perfect man.”
