Definition

1. Noun:
   • A civil governor in ancient Greece: An eparch was the governor or prefect of an eparchy, which was an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire and other historical Greek contexts.
   • A bishop in the Eastern Church: In Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches, an eparch is a bishop or metropolitan who holds ecclesiastical authority over an eparchy, which is equivalent to a diocese.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Historical/Civil):

  • The emperor appointed a new eparch to administer the province.
  • Taxes were collected under the authority of the local eparch.

• Noun (Ecclesiastical):

  • The eparch celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the faithful in his jurisdiction.
  • Decisions regarding the parish required the eparch's approval.

Advanced Usage

• The term is used in formal historical and religious contexts. In modern usage, the ecclesiastical meaning is more common than the historical civil one.
• "Eparchal" (adjective): Pertaining to an eparch or an eparchy.
  • The eparchal synod convened to discuss the matter.

Variants and Related Words

• Eparchy (noun): The district or diocese governed by an eparch.
  • The new eparchy was established to serve the growing community.
• Archeparchy (noun): A larger or more important eparchy, often headed by an archeparch (archbishop).

Synonyms

• Governor (for the historical civil sense).
• Prefect (for the historical civil sense).
• Bishop (for the ecclesiastical sense).
• Metropolitan (for a senior ecclesiastical eparch).

Notes

• The word is of Greek origin (, meaning "ruler over").
• It is a specialized term not commonly encountered in everyday English but is standard in historical and theological writings.

Noun

1. the governor or prefect of an eparchy in ancient Greece
2. a bishop or metropolitan in charge of an eparchy in the Eastern Church