1. of age;

a. where two persons are spoken of, the elder: ὁ υἱός ὁ πρεσβύτερος (Aelian v. h. 9, 42), Luke 15:25.

b. universally, advanced in life, an elder, a senior: opposed to νεανίσκοι, Acts 2:17; opposed to νεώτερος, 1 Timothy 5:1f (Genesis 18:11f; Wis. 8:10; Sir. 6:34 (33); ; 2 Macc. 8:30). οἱ πρεσβύτεροι (A. V. the elders), forefathers, Hebrews 11:2; παράδοσις (which see) τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, received from the fathers, Matthew 15:2; Mark 7:3, 5.

2. a term of rank or office; as such borne by,

a. among the Jews, α. members of the great council or Sanhedrin (because in early times the rulers of the people, judges, etc., were selected from the elderly men): Matthew 16:21; Matthew 26:47, 57, 59 Rec.; ; Mark 8:31; Mark 11:27; Mark 14:43, 53; Mark 15:1; Luke 9:22; Luke 20:1; Luke 22:52; John 8:9; Acts 4:5, 23; Acts 6:12; Acts 23:14; Acts 24:1; with the addition of τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, Acts 4:8 R G; of τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Acts 25:15; of τοῦ λαοῦ, Matthew 21:23; Matthew 26:3; Matthew 27:1. β. those who in the separate cities managed public affairs and administered justice: Luke 7:3. (Cf. BB. DD., under the word .)

b. among Christians, those who presided over the assemblies (or churches): Acts 11:30; Acts 14:23; Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22; Acts 16:4; Acts 21:18; 1 Timothy 5:17, 19; Titus 1:5; 2 John 1:1; 3 John 1:1; 1 Peter 5:1, 5; with τῆς ἐκκλησίας added, Acts 20:17; James 5:14. That they did not differ at all from the (ἐπίσκοποι) bishops or overseers (as is acknowledged also by Jerome on Titus 1:5 (cf. Lightfoot's Commentary on Philippians, pp. 98f, 229f)) is evident from the fact that the two words are used indiscriminately, Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7, and that the duty of presbyters is described by the terms ἐπισκοπεῖν, 1 Peter 5:1f, and ἐπισκοπή, Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 44, 1 [ET]; accordingly only two ecclesiastical officers, οἱ ἐπίσκοποι and οἱ διάκονοι, are distinguished in Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1, 8. The title ἐπίσκοπος denotes the function, πρεσβύτερος the dignity; the former was borrowed from Greek institutions, the latter from the Jewish; cf. (Lightfoot, as above, pp. 95ff, 191ff); Ritschl, Die Entstehung der altkathol. Kirche, edition 2, p. 350ff; Hase, Protest. Polemik, edition 4, p. 98ff; (Hatch, Bampton Lects. for 1880, Lect. 3 and Harnack's Analecten appended to the German translation of the same (p. 229ff); also Harnack's note on Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 1, 3 [ET] (cf. references at 44 at the beginning), and Hatch in Dict. of Christ. Antiq., under the word . Cf. ἐπίσκοπος.). the twenty-four members of the heavenly Sanhedrin or court, seated on thrones around the throne of God: Revelation 4:4, 10; Revelation 5:5, 6, 8, 11, 14; Revelation 7:11, 13; Revelation 11:16; Revelation 14:3; Revelation 19:4.