A hierarch is a bishop. That’s the short answer. When you hear “hierarch” in Orthodox conversation, it means someone who’s been consecrated to the episcopate and carries the fullness of apostolic authority in the Church.
The word comes from Greek and literally means “sacred ruler,” but don’t let that throw you. We’re not talking about someone who lords power over people. A hierarch is a bishop who serves as the sacramental and pastoral center of his diocese, the visible link to the apostles, and the guardian of Orthodox faith and practice in his territory.
Every Bishop is a Hierarch
Your parish priest isn’t a hierarch. He’s ordained by one.
Only bishops carry the fullness of the priesthood. They alone can ordain other clergy, consecrate the holy chrism used in chrismation, and dedicate church altars. When Metropolitan Joseph visits St. Michael’s, he comes as our hierarch, the bishop who oversees our diocese and connects us to the wider Church. He can do things your parish priest can’t, not because he’s holier or smarter, but because the episcopal grace he received at his consecration is different in kind.
This isn’t just administrative hierarchy. It’s theological. The bishop stands in the place of the apostles. He’s the one who guarantees that what we’re doing here in Beaumont is the same faith the apostles handed down. When he ordains a priest, when he blesses the chrism, when he presides at the Divine Liturgy wearing his omophorion, he’s exercising a ministry that goes back in unbroken succession to the Twelve.
Metropolitans, Archbishops, Patriarchs
These are all hierarchs too. They’re bishops with additional responsibilities or honor, but they don’t have a different kind of ordination. Metropolitan Joseph has the same episcopal grace as any other bishop. His title reflects his role as the senior bishop overseeing multiple dioceses in our Archdiocese, but he’s not “more bishop” than the auxiliary bishops who serve with him.
A patriarch, like Patriarch John X of Antioch, is the primate of an entire autocephalous Church. He’s first among equals, not a pope. He can’t override other bishops acting in council. He presides, he coordinates, he represents the Church to the world. But his authority functions within the conciliar structure of Orthodoxy, not above it.
This matters because it shows how different Orthodox ecclesiology is from what most folks around here grew up with. If you came from a Baptist background, you’re used to congregational governance or maybe a denominational structure with executives. If you’re from a Catholic background, you’re used to the pope as supreme authority. Orthodoxy works differently. Hierarchs govern together, in synods and councils. Even a patriarch can’t just decide doctrine on his own.
What Hierarchs Actually Do
Your hierarch ordains your priest. He assigns clergy to parishes. He resolves disputes. He teaches and guards the faith. When there’s a question about whether something is Orthodox or not, the hierarch decides for his diocese. When a priest needs correction or a parish needs intervention, the hierarch steps in.
But he doesn’t do this alone. He works with other bishops in his synod. Major decisions get made collectively. The Orthodox Church doesn’t have a single earthly head because Christ is the Head. Hierarchs serve that reality. They don’t replace it.
In the sacramental life of the Church, the hierarch is essential. You can’t have priests without a bishop to ordain them. You can’t have chrism without a bishop to consecrate it. You can’t have a properly dedicated altar without a bishop’s blessing. The parish priest does most of the day-to-day sacramental work, but he does it with authority given by his bishop.
Why This Matters to You
If you’re inquiring into Orthodoxy, you need to understand that you’re not just joining a local congregation. You’re entering a Church with a visible, historical structure. Your relationship with St. Michael’s includes a relationship with Metropolitan Joseph, and through him with the whole Antiochian Archdiocese, and through that with the worldwide Orthodox Church.
This isn’t bureaucracy for its own sake. It’s how the Church has maintained the apostolic faith for two thousand years. The hierarchs aren’t perfect men, they’re sinners like the rest of us, but they carry an office that transcends their personal qualities. When Metropolitan Joseph lays hands on a man to ordain him, he’s doing what bishops have done since the apostles laid hands on Timothy and Titus.
You’ll see this concretely when a hierarch visits for a feast day or ordination. The liturgy changes slightly. There are special prayers. The bishop carries his staff and wears distinctive vestments. It’s not pomp. It’s the Church making visible something that’s always true: we’re connected to the apostles, and that connection runs through these men who’ve been consecrated to guard and hand on what they received.
