As the apostles began to pass from the scene, they appointed
certain non-apostles-e.g., Timothy, Titus, Mark, Philip, and
Apollos-to oversee multiple local congregations and to appoint and
discipline individual presbyters within them. Since they oversee
only a single and individual congregation/region, they are
technically the first bishops. Within this congregation, they have
enouh authority to do the following -
i) Appoint priests within a local congregation
Titus 1:5
For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right
what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town, as I
directed you
ii) Discipline, judge and remove Priests
1 Tim 5:19-20
Do not accept an accusation against a presbyter unless it is
supported by two or three witnesses. Reprimand publicly those who
do sin, so that the rest also will be afraid.
Naturally the distinction between bishops and priests or the
three-fold office only came into being through Ignatius
Epistles.
Ignatius:
"See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does
the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles; and
reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God.
I personally feel that a one century development of the
three-fold office pales in comparision to the 3 century development
of the NT Canon haha!
