Bishop

=== Episcopacy during the English Civil War ===
{{main|English Civil War#Episcopacy during the English Civil War}}

During the period of the [[English Civil War]], the role of bishops as wielders of political power and as upholders of the established church became a matter of heated political controversy. [[Presbyterianism]] was the polity of most [[Reformed Churches]] in Europe, and had been favored by many in England since the English Reformation. Since in the [[Apostolic Age|primitive church]] the offices of ''presbyter'' and {{transliteration|grc|episkopos}} were not clearly distinguished, many [[Puritans]] held that this was the only form of government the church should have. The Anglican divine, [[Richard Hooker]], objected to this claim in his famous work ''Of the Laws of Ecclesiastic Polity'' while, at the same time, defending Presbyterian ordination as valid (in particular [[John Calvin|Calvin's]] ordination of [[Theodore Beza|Beza]]). This was the official stance of the English Church until the Commonwealth, during which time, the views of Presbyterians and Independents ([[Congregationalists]]) were more freely expressed and practiced.