Archbishop (Gr. arch-, and episcopos, 'over-seer') is the title given to a metropolitan bishop who superintends the conduct of the suffragan bishops in his province, and also exercises episcopal authority in his own diocese. Occasionally, however, the title has been bestowed upon a prelate of a famous city, without his being made a metropolitan and having suffragans under him. The title arose, in the 3d and 4th centuries, from the provincial synods being held once or twice a year in the chief town of the province under the presidency of the bishop of the place. Another cause of the origin of the title is said to be the custom of planting new bishoprics as Christianity spread, a slight supremacy being still retained by the original chief pastor over those newly appointed. In the Oriental Church, the archbishops are still called 'metropolitans,' from the circumstance first mentioned. In the African Church, on the other hand, the term used was 'primus.' The great archbishoprics of the early Church were those of Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. Since the 6th century, the Archbishop of Rome has claimed exclusively the name of Pope (papa), which early fathers—e.g. St Jerome—apply to all bishops, and occasionally even to presbyters. There is an official letter by Justinian, addressed to 'John, Archbishop of Rome and Patriarch;' and several ecclesiastical constitutions are addressed to 'Ephanius, Archbishop of Constantinople and Patriarch.' The synod of Antioch, in 341, assigned to the archbishop the superintendence over all the bishoprics, and a precedence in rank over all the bishops of the church, who, on important matters, were bound to consult him and be guided by his advice. By degrees there arose, out of this superiority of rank, privileges which at length assumed the character of positive jurisdiction in ecclesiastical matters. Many of these rights passed to the Patriarchs (q.v.) towards the end of the 4th and during the 5th century, and still more to the pope in the 9th. The archbishops still retained jurisdiction, in the first instance, over their suffragans in matters which were not criminal, and over those who were subject to them they acted as a court of appeal. They possessed also the right of calling together, and presiding in, the provincial synods; the superintendence and power of visitation over the bishops of the metropolitan see; the power of enforcing the laws of the church; the dispensation of indulgences, and the like. The archbishops further enjoyed the honour of having the cross carried before them in their own archiepiscopate, even in presence of the pope himself, and of wearing the pallium.
In England there are two archbishoprics, of whom the one has his seat at Canterbury, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kent; the other at York, the capital of Northumbria. But though as ruling over a province in place of a single diocese, both have enjoyed the rank of metropolitans from the first, the Archbishop of Canterbury has all along enjoyed, not merely precedence as the successor of Augustine and the senior archbishop, but the possession of a pre-eminent and universal authority over the whole kingdom. This pre-eminence is marked in the titles which they respectively assume—the Archbishop of Canterbury being styled the Primate of all England (metropolitanus et primas totius Anglie), whilst the Archbishop of York is simply called Primate of England (primas et metropolitanus Anglie). It is also indicated by the places which they occupy in processions—the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has precedence of all the nobility (excepting those of the blood royal), not only preceding the Archbishop of York, but the Lord Chancellor being interposed between them. Previous to the creation of an archbishopric in Ireland, the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury extended to that island. The amount of control which belongs to an archbishop over the bishops of his province is not very accurately defined; but if any bishop introduces irregularities into his diocese, or is guilty of immorality, the archbishop may call him to account, and even deprive him. In 1822 the Archbishop of Armagh, who is primate of all Ireland, deposed the Bishop of Clogher on the latter ground. Writers, however, who maintain the jus divinum of bishops over presbyters, do not claim more than a jus humanum for a metropolitan over his suffragans; and assert that, though a bishop may overrule a decision made by a majority of his clergy, an archbishop is bound to give way to a majority of the bishops of his province. To the Archbishop of Canterbury belongs the honour of placing the crown on the sovereign's head at his coronation; and the Archbishop of York claims the like privilege in the case of the queen-consort, whose perpetual chaplain he is. The province of the Archbishop of York, consisting of the six northern counties and Cheshire, includes nine dioceses. The rest of England, with Wales, forms the province of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and includes 24 dioceses. The dioceses of the two archbishops—i.e. the districts in which they exercise ordinary episcopal functions—were remodelled in 1836. The diocese of Canterbury comprises Kent, except the city and deanery of Rochester, and some parishes transferred by this act; a number of parishes in Sussex called 'peculiars;' with small districts in other dioceses, particularly London. The diocese of the Archbishop of York embraces the county of York, except that portion of it now included in the dioceses of Ripon and Manchester, and some other detached districts. The election of an archbishop does not differ from that of a Bishop (q.v.); nor is the form of consecration essentially different, excepting that the oath of obedience to the archbishop is necessarily omitted. He also writes himself 'by Divine Providence;' a bishop being 'by Divine Permission;' and has the title of 'Grace,' and 'Most Reverend Father in God,' whilst a bishop is styled 'Lord,' and 'Right Reverend Father in God.' The archbishop is entitled to present to all ecclesiastical livings in the disposal of diocesan bishops, if not filled up within six months; and every bishop, whether created or translated, was formerly bound to make a legal conveyance to the archbishop of the next avoidance of one such dignity or benefice belonging to his see as the archbishop shall choose.
In England there is but one Roman Catholic archiepiscopal see, that of Westminster; in Scotland there are two, St Andrews and Edinburgh, and Glasgow. In Ireland there are two Protestant and four Roman Catholic archbishoprics. Of the former, the Archbishop of Armagh is primate of all Ireland; the Archbishop of Dublin being primate of Ireland. They formerly sat alternately in the House of Lords; the three bishops who along with them represented the Church of Ireland being chosen by rotation.
The United States are divided by the Roman Catholic church into twelve ecclesiastical provinces, each under an archbishop, and each including several dioceses. The divisions are known as the provinces of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York, Oregon, Philadelphia, St Louis, San Francisco, and Santa Fé. There are no Protestant archbishoprics.