The ecclesiological offices of bishop, priest and deacon holds center stage in the Church of Sweden and many other churches of our time. These offices are often legitimized by references to their scriptural heritage in the New Testament. There is certainly a linguistic connection between “bishop” and the Greek word ἐπίσκοπος, between “priest” and πρεσβύτερος and between “deacon” and διάκονος. The possible connection in meaning between each pair of words is far from obvious, however. Therefore, in this study I investigate what these words meant in their original context.  The purpose of the study is to contribute to the understanding or the function of ἐπίσκοπος according to First Timothy. The research question posed; What knowledge can be obtained in regard to this function and the requirements for becoming an ἐπίσκοπος according to 1 Tim 3:1-7? The study is divided into three parts. The first part surveys current research regarding the three Pastoral Epistles, with a focus on 1 Tim. The second part reviews current research on institutionalization in the Corpus Paulinum. Margret MacDonalds socio-historical study of Institutionalization in the Pauline and deutero-Pauline writings is particularly important. In addition, I review Berger and Luckmanns theory about the social construction of reality alongside Max Weber’s theory about routinized charisma. The third part of the study is a textual analysis of 1 Tim 3:1-7. I conclude that the central theme in 1 Tim 3:1-7 is the position (office or function) of ἐπισκοπή and not the person ἐπίσκοπος. An understanding of ἐπίσκοπος must therefore be consistent with one´s construal of ἐπισκοπή. It is argued that ἐπισκοπή is an institutionalized form of leadership with strong parallels in Greek-Roman moral philosophy. The institution described in 1 Tim 3:1-7 has apparently become quite fixed. Given the Greek-Roman parallels, that institution seems to contain a hierarchical and authoritarian form of leadership – legitimized by moral excellence. Further, 1 Tim 3:1-7 bears no witness to any specifically Christian innovations in leadership.

This thesis examines the regional part of the Church of Sweden. Existing as a Lutheran evangelical church since the declaration in Uppsala in 1593, the Church of Sweden became completely separate from the state in the year 2000. Apart from a small piece of legislation by the Swedish parliament, the now former state controlled church were to act on their own. This development can be seen as a result of several decades of discussions. The author is raising the question about the roll and function of bishops and dioceses in the Church of Sweden. By using original non-theological concepts such as isomorphism and management, the ecclesiological function of the Church of Sweden is presented. The terminology of management from business and economics has influenced the economic language of the church. In several cases the Church of Sweden has been subject to isomorphic impacts in bureaucratic and economical matters. The impression is that the development has partly been reduced from the regions or the dioceses. The author also presents a keyword for meta-ecclesiology; the church as such.

This work studies the introduction of three new cults of saints in the Linköping Bishopric during the Late Middle Ages. Two of them were based at Vadstena Convent: the Holy Bridgel (Birgitta, d. 1373) cult which had its beginning in 1374 and the cult of Katarina Ulfsdotter (d. 1381), which started during the 1410's. The third, the cult of Bishop Nils Hermansson (d. 1391), which originated at the latest in I40l. was associaled w ith the cathedral in Linköping. The introduction of a saint's cult may be relaled to the need of many people in medieval society for healing and protection. The tales about the saint's posthumous miracles played a key role in the introductory phase of the cults. In the dissertation such tales are used as the foundation for the analysis of the varied geographic and social patterns of distnbution of the three cults. The cult of the Holy Bridget was as much an intemational as a Swedish cult. The other cults studied were two of manv attempts to ride on the wave created by the successes of the Bridget cult. They may furthermore be regarded a response to various types of crises which the sponsoring institutions experienced. / Den 29 juni 1374 anlände ett skepp till Söderköpings hamn. Ombord fanns kvarlevorna efter den heliga Birgitta, vilka nu av dottern Katarina efter moderns önskemål skulle föras till Vadstena. När resföljet anlände till Sverige strömmade människor till från alla håll. De var redan klara över att i kistan låg relikema efter ett helgon. Ryktet om Birgittas förmåga att med sina förböner hjälpa sjuka och olycksdrabbåde människor var ett centralt inslag i den helgonkult som byggdes upp kring henne. Birgittakultens exempel lockade till efterföljd. Under det kommande århundradet etablerades ett pärlband av nya helgonkulter i Linköpings stift, däribland kulterna av Birgittas dotter Katarina (1381) och av biskop Nils Hermansson (1391). Denna doktorsavhandling fokuserar intresset på dessa helgonkulter i deras lanseringsskede. Den identifierar de grupper och institutioner som var särskilt aktiva i detta skede, och diskuterar de behov i dåtidens samhälle som gjorde att befolkningens breda lager tog till sig de nya helgonen. / <p>Doktoravhandlingen framlagd vid Uppsala universitet 1992</p>