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A cathedral (French: ''cathédrale'' from Latin: ''cathedra'', "seat" from the Greek ''kathedra'' (καθέδρα), seat, bench, from ''kata'' "down" + ''hedra'' seat, base, chair) is a Christian church which contains the seat of a bishop,〔Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, ISBN 0-19-860575-7〕 thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate.〔 The counterpart term for such a church in German is ''Dom'' from Latin ''domus ecclesiae'' or ''domus episcopalis''; also Italian Duomo, Dutch ''Domkerk'' and cognates in many other European languages. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, and some Lutheran and Methodist churches.〔New Standard Encyclopedia, 1992 by Standard Educational Corporation, Chicago, Illinois; page B-262c〕 Church buildings embodying the functions of a cathedral first appear in Italy, Gaul, Spain and North Africa in the 4th century, but cathedrals did not become universal within the Western Catholic Church until the 12th century, by which time they had developed architectural forms, institutional structures and legal identities distinct from parish churches, monastic churches and episcopal residences. In respect of the church buildings in the Greek Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox Church, the English word "cathedral" commonly translates ''katholikon'' and ''sobor'' respectively, both terms having a meaning of "assembly"; but this title is also applied to monastic and other major churches without episcopal responsibilities. When the church at which an archbishop or "metropolitan" presides is specifically intended, the term ''kathedrikos naos'' (literally: "cathedral church") is used. Following the Protestant Reformation, the Christian church in several parts of Western Europe, such as Scotland, the Netherlands, certain Swiss Cantons and parts of Germany, adopted a Presbyterian polity that did away with bishops altogether. Where ancient cathedral buildings in these lands are still in use for congregational worship, they generally retain the title and dignity of "cathedral", maintaining and developing distinct cathedral functions, but void of hierarchical supremacy. From the 16th century onwards, but especially since the 19th century, churches originating in Western Europe have undertaken vigorous programmes of missionary activity, leading to the founding of large numbers of new dioceses with associated cathedral establishments of varying forms in Asia, Africa, Australasia, Oceania and the Americas. In addition, both the Catholic Church and Orthodox churches have formed new dioceses within formerly Protestant lands for converts and migrant co-religionists. Consequently, it is not uncommon to find Christians in a single city being served by three or more cathedrals of differing denominations. Where a parish church serves temporarily as the cathedral of a diocese, this is termed a pro-cathedral. The cathedral church of an archbishop or metropolitan bishop is termed a ''metropolitan cathedral''. As cathedrals are often particularly impressive edifices, the term "cathedral" is often applied colloquially to any large and impressive church, regardless of whether it functions as a cathedral, such as the Crystal Cathedral in California or the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø, Norway. The Crystal Cathedral was purchased by the Catholic Church (Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange) in February 2012; it will be converted into a genuine cathedral and renamed "Christ Cathedral". ==Definition== The word cathedral is derived from the Greek word cathedra ("seat" or "chair"), and refers to the presence and prominence of the bishop's or archbishop's chair or throne, raised above both clergy and laity, and originally located facing the congregation from behind the High Altar. In the ancient world the chair, on a raised dais, was the distinctive mark of a teacher or rhetor and thus symbolises the bishop's role as teacher. A raised throne within a basilican hall was also definitive for a Late Antique presiding magistrate; and so the ''cathedra'' also symbolises the bishop's role in governing his diocese. The episcopal throne embodies the principle that only a bishop makes a cathedral, and this still applies even in those churches that no longer have bishops, but retain cathedral dignity and functions in ancient churches over which bishops formerly presided. But the throne can also embody the principle that a cathedral makes a bishop; both specifically, in that the bishop is elected within the cathedral and is inaugurated by being enthroned within the cathedral by acclamation of clergy and laity; and also generally, in that the bishops' essential qualifications of regular prayer, higher learning and musical worship were for many centuries, primarily accessible through cathedral functions. In this there is a distinction between those church traditions, predominantly those of Eastern Orthodox Christianity but formerly also including Celtic churches in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, whose bishops came to be made in monasteries; and those church traditions whose bishops have tended predominantly to arise through the ranks of cathedral clergy.〔Sterk, Andrea; "Renouncing the World yet leading the Church"; Harvard University Press; 2004; p8〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cathedral」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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