In the West, there were seven holy orders, the minor orders and the major orders of subdeacon, deacon, and priest, with bishops considered as belonging to the order of priest. In the East, there were seven in most places, eight in others, with deacons, priests, and bishops making up the major orders.
Minor orders: In the West, these were, in ascending order, porter, lector, exorcist (called ‘bennet’ in the Isles), and acolyte. In the East, they were door-keeper, reader, cantor (in some cases), exorcist, acolyte, and subdeacon. Although originally designed to be a permanent office, in the West by the Early Middle Ages, they became merely steps on the ladder to full ordination as a priest.
In the High and Late Middle Ages until the Reformation, an alternate path to the priesthood developed at cathedrals and collegiate churches. A boy would start as a chorister in the choir. He would next become a poor clerk, then a junior vicar (lay vicar), followed by subdeacon, deacon, and priest-vicar (minor canon or vicar residential) once ordained priest. After that, he would aspire to become a prebendary canon.
Subdeacon: His primary role was confined to Mass, most notably reading the Epistle, taking care of the credence table, and helping distribute Holy Communion. This too became just a step on the ladder to priesthood. The word derives from the Latin prefix sub- attached to the Greek word diakonos.
Deacon: By the end of the 5th century, this former permanent order had become merely a step on the way to the priesthood. At Mass, he read the Gospel, led the Intercessions, and helped distribute Holy Communion. The word derives from the Greek diakonos, a term widely used in the Hellenistic world for some officers of civic associations and popular religious societies.
Priest: The journeyman of the clergy, he alone could celebrate Mass, baptize catechumens (and infants and children), and take charge of a parish or chapel. Although his functions were closer to those of the Greek sacerdos, the term derives from the Greek word presbyteros, another borrowing from Hellenistic civic and religious groups.
Dean: In this context, a priest who administrated a rural deanery, or, in some cases in Scotland, a plebania. The Latin technical term was and is vicar foraneus; anglicized vicar forane, it is the term used in the Roman church for the office. In the English Church, the office was earlier called archpriest; in the Scottish Church the early term was dean of Christianity and the later term was rural dean, a term that carried south to England. The term derives from the Latin word decanus, a term in the Roman army for a leader of a contubernium, a squad of ten.
Archdeacon: Originally the chief deacon of a diocese, during the Middle Ages this office came to be held by a priest, acting as an agent of the bishop for a section of a large or populous diocese.
Archpriest: Once the chief priest of a diocese, this office fell out of use in the Early Middle Ages, or at least the title did. It functions were later performed by the dean of the cathedral. In a few collegiate churches in England, the chief priest was called an archpriest.
Bishop: In the West, a higher grade of priest presiding over a diocese, a bishop alone could consecrate a church, perform Holy Confirmation, and ordain lower clergy. The term derives from the Greek word episkopos, a term first used by the Athenians for overseers of colonies sent from the city which was later borrowed by Hellenistic civic and popular religious groups.
Archbishop: Also called a metropolitan, this was a bishop presiding over a province. Among other maters reserved to him was the consecrations of his suffragan bishops, with which he had to be assisted by at least two other bishops, usually his suffragans.
Primate: The ranking bishop of a country, usually an archbishop, but not always, such as the case of the Scottish Church, which had no archbishop until 1472 but whose chief bishop after 1192 was the Bishop (now Archbishop) of St. Andrews.
Patriarch: A bishop of one of five primary sees ranking about all others of the Ancient Church, those being Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.
Clericals: Collective name the daily wear of clergy as opposed to the garments worn for Mass and other services, which are called vestments.
Cassock: a loose-fitting ankle-length robe worn by clerics in daily use, really a clerical but often worn underneath vestments, originally all in black but later in different colors of clerical rank: black for deacons, priests, and lesser clergy; purple or amaranth for bishops; scarlet for cardinals; and white for the Pope, though white is also worn by members of some orders and by regulars in tropical climates
Mitre: a peaked hat worn by bishops and some abbots, always white (though liturgically gold and silver count as white), during synods and ceremonies, always removed for prayer
Biretta: a four-cornered hat in appropriate color topped by three or four peaks generally surmounted by a tuft
Zucchetto: clerical skullcap similar to a Jewish kippah or yarmulke worn by clerics and seminarians in appropriate color
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