πρεσβύτερος, πρεσβυτέρα, πρεσβύτερον (comparitive of πρέσβυς) (from Homer down), elder; used:

1. of age;

a. where two persons are spoken of, the elder: ὁ υἱός ὁ πρεσβύτερος (Aelian v. h. 9, 42), Luk 15:25.

b. universally, advanced in life, an elder, a senior: opposed to νεανίσκοι, Act 2:17; opposed to νεώτερος, 1Ti 5:1 f (Gen 18:11 f; Wis 8:10; Sir 6:34 (33); ; 2Ma 8:30). οἱ πρεσβύτεροι (A. V. the elders), forefathers, Heb 11:2; παράδοσις (which see) τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, received from the fathers, Mat 15:2; Mar 7:3; Mar 7:5.

2. a term of rank or office; as such borne by,

a. among the Jews, α. members of the great council or Sanhedrin (because in early times the rulers of the people, judges, etc., were selected from the elderly men): Mat 16:21; Mat 26:47; Mat 26:57; Mat 26:59 Rec.; ; Mar 8:31; Mar 11:27; Mar 14:43; Mar 14:53; Mar 15:1; Luk 9:22; Luk 20:1; Luk 22:52; Joh 8:9; Act 4:5; Act 4:23; Act 6:12; Act 23:14; Act 24:1; with the addition of τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, Act 4:8 R G; of τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Act 25:15; of τοῦ λαοῦ, Mat 21:23; Mat 26:3; Mat 27:1. β. those who in the separate cities managed public affairs and administered justice: Luk 7:3. (Cf. BB. DD., under the word .)

b. among Christians, those who presided over the assemblies (or churches): Act 11:30; Act 14:23; Act 15:2; Act 15:4; Act 15:6; Act 15:22; Act 16:4; Act 21:18; 1Ti 5:17; 1Ti 5:19; Tit 1:5; 2Jn 1:1; 3Jn 1:1; 1Pe 5:1; 1Pe 5:5; with τῆς ἐκκλησίας added, Act 20:17; Jas 5:14. That they did not differ at all from the (ἐπίσκοποι) bishops or overseers (as is acknowledged also by Jerome on Tit 1:5 (cf. Lightfoot’s Commentary on Philippians, pp. 98f, 229f)) is evident from the fact that the two words are used indiscriminately, Act 20:17; Act 20:28; Tit 1:5; Tit 1:7, and that the duty of presbyters is described by the terms ἐπισκοπεῖν, 1Pe 5:1 f, and ἐπισκοπή, Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 44, 1 [ET]; accordingly only two ecclesiastical officers, οἱ ἐπίσκοποι and οἱ διάκονοι, are distinguished in Php 1:1; 1Ti 3:1; 1Ti 3:8. The title ἐπίσκοπος denotes the function, πρεσβύτερος the dignity; the former was borrowed from Greek institutions, the latter from the Jewish; cf. (Lightfoot, as above, pp. 95ff, 191ff); Ritschl, Die Entstehung der altkathol. Kirche, edition 2, p. 350ff; Hase, Protest. Polemik, edition 4, p. 98ff; (Hatch, Bampton Lects. for 1880, Lect. 3 and Harnack’s Analecten appended to the German translation of the same (p. 229ff); also Harnack’s note on Clement of Rome, 1Co 1:1-31; 1Co 3:1-23 [ET] (cf. references at 44 at the beginning), and Hatch in Dict. of Christ. Antiq., under the word . Cf. ἐπίσκοπος.). the twenty-four members of the heavenly Sanhedrin or court, seated on thrones around the throne of God: Rev 4:4; Rev 4:10; Rev 5:5-6; Rev 5:8; Rev 5:11; Rev 5:14; Rev 7:11; Rev 7:13; Rev 11:16; Rev 14:3; Rev 19:4.