Ordo (order), as applied to the clergy, has been the occasion of controversy. Many contend that it is adopted from the Roman language, and used by Tertullian and others of the classic sense, to exhibit the patrician rank of the clergy, like the ordo senatorius of the Romans. The fact is, that the word is used to denote the difference between the clergy and the people- the ordo ecclesiasticus and the laity; and in this sense it has been understood since the close of the second century. See Riddle, Christiati Antiquities, p. 203, 212.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More