patriarch

A man who rules a family, clan, or tribe.

One of the antediluvian progenitors of the human race, from Adam to Noah.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or any of Jacob’s 12 sons, the eponymous progenitors of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Used formerly as a title for the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria.

A bishop who holds the highest episcopal rank after the pope.

Any one of the bishops of the sees of Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, Moscow, and Jerusalem who has authority over other bishops.

The head of the Sanhedrin in Syrian Palestine from about 180 BC to AD 429.

A high dignitary of the priesthood empowered to invoke blessings.

One who is regarded as the founder or original head of an enterprise, organization, or tradition.