in church-history, ancient heretics, who made their appearance in the reign of the emperor Trajan, and took their name from their leader Elcesai. The elcesaites kept a mean between the Jews, Christians, and Pagans; they worshipped but one God, observed the Jewish sabbath, circumcision, and the other ceremonies of the law. They rejected the pentateuch, and the prophets; nor had they more respect for the writings of the apostles, particularly those of St. Paul.

ELDERS, or Seniors, in Jewish history, were persons the most considerable for age, experience, and wisdom. Of this sort were the seventy men whom Moses associated to himself in the government of his people; such, likewise, afterwards were those who held the first rank in the synagogue, as presidents.

In the first assemblies of the primitive Christians, those who held the first place were called elders. The word presbyter, often used in the New Testament, is of the same signification: hence the first councils of Christians were called presbyteria, or councils of elders. Elder is also a denomination still preserved in the presbyterian discipline. See Presbyterian.