In Catholic canon law, "a vicar is the representative of any ecclesiastic" entity. The Romans had used the term to describe officials subordinate to the praetorian prefects. In the early Christian churches, bishops likewise had their vicars, such as the archdeacons and archpriests, and also the rural priest, the curate who had the "cure" or "care" of all the souls outside the episcopal cities. The position of the Roman Catholic vicar as it evolved is sketched in the "Catholic Encyclopedia", 1908.