'VT

?^ "*";?

srAN

ECCLESIASTICAL DICTIONARY,OOMTAnnBO

DEFINITIONS OF TEBMS, AND EXPLANATIONS AND ILLUSTKATIONS OP SUBJECTS PERTAINING TO THE HISTORY, RITUAL, DISCIPLINE,

WORSHIP, CEREMONIES, AND USAGES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH; f

BRIEF NOTICES OF AXCIENT AND MODERN SECTS,

Jiograp^ual Sfeelc^ts of l^t tarig Jailers anb riUrs of

t^t hnic\.

BY

THE REV. WILLIAM STAUNTON,

D.D.

3^'NEW YORK:Ci)e CSreneral

Srotestant Spfscopal SunUav School Hnfon anD Cturct) 33oofe Socfets,713 BROADWAY.

Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1861,

BY REV. WILLIAM STAUNTON,

D.D.

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for Southern District of New York.

Um

Rknnie, Shea81,

&

Lindsay,

ttbkeottpebs and eleotbottfem,88

A

85 Centse-stber,

NEW

TOBK.

ADVEETISEMENT TO THE EEADER

The

identity of

numerous

articles in the present volunae,

with articles onDictionary,

the same topics in an English

work

entitled

'A Church

by

Walter Farquhar Hook, D. D,' will probably strike the reader, on a comand may give rise parison of the two works, as a rather curious coincidence,to

some uncertainty respecting the

real

author of those

articles.

be best explained by giving the reader a glance at some points connected with the origin of Dr. Hook's Church Dictionary, and with an earlier work entitled ' A Dictionary of the Church,' etc., by the Rev.will

The mystery

Dr. Staunton.

The

first

edition of this latter

work was

issued in 1839.

It consisted

mainly of articles and concise essays on the chief subjects of the work, written by the author expre^ly for its pages ; together with some selected matter on points of less importance.

Soon after the appearance of Staunton's 'Dictionary of the Church,*' some copies were sent to England and Dr. Hook, having heard of the work, and received a fevorable account of it from a fiiend on whose judgment he placed reliance, concluded that an English edition, with suitable With the view of promoting adaptations, would be advisable and useful.;

this,

the Doctor

made

choice of the Rev. Mr. Dowling, of Gloucester, to act

as editor or revisor.'

Subsequently, however, and probably in consequence

of the decease of Mr. Dowling, the Doctor changed his plan, and undertook the preparation of a new Church Dictionary, which was issued at first inparts or numbers,

and now forms the volume which bears

his

name.

a brief statement respecting the origin of Dr. Hook's Church Dictionary, and its relation to the work issued in New York by Dr. Staunton. In the preface to his Dictionary, Dr. Hook stated that he adopted' his Title from the American work and it is believed that in his first edition heis* ;

Such

also hinted that his obligations extended somewhat further ; but in the later editions his acknowledgment of indebtedness seems to be for the ^ Title' alone^

from which

it

would naturally be inferred by the mass of

his readers, that

These

facts are stated in a letter

from Dr. Hook, now in the possession of the writer.

ADVERTISEMENT.he took nothing more, or, at least, that what he did take, over and above, was not worth mentioning in comparison with the Title.^ And indeed, as to the Title itself, it appears that the Doctor really took only the two words'

'Church' and 'Dictionary' from the American book,title

which;

book has a

of rather liberal extent.'

but concernTitle,' then, nothing further need be said ing the almost unavoidable inference from such a notice, namely, that nothing beaides the Title was taken from Staunton's ' Dictionary of the Church,' com-

Concerning the

mon

justice demands that something further should now be said ; especially since Dr. Hook's work is known in the United States, and has often been

quoted by writers, for its sound learning, valuable information, clearness of and the high authority of its author's name, those writers never suspecting (what has proved in numerous cases to be true) that they weredefinition,

doing homage to borrowed property, and that the real author of the articles they admired was on their own soil, quietly enjoying the amusement created

by the laudations unconsciously bestowed on his own lucubrations. Those writers and readers generally may be surprised to learn that while Dr. Hook gives Dr. Staunton credit for the Title of his book (which was

him

hardly worth the trouble), yet, no acknowledgment whatever is made by of the undeniable fact, that matter to the amount of more than Jifty'

pages of Staunton's Dictionary of the Church' is incorporated into the English work, without quotation marks, references, the author's name, or any indication that the articles thus taken were written by a clergyman of

New

York, and that to Dr. Hook, or his

assistants,

belongs only the credit'

of transcribing them.

This simple fact any one may verify, by comparing Dr. Hook's Church Moreover, this Dictionary' with Dr. Staunton's Dictionary of the Church.''

transfer of material

delphia,

was made so apparent to a publishing house in Philasome years ago, on the issuing of an American edition of Dr. Hook's work, that an honorable compromise was made with the author of the ap-

the copyright laws of propriated matter, to avoid legal proceedings under States. the United

Of the numerous

articles

thus transferred, without acknowledgment, from

the American to the English work, the more important ones (with a single and care were beexception) are strictly original, and some investigation

stowed on their preparation.entitledin

Among them may(in

be mentioned the articles

Chorepiscopus, Episcopal ChurchDeacent

Hook's

article,

ChurchHook's

North America), Fasiing, Hell,

into,

Holy-days

(in

Feasts), Jure Divino, Lay-baptism, Lent, Litany, Mystery, Mystical, Opus operatum, Pardons, Primitive Church, Response, Rino in matrimony, Viaticum, and Uninterrupted Succession (in Hook's arno ticle, Succession). Respecting the name of the writer of these articles,article.

ADVERTISEMENT.clue whateveris

given to the reader of Dr. Hook's Dictionary, either in the

English editions or in the

American.

articles, about forty others of a shorter and less original character have also been taken without acknowledgment from Staunton's

Besides these

entire, some in part only, some mutilated, some mended, and some in which the Very Reverend Dean has been pleased to make an insertion of a few words, in the form of a thwack at popery.

Dictionary,

some of them

'

' the present work is an enlargement or reconstruction of the Dictionof the Church' by the same author, most of the articles incorporated ary into the English work will here be found in their respective places, while

As

all of

them may be seen

in the

former work, from which Dr.that the statements

Hook

tran-

scribed them.

The

reader will bear in

mind

now made have no

reference to the merits or demerits of the literary matter in question, but In the present case, nearly one-ninth ])art solely to the rights of its author.

of Staunton's Dictionary of the Church' may be found incorporated into Dr. Hook's work, without any of the customary marks of transcription ; the consequence of which has been the misleading of the reader, who little suspects that paragraphs and columns which he attributes to Dr. Hook, are,

'

but the productions of an humble presbyter of New York. In which have come to the writer's knowledge, persons unacquainted with the above facts have fallen into this very mistake ofafterall,

several instances, indeed,

confounding the owner with the borrower, the author with the transcriber. Had Dr. Hook, or his scribes, indicated in the usual manner the source

from which the borrowed material had been derived, some

satisfaction

would

have been made to the American author, and the reputation of the English book would not have suflfered by this customary act of literary courtesy.

Butif,

as the case

now

stands, the

Very Reverend Dean cannot justly complain,

twenty years' use of articles not from his own pen, the rightful author should think it expedient to exercise the reasonable privilege ofafter

saying

SUTJM CUIQUE.

PREFACE.The present work smaller one preparedis

an out-growtli or expansion of a

much

by the same author, and published several years ago, under the title of 'J. Dictionary of the Church,^ etc. The design of the original work was chiefly to illustrate and explain, in a familiar

manner, the External Order, or Polity, the

Sacraments, Eitual, Ceremonies, and Usages, of the Protestant Episcopal Church, with an especial reference to the demand for information on such subjects among Churchmen in the United States. As it was thought desirable, at the time, that a book

popular use should not be inconveniently and expensive, it was found necessary to proceed on a plan large which limited extremely the range of subjects, and excludedchiefly intended forall topics of a historical, biographical, denominational, or doctrinal nature, except in those articles where the close connection of these elements with the point under discussion furnished a

almost

justifiable reason for digression. The plan adopted in the work

now presented, isit

not embarrassed

or limited

by

these restrictions

;

expedient to touch only on the doctrinal theology.

been thought though of the boundless field of marginhasstill

The work embraces nearly*

all

the matter found in the former

and improvements, suggested by later investigation, or by hints from friendly sources. The department of the Ritual has been rendered more complete and instructive, by the insertion of several hundreds of new articles, based on competent authorities and by the extenDictionary of the Church,' with

many

corrections

;

sion or careful revision of several of the articles already written. To render the work still more useful as a manual for convenient reference, a large

number of terms relating to Ecclesiastical Architecture, Music, the Ornaments and Furniture of churches.Clerical Vestments, etc.,

have been introduced, with their proper

PREFACE.and copious explanations ; also notices of the principal Christian sects, ancient and modern, and biographical sketches of the early fathers and distinguished writers of the Christiandefinitions,

Church. In the preparation of a work limited to a single volume, and , yet including nearly 2500 topics for illustration or remark, a large part of the labor has consisted in condensation, and many articleswill necessarily appear brief

which might

easily

and incomplete, for want of the space have been occupied with details. The reader

will find, however, that such subjects as admitted of being treated with some regard to completeness, are here presented at consid-

erable length, though others, which from their very nature could only be sketched in a superficial or summary manner, are to be

ment

taken as mere outlines of important topics, for the full developof which, recourse must be had to works treating professedlysubjects.

Such works, of course, are necessary and invalwho would pursue any of those lines of to which we have given him merely an introduction. thought With the province of works treating at large on Ecclesiasticalon thoseuable to the student

We

topics, it is not the object of the present sketch-book to interfere. offer simply the outline, while others have given the finished

picture.

And

the reader whose interest this volume

may have

excited, will equally gratify himself and the writer, by continuing his investigations in the more elaborate works of those who have

ever been ready to consecrate their services to the Church. But in an age like the present, when the crowding engagementsof secularlife

are such as to leave to the mass of

men

but scanty

leisure for study and research on numerous and interesting points pertaining to Christian institutions and Ecclesiastical principles,

forms, and usages, a want will naturally be felt for a comprehensive work, comprising in one view, a brief but definite exposition

of terms and phrases everywhere interwoven with the language, and identified with the history, the worship, usages, and customsof the Christian Church.in

A work

of easy reference

is

required,

which every reasonable

facility shall

be given for immediate

information on topics constantly presenting themselves. Words and peculiarities of expression also, in no trifling number, bearing relation to Ecclesiastical forms and arrangements, imperfectly

understood by some, and totally without meaning to others,

PREFACE.

words whose import cannot be found without recurring to books not always accessible, ^have made it very desirable that a comand vade mecuni pendious exposition should offer itself as a guide the community. With this object, and to the religious portion of in the absence of any similar work fitted to meet this want in the United States, the present Ecclesiastical Manual was projected,

and

is

nowit

tion as

respectfully offered to those contains.

who

seek such informa-

work, like the Dictionary of the Church which preceded based on the principles, polity, and usages oi the Protestant the Episcopal Church (though by no means Kmited to these),

As

this

it, is

with his plan, has made it his aim to notice the greater portion of terms and phrases requiring explanation in the Prayer-book, the Canons, and other standards of that Church,writer, consistently

of which he

is

a Minister.

Ajid

as,

on many of the

articles

em-

braced in this department, there will necessarily be a considerable divergence of opinion and belief, on the part of such readers asbelong to other communions, the writer will only claim the courteous concession, that he was bound in fairness to state and advocate with reasonable decision, the principles of his own Church,

both for the information of inquirers, and the satisfaction of those who are of the same faith with himself. To construct a worklike this, without disclosing the

creed and convictions of the'

author or compiler, would be manifestly impracticable ; unless, to escape the charge of what is called a denominational bias,' thewriter and his

work should equally be wanting

in the element of

positive character. But the class of articles thus referred to, comprises only a |)ortion of the matter required by the extensive range of an Ecclesi-

and the reader will, perhaps, obtain a betto" astical Dictionary view of the contents of the work from the following synoptical;

Table, than could be afforded

The vocabulary1.

will

by any other mode of exhibition. be found to embrace :relate to the ministry, sacraments, worship,etc.,

Such terms as

discipline, ceremonies and usages, pal Church.2.etc.,

of the Protestant Episco-

Obsolete words and phrases occurring in the Prayer-book, together with expressions liable to misconstruction by thoseare not familiar with the views

who

and language of the Chareh.

10

PREFACE.3.

Some

names and terms occurringin the Prayer-hook.4.

geographical, biographical, ethnological, and other in the Psalter, Gospels, and Epistles,relating to the controversies, discipline, institutions,

Words

worship, and customs, of the various branches, and the various ages of the Catholic Church. 6. Brief notices of the principal ancient and modern sects andtheir leaders.6.

Sketches illustrative of the lives of the fathers and distin-

guished writers of the ancient Church.relating to Ecclesiastical architecture, music, antiquities, the furniture of churches, and the vestments of the clergy. 8. miscellaneous class of words and names often found inY.

Terms

A

Ecclesiastical

works, but sufficiently antiquated, technical, or otherwise obscure, to need explanation. It has been deemed important, throughout the book, to give due credit to the writers from whose works passages are cited,

reader

both as an expression of obligation, and as a satisfaction to the who may wish to know the authority on which his information rests. Some of the shorter articles, however, though not original, it has been found impracticable thus to ascribe to their

proper authors, inasmuch as they appear in various Encyclopaedias and Dictionaries, in nearly the same terms, without referen-

and are thus not traceable to their origin by any ordinary process. There are also numerous brief articles, in which detached expressions and hints have been derived from various sources, and so incorporated with other matter as hardly to reces,

quire or deserve a formal acknowledgment. The work, it should be particularly noted, does not profess to be a Theological^ or Bihle Dictionary, in the ordinary use of theterm.

Yet

so near

and intimate

is'

the relation between the exter-

nal offices of the Church, and the

better things' which await the devout worshipper, so immutable is the connection between the faithful use of Divine means, and the sure enjoyment of Divine that nothing but violence could sunder what God had blessing, Bo joined; and thus, occasions have been offered for spiritual improvement, too frequent not to relieve the dreaded apprehen-

sion of technical wearisomeness.

we

Thus, in illustrating the Churchy have been led to contemplate her Divine Head. In describ-

PREFACKing the Bride^ we have not forgotten the Bkidegkoom. He is 'Head over all things to the Church,' in Him

11

And

as

Bought to make all things centre and unite. proved abundantly the spiritual tendency of

we have In doing so we haveall

the

ways of thefollowed

Church

;

and

all

the credit

we

claim,

is,

that

we have

faithfully her heavenly guiding. To the reader we now commit our labors, which, we trust, have been pursued with the earnest hope and purpose of doing good.

If

merited attention, we are thankful. If we have at all enlightened the intellect, we rejoice. But if we have kindled the

we have

heart,

we

offer

upon

it

the best and earliest incense of gratitude,

and

praise.

W.

S.

N. B.

The new

title

of ^Ecclesiastical Dictionary* has been

adopted simply for the purpose of distinguishing the present work from the former ^Dictionary of the Church^ though it may alsosuggest the larger scope of the

work

it

designates.

AS

ECCLESIASTICAL DICTIOiNARY.

A.ABBA.

A Syriac word signifying Father.6;

'

Because ye are

sons,

God

hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father.*

Gal.

iv.

Rom.

viiL 15.

ABBACY.ABBE.

Lat. abhatia.

ITie rights or privil^es of an

abbottitle

A title of the same import with Abbot, and applied to the headIn the Church of France this

of a religious house for males.

has long

lost its appropriate signiJScation,

and been assumed by a

class of secular

persons, neither possessing nor looking forward to ecclesiastical office or

employment,

ABBESS.communityover which

The Superior of a nunnery or other religions The authority of an abbess in the house consisting of females. she presides is similar to that of an abbot in a community ofFr. Abbesse.

hood.

males, except in her inability to perform the spiritual ftmctions of the priestBy a decree of the Council of Trent, she must be of the age of

and have professed eight years, at the least. A monastic house, or assemblage of buildings, subject to the government of an abbot or abbess, and therefore contradistinguished fromforty years,

ABBEY.

priories, hospitals, etc.

The term appears to have been first applied to communities of monks or nuns over which abbots presided, and to have been subsequently transferred to the buildings themselves. Abbeys were anciently of varied extent andestablishments.

arrangement, according to the wealth and importance of their respective The mitred abbeys were the most eminent ; those whopresided over them having (like the bishops) seats in Parliament, by virtue of the baronies attached to their station. Britton's Archit. Antiq.

In former days, the wealth and influence of many of these establishments were very great Some idea of this may be formed from the extensive andmagnificent structures which sprung up in Europe during the prevalence of monastic power, and from the princely splendor and taste disexquisite

14

ABBOT.

played in the rearing and decoration of the once glorious fabrics now mouldering under the hand of time, or laid in ruins by a less pardonabledestroyer.

With the morals of theseTheir history,if true, is

institutions

meddle.in high dark as

a terrible evidence ofthis

we do not here intend to human wickednessbe, even if they

and sacred

places.

But however

may

were as

midnight within, while pure as the light of day without,

common

sense (not to say intelligent piety) will ever wonder at the stupidity and utter folly of that mob-like fury which involved in one general wreck,

without a particle of discrimination, the communities themselves, and the consecrated sanctuaries they had so wretchedly abused. For once, sacrilege and theft became virtues, and the rapacity of a monarch was not to be sattill the very altars and sacristies were plundered of their gold ; and the vessels, ornaments, and elaborate works of art, which the beneficence of

isfied

ages had brought together, were confiscated and recklessly squandered, as a wiser peace-off"ering to an ambition more lustful than vandalism itself.

A

policy might have carried the reformation, as it respected the abbeys, etc., The gold and the silver were the Lord's, and so were to a better issue.*

the long-drawn aisles and fretted vaults,'

now bowed down

in desolation,

and overgrown with decay. From these, superstition and immorality might have been efi"ectually banished, and the services of a purer faith introduced services which would have hallowed and redeemed the places, and filled

;

their courts withtfuth.'

men who had

learned to worship

God

'in spirit and. in

The number of monasteries in England, at the period of the Reformation, has been variously estimated. According to Bishop Tanner,' it would appear that, *by the act of Parliament passed in 1535, about 380 religious

From houses, having a less revenue than 200 a year, were dissolved. these the crown derived a revenue of 32,000, besides plate and jewels to

By a subsequent act passed in 1639, all the monasteries were suppressed, to the number of 1 86 ; the revenues remaining Besides the monasteries, 48 of these amounted to 100,000 per annum.the value of about 100,000.

houses of the knights' hospitallers of S. John were also confiscated to thecrown.'

ABBOT.'The word

Tlie Superior of an abbey or religious community of males. abbot, or abbat, as it has been "sometimes written, comes from

abbatis, the genitive of abbas,

which

is

the Greek and Latin form of the

' Abbots are Syriac abba, of which the original is the Hebrew ab, father.' superior in rank to Priors, the latter being often appointed by the properly

abbot to superintend a dependent foundation.

There are

.certain

orders

whose

superiors, however, are always called Priors, as the

monks

of Vallom-

brosa, the Cistercians, Bernardists, Feuillants, Trappists, Grandmontanists,>

Notilia Monaatica.

ABBREVIATIONS.and Praemonstratenses.'

15

The

in history of abbots furnishes a remarkable

stance of the acquirement of power by successive degrees, till it amounted to a species of despotism, and set at naught, in many cases, the legitimate the Originally, the abbot was simply authority of the episcopate itself. chief or head of an association of lay monks, under the immediate jurisdiction of the bishop of the diocese, close of the sixth century, theclerical oflBce,

and the

priest of the parish.

Before theto the

monks were frequently admitted

and the abbot acquired the rank of a chief

priest, or, techni-

or hegumenos. Subsequently, the abbots claimed cally, an archimandrite a degree of dignity closely allied to that of a bishop, and were permitted to assume the mitre and crosier, the latter being carried in the right hand, to who carried theirs in the left. Finally, distinguish them from the bishops,to throw off entirely the attempts were made, by the more ambitious, with such success, that, in certain cases, authority of their bishops, and

charters were obtained for abbeys, recognizing their independence, and * supreme power in the abbot. "With this, the title of Lord' was

lodging

exemption from episcopal jurisdiction, the pomp At the nobility early characterized the mitred abbots. much of the dignity of the oflBce, and the splendor of its appresent day, and influence of the pendages, has passed away, together with the standingassociated, and, in their

and luxury of

establishments to which they belonged. ABBREVIATIONS. Words shortenedters:

sometimes the

initial

or

first

letter

by omitting some of their letonly is given. The following:

instances should be committed to

memory,

viz.

A. or Apos. Apostle. Artinin Baccalaxirens, A. B. or B. A.Bachelor of Arts. Abp. Archbishop. A. C. Ante Christum, Before Christ. A. M. Anno Mundi, In the year of theworld.

A. M.

AnnoAns.Art.

Apostle and Martyr. Chnsti. In the year of Christ.

Ep. or Epiph. Epiphany. Ep. Epistle. Ev. or E. Evangelist. Ex. Example. Id est, That is. I. e. Inst. Instant, of this month. LL.D. Legnm Doctor, Doctor of Laws. L. S. Locos Sigilli, The Place of the Seal..

Answer.Article.

M. Martyr. M. A. Artium Magister, Master of Arts. Mem. Memento, Kemember.Min.Minister.

Asc. Ascension. B. Basso, Bass.

MS. Manuscriptum, Manuscript. MSS. Manuscripta, Manuscriptfi. B. or Bk. Book. of N. B. Nota bene, Observe, take good notice. B. D. BaccalaareoBDIvinitatiB, BachelorDivinity.Prof.

Professor.

Bp. Bishop. B. V. Blessed Virgin.C. or Cap. Chapter. C. or Cent. Century. Ch. Chapter. Chr. Christmas.

P. S. Post Scriptnm, Postscript. Q. or Ques. Question. Q. E. D. Quod erat demonstrandum. Which was to be demonstrated, or proved. Quin. Quinquagesima.

Q. V.Eect.

Quod

vide.

Which

see.

D. Day. D. Doctor. D. D. Doctor of Divinity. D. G. Dei Gratia, By the grace of (Jod.D. V. Deo volente, . East. Eas. Easter.

Eector.

God willing.

Bevd. Reverend. t. Bevd. Right Reverend. S. Sunday. S. orSt. Saint.SS.Sept.Saints.

SeptuagesinuL

16

ABECEDARII PSALMIABRAHAM'S BOSOM.Sex. SexMjesima. Doctor of Sacred Theology. S. T. D.

Xmas. Christmas. Xn. Christian.Xt. Christ. Y' or ye. The. Y"" or ym. Them.

To V.V.

verse. Tr. or Trin. Trinity.

To

Verse. V. M. Virgin Mary.Videlicet,

Viz.

That

Wk. Week.

is to say,

namely.

Y' or yr. Y* or ys. Y or yt.

Your, and Year.This.

That.

ABECEDARII PSALMI.

Alphabetical Psalms.

This term denotes

psalms which are composed in portions, corresponding with the number of the letters in the alphabet, each portion being marked with its appropriate letter. The 119th Psalm is an example, according to the order of the

HebrewGnostics.

alphabet.

of an ancient sect, probably a branch of the towards the end of the fourth century, in the They sprung up vicinity of Hippo, in the northern part of Africa. They borrowed their name from Abel, the son of Adam, on the ground that he died unmarried

ABELITES.

The name

and without

children.sin,

gating original

They abstained from matrimony to avoid propaand adopted the children of others, with the view of

bringing them up in their

own

principles.'

The very objects came Low, worthless, degraded persons. me unawares, making mouths at me, and ceased not.' together against

ABJECTS.

Ps. XXXV. 15.

ABJURATION. Aofficer, of

solemn renunciation in public, or before a propererror.

some doctrinal

A

necessary by the Church,

when any person

formal abjuration is often considered seeks to be received into her

communion from heresysants into the1*714,

A form for admitting Romish recuor schism. Church of England was drawn up by the convocation of but did not receive the royal sanction. Hook.

ABLUTION. Apart ofit.

It constituted

religious ceremony, consisting in bathing the body, or a part of the Mosaic ceremonial, and was after-

wards practised among the Jews, both by the priests and people. ABOMINARIUM. A book containing the forms of anathema, excommunication, and interdict. Du Cange.

ABRAHAMITES. A

Bohemian

sect,

which was formed of a number ofedict of toleration

ignorant peasants in the year 1782.

As an

had been

published by Joseph II., they claimed the right of believing only what Abraham professed before the law of circumcision. The doctrine of theunity of God, and the Lord's prayer, are said to comprise all that they regarded in the Bible. Their petition for freedom in religious worship was, however, rejected, because they could not be classed with either Jews orChristians.

ABRAHAM'S BOSOM.who have'

That place of

rest

and

felicity

departed hence in the Lord' enjoy, with

faithful

where those Abraham, an

ABSOLUTE ORDINATION ABSOLUTION.earnest of that perfect bliss which will follow the resurrection.countries,it

17

In Eastern

was customarydisciples,

at entertainments for a pereon to allow his

friend to lean or recline on his bosom.

Lord with HisS.

John,

'

whom

John

xiii.

23, and

xxi. 20.

From

Thus, at the last supper of our Jesus loved,' leaned on His bosom. this custom arose the figurative saying

of one person being in, or on, the bosom of another, indicating the highest with him. * No man hath seen degree of distinction, favor, and communion

God

at

Father,

He

any time the nly-begotten Son, which is in Lazarus hath declared Him.' S. John i, 18.;

the

bosom of thein S.

is said,

Luke

xvi. 22, to

have been

that place of happy father of the faithful.

carried by the angels into Ahi-ahani's bosornj' i. e., to spirits, where he enjoyed the fellowship and love of the

'

ORDINATION. The ordination of clergy who are known to be at large, or without any specific field of labor, as of a bishop without a diocese, or a priest without a parish or other definite post of duty. This See practice was, and still is, forbidden by the canons of the Church.

ABSOLUTE

Title.

ABSOLUTION.sense, a loosing

Lat. ah, from,sin,

and

solvo,

/ loose.

In the ecclesiastical

equivalent to the remission or forgiveness of sin. The term is popularly used, by abbreviation, for the forms in the Daily Service of the Church, and in the Communion Office, entitled ' The Decla-

from

ration of Absolution.'

The existence of a power in the priesthood to minister absolution, is one of those things which the Church assumes as an incontestable fact, the warrant for which is drawn from those remarkable words of Christ, * Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted,' etc. S. John xx. 23. In consequence of this grant, the Church does not hesitate to assert the possession of this authority, in the words, 'Almighty God, the Father of our Lord JesusChrist,.

... hath ^ven power and commandmenttosins.'

to

His

ministers, to declare

and pronounceof their

His people, being penitent, the absolution and remission And in the form for the Ordering of Priests, the bishop,

as the agent for perpetuating the ministry with its appropriate functions, confers this power, in the words, * Receive the Holy Ghost for the office

^nd work of a

priest in the;

forgive, they are forgiven tained, etc'

Church of God, etc. Whose sins thou dost and whose sins thou dost retain, they are re-

From this, it is most evident that, by the power of absolving penitents, the Church means something (to say the least) ; otherwise the assertion of its existence, the conferring, of it in ordination, and the future exercise of itin the ministrations of the sanctuary, are not only formal but impious, profane, and blasphemous. And that the

and

superstitious,

Church not only

means something by

absolution, but that she esteems this act as one of a 2

18

ABSOLUTION.may be deduced fromthese further con-

very peculiar and solemn nature,siderations:

1. The Church, universally and in all ages, has claimed the power of absolution as an integral part of the priestly oflicc. 2. While the Church admits deacons to preach, baptize, and

perform

other ecclesiasticalminister absolution,

ofiices,'

The

yet she acknowledges no power in them to adbenediction or absolution of the penitent faithful,'

says Palmer, 'has always been committed to bishops and presbyters in the Christian Church.' Origines Lihu-gicce..

The Church has ever recognized this as an the mere announcing of God's mercy in sermons,3.

act totally distinct frometc.

'This remission of

sins granted here to the priest, toin

which God hath promised a contirmation

heaven,

is

Holy Communion,1 Cor. xi.

not the act of preachinf/^ or baptizing, or admitting men to the as you may see in S. Matt. x. 7, and S. John iv. 2, and

But

this

power of remitting

All these powers were granted before our Saviour's resurrection. sins, mentioned S. John xx., was not granted

(although promised,as appears,

given

;

*S', Matt. xvi. 19) till ?/ow, that is, after the resurrection, the ceremony of Breatkim/, signifying that then it was first, by and secondly, by the word Receive, used in that place, verse 22,

whicli he could not properly have used, if they had been endued with this power before. Therefore, the power of remitting, which here God author-

and promises certain assistance to, is neither preaching nor baptizing, but some other way of remitting - nameh^, that which the Church callsizes,

Absolution.'4.

'

The circumstances connected withIt is to

the act are also woilhy of obser-

vation.

be

'

indicating authority. Daily Service and in the;

' pronounced' or declared,'^ not merely 5/(/; hereby It is to be pronounced by the j^^iest alone, in the

Communion, by

the bishop,

if

present.

It is to

be ministered by the priest standing, though immediately before and after he is to kneel and while the priest pronounces it, the people are to continue;

kneeling.

It

is,

moreover, not to be used at

have humblyconsiderations

confessed their sins.is

The

all, till both priest and people inevitable deduction from all these

(as

we have

said before), that absolution, in the view of the

Church,

is

no figment or formality, but an act of an authoritative, solemn,

and highly peculiar character. We have put the matter init

this simple inductive form, and drawn from the most gentle inference possible, in order that the way may be cleared for the main inquiry, What is the act of absolution? or. What particular

spiritual benefit does the

Church suppose

it

confers?

In approaching this

the substance of the foregoing question, we bog tlie reader to bear in mind Let him bring together the dignity of the language the solemremarks.

>

Bishop

Spai-rovv'.-s

Katioimle.

=

See the wording of the larger

Form

of Absolution.

ABSOLUTION.nity of the

19

manner the singularity of the adjuncts the directness, force, and importance which characterize the declaration of absolution, and, we apprehend, he must come to the conclusion, either that the Church hasengrafted in her liturgy a piece of serious mummery (a supposition which no intelligent Churchman would entertain lor a moment), or, that she in-

tends to inculcate and carry out such views of this portion of her services, as will sustain and justify the serious air she has thrown around it.

The principal opinions respecting the Absolution may be stated thus The firet, is that which restricts it to the removal of ecclesiastical censures,:

and regards

it

However

this

only as connected with the outward discipline of the Church. may be included in the judicial form of absolution in the

English Prayer-book,' it is certain that it meets neither the language nor the spiritual drift of the forms in the public service. The first of these avows a certain authority delegated to the minister, to declare and pro'

nounce' to the penitent, remission of sins, on the ground that God ' desireth not the death of a sinner^ etc. And the whole of both forms manifestlynot to otfences against the Church, but to sins against God ; not to delinquencies to be met by ecclesiastical discipline, but to moral transgressions of a deeper stain, criminating and condemning the soul. This viewrelates,

of the matter

guage of the forms

and limited for the scope and lanare considering. Besides, if they relate simply to a release from Church censures, the question may well be asked, areis,

therefore, too superficial

we

Why

they imbodied at all in the services of the Church, not to say, constantly used, even when no one present may be under the species of discipline here

supposed ? second opinion regards the absolution as a public declaration of the promises of God to penitent sinners, or, in other words, as an emphatic an

A

nouncement, before the congregation, of the scriptural terms of forgiveness. But if we adopt this view, we inevitably confound absolution with thepreaching or public reading of the Scriptures, two things which, as already shown, tiie Church keeps entirely distinct. Besides, if the absolution be nothing more than a simple proclamation of divine mercy, we are broughtagain to the question.tory tt-rms, any'

Whyit

license to lay-readers

should the Church deny, in the most perempand deacons to use these forms I The

Church invariably makesfact,

& priestly act; while the plain statement of the

that

shall

when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness, ... he save his soul alive,' together with even more direct and ample exhibiis

tions of the terms of pardon,

recognized as within the province of any

private Christian, and, for its. announcement, ordination is never domauded. It is remarkable also that, in the administration of the Communion, if a

bishop be present, the rubric assigns him the absolution and benediction,J

See the Office for the Visitation of the Sick, ia the English Praver-book.

20though the

ABSOLUTION.priest

may proceed

in the'' consecration of the elements,

and eventhese

their distribution 'to the bishops, priests,

and deacons,'

etc.

From

infer, that the present opinion cannot be sxistained as fully expressive of the sense of the Church in her form of absolution, much less will it serve as an interpretation of the text on which this form and this

considerations

we

branch of the priestly

office are

grounded.

We

now come

to that statement of the doctrine of absolution, which,

we

apprehend, best agrees with revelation, with the limits of ministerial power, and with the spirit of the Church.truths of religion, that ' all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.' To be under the guilt of sin, is to be subject to divine wrath, ' for the wages of sin is death.' But God ' hath reconciledIt is

one of the

first

the world unto Himself, by the death of His Son,' making it possible, in consistency with the divine perfections, to remit the guilt of sin, and release

The forgiveness of sin is not an unconditional gratuity, or an indiscriminate exercise of mercy. Deep and heartfelt penitence is invariably demanded in the recipient. God ' willeth not the death of a sinner,' butthe offender. rather that hefore,

may

'

turn from his wickedness and

live.'

Wherever, there-

the terms or conditions of pardon are complied with, the blessing ol forgiveness must follow, resting, as it does, on the direct promise of God.

Let us now proceed one step further.souls of

The agents between God and the

men, are the authorized ministers of the Church.the ministry of reconciliation.'

To

these

is

com-

Among the spiritual powers given to the Apostles, and through them to their successors, was that of declaring Whosesoever sins to penitents, in God's name, the remission of their sins' :

mitted

'

in the Apostles the

With this power, there was combined etc. discerning of spirits,' so that they were enabled, in a special manner, to test the spiritual condition of any one to whom they administered absolution ; while their successors, by inheriting only theye remit, they are remitted,'*

ministerial

and not the miraculous endowment, are able only to pronounceany

sins forgiven to the penitent, without pretending to read the state of

Has, then, the withdrawal of the miraculous gift nullified or By no means. It still reessentially impaired the power of absolution ? mains on its original ground as a function of the Christian priesthood, and

man's heart.

must continue,So,

God

God alone pardoneth sin. so long as that priesthood lasts. God alone maketh the blind to see, and alone raiseth the dead.

the cripple to walk, and the sun to halt in his course, and the sea and the Jordan to divide. But man may be the agent in all these; and if so, God can invest him also with authority to pronounce, in His name, the forgiveness of sins.

than

an invasion of the prerogatives of God, any more tends to impair the privileges of a temporal governor, when an oflScer of his appointment delivers a sealed pardon to a condemned maleThisis

not

'

it

ABSTEMII ACCESS.fiictor.'

21

Bishop Brownell.'

This, then,

we

believe to be the doctrine of the

Church respecting absolution. Nothing short of it will justify her in asserting that Almighty God hath piven power and commandment to His ministers to declare and pronounce to His the absolution and people,being penitent,all such perversions of unreformed branches of the Church, the framers of our liturgy have used such discriminating and prudent language as would seem incapable of yielding any other than a sound and scriptural meaning.

remission of their sins'

And, as a protection against

this doctrine as prevail in

In short, so carefully guarded is the moderate and primitive use of absoluby the Episcopal Church, that, while we are secure of all its benefits, we are protected against all its abuses ; for, like the preaching of the Gospel, and every other function of the ministry, absolution is not free from the liability to abuse ; and in this we that while the framers oftion

may

rejoice,

cur

most revolting and ruinous corruptions of absolution, they had wisdom given them to discern its true nature, and skill to rescue it from the evils with which it had been associated.liturgy

had before

their eyes the

ABSTEMII. name given to those in the ancient Church who would not partake of the cup in the Eucharist, on account of their objections to the use of wine. See Aquarians.

A

ABSTINENCE. See Fasting. ABYSSINIAN CHURCH. This Churchfourth century.S. Athanasius,

The

first

founded eariy in the bishop, Frumentius, received consecration from

was

bishop of Alexandria, and to this day the Abund of Abysby the Alexandrian patriarch. In the sixth century the Christians of Abyssinia fell into the heresy of the Monophysites, in which they still remain ; and they also agree with the Greek Church in denying the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son. In the fifth, and a^ain in the seventeenth century, attempts were made to reduce the Abyssinian Christians to obedience to the Roman See, but the attempt utterly failed in both instances. The number of Christians in Abyssinia is said to amountsinia is consecrated

to three millions.

Buck.orists,

of heretics in the fourth ccnturv, so named from who denied the Son to be of the same substance rith the Father, though some of them allowed that He was of a similar substance. Also, the name of another sect, named after Acacius, patriarch of Constantinople, in the fifth century, who favored the opinions of Eutyches.\cacius, bishop of Caesarea,

ACACIANS.

A sect

ACATHOLICL Amembers

general term implying those who are not Catholics, of the holy Catholic Church. It is sometimes used bv Romanthough improperly, to designate Protestants without distinction.

ACCESS.

The Prayer of h umble.'

beginnmg wMth the words,

We

The prayer in the Communionthis

Office,table.'

do not presume to come to

Thj

22

ACCIDENS ACCLAMATIONS.ACCIDf]NS.In pbilosopliy, this teim denotes what does notfolloA;v

from the nature of a thing, but from some accidtutul qualities thereof; in which sense it stands opposed to 'per se, which denotes the nature andessence of a thing.

See the next

article.

ACCIDENT ABSOLUTE. Aof

term used

in tlie

theology of the Church

Rome

for

an accident or quality which

subsists, or

may

possibly subsist,

at least miraculously,

such as theEuchai'ist,

coloi",

and by some supernatural power, without a subject ; liavor, figure, and taste of the bread and wine in the

which remain

on this theory that liomanists defend their doctrine of transubstantiation, when an opponent alleges its incompatibility with tlie testimony of the senses.into lieshIt is

and blood.

Loud. Eiwyc.at preaching. for

after these elements, as

it is

stated, are

exchanged

In ancient times it appears to have the people to testify their esteem for the preacher, and express their admiration of his eloquence, or approbation of his doctrine, by public applauses and exclamations i'n the church. This

ACCLAMATIONS,

been a

common custom

was done sometimesindications

in express words, and sometimes by other signs and find in one of the consent and approbation. Homilies of Paulus Emisenus, spoken in the presence of Cyril at Alex-

of their

We

andria, that

when Paul had used

Cyril's doctrine that

had been preached

the following expression (agreeing with before), 'Mary, the mother of God.

brought forth Emanuel,' the people immediately cried out, '0 Orthodox God, the faith is the same, this is what we desired to hear; if man speak otherwise, let him be Anathema.' Sometimes they added anyCyril, the gift ofS.

other indications of their applause, as clapping of their hands, etc. Thus Jerome tells Vigilantius, 'The time was when he himself had applaudedhis

him withfor his

hands and

feet,

sermon upon the

resurrection.'

leaping by his side and crying out, Oithodox And so George of Alexandria tells!

us the people applauded the sermons of S. Chrysostom, some by tossingtheir thin garments, otherstheir swords,art

upon'

Thou

waving their plumes, others laying their hands and others waving their handkerchiefs, and crying out, worthy of the priesthood, thou art the thirteenth Apostle, Christ

In like manner Gregory represents souls,' etc. the people were used to applaud him when he preached, 'some by their praises, and others by their silent admiration ; some in their words, and some in their minds, and others moving their bodies as the waves of the sea are raised by the wind.' The same custom is often hinted

hath sent thee to save our

in his

dream,

how

by Sidonius Apollinaris, and Isidore of Pelusium, and in abundance of It is, places of S. Austin and S. Chrysostom, cited at length by Ferrarius.however, material to observe, that though the ancients did not utterly refuse or disallow those sorts of applauses, but received them with humility

and thankfulness to God,

as

good indications of a towardly

disposition in

ACCOMPANIMENT ACTA SANCTORUM.

23

their hearers, yet, forasmuch as they were often but fallacious signs, they neither much commended tliose that gave them, nor those preachers that those that out of a barely by their eloquence obtained them ; much less labored at nothing else worldly spirit, and a vain and popular ambition,

but what they chiefly desired to effect by was to warm their hearts and to melt them into grand eloquence, tears, to work them into groans, and sorrow, and compunction for sin, to with the holy rules bring them to resolutions of obedience, and compliance they preached to them, to work in them a contempt of earthly things, and but to court and affect themtheir;

raise their souls,

by

all

and aspiration

after theiv.,

the arts of moving the affections, to a longing desire See Bingham, Oriy. things of another world.

JSccL, bk. xiv., ch.

27.

In music, the instrumental parts which accomMore strictly, the accompaniment is a distinct part, a voice or choir. pany which may be more or less elaborate than the vocal parts, but founded onthe same fundamental harmony.

ACCOMPANIMENT.

'ACCUSTOMED GOODNESS.'Godexhibits towardsall

The tenderness and compassion whichtime of trouble.is'

his people, especially in

Extend

Vmtation ofin the

Thy accustomed

goodness to thisthe Sick.

Thy;

servant,

who

grieved with sickness.'

ACEPHALI.any;

Without a head

a

title

given to certain sects or parties

Church, who

rebelled against their rulers, or refused to acknowledge

the Monophysite monks and priests in Egypt, who the authority of the patriarch Peter Monoeus, because he had not, rejected at the adoption of the Henoticon, in 483, expressly condemned the Council of Chalcedon. Land. Encyc.as, for instance,

ACCEMET^.

'AKocnijrac, Watchers.

An

order of

monks

instituted at

the beginning of the fifth century, at Constantinople, who were divided into three classes, who performed the divine service by rotation, and so continued, night

and day, without intermission.or

ACOLYTH, ACOLYTE,

ACOLYTHIST.

From

'Ajcokoveog, a fol-

In the Latin Church, the designation of certain ecclesiastical persons, who attended on the bishop, assisted the clergy in some minor oflBces, and, if found competent, were admitted bylower, attendant, or companion.

the

ordination to the various grades of the ministry. In the Church of Rome, oflBce of the Acolythi differed very little from that of an ordinar}sexton.

ACTA SANCTORUM. Ahistories of the ancient

title

martyrs and

saints.

given to works containing notices oi More particularly it is the titJe

of a voluminous

work of

this character

which was commencedthe

in

1643 by

John Bolland, a

Jesuit of Antwerp,

and was continued

after his death

by

other divines of the same order,

known by

name

of Bollandists, to the

24year 1794.

ACTION ADDER.The workis

said to be

to fifty-three volumes in folio,

Lond. Encyc.

still

unfinished,

though

it

has extended

ACTION.

In oratory, the outward deportment of the orator, or the achis countenance, voice,

commodation of he is treating.

and gesture to the subject of which

ACT OF FAITH.

Auto da

fe.

In the

Romish Church, a solemn day

held by the Inquisition, for the punishment of heretics and the absolution of the innocent.

ACTS OF PILATE. A

relation sent

by Pontius Pilate to the empeior

Tiberius, concerning Jesus Christ, His death, resurrection, ascension, and the crimes laid to His charge by the Jews. Among the Romans, the proconsuls and governors of provinces were accustomed to draw xip accounts ofall

remarkable events which had occurred in the course of their adminis-

tration,

and send them;

to the

emperor and

senate.

These records were

called Acts

and

in

conformity with the usage, Pilate kept memoirs of the

Jewish

affairs

Pilati, the

during his procuratorship, which were therefore called Acta Acts of Pilate. That these Acts were in existence in the early;

inasmuch as the primitive Christians, in their disputes with is certain the Gentiles, often appealed to them, as to most undoubted testimony. Thus Justin Martyr, in his first Apology, addressed to the emperor Antoninus Piusages,' And that having mentioned the crucifixion of Christ, says these things were so done, you may know ,from the Acts made in the time In another part of that Apology, he makes the same of Pontius Pilate.''

and the

senate,

:

appeal in reference to our Lord's miracles, which, he says, are noticed in ' Of all these TertuUian also, in his Apology, says the Acts of Pilate. Pilate himself, in his conscience already a Christhings relating to Christ,:

tian, sent

an account to Tiberius, theo emperor.' These testimonies are taken from public apologies for the Christian religion, which were presented either to the emperor and senate of Rome, or to magistrates ofIt is incredible, public authority and distinction in the Roman empire. such writers would have made those appeals, especially to the very persons who had charge of the documents, had they notfully satisfied of their existence

therefore, that

beeni.,

and contents.

See Home's

Introd.,

p. 198.

The name, 1st, of a disreputable sect of the second cenand 2d, of an equally disreputable band of heretics, which appeared tury in Bohemia, in 1421, during the disturbances created by the doctrines of Huss. They were called Adamites, because both men and women were;

ADAMITES.

said to appear

naked

in their assemblies, either to imitate

Adam

in the state

of innocence, or to prove the control which they claimed to possess overtheir passions.

ADDER. The

v^iper,

a poisonous serpent or snake, which abounded in

ADMINISTRATION ADORATIO MAGORUM.Asia, Africa, aud parts of Europe.*

25

Adders' poison

is

under their

lips.'

In

Psalm

cxl. 3.

ADMINISTRATION.this sense, chiefly, the

The execution of the

duties of the Ministry.

term appears to be used by the Church, implying, not the persons who are intrusted with official power (as frequently used in civil affairs), nor the o^ce itself^ but the exercise and fulfilment of the funcThis sense it bears in the Form for the Ordering of tions of the office. Deacons : 'Almighty God, who .... didst inspire Thine Apostles to chooseinto the

Order of Deacons the

first

martyris

S. Stephen, with others

;

merci-

fully

behold these

Thy

servants

now

called to the like office

and adminis-

tration,' etc.

one vear

in that office,

After ordination, a deacon ' to the intent he

may

required, in general, to continue be perfect, and well expert in

the things appertaining to the ecclesiastical administration,' i. e., may become familiar, by practice, with the execution of his own appropriate duties, and byalso the second prayer for those

See observation, with the functions of the priesthood to which he aspires. ' who are to be admitted to Holy Orders.'

ADMONITION.

In the canons of the Church

it is

ordered, that

when

a clergyman has been found guilty of an offence not requiring severe discibe admonislied, or seriously warned and reproved by his pline, he shall ' bishop. The sentence of admonition' is the lightest punishment which isinflicted

on an offending minister.

time from the duties of his

deprived of his ministerial See Degradation and Scspkxsiok. the sacred office.

The other degrees are suspension for a and degradation, by which latter he is office, character altogether, and publicly expelled from

Certain Puritans in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, so called from being the authors of the 'Admonition to the Parliament,' 1571, in which every thing in the Church of England was condemned which was not after the fashion of Geneva. They required every

ADMONITIONISTS.

who were

ceremony to be commanded in the Word,' and rules and canons of the Church.'

set at

naught

all

general

ADOPTIANI.

A

religious sect

divine nature, was properly the

Son

of

which asserted that Christ, as to His God but as to His human nature,;

only such by adoption, by baptism and regeneration, through which God's mercy adopts other men also as His children ; for they could not comprehend how a human being could be called the Son of God in a literal sense.

Encyc.

act of receiving a stranger or alien into a family, and him the privileges of a son. Thus Christians, who 'were conferring upon by nature the children of wrath,' have been adopted into the family of God, and made children of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven.' ADORATIO MAGORUM. The adoration of the wise men from the East a name of the Epiphany. Hampson, Medioev. Kaland.' :

ADOPTION. The

26

ADORATION ADVENT.ADORATION. Therendering of supreme'

homage and worship'

to

God.

the mouth') points to a very ancient form of worship paid to the gods, by applying the right hand to the mouth in a reverential manner. An allusion to this may beaaf, to,'

The

derivation of the

word (from

and

os, oris,

found

in

Job xxxi. 26-28in brightness,

':

If I

beheld the sun when

it

shined, or the

moon

walking my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand ; this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge; for I should have denied the God that is above.' The term isfrequently used in a more lax sense, to denote honor and respect paid to Relative adoration 'consists in worship paid persons of rank and dignity.to an object as belonging to, or representativeof,

and

another.

In this sense

the Romanists profess to- adore the cross, not simply or immediately, but in Whatever palliarespect of Jesus Christ, whom they suppose to be on it.'tions n)ay be urged in behalf of such worship, by its advocates, adoration before an intermediate object is not only unscriptural, but useless, pernicious,

and,

among

In reference to

the ignorant, scarcely to be distinguished from idolatry itself. this, the Church has declared in her 22d Article, that 'the

Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory, Pardons, Worshipping and Adorawell of Images as of Reliques, and also Invocation of Saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but I'uther repugnant to the Woid of God.' So scrupulously has the Churchtion, as

guarded herself against this error of the Romanists, that in the Prayer-book of the Church of England a protestation is appended to the CommunionOflice, to

meet an objection sometimes urged against kneeling

at the recep-

tion of the Eucharist.'

signify

After stating that this attitude is here adopted to our humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits of Christ'

therein given to

all worthy Receivers,' it is added, Yet, lest the same kneelshould by any persons, either out of ignorance and infirmity, or out of ing malice and obstinacy, be misconstrued and depraved ; it is hereby declared,

that thereby no Adoration is intended, or ought to he done, either unto the Sacramental Bread or Wine there bodily received, or unto any Corporal Presence of Christ's natural Flesh and Blood. For the Sacramental Bread

and Wine remain

may

and therefore still in their very natural substances ; not be adored (for that were Idolatry, to be abhorred of all faithfulperson offull

Christians).'

ADULT. Atlie

age and maturity

;

one

who

has arrived at

years of mardiood.

ADULT

BAI'TISM.

See Baptism, Adult.

ADVENT. The

four Sundays before Christmas have the

name

of

Advent

Sundays, from the Latin compound verb advenire, to come to, as we are then approaching the time when we commemorate our Blessed Saviour's Nativity.

The whole period between the

first

of those Sundays and Christmas

is

called

AD\'ERSITY ADVOWSON.the Season of Advent, and inselves,0 -AMEX.andintlicni the impartiinr to

41

Sacraments and other ordinances of the

Gospel.

AMBO. Gr

or protuberance of afi^ojv, a boss, knob,

any kind.

In the

ancient Church, a kind of raised platform, pulpit, or reading-desk, from which the Gospel and Epistle were read to the people, and parts of the It was usual also to address the people from the service were chanted.

ambo.

Its position

appears to have varied at different times

;

it

was most

entrance into the chancel. According frequ^tlv on the north side of the to Ciampini, the ambo fell into disuse about the beginning of the fourteenthcentury.

AMBROSE. A celebrated bishop and father of the Church. He was bom in the year 340, probably at Treves, where his father resided asS.

governor of Gaul.best teachers at

His education was in accordance with his rank

;

the

Rome, where the family had gone after the death of his formed his mind and his heart. After completing his ordinary &ther, About studies, he went to Milan, and prosecuted the study of the law. that time the Church was exceedingly disturbed by controversies andtumultsarisinor from the doctrine of Arius: and as the character of Ambrose had gained him the esteem and love of the people, he was called Ambrose discharged his to the bishopric of Milan almost by acclamation. new duties with singular wisdom and piety, and his name has always been

held in high veneration by the Church. left several volumes of valuable writings.

HeHis

died in the year 397, and eflForts for the reformation

and improvement of the music of the Church, are indicated by the association of his name with the improved chant then used in the church ofMilan.

AMBROSIANMilan.

It derives its

OFFICE. A particular office used in the church name from S. Ambrose, who was bishop of MilanOriginally each church

ofin

the fourth century.;

had

its

particular office (or

and even when the Pope of Rome took upon him to impose the service) Roman office on all the Western churches, that of Milan sheltered itself under the name and authority of S. Ambrose, from which time the

Ambrosian Ritual has obtained,Brouf/hton.

in contradistinction to the

Roman

Ritual.

AMBRY, AUMBRY, AUBRE, ALMERY.

In churches, the ambry

is

a niche or cupboard by the side of an altar, to contain the utensils belonging thereunto, and is either a hollow space in the thickness of the wall, witha door toit,

or was wholly framed with wood.

AMEN.

A

word

adopte)^ei j3a7TTia^a, bap-

vw

not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God.' 'ANY WISE.' See Article X. ' The baptism of young children is insaves us;

tism, being an antitype to that,

now

any

wine to be retained in the Church,' etc.

;

that

is, it

should by all meansfall

be continued.

'APACE.'likeIa

Quick, fast, speedily, or with haste. Ps. Iviii. 6. water that runneth apacc.^

'

Let them

away,

sleep

not he imprudent, wLu, seeing the tide making haste towards TJiutium. till the sea overwhelm hiui.'

him

ajKux, will

Borue on the swift, though silent, wings of time, Old age comes on apact, to ravage all the clime. Btattie's Mmttrd.

68

APELLEANS APOCRYPHA.

APELLEANS, sect of heretics, so called from Apelles, in the second century. They affirmed that Christ, when He came down from heaven, received a body, not from the substance of His mother, but from the fourelements, which at His death

A

He

rendered back to the world, and so

ascended into heaven without a body. Buck. APHTHARTODOCITES. A denomination in the sixth century, so called from the Greek acpdaprog, incorruptible, and SoKeu), to judge ; becauseto death.

they held that the body of Jesus Christ was incorruptible, and not subject They were a branch of the Eutychians. Buck.

from ano, from, and KaXvTrra), to to conceal. cover, Revelation, disclosure, manifestation; an uncovering or to view something which had previously been hidden. The name bringing of the last of the sacred books of the New Testament, containing an acGr. AnoKaXvipig;

APOCALYPSE.

count of the visions which S. John saw in the island of Patmos, whither

he had been banished by order of the

APOCARITES.

From

anoKeigd),

sect holding the opinion that the the substance of God. They are ranked as a branch of the Manichjeans.

Roman emperor. I cut off. In ecclesiastical history, a human soul is part of, or derived from,

Gr. ATro/cpv^?/ from a-no, from, and KpvnTO), to hide ; hidden from, concealed, secreted. Particularly certain ancient books, partaking of the style of the Sacred Scriptures, but not admitted ' The other bookes folowynge, whiche are by Protestants into the canon.;

APOCRYPHA.

a thing

called apocrijjha (because they

were wot to be reade not openly and in

common, but as it were in secrete and apart), are neyther founde in the Hebrue nor in the Chalde.' Bible, 1539, Pref to Apocrypha. The books to which this title refers, were for many ages interspersed

with the canonical books of Scripture. In this form they appear in the At the period of Septuagint, the Vulgate, and various other translations.

and insertedments.

the Reformation, they were judiciously separated from the inspired books, in a place by themselves, between the Old and New Testa-

A

list

of

them

is

given in Article VI.

between the Apocryphal books and the writings Notwithstandof inspired men, has been clearly laid down by the Church. have repeatedly been made to their insertion, at any ing this, objections

The

line of distinction

time, in the

hended

same volume with the Sacred Scriptures. The danger apprethat of confounding them with the pure word of God, and thus unintentionally misleading the unwary reader. It does not appear, however,is

felt, the precautions of the Church being too And it is questionable whether the fact strong to permit such a result. As has in any case occurred, of error and mischief arising from this cause. a general rule, the tendency has been in an opposite direction, so that the Apocryphal books do not receive the attention they really merit. Their

that this evil has ever been

APOCRYPHA.

59

are

elevated moralitj, their valuable historic matter, and their eegauce of style, little known to the general reader ; and instead of their being mistaken

word of God, the mass of Christians are generally more ignorant them than of the writings of heathen anti(juity. Bat there is a still graver charge against the Church, viz., the appointing In the Church of portions of these books to be read in her public services. of England a much larger part of the Apocrypha is read than in the Amertor the

of

ican Church.set forth.

In the table of

Sunday

Lessons, the inspired books alone are

In the Offertory, three verses iiova Tobit are introduced, but even these are not obligatory, though containing nothing but sound exhortation

and doctrine.

The Beuedicite

(after the

Te Deum)

is

also left to the

discretion of the minister.

On

to be read from

Wisdom and

several of the holydays, lessons are appointed Ecclesiasticus. These are selected with great

judgment, and contain nothing repugnant to the word of God, but very much to illustrate and enforce it.

The ground on which the Church rests this practice, is that of primitive and universal custom. The place she assigns the Apocr}'pha, and all the benefits she expects from its use, may be learned from her 6th Article.'

The other books

life,

lish

(as Hieronie saith), the Church doth read for example of and instruction of manners ; but yet doth it not apply them to estabany doctrine.' This is certainly a very moderate statement, scarcelyfor

amounting to the claim the Church makes

her

own

Homilies.

In the

' introduction to the English Prayer-book, it is also said, Jf othing is ordained to be read [in public service] but the very pure word of God, the Holy

to the Scripture, or that which is agreeable

same^ evidently alluding to the

selections

from the Apocrypha.

After this plain expression of the opinion of the Church,

we have only

to

remark1.

:

That these readings do not operate to exclude the use of the pure word The second lesson on holydays is invariably from the Canonical Scriptures and even if it were not so, the Church service is so abundantly furnished with Scripture and scriptural instruction, that the depriving ofof God.;

the people of the bread of

life

must ever be among the

last things

a Church-

man need2.

fear.

The bare announcing

of a lesson from the

Apocrypha

is sufficient to

the danger of mistaking it for the Holy Scripture. guard every No one ever mistakes the Te Deum or the Benediciie for the word of God ;neitheris

man from

3. It is lawful

there a greater liability to err in respect to the Apocryphal lessons. and customary to introduce human compositions into the

The appointed portions of the Apocrypha stand on much the same authority with the Confessions, Exhortations, Collects, Hymns, All these are set etc., which make up a large part of the pubUc service.worship of God.

60forth

APOCRYPHAL APOSTLES.

by the Church, and are not the fruits of rash decision, but of sober reflection, deep forethought, and an earnest desire for the prosperity of truereligion,

and a consequent increase of the glory of God.

Relating to the Apocrypha. In a wider sense, the applied to any point of history, or the report of any event, which seems to be of doubtful authenticity.

APOCRYPHAL.is

term

ancient heretics, the followers of Apolbishop of Laodicea, about the middle of the fourth century. He maintained, concerning our Saviour, that the body which he assumed wassect oflinaris,

APOLLINARIANS.

A

endowed with a

sensitive but not a rational

soul

;

and that the Divine

nature supplied the place of the intellectual principle in man. The Apollinarian doctrine was condemned by several provincial councils, as at Alexandria in 362, at Rome in 375, and again in 378, when ApoUinaris was

deprived of his bishopric. Finally, this heresy was condemned in the General Council of Constantinople in 381, and both the sect and the doctrine have since that time disappeared.

APOLOGY. AS2}eech,

and thus

in its

word derived from two Greek words, signifying /rom and primary sense, and always in theology, it means

a defence from attack

anit

answer to objections.is,

anoAoyia, from whichin

comes,in

in

Acts

xxii. 1,

Thus the Greek word, translated by defence;

vii. 11, by 'clearing of yourselves.' There were several Apologies for Christianity composed in the second century, and among these, those of Justin Martyr and Tertullian are best

XXV. 16,

by answer; and

2 Cor.

known.

Hook.

APOSTASY.membeishipin the

A

forsaking or abandoning of the Christian faith, or of

Church.stand

APOSTATE. From acjuarrjiii, to

away from.There

One who renouncesis

the Christian faith, and forsakes the Church.

tween an apostate and a heretic that the latter only abandons a part of the faith, whereas the former renounces the whole.

;

this difference be-

APOSTLES.

Gr. AitootoXol

sent out or deputed Literally, persons

from a-nooreXXoi, to send a messenger by a higher power. Appropriately,

those who, in the first age of the Christian Church, were invested with the full powers of the ministry, including the right and the ability of conferring ordination, and of exercising a plenary ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Origin-

were twelve in number, and derived their commission immediately from the Lord Jesus Christ. Their names are given in S. Matt. X. 2 S. Mark iii. 16, etc. S. Luke vi. 14, etc. After the ascensionally the Apostles; ;

of our Lord, Matthias was added to the number, to

fill

the apostolic seat or

The appointment of Saul of Tarsus to 'bishopric' from which Judas fell. the same office, occurred about two years after and in this interim, it is;

intrusted with the apostolic probable that Andronicus and Junia were

APOSTLES.authority.

1

Rom.

xvi. 7.

Besides these,

tj

fnd others bearing the

title

of

Apostles, and exercising their peculiar prerogatives, among nabas, Timothy, Titus, and Sylranus.

whom

are Bar-

The Apostles were the

first

prelates or chief oflBcers of the Christian

Church, holding the same ecclesiastical rank which is now enjoyed by That they exercised a supreme power in the those denominated 'bishops.'

government of the Church,sively to the Apostles.

is

manifest

;

and

in like

manner, the authorityis

to administer ordination, and the rite of confirmation,

confined exclu-

This

may

be affirmed without hesitation

the New

Testament and the concurrent practice of the Church for 1800 years, amply Efibrts, it is well known, have been made of late sustaining the position.years, to embarrass the general

subject of ordination

;

but, notwithstand-

ing this, the wit of man has never been able to cope with the invulnerable a truth on which is based and erected the primtruth we have just stated

and Catholic doctrine of the Christian ministry. It is not intended here to anticipate what we have to say under the head of Episcopacy ; but it may be worth while to bring forward a few evidenitive

ces of the fact, that the superiority of the apostolic rank did not depend on the gift of miracles, or the possession of certain external advantages orpeculiar privileges, but on the holding of a certain distinguished mini^sterialojfice.

It cannot be denied, nor does any Christian man pretend to deny, that the Apostles were endowed with many valuable and extraordinary gifts. But we do contend that they were not constituted Apostles on account of

these things, or that the apostolic office depended on such uncommon endowments. For, if we look a little further into the matter, we shall find many others who were similarly gifted. "Will any one say that the power of working miracles gave the Apostles this authority ? answer that it

We

and Stephen, had this power, the former of whom astonished the people of Samaria with the exercise of tiiis very o-ift. Neither were the Apostles particularly distinguished from the other minisdid not;

for Philip the deacon,

Bishop H. TJ. Onderdonk justly remarks), because they were appointed by Christ personally ; for some are named Apostles in Scripture who were not thus appointed, as Matthias, Barnabas, and probably James, the brother of our Lord, all ordained by merely human ordainers.ters or elders (as

Silvanus also, and Timothy, are called Apostles; and, besides Andronicus and Junia. others could be added to the list Nor were the Apostles thus distinguished because they had seen our Lord after His resurrection, forfive

hundred brethren saw Him.

And though

the twelve Apostles were

selected as special witnesses of the resurrection, yet others received that appellation who were not thus selected, as Timothy, Silvanus, Andronicus,

Junia, etc.

It follows,

therefore, or will not at least

be questioned, that

62

APOSTLES'

CREED APOSTLE SPOONS.

the Apostles were distinguished from the elders, because they were superior

them in ministerial power and rights." The oiiicial duties of the Apostles we find laid down in their commission, Go ye, and teach all nations, baptizing them,' though in general terms etc. Some remarkable powers, as we grant, were given to these first ministo ters, to enable them with success to cope with the prevalent idolatryto':

expose, without intimidation, the horrible licentiousness and degradation of the Gentile world, and to awake and call to repentance those who with

wicked hands had crucified the Lord of'

life.

They were

therefore

endowed

with the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, prophecy, discerning of spirits, etc. But (as some one remarks) such gifts have no more connection withministerial duties, than learning has with the performance of baptism.' These did not affect their official rank at all and between the ministerial;

acts of the Apostles

bishops, there is miracles should at this day be imparted to one of our bishops ; should we, on this account, regard him as in the slightest degree advanced in official

and those ordinary duties performed by our present no real and essential diff"erence. Suppose that the gift of

authority over his fellow bishops? By no means; for though God had vouchsafed him facilities for the performance of his appropriate duties, and had put into his hands extraordinary means of attesting the truth of theGospel, yet all these things stand apart from his proper ofiice as a bishop ; and unless God should specially interpose to advance him to a primacy, he

would undoubtedly be culpable in assuming it. If S. Paul himself should return from his sepulchre, and come among us with the same high endowments which rendered him so eminently conspicuous in the college of the he would assume an official supeApostles, we have no reason to infer that above all other bishops, or that they would be justified in submitting riorityto

him

if

he should.

So

little

has even the

gift of

miracles to do with min-

isterial

rank.

trust that this will be enough to show that the possession of extrain the ministry of the ordinary gifts does not in the least afi'ect the rank and as these gifts in the Apostles have been person possessing them mistaken for the possession of a peculiar ministry, the correcting of the error establishes the fact, that the doings of the Apostles are to be consid;

We

ered simply as the exercise of ordinary episcopal powers, which had nothing in them but what might be, and what has been imparted to others as theirsuccessors.

See Bishop and Episcopacy. See Creed, Apostles'. In England, if not elsewhere, the sponsor pre'

APOSTLES' CREED. APOSTLE SPOONS.his means.

Bcnted to his godchild, at baptism, one, two, or more spoons, according to

These were called Apostle spoons.

These spoons,' says Hart,

Episcopacy Tested by Scripture.

APOSTOLIC APOSTOLICAL CONSTITUTIONS.'

63

of which I have seen a great many, were so called because the handle of

each was wrought into the eflSgy of an Apostle, and there were thirteen in Sometimes they were of the precious metals, and somea complete set.times of laten or brass.or whetherit

"Whether

ascertaining.'

was

earlier

this practice extended beyond England, than the sixteenth century, I have no means of

Eccl. Rec.

APOSTOLIC,

or

APOSTOLICAL.

Terms

expressive of such things as'

were done by the Apostles, or were agreeable to their doctrine and practice, or contemporaneous with the age in which they lived. Thus, the Aposthose in the New Testament, written by S. Paul and the Apostolic Order' is that external form of Ministry and discipline which the Church received from the Apostles under the direction When it is said of eminent Christians of of the great Head of the Church.tolical Epistles' are

other Apostles.

'

later times, that they possessed Apostolic zeal, charity, perseverance, forti-

tude, etc., the

meaning

is,

that in those qualities they bore a resemblance to

the Apostles, or were imitators of them, as they were of Christ.

APOSTOLIC FATHERS. Thetain bishops, etc.,

Church.

of Fathers has been given to certhemselves in the early ages of the distinguished Of their writings, many have been preserved to the present day,title

who

and form an invaluable treasure of

piety, as well as a

body of testimony to

the existence of facts respecting the order and doctrine of the Church in their remote age. Between the inspired Apostles and those simply styled ' were four venerable men, who, from having had personal acFathers,'are distinguished

quaintance with the Apostles and the benefit of their immediate instruction, by the title of 'Apostolic Fathers.' These were Clement

and Hermas. To these, Barnabas the Apostle The Epistles and other writings of these eminent saints A more admirable appendix to the pure word of God, are still extant. and a more trustworthy comment on the principles taught by inspired men, cannot be conceived. As eye-witnesses of the order and discipline of the Church, while all was fresh and new from the hands of the Apostles, their None could testimony forms the very summit of uninspired authority. hitter know these things than those who lived and wrote at the very time. None deserve a devouter reverence than those who proclaimed the Gospelofis

Rome,

Ignatius, Polycarp,

usually added.

w bile the echo of inspired tongues yet lingered in the ears of the people.tions of ecclesiastical rules

and CANONS. These two collecand formularies were attributed, in the earlv ages of the Church, to Clement of Rome, who was supposed to have committed them to writing from the mouths of the Apostles, whose words they pretended to record.ever,

APOSTOLICAL CONSTITUTIONS

The

authority thus claimed for these writings has, how-

been entirely disproved ; and it is generally supposed by critics, that they were chiefly compiled during the second and third centuries , or that,

64

APOSTOLICAL SUCCESSION APPARENT.

at least, the greater part Hook. Council.

must be assigned

to a period before the firet

Nicene

APOSTOLICAL SUCCESSION.to succeed

The

from the Apostles' days down to our own.

succession or lines of bishops The Apostles ordained others;

them

as chief pastors of the

Church

these

handed down

to an-

other race the commission which they had received ; and thus, through a period of 1800 years, the authority to minister in sacred things has been

perpetuated to the present time, and will be preserved to the end of the world. Since the days of the original Apostles, the title oi Bishop has been used (with some exceptions) to designate those who hold the highest rankof the ministry.

x\POSTOLICA SEDES.see was dignified with thesense,it

apostolical see. Anciently, every bishop's of Sedes AjJoaiolica; though, in a more strict denoted those episcopal sees which were founded by the Apostlestitle

An

personally, or in the apostolic age, as the

Churches of Jerusalem, Rome,

Antioch, Alexandria, Corinth, Athens, Smyrna, and

many

others.different

APOSTOLICI,

or

APOSTOLICS.

A name

assumed by three

sects, on account of their pretending to imitate the practice of the Apostles. 1. The first Apostolici, called Apotactitaj and Apotactici, rose out of the

and Cathari in the thiid century. They made profession of ab2. Gerhard staining from marriage, the use of wine, flesh, money, etc. of the second sect. He obliged his followers to Sagarelli was the founderEncratitje

go from place

to place, as the Apostles did, to

wander about, clothed

in

white, with long beards, dishevelled hair, and bare heads, accompanied with women, whom they called their spiritual sisters. 3, The last Apostolici

were of the twelfth

ceiitury.

These

also

condemned marriage,

pro;

called themselves the chaste brethren and sisters fessing celibacy, and each was allowed a spiritual sister, with whom he lived in a dothough mestic relation, and on this account they have been charged with concu-

binage

they held it unlawful to take an oath ; they set aside the use of imitated the Manichajans. Lond. Encyc. baptism, and in many things A term sometimes employed, for want of a better, APOSTOLICITY.:

to express the quality of being apostolical, or in accordance with the docthe rite of confirmation not trines, practice, and times of the Apostles ; e. g.,

on account of its beauty, but our obedience, only commands our admiration on the higher ground of its apostolicihj. book of the Epistles read in the Communion service. APOSTOLUS.

A

APOTACTIT^.'APPARENT.'

See Apostolici.

Usedfor

in the sense of manifest, evident, or

impending, in

Peace and Deliverance from our Enemies;' thus, the 'Th