The Athanasian Creed is a creed or exposition of Christian faith, supposed formerly to have been drawn up by St Athanasius, though this opinion is now generally rejected, and the composition often ascribed to Hilary, bishop of Aries about 430. It is an explicit avowal of the doctrines of the Trinity (as opposed to Arianism, of which Athanasius was a great opponent) and of the incarnation, and contains what are known as the damnatory clauses, in which it declares that damnation must be the lot of those who do not believe the true and catholic faith. It is contained in the Book of Common Prayer, to be read on certain occasions. Research Athanasian Creed
Consubstantial is an equivalent for the Greek term homoousios, the true signification of which disturbed the Christian church early in the 4th century, as it was supposed to affect the orthodoxy of Christians regarding the Trinity, according as it might be understood rightly or the contrary. The Athanasians, or Trinitarians, at the council of Nice in 325, gave it the meaning indicated in the Nicene Creed, 'Of one substance with the Father' (applied to Christ). Research Consubstantial
Corpus Christi is the festival in the Roman Catholic Church held on the Thursday after TrinitySunday. Corpus Christi means 'body of Christ', and takes the form of the consecrated host at the Lord's supper, which, according to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, is changed by the act of consecration into the real body of Christ. This doctrine caused the adoration of the consecrated host, and hence the Roman Catholic Church has ordained for the host a particular festival, called the Corpus Christi feast. It was established as a general festival in 1264 by a bull of PopeUrban IV. It commemorates the institution of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper and among Roman Catholics is the occasion of outdoor processions. Research Corpus Christi
A cross is one straight body laid at any angle across another, or a symbol of similar shape. Among the ancients a piece of wood fastened across a tree or upright post formed a cross, on which were executed criminals of the worst class. It had, therefore, a place analogous to that of the modern gallows as an instrument of infamous punishment until it acquired honour from the crucifixion of Christ. The custom of making the sign of the cross in memory of Christ may be traced to the 3rd century. Constantine had crosses erected in public places, palaces, and churches, and adopted it, according to a legend, as the device for a banner (labarum) in consequence of a dream representing it as the symbol of victory. In his time also Christians painted it at the entrance of their houses as a sign of their faith, and subsequently the churches were for the most part built in the form of a cross. It did not, however, become an object of adoration until after the alleged discovery of the true cross by the EmpressHelena in 326. Its adoption as the Christian symbol may be held to connect itself with the fact that it was used emblematically long before the Christian era, in the same way that traces of belief in a trinity, in a war in heaven, in a paradise, a flood, a Babel, an immaculate conception, and remission by the shedding of blood, are to be found diffused amongst widely sundered peoples. The general meaning attached to the sign appears to have been that of life and regeneration.
Since its adoption by Christianity it has undergone many modifications of shape, and has been employed in a variety of ways for ornaments, badges, heraldic bearings, etc. After the introduction of the cross into the military ensigns of the Crusaders its use in heraldry became frequent, and its form was varied more than that of any other heraldic ordinary, some of the varieties being of great beauty.
The name cross is also given to various architectural structures, of which a cross in stone was a prominent feature; thus we have market crosses, preaching crosses, monumental crosses, etc.
Derby-day is the former great annual London holiday, on which the horse-race for the stakes instituted by LordDerby in 1780 (Derby Stakes) is run. It always falls on a Wednesday, being the second day of the grand race meeting which takes place in the week after TrinitySunday. Research Derby-day
The Episcopal Church is what may be called the Church of England in America. Its history begins with the settlement at Jamestown in 1607, among whose settlers was a clergyman, Reverend R Hunt, who laboured zealously in the colony throughout his life. The clergy were supported by grants from the Legislature, and afterward by tithes, and the interests of the church were carefully fostered by the Virginia Company and by the successive royal governors. William and Mary College was chartered in 1693 in order to educate the clergy for the colonial churches.
By 1701 Maryland for the most part had become Episcopal and attempts were soon made to establish the church in the more southern colonies, but with poor success. In New York City Trinity Church was founded 1696, and generally throughout the Middle States the church was spread through the agency of the Society for Propagating the Gospel, chartered in 1701. By the time of the American Revolution there had been established in New England thirty-six churches. The American War of Independence greatly lessened the influence of the church, which naturally was English in sympathy, but in 1785 the first general convention was held and remodelled the organization to suit the new political condition.
Two years later American bishops were consecrated in London (Seabury in Scotland in 1784), and thus the formal organization of the American church was completed. During the next twenty years the church lost almost all its power through dissension and the withdrawal of State aid, but from that time on a steady growth has been manifest. Research Episcopal Church
A fraternity is an association of people who unite to promote their common interest, business or pleasure. In this wide sense it includes all secret and benevolent societies, the monastic and sacerdotal congregations, the orders of knighthood, and also guilds, trades-unions, and the like. In a limited sense it is applied to religious societies for pious practices and benevolent objects.
Fraternities were often formed during the middle ages, from a desire of imitating the holy orders. Many of these societies, which did not obtain or did not seek the acknowledgment of the church, had the appearance of separatists, which subjected them to the charge of heresy. The pious fraternities which were formed under the direction of the church, or were acknowledged by it, were either required by their rules to afford assistance to travellers, to the unfortunate, the distressed, the sick, and the deserted, on account of the inefficiency of the police, and the want of institutions for the poor, or to perform certain acts of penitence and devotion. Of this description were the Fratres Pontifices, a brotherhood that originated in Tuscany in the 12th century, where they maintained establishments on the banks of the Arno, to enable travellers to cross the river, and to succour them in case of distress. A similar society was afterwards formed in France, where they built bridges and hospitals, maintained ferries, kept the roads in repair, and provided for the security of the highways. Similar to these were the Knights and Companions of the Santa Hermandad (or Holy Brotherhood) in Spain; the Familiars and Cross-bearers in the service of the Spanish Inquisition; the Calendar Brothers in Germany; the Alexiaus in Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, etc.
The professed object of the Alexians, so called from Alexius, their patron saint, was to visit the sick and imprisoned; to collect alms for distribution; to console criminals, and accompany them to the place of execution; to bury the dead, and to cause masses to be said for those who had been executed, or for persons found dead. There were also Gray Penitents (an old fraternity of an order existing as early as 1264 in Rome, and introduced into France under Henry III), the black fraternities of Mercy and of Death; the Red, the Blue, the Green, and the Violet Penitents, so called from the colour of their cowl; the divisions of each were known by the colours of the girdle or mantle. The fraternity of the Holy Trinity was founded at Rome in 1548 by Philip de' Neri for the relief of pilgrims and the cured dismissed from the hospitals. The Brothers of Charity were another fraternity whose hospitals were found in all the principal cities of Catholic Christendom. Research Fraternity
In law a term is a fixed period of time; a prescribed duration; as: (a) The limitation of an estate; or rather, the whole time for which an estate is granted, as for the term of a life or lives, or for a term of years. (b) A space of time granted to a debtor for discharging his obligation. (c) The time in which a court is held or is open for the trial of causes. In England, there were formerly four terms in the year, during which the superior courts were open: Hilary term, beginning on the 11th and ending on the 31st of January; Easter term, beginning on the 15th of April, and ending on the 8th of May; Trinity term, beginning on the 22nd of May, and ending on the 12th of June; Michaelmas term, beginning on the 2nd and ending on the 25th of November. The rest of the year was called vacation. But this division has been practically abolished by the Judicature Acts of 1873 and 1875, which provided for the more convenient arrangement of the terms and vacations.
The Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England are a statement of the particular points of doctrine, thirty-nine in number, maintained by the English Church. They were first promulgated by a convocation held in London in 1562-63, and confirmed by royal authority and were founded on and superseding an older code issued in the reign of Edward VI. The five first articles contain a profession of faith in the Trinity; the incarnation of Jesus Christ, his descent to hell, and his resurrection; the divinity of the Holy Ghost. The three following relate to the canon of the Scripture. The eighth article declares a belief in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian creeds. The ninth and following articles contain the doctrine of original sin, of justification by faith alone, of predestination, etc. The nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first declare the church to be the assembly of the faithful; that it can decide nothing except by the Scriptures. The twenty-second rejects the doctrine of purgatory, indulgences, the adoration of images, and the invocation of saints. The twenty-third decides that only those lawfully called shall preach or administer the sacraments. The twenty-fourth requires the liturgy to be in English. The twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth declare the sacraments effectual signs of grace (though administered by evil men), by which God excites and confirms our faith. They are two: baptism and the Lord's supper. Baptism, according to the twenty-seventh article, is a sign of regeneration, the seal of our adoption, by which faith is confirmed and grace increased. In the Lord's supper, according to article twenty-eighth, the bread is the communion of the body of Christ, the wine the communion of his blood, but only through faith (article twenty-ninth); and the communion must be administered in both kinds (article thirty). The twenty-eighth article condemns the doctrine of transubstantiation, and the elevation and adoration of the host; the thirty-first rejects the
crifice of the mass as blasphemous; the thirty-second permits the marriage of the clergy; the thirty-third maintains the efficacy of excommunication. The remaining articles relate to the supremacy of the king, the condemnation of Anabaptists, etc. They were ratified anew in 1604 and 1628. All candidates for ordination must subscribe these articles. This formulary is now accepted by the Episcopalian Churches of Scotland, Ireland, and America. Research Thirty-Nine Articles
The Toleration Act of parliament in 1689 gave a degree of right to freedom of worship in England. The act did not grant general toleration to disenters from the Church of England, but enabled those Protestant nonconformists who accepted the doctrine of the Trinity and were willing to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy to hold religious services without molestation, providing they were conducted with open doors. In effect then, the act simplky repealed the Conventicle Act of 1664. Research Toleration Act
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Athanasian Creed
