ECCLESIASTICAL
Abbott/Abbess
Superior of a monastery or nunnery.
Abbey
A monastic community of eiher monks or nuns. Ruled by an abbot or abbess, an abbey is usually founded by a monastic order and bound by their rules.
Abjuration
A renunciation, under oath, of heresy to the Christian faith, made by a Christian wishing to rejoin the church.
Ablegate
Special Papal envoy charged with various missions, such as bearing the official insignia to newly– appointed cardinals.
Absolution
The formal remission of sin granted by a priest.
Acolyte
The highest minor order. Responsibilities include the lighting and carrying of candles, preparing the wine and water used at mass, and assisting the priest at mass.
Advowson
The right of presentation to a church or spiritual living; patronage of an ecclesiastical office or benefice.
Albigensians
An extremist and heretical religious sect of southern France. The ‘Albigensian crusades’ were directed against them between1209 and 1229, and resulted in the culturally distinct south being brought under north French control.
Alien Priories
Monastic houses, such as the Cluniacs, owing allegiance to a motherhouse outside England; because of the foreign affiliation, special taxes were the Queen Consort's endowment.
All Saints’ Day
A Christian holy day in honor of all saints, both known and unknown, celebrated on1 November.
All Souls’ Day
A Christian holy day on which prayers are said for souls believed to be in purgatory, celebrated on 2 November.
Almoner
1) Official dispenser of alms; usually the household chaplain of a prince or nobleman. 2) Item of clothing: also almoniere; first use 1330, Syr Degarre. An almspurse, looped by a cord to the girdle, used for almsgiving.
Almory
1) Place where alms were dispersed. 2) Residence of the almoner.
Alms
Money or goods given to the poor.
Almuce
Earlier form of amice. First use 1430 by Lydgate; article of clothing worn by the religious orders, made of or lined with grey fur. The almuce took various forms, originally being a cap for the head, afterwards a hood, or hood and cape.
Altar
An elevated structure or table at which religious ceremonies are preformed.
Anathema
A condemnation of heretics, similar to excommunication. Complete exclusion from Christian society.
Anchoress
Female anchorite; religious hermit; one who has withdrawn from the world.
Apostate
One who leaves religious orders after taking final vows. Considered a serious crime in the eyes of the church, for it breaks faith with God but also with the founders and benefactors of their religious house.
Apostolic Life
The way of life of the apostles, emphasizing their poverty and preaching; a powerful religious ideal, particularly in the12th and 13th centuries.
Apostolic Succession
The doctrine that the authority of Jesus was passed down in an unbroken line from the apostles to their successors, the bishops.
Apostolicus
A revered title at first used to denote only the immediate followers of Jesus of Nazareth, then in the Middle Ages applied to any bishop, to be later restricted only to popes.
Appropriation
Transfer of the receipts of a parish to a monastery, usually in exchange for the promise to support a vicar.
Archbishop
A bishop of the highest ranking, head of an archdiocese or of an ecclesiastical province.
Arianism
The belief that Jesus was not the same as God, but was the greatest of all creatures; defended by Arius, a 4th–century priest in Alexandria, Arianism was the version of Christianity held by important Germanic kingdoms, including the Visigoths and the Lombards, between the 5th and 7th centuries.
Arrouiaisians
Contemplative religious order active in medieval England which was a branch of the Augustinians; canons.
Aspergé
To sprinkle with holy water.
Assoil
To absolve (from sin). Commonly used in reference to the dead.
Asylum
The right of a bishop to protect a fugitive from justice or to intercede on his behalf. Once asylum has been granted, the fugitive cannot be removed until after a few months have passed. Fugitives who find asylum must give an oath never to return to the realm. If they are found within the realm in a month’s time, they may be hunted down with no right of asylum to be granted again.
Augustinians
Community of clerics, also known as Augustinian Regular Canons. They followed the Rule of St. Augustine. First recognized in the11th century, one of their earliest houses being St. Botoph's Colchester; one of the most famous – Bolton Priory.
Aumbry
Recess or cupboard to hold the sacred vessels for the mass.
Austin Friars
Congregations of hermit friars brought together under the Rule of St. Augustine in 1256. Also known as the Hermit Friars of St. Augustine. One of their larger English foundations was Waltham Abbey.
Ave Maria
"Hail Mary"; Opening words of the prayer of supplication to the Virgin Mary; principal prayer of the rosary. Its ten repetitions preceded by a Pater Noster and concluded with a Gloria Patri constitute a "decade", or segment of the Rosary.
Babylonian Captivity
A historical term used to refer to the"captivity" of the papacy in Frankish territory, 1308–78, during the period the popes held court at Avignon. The term alludes to the earlier challenge to the faith of dislocation in the deporting of the Jews to Babylon in the first millenium BC.
Basilica
A title of honor given to a church building either because of its antiquity or its role as an international worship center.
Beguines/Beghards
Since the 12th century, a name for pious women who lived in small voluntary groups for religious purposes, but did not take religious vows. They were free to own property, to leave the group and to marry. Beghards were men who lived the same sort of life. They were prominent in the Low Countries and the Rhineland; sometimes suspected by church authorities of heresy.
Benedictine Rule
A guide for living written by Saint Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century that became the standard for monasteries and convents.
Benedictines
The oldest religious order; monks, often called "Black Monks" because of the color of their habits, who followed the Rule of St. Benedict. The order was founded by St. Benedict in 817 at Monte Casino, Italy. An order of nuns was established by his sister St. Scholastica. The wealthiest and one of the most firmly established orders in England, even before the Conquest, their more important houses included Christ Church (Canterbury), Westminster Abbey, Tewkesbury Abbey, St. Albans, Durham, St. Mary's (York), and Crowland (Croyland), to name a few.
Benefice
An endowed church office.
Benefit of Clergy
A privilege enjoyed by members of the clergy, including tonsured clerks, placing them beyond the jurisdiction of secular courts.
Bishop
A church officer consecrated to the highest of the holy orders; usually the head of a diocese with spiritual authority over the other clergy and laity in that diocese; believed to be a successor to the apostles.
Black Canons
Augustinian Canons, taken from the color of their robes.
Black Monks
A member of the Benedictine order, due to the color of their habits.
Bonshommes
Priest brethren, under a rector, established at only two English houses ( Ashridge and Edington) and following the Rule of Augustine.
Bowes
Provisions in a Papal benefice.
Bridgettines
Religious order founded by Bridget of Sweden in the 14th century; double order of nuns with resident monks as advisors; introduced in England by Henry V. Probably their most famous house was Syon, on the site of which now stands an 18th–century manor house that is part of the Percy holdings.
Byzantine Empire
The eastern Roman Empire with its capital at Constantinople; it was closely intertwined with the Greek Orthodox church; the empire's long history of advance and retreat ended in 1453 when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks.
Candlemas
Feast of the Purification, or Presentation of Christ – 2 February.
Canon (New Testament)
The list of books accepted by the church as scripture; the accepted list of twenty–seven items in the New Testament was worked out between the 2nd and 4th centuries.
Canon (Regular Canon)
A priest living with others under a common rule.
Canon Law
The body of rules governing the faith, morals and organization of the church.
Canonical Hour
Any of the seven times a day when specific prayers are said.
Cantor
1) One who leads a religious congregation in singing. 2) A soloist who sings liturgical
music in a synagogue.
Capella Ante Portas
A chapel by the gate of a Cistercian house for the use of travelers and other visitors. An example still stands at Kirkstead in Lincolnshire.
Cardinal
A high church official just below the Pope.
Carmelites
Originally the 12th–century Order of Our Lady at Mt. Carmel; later reorganized as friars ("white friars") in the 13th century. One of their most important houses, now an impressive ruin in Northumberland was Hulne Abbey.
Carthusians
Contemplative order of monks, bound to silence, founded by St. Bruno in 1084 at La Grande Chartreuse near Grenoble, France. First brought to England in the 12th century, they did not flourish to any great extent until the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Henry V founded a Carthusian house at Sheen and one of their largest foundations, Mount Grace (Yorkshire), was built in the 15th century.
Cathars
See also Albigensians.
Cathedral Church
The church of a diocese where a bishop has the throne and where he presides.
Catholic Church
Derived the the Greek word catholicos, adopted in the 2nd century by one group of Christians to distinguish themselves from their rivals, particularly the gnostic Christians; more generally, 'Catholic' describes those Christian groups which accept the ancient creeds, including Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Anglicans.
Celibacy
The state of being unmarried; required of western clergy in the major orders (bishop, priest, deacon, subdeacon) since the 12th century.
Chancel
The area by the high altar of a church usually reserved for the clergy.
Chantry
A chapel, sometimes only an altar, endowed by its founder with sufficient funds to maintain a priest to sing masses for his soul, those of his family, or for the health and good fortune of the founder, if the chantry was completed and functional during his lifetime. They are sometimes also called "colleges" and their founding was a popular form of religious expression during the Middle Ages, for anyone who could afford the expense.
Chantry Chapel
A chapel, often attached to or inside a church, endowed for the continuous celebration of Masses for the soul of the founders and any others designed in the license.
Chapter House
Place of assemblage for a religious order, usually attached to a cathedral. Guests could be housed here as well.
Charterhouse
A house of Carthusian monks.
Chausable
Long, sleeveless vestment worn by the priest at Mass.
Chrismatory
A small box or other vessel, usually of metal, for keeping of holy oil.
Christendom
The collective name for those territories inhabited primarily by Christians.
Christology
The part of Christian theology which is particularly concerned with Jesus Christ. Medieval Christological debates centered around the predominant importance of Jesus' divine or human nature. The Christological positions of Nestorianism and Monophysitism in the 4th century played a significant role in the formulating of Roman Christian orthodox Christology.
Chronicle
A type of medieval written work having something in common with medieval histories in that it recorded the past. Whether universal or particular in character, a chronicle, was often written with picturesque details and anecdotes, to be a pleasing rather than an instructive historical account of the past.
Ciborium
A chalice–shaped vessel, with a lid, for the consecrated bread (the reserved Host).
Cistercians
Reformed Benedictines, established at Citreaux by Robert of Molesne in 1098; later expanded under the leadership of Bernard of Clairvaux; also known as "white monks." One of their most famous houses was Fountains in Yorkshire, but they had communities all over England. For example, Beaulieu and Netley (Hampshire), Hailes (Gloucestershire), Tintern (Monmouthshire).
Claustral
An open space in a religious house, usually square and bounded by an arcaded, roofed passage, that the members of the order used for exercise and study.
Clergy
A collective term for men having any of the holy orders of the Christian church, as distinguished from the unordained members of the church, who were called the laity.
Clerk
1) Refers to those men who were planning to become priests and had therefore already taken first tonsure and vows in the form of one or more of the minor orders; 2) Used to refer to "regulars", those living under a rule in monasteries, friaries, priories, and nunneries, or as priests in a secular setting.
Cloister
A covered exercise and study space, usually to the south of a monastic church.
Cluniacs
Reformed Benedictines of an earlier generation who took their example from Cluny Abbey in Burgundy, which was founded in 909. They later organized into a far–flung monastic family under the leadership of the abbot of Cluny. Castle Acre in Norfolk was one of the their houses.
Compline
The eighth and last canonical hour – the last liturgical prayer of the day said just after nightfall – around 6 p.m.
Conciliarism
The doctrine that the supreme authority in the church is vested in a general or Ecumenical council; extremely influential during and after the Great Schism (1378–1414) , especially at the Councils of Constance (1414–18), and Basel (1431–49).
Confession
The public or private acknowledgement of sinfulness regarded as necessary to obtain divine forgiveness.
Convent
1) A community of nuns under the authority of a superior, bound together by religious vows; 2) The building(s) occupied by such a community.
Conventual
Of (or belonging to) a religious house.
Conversus
1) A person who entered a monastery as an adult, in contrast to an oblate; 2) A lay brother in a monastery.
Corpus Christi
Special feast honoring the Body of Christ, the Eucharist, on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday.
Corpus Christi Guild
Benevolent religious association.
Corpus Christi Plays
Religious dramas, "mystery" plays, staged by members of the trade and craft guilds in celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi. For students of the history of drama, these "miracle" or "mystery" plays, along with their secular counterpart, the "morality play," are an important, medieval contribution to the development of theatrical art. The York Cycle is still performed in the city of York.
Corrody
A pension or agreed maintenance in food, clothing and lodging, usually obtained by the individual corrodian in return for a gift of money or land.
Councils
Ecclesiastical meetings of several sorts, including: 1) a meeting of bishops with their archbishops or metropolitan, called a provincial council; 2) a meeting of a bishop with his diocesan clergy, called a diocesan synod; 3) a meeting of all (at least in theory) bishops under the emperor or the pope, called an Ecumenical council.
Cowl
1) The hood of a monk’s robe. 2) A hooded robe.
Creed
Brief formal statement of belief; the most famous were the Apostles' Creed, the Athanasian Creed and the Nicene Creed.
Dalmatic
A bishop’s outer garment. Often worn by monarchs as well.
Deacon
A clergyman holding the holy order just below the priesthood.
Decretal
A papal letter or an excerpt from one which rules on a point of canon law.
Diocese
An ecclesiastical division of territory under the supervision of a bishop; there were more than 500 dioceses in the Western church by the 14th century.
Divine Office
The religious services sung or recited by priests and religious at the canonical hours, seven fixed times during each day and once during the night.
Dominicans
Religious order founded by St. Dominic for the purpose of preaching and study; also known as the "black friars." They were a mendicant order, who owned no property, but depended upon the generosity of the laity, especially of the wealthy, to support them and their work.
Doorkeeper
The lowest of minor orders. This person tended the door and admitted only those qualified to enter.
Dorter
Common sleeping chamber for members of a religious order; dormitory.
Double Monastery
Combined monastery for both men and women but sexually separated. Ruled by either an abbot or abbess.
Double Truth
The theory that the studies of philosophy and theology impart two separate truths.
Dualism
The theological view that the universe is divided between two radically different powers, one good and one evil; groups holding dualistic views included Gnostics in the ancient church and Cathars during the Middle Ages.
Easter
The religious celebration of Christ's resurrection, held on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March. It was the oldest and greatest annual Christian religious feast.
Easter Sepulchre
Recess, usually in the chancel of a church, to receive the effigy of Christ for Easter celebration.
Ecclesiology
The part of Christian theology which is particularly concerned with understanding what is meant by the Christian "Church". Periodically throughout the Middle Ages, but especially in its later centuries, attention turned to ecclesiology as discussion arose about what group of Christians was considered to comprise the "true Church": the saints, or the saints and clergy alone, or all who affirmed belief.
Ecumenical
An adjective meaning 'universal', derived from the Greek work oikoumene 'the inhabited world' or 'the whole world'.
Epiphany
Celebrated 6 January, observing the manifestation of Christ's divinity to the Magi, and His baptism.
Eucharist
The Communion, or Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
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Evangelical
Adjective meaning 'pertaining to the gospels'; derived from the Greek word euangelion, 'good news'.
Excommunication
The formal suspension or expulsion of a person from the communion of the Church; in the Middle Ages, excommunication had serious social and legal consequences.
Exegesis
The study of interpreting a written text, usually used with reference to the Bible. During the Middle Ages, there were four levels of interpretation: the literal or historical sense (often conveying a statement of fact); the allegorical sense ( in which facts or events are treated as metaphors); the moral sense; and the angogical sense (in which the meaning alludes to and is thereby seen to uplift toward the eternal mysteries of Christianity).
Exorcist
The second highest minor order. This person exorcised evil spirits.
Feretory
A shrine constructed to house important relics.
Fontevraldines
Religious order founded by Robert d'Arbissel at Fontevrault in 1100; double order of monks and nuns headed by the abbess of Fontevrault. The order and, indeed, its original house made its greatest impact on English history as the final resting place for early Plantagenets: Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, their son, Richard, "The Lionhearted," and his wife, Berengaria of Navarre.
Franciscans
Religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209 and vowed, like the Dominicans, to corporate poverty. Also known as the Friars Minor or "grey friars." The most famous Franciscan house was Walsingham Priory and the Grey Friars' in Leicester was the final resting place of Richard III, until the Dissolution under Henry VIII.
Frater
Monastic refectory.
Friar
Member of one of the mendicant orders (E.g., Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites or Austin Friars) who vowed to operate in poverty.
Frontal
Covering, often ornate, for the front of an altar.
Galilee
Chapel or vestibule enclosing the porch at one of the main entrances to a church.
Gilbertines
Originally a community of nuns who followed the Cistercian Rule. It was a native English order, founded by St. Gilbert at Sempringham, Lincolnshire in the 12th century. It was later reorganized as a double order of nuns and canons, but many of the houses converted to canons only, who followed the Rule of St. Augustine. One of the most successful double houses was Watson Priory in Yorkshire.
Golden Legend
15th–century collection of devotional writings, written in English, focusing on the suffering and death of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Lives of the Saints; geared toward an increasing interest in the mystical and a rapidly expanding literacy rate, it also fulfilled the demand for a more personal and intuitive form of devotion.
Gospel
Originally, the 'good news' of Jesus; then a word for certain documents telling of Jesus' life and teachings; there were numerous early Christian gospels of which four – those attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – were regarded as canonical by the 2nd century.
Grandmontines
Religious order founded at Grandmont by Stephen of Muret, dedicated to austerity, poverty and silence. Distinguished by the amount of power vested in the lay brethen. There were only three English houses: Grosmont, North Yorkshire, and the only Grandmontine house to survive until 1536, and Alberbury and Craswell in the Welsh Marches.
Habit
The garb of a religous order.
Hair Shirt
A rough undergarment made of animal hair, worn by a sinner as penance.
Hallowmas
Feast of All Hallows', or All Saints' Day – 1 November.
Heresy
Any religious doctrine that inconsistent with the orthodox beliefs of the Church.
Heretic
A person who commits heresy.
Hermit
A person who leaves society for religious motives; a solitary religious often contrasted to monks who lived in a community of some sort.
Hexaemeron
Refers to either the six days of the Creation or to the Biblical text of Genesis (and commentaries) dealing with the Creation.
Holy Rood Day
Feast of the Holy Cross – 14 September.
Holy Water
Water that has been blessed by a priest.
Hospice
An inn for travelers, especially one kept by a religious order.
Hours
Segments of canonical Divine Office – Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Vespires, and Compline.
Housell
To adminster the Eucharist, or Holy Communion.
Howden
A college of secular priests.
Icon
A sacred image or picture of Christ or a saint; venerated with particular fervor in the Greek Orthodox tradition.
Iconoclasm
The destruction of icons; iconoclasm was a policy of some Byzantine emperors between 725 and 842; eventually repudiated by the Christian churches of the medieval east and west.
Indulgence
1) Remission of sin, or a portion of the post–mortem punishment for a sin, as the result of a specific offering or set of prayers; 2) Relaxation of an ecclesiastical law or obligation.
Infidel
Anyone having a strong adversity to Christianity.
Inquisition
A tribunal established by the Church to identify and correct those committing heresy.
Interdict
Papal ban forbidding the clergy to administer the sacraments to anyone, for any reason, in the territory paced under interdict. For example, the whole of England was placed under the ban following the murder of Thomas á Becket, and the ban was not lifted until Henry II's public penance at Becket's tomb.
Investiture
The act of formally putting someone into an office or a landholding; it was a major occasion of dispute in the 11th and 12th centuries when reformers opposed lay rulers who invested clergy with the symbols of their positions.
Islam
The religion founded by the Arab prophet Mohammed (570–632); an Arabic word meaning 'submission to the will of God'.
Kneeler
1) Sculpture of a kneeling figure; 2) Hassock or kneeling cushion in a church or chapel.
Lady Chapel
Chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Laity
The unordained people of the church; as distinct from the clergy.
Lammas
Feast of St. Peter in Chains – 1 August.
Lammastide
Week following the Feast of St. Peter in Chains.
Lauds
The second or with Matins the first canonical hour, usually sung at dawn – 5 to 6 a.m.
Lay Brother
A man, usually illiterate and of lower social status than a monk, who had nevertheless taken the vows of the order and was employed by the community to do manual work.
Lector
The second lowest minor order. One whose chief duty is to read lessons in a church service.
Legate
A representative or ambassador, usually a cardinal, sent by the pope to represent him in a particular territory or for a particular purpose.
Licentiat(e)
A cleric licensed by his order to hear confessions and administer the sacraments.
Limitour
Licensed beggar; generally a friar or member of one of the mendicant orders, such as the Dominicans.
Liturgy
The formal prayers and rituals in the Church, including such things as the Mass, the Divine Office, and the annointing of kings.
Lollardy
Religious movement, 14th–century precursor of the Reformation of the 16th century, inspired by the teachings of John Wyclif. In general, the Lollards were very critical of the immense temporal power of the hierarchy of the Church, denied the doctrine of transubstantiation, and promoted the right of each individual of read the Scriptures in the vernacular, to which end, Wyclif made the first English translation of the Bible. Though never quite the sweeping movement that would come, with government sanction, in the 16th century, the Lollard philosophy was embraced by the burgeoning number of apprentices, craftsmen and industrial workers in 15th–century England. And though, in the main, there was official ecclesiastical and governmental abhorence of Lollard tenets, Wyclif Bibles found wide acceptance at all levels of the increasingly literate public. See Wyclif Bible.
Martinmas
Feast of St. Martin – 11 November Traditional autumnal celebration of the harvest at which fresh–killed beef was served up in gigantic joints in manor house and castle, along with the first wines of the new vintage from Gascony. The plenty was shared with not only retainers and the manor's villeins, but special arrangements were also made to feed the beggars and poor in the area in honor of St. Martin, the patron of the poor and homeless.
Mass
The public celebration of the Catholic ritual, including the Latin liturgy and communion.
Matins
The liturgical night office, combining with Lauds the first and chief of the canonical hours and including hymns, prayers, psalms, and scripture readings – between 2:30 and 3 a.m.
Maundy Thursday
The day before Good Friday. It was marked by the ceremonious washing of the feet of the poor by royalty and nobility; the number of poor for each participant in the ceremony being determined by his or her age. It was also customary to give the owners of the feet gifts of clothing and money when the ceremony was over.
Mendicants
Friars vowed to poverty and bound by their rule to maintain themselves by begging.
Michaelmas
Feast of St. Michael – 19 September, An important English fiscal date in the Middle Ages, it is still a quarterly rent date.
Minorities
See Franciscans.
Mirroure of the Worlde
Vincent of Beauvais text which was the first illustrated book printed in English, date 1481. It dealt with the Commandments and Articles of Faith, and other religious matters.
Misericord
1) Chamber in a monastery where meat, otherwise forbidden by the Rule, could be eaten; 2) A shelf placed on the underside of of a hinged choir chair which, when raised, supported the occupant of the stall during long periods of standing.
Mitre
Tall, decorative peaked hat worn by bishops and archbishops.
Monastery
A community of persons, especially monks, bound by vows to a religious life and often living in partial or complete seclusion; the dwelling place of such a community.
Monk
Generally, a man who joined a religious house called a monastery, where he took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; he most common form of monk was a man living under the provision of the Rule of St. Benedict.
Monophysitism
The theory that the human and divine in the person of Jesus Christ constitute only one nature which is regarded either as thoroughly unified or as complete.
Mortmain
Lands and tenements which could not be alienated by the holder; generally the method used to endow a religious institution or chantry.
Muslim (Moslem)
A follower of the religion of Islam.
Narthex
See also Galilee.
National Monarchy
A form of government that arose in the 13th century in western Europe; a king and his bureaucracy gained effective control over the loyalty and taxes of their subjects, often at the expense of the church; the most successful medieval national monarchies were those of England and France.
Necessarium
A building housing an abbey’s latrines.
Nestorianism
The concept that the divine and human of Jesus were joined in perfect harmony but remained distinct with the concept that Mary should not be called the Mother of God.
Nones
The sixth canonical hour – between 2 to 3 p.m.
Novice
A person new to a religious order who has not yet taken vows.
Nun
Woman dedicated to the religious life; usually a member of a religious order.
Nunnery
A monastic house for women.
Obedientiary
An official in a monastery charged with a specific "obedience".
Obit
A memorial Mass celebrated annually on the mind–day of a deceased person, usually the anniversary of his death.
Oblate
A child who was offered to a monastery by his/her parents.
Observants
See Franciscans.
Orders (Minor/Major)
The grades or steps of the Christian ministry; the so–called minor orders were acolyte, lector, exorcist, and doorkeeper; the so–called major orders, which bound their holders to Celibacy were bishop, priest, deacon, and subdeacon.
Orthodox Church
The dominant form of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire and in the Slavic lands converted from that empire. Its leaders were the patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch.
Paraclete
A name for the Holy Spirit, meaning comforter.
Parish
Generally a subdivision of a diocese; administered by a resident priest who might have other clergy as his assistants; it was the basic unit of ordinary church life in western Europe.
Pater Noster
Literally, "Our Father...".
Peace of God
A movement that arose in southern France in the 10th and 11th centuries to place limits on fighting; it placed certain classes of people – non–combatants, women, clergy and the poor – under the protection of the Church and threatened those who used violence against them with excommunication; see also Truce of God.
Pentateuch
The first five books of the Old Testament – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Pilgrimage
A journey to a holy place for the purpose of worship or thanksgiving or doing penance; there were many local, regional and universal sites that drew pilgrims in the Middle Ages; among the greatest pilgrim destinations were the places connected with Jesus's life in the Holy Land, the city of Rome and the shrine of St James at Compostela.
Pittancer
The official charged with the distribution of monastic allowances or doles.
Pluralism
The holding by one person of more than one church office or benefice at the same time.
Pope
Originally a term for any bishop; in the West it came to be restricted to the Bishop of Rome, who as successor of St Peter, was regarded as the Chief Bishop of the Church; in the West, the pope became the dominant figure in the governance of the church; in the Orthodox churches that position of dominance was rejected.
Possessioner
An endowed religious community; the word was commonly applied to the older orders – Benedictines, Cistercians, Augustinians and others – to distinguish them from advocates or evangelical poverty like the mendicants.
Prebend
Revenues granted to a cleric (prebendary) as his stipend.
Precentor
A monk or canon or who leads the singing in the choir.
Prelate
A high-ranking member of the clergy, especially a bishop.
Premonstrafensian
An order of canons, also known as "White Canons", founded in 1120 by St. Norbert.
Priest/Presbyter
A man who held the second highest of the holy orders, after that of bishop and above that of deacon.
Prime
The first of the daytime canonical hours – around 7 a.m.
Prior/Prioress
In Benedictine monasteries, the second in command after the abbot; also a term for the head of a religious house that did not have the legal status of a monastery.
Priory Cell
A dependent priory, having three or four monks, usually functioning also as an estate–center.
Private Church
A church owned by a landlord or a monastery; most rural churches were founded by the owner of the land on which they stood and remained under the control of his family.
Provision
Nomination or appointment to a church office; in the 14th century the papacy gained the right of provision over thousands of Church offices all over Europe.
Psalter
Small book containing psalms and drawings relating to them.
Pulpitum
A partition, often of stone, separating the monks’ choir from the nave.
Pyx
A vessel, usually a box, for holding the consecrated bread.
Rector
The head priest of a church or a religious institution.
Regular Clergy
Monks, canons, friars and other clergy who lived in communities under a rule.
Relic
An object venerated by believers because it was associate with a saint; a relic could be something owned by the saint, such as a piece of clothing or a book, but more often was part of the saint's body.
Reliquary
A receptacle, usually small, for the storing of holy relics.
Retable
An altar–piece; a painting or frame holding sculptures, fixed to the back of an altar.
Rule
Laws prescribed by the founder of a religious order for observance by its members.
Sacrament
Christian religious ritual commemorating events significant to the life of Jesus and in the lives of believers thereafter, as it is believed to impart the truth and grace of Christian mystery. Baptism and Eucharist, or the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus and his apostles, were the earliest sacraments practiced by Christians. By the 13th century, the Roman Church had recognized in theology and ritual five more sacraments: confirmation, penance, marriage, bordination, and extreme unction.
Sacristy
A room inside a church or cathedral housing sacred vessels and vestments.
Savigniac
A colony of hermits founded at Savigny in 1105 by Vitalis of Mortain and later developed as an order of monks, merging with the Cistercians in 1147.
Schism
A formal split in the church over a disagreement about a matter of practice; distinct from heresy because the split was not over belief; the schism of 1054 marked the formal break between the Roman Catholicism and the Greek Orthodox church; the Great Schism (1378–1414) was the split in the western church between those loyal to the pope at Rome and those loyal to the pope at Avignon.
Scriptorium
The room in a monastery in which manuscripts were copied by monks; also, a writing shop where professional copyists produced and sold books.
Secular Clergy
The clergy who were not separated from the world by a written rule or by life in a monastic community; it included the bishops and priests who worked with the laity; often contrasted to the regular clergy who lived under a rule.
Sext
The fifth canonical hour – noon.
Simony
The buying and selling of sacred things, such as sacraments and ecclesiastical positions.
Spiritualities
Properties or revenues obtained in return for spiritual services.
Succentor
The chanter in a monastic or cathedral choir, who takes up the chant following the precentor.
Synod
An ecclesiastical meeting; see also council.
Te Deum
Latin hymn, Part of the Mass; either the music of such, or its text, "We praise thee, O God...".
Temporalities
The material possessions and revenues of a religious house.
Terce
The fourth of the canonical hours – 9 a.m.
Tironensian
An order of monks founded at Tiron by Bernard (d. 1117) and much influenced by the contemporary Cistercians.
Tithe
A tax, payable to the rector, of the tenth part of all agrarian produce.
Tonsure
A clipping of the hair or shaving the top of the head; tonsure was the ceremony that dedicated a person to God's service; it was the first step of entry into the clergy.
Translation
1) To move a bishop from one diocese to another; 2) To move a saint's relics from one place to another, often from the original burial place to a reliquary.
Transubstantiation
A doctrine stated formally by the Roman Christian Church in 1215 that in the celebration of the Eucharist the bread and wine, though they appear unchanged, actually become the body and blood of Christ.
Truce of God
A movement that began in the 11th century, which sought to forbid fighting on Sundays and the chief religious seasons and feasts; see also Peace of God.
Vatican
The official residence of the pope; the papal government.
Vespers
The seventh and next to last of the canonical hours – around 4:30 p.m.
Vicar
In its basic meaning, a person who substitutes for another; in many medieval parishes the resident priest was not the legal holder of the parish; the legal holder was a non–resident person or was a monastery and the resident priest was the vicar for the legal holder, who carried out the latter's duties in return for a portion of the parochial income.
Vicar-General
A priest acting as a deputy to a bishop in the administration of the bishop’s diocese.
Victorine
Augustinian canons of St. Victor (Paris), known in the 12th century for the superior quality of the scholarship and observance.
Vows
Formal, voluntary promises to God. Any adult could make a vow, and it was a common practice in medieval religion. However, vows are usually associated with those who entered religious houses.
Waldensian
A follower of Peter Waldo, a 12th–century advocate of the Apostolic Life, who broke with the church over his claim to the right to preach without authorization.
Wyclif Bible
The first version of the Bible to be translated into English. Attributed to John Wyclif.
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