The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia by William James Miller (free novel 24 .txt) 📖

The emblems of the four Evangelists are as follows: ST. MATTHEW, a winged Man; ST. MARK, a winged Lion; ST. LUKE, a winged Ox, and ST. JOHN, an Eagle.

Emmanuel.—A Hebrew word used as a name of our Lord, and means, "God with us." The Rev. Morgan Dix, D.D., in his book "The Gospel and Philosophy," speaking of the word Emmanuel, says, "'God with us' is the sum of the Christian Religion. That is a proper description of the Religion from the beginning to the end. Emmanuel: the meaning of the word was not exhausted in those blessed years, three and thirty in all, during which Christ was seen in Judea and known as the Prophet of Nazareth. It is as accurate, as necessary to-day; it shall be true {97} till all be fulfilled, till the earth and the heavens shall pass away and the new earth shall appear. . . . This Presence of the Personal God, a presence not made by our faith, but disclosed to our faith that we may believe and adore, is secured to the faithful in their generations by ordinances, instruments and institutions adapted to that end. . . . That system is known as the Holy Catholic Church."

Epact, The.—The Epact is the moon's age at the beginning of any given year. The term is derived from the Greek word, Epacte, meaning carried on. The Epact is used in the calculations for finding on what day Easter will fall. (See TABLES IN THE PRAYER BOOK.)

Epiphany, The.—A Feast of the Church observed on January 6th to commemorate the Manifestation of Christ by the leading of a star. Occurring twelve days after Christmas, it is frequently called "Twelfth Day." The word Epiphany is derived from the Greek and means Manifestation or showing forth. It was originally used both for Christmas Day when Christ was manifested in the Flesh and for this day when He was manifested by a Star to the Gentiles. Later on, about the Fourth Century and in the Western Church the Epiphany seems to have acquired a more independent position and to be observed with special reference to the manifestation to the Magi of the East. It thus became the occasion of the giving of praise and thanksgiving to God for thus proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentile world as well as to the Jews, His chosen people. An examination of the services for the Feast of the Epiphany shows that the {98} commemoration is really threefold: (1) Our Lord's Manifestation by a star to the Magi; (2) The Manifestation of the glorious Trinity at His Baptism, and (3) The Manifestation of the glory and Divinity of Christ by His miraculous turning water into wine at the marriage in Cana of Galilee; all of which are said to have happened on the same day, though not in the same year. "The Epiphany is a Festival which has always been observed with great ceremony throughout the whole Church; its threefold meaning and its close association with the Nativity as the end of the Christmas Tide, making it a kind of accumulative Festival."

Epiphany, Sundays after.—The Epiphany is continued in the Sundays following, the number of which is variable being dependent on the time Easter is kept. There may be one "Sunday after Epiphany" or there may be six. The Scriptural teachings of these Sundays are all illustrative of the fact that the Eternal Word was manifested in the Flesh.

Episcopacy.—The name given to that form of Church government in which Bishops are the Chief Pastors with Priests and Deacons under them. The word is derived from the Greek Episcopos, meaning overseer; Bishop being the Anglicized form of the Greek word. Much controversy has been held in regard to Church government, as if the form was a matter of uncertainty, or not clearly revealed. The question can only be decided by first regarding Christianity as an institution, as the Kingdom of God, and then inquiring whether this Institution, founded by our Lord, has been characterized always by the same {99} thing. In regard to Church government we find that the Church as an institution was always governed by Bishops, and that for 1500 years after Christ no Christian people recognized any other Ministry but that of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. Since the Reformation the controversy has come up and various theories, especially Presbyterian and Congregationalist, have been advanced. But even now the question of Church government may be considered as a matter of fact rather than of theory. If we take the whole Christian world of to-day, we find that the number of Christians is in round numbers five hundred millions. Of this number only one hundred million are non-Episcopal, so that we may conclude from the universal acceptance of Episcopacy before the Reformation and from the large preponderance of adherents to this form of Church government at this present time,—from these facts we may safely conclude that Episcopacy is in accordance with the mind of the Master. This, at least, is the conclusion of the best scholarship of the day, both Episcopal and non-Episcopal. For example, a non-Episcopal divine has set forth his conclusions in the following statement: "The Apostles embodied the Episcopal element into the constitution of the Church, and from their days to the time of the Reformation, or for fifteen hundred years, there was no other form of Church government anywhere to be found. Wheresoever there were Christians there were also Bishops; and often where Christians differed in other points of doctrine or custom, and made schisms and divisions in the Church, yet did they all remain unanimous in this, in retaining Bishops." So {100} also, the historian Gibbon gives his conclusion as follows: "'No Church without a Bishop' has been a fact well as a maxim since the time of Tertullian and Irenaeus; after we have passed over the difficulties of the first century, we find the Episcopal government established, till it was interrupted by the republican genius of the Swiss and German reformers." (See MINISTRY, THE.)

Episcopate.—The office of a Bishop. The term is variously used. It means not only the office or dignity of a Bishop, but it may also mean the period of time during which any particular Bishop exercises his office in presiding over a Diocese. Again, Episcopate is the collective name for the whole body of Bishops of the Christian Church, lists of which have been carefully preserved from the beginning. The Episcopate of the American Church includes all the Bishops from Bishop Seabury, our first Bishop, down to the Bishop who was last consecrated.

Epistle, The.—The portion of Holy Scripture read before the Gospel in the Communion Office, generally taken from one of the N. T. Epistles, though sometimes from the Acts of the Apostles or from one of the books of the Prophets of the Old Testament. It is well to note that the Collect, Epistle and Gospel embody the special teaching of the day for which they are appointed.

Epistle Side.—The south or right side of the Altar from which the Epistle is read. When the Priest celebrates alone, he first reads the Epistle at the south side and then passes to the north side where he reads the Gospel. {101}

Epistoler.—The minister who reads the Epistle for the day and acts as sub-deacon at the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Eschatology.—That department of Theology devoted to inquiry concerning the "last things,"—the Advent of Christ, Death and the State of the Departed, the judgment to come and the final award.

Espousal.—That portion of the Marriage Service in which the contracting parties answer "I will" to the questions, "N. wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife" and "N. wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband." This seems to be the remains of the old form of espousals, which was different and distinct from the Office of Marriage, and which was often performed some weeks or months or perhaps years before. Something similar to what is now called "engagement," only that it had the blessing of Mother Church upon it. In the Greek Church at the present time there are still two different offices, viz.: the one of espousals and the other of marriage, which are now performed on the same day, although formerly on different days.

Eucharist.—Derived from a Greek word meaning "giving of thanks."
It is the name universally applied to the HOLY COMMUNION (which see).

Eucharistic Lights.—(See ALTAR LIGHTS.)

Eucharistic Vestments.—The special vestments worn in celebrating the Holy Eucharist to mark the dignity of the service and as symbolical of the Passion of our Lord which is therein commemorated. They are as follows: the Amice, Alb, Girdle, Stole, Maniple and Chasuble worn by the celebrant, and the Dalmatic {102} and Tunicle, worn by the Deacon and sub-Deacon; each of which is described under the heading, VESTMENTS (which see). From ancient sources we learn that it was the universal custom of the Church to wear distinctive vestments at the celebration of the Holy Communion to mark it as the only service ordained by Christ Himself, and also as the highest act of Christian Worship. This is evidenced by the fact that the seven historical churches which have possessed a continuous life since the Nicene era, viz.: the Latin, Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Armenian, Nestorian and the Georgian—all use the Eucharistic Vestments. When we consider that these historic churches have not been in communion with one another for over a thousand years, we cannot but conclude that any point on which they are agreed must go back to the middle of the Fifth Century and must be part of their united traditions from a still earlier date. From the fact that these historic churches, having no communion with one another, do agree in the use of distinctive vestments for the Holy Eucharist, we learn that their use is not, as is sometimes supposed, an imitation of Rome but is a Catholic and Primitive custom. The Eucharistic Vestments are now used in more than two thousand churches in England and America, thus showing how they recognize and are reasserting their Catholic heritage.

Evangelical.—Belonging to, or consistent with, the Holy Gospels, derived from the Greek word for Gospel.

Evangelical Canticles.—The name given to the canticles sung in the Church service which are taken {103} from the Gospels, viz.: Benedictus, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis.

Evangelists.—The name given to the writers of the four Gospels.

Eve, or Even.—The day before a Festival, as Christmas Eve, Easter Even, and designed to be a preparation for the due observance of the Festival it precedes. By rubric it is provided that the Collect appointed for any Sunday or other Feast may be used at the Evening Service of the day before.

Even Song.—The name given in the Calendar of the English Prayer Book to the Order for Daily Evening Prayer and is frequently used in the American Church. It is a very old term and a very significant one, indicating that the Evening Oblation chorally rendered is evidently the mind of the Church and its ancient usage. Our beautiful Evening Prayer thus rendered is certainly much more in keeping with Scripture and much more elevating than the "Song Services," or "Vesper Services" of the various denominations. These latter are not regarded as "Romish" and are very popular. Yet in some places if a choral Even Song is attempted, at once the cry of "Romanism" is raised, and yet from Holy Scripture we learn that music is a divinely ordained element in the public worship of God and the service thus rendered is an approach to the worship of Heaven. (See INTONE; PLAIN SONG also PSALTER.)

Examination for Holy Orders.—Title I, canon 6 of the Digest provides that "There shall be assigned to every Candidate for Priest's Orders three separate examinations." These examinations are made by the {104} Bishop in the presence of two or more Priests. The three examinations are on the following subjects:

I. The Books of Holy Scripture, in English, Greek and Hebrew.

II. The Evidences of Christianity, Christian Ethics and Dogmatic
Theology.

III. Church History, Ecclesiastical Polity, the Book of Common Prayer, the Constitution and Canons of the Church and those of the Diocese to which the candidate belongs.

The Examination for Deacon's Orders is on the Books of Holy
Scripture, and on the Book of Common Prayer.

Excommunication.—An ancient discipline of the Church whereby a person for cause was cut off from all the privileges of the Church. This discipline has practically fallen into abeyance, people for the most part excommunicate themselves. In the English Prayer Book is an Office called "A Commination, or Denouncing of God's Anger and Judgments against Sinners, with certain Prayers, to be used on the First Day of Lent," which was set forth until the ancient Discipline may be restored.

Exhortation.—The name given to the short addresses in the Prayer Book, beginning, "Dearly Beloved Brethren." The Exhortation was introduced into the Daily Offices in 1552 and