A CHURCH DICTIONARY: A PRACTICAL MANUAL OF REFERENCE FOR CLERGYMEN AND STUDENTS. BY WALTER FARQUHAR HOOK, D.D., LATE DEAN OF CHICHESTER. FOURTEENTH EDITION, ADAPTED TO The requireMENTS EDITED BY WALTER HOOK, M.A., RECTOR OF PORLOCK, AND W. R. W. STEPHENS, M.A., PREBENDARY OF CHICHESTER. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1887. 703315 5476 3 PREFACE TO THE FOURTEENTH EDITION. DR. HOOK's "Church Dictionary" is so well and widely known, that it is scarcely necessary now to give a further description of its origin and aim than by mentioning that it arose from the great want felt by its author, in the management of his parish, of some book of reference for the laity as well as for the clergy upon the leading facts of the history, the economy and constitution of the Church. That Dean Hook was exceptionally fitted for the task, by his wide experience and success as a parish priest, by his learning, and by his literary skill, has been freely admitted on all hands. Since the first issue of the "Church Dictionary," in the year 1842, it has passed through no less than thirteen editions, each of which underwent more or less of improvement and addition. But of late years there has been such a great increase of activity in the Church, and such a vast extension of her energies in every direction; such advances also have been made in Biblical and Liturgical criticism, as well as in the knowledge of ecclesiastical history, antiquities, and art, that it seemed desirable to submit the whole Dictionary to a thorough revision. This indeed was the view taken by the late Dean, who expressed to his son an opinion that nearly the whole of it ought to be rewritten if it was to be brought up to the level of modern requirements. The truth of this has been felt by the present editors during the progress of their work. It has been found necessary, or desirable, to rewrite or completely recast many of the old articles, and to add many new ones. In the first place, on subjects of pre-eminent interest and importance, such as the history of the Bible, the Creeds, the Liturgy and the Church in its various branches, original articles have been supplied, because the old ones consisted largely of extracts from the writings of the older Divines, which in some instances were rather antiquated, and might more properly be called homiletic lectures or essays than critical commentaries or historical explanations. Again, the revival of Convocation since the Dictionary first appeared, the institution of Church |