Richard Finn OP
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199283606
- eISBN:
- 9780191712692
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283606.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
The book examines the various sources, distinctive forms, privileged recipients, and likely extent of almsgiving in the churches of the later empire. Almsgiving was crucial in the construction of the ...
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The book examines the various sources, distinctive forms, privileged recipients, and likely extent of almsgiving in the churches of the later empire. Almsgiving was crucial in the construction of the bishop's authority, but was also a cooperative task involving clerics and laity in which honour was shared and which exposed the bishop to criticism. Almsgiving by monks belongs in the context of self-dispossession and attracted further alms for distribution to the destitute, but proved controversial not least because of the potential for competition with bishops. Lay people were encouraged to give, at set times and in particular places, both through the Church's agency and directly to the poor. These practices gained meaning from the promotion of almsgiving in many forms, of which preaching was the most important. It involved redescription of the poor and the incorporation of almsgiving within the virtues of generosity and justice. So cast, Christian almsgiving differed from pagan almsgiving as an honourable benefaction typical of leadership. This distinctive pattern of thought and conduct existed alongside an older classical pattern of benefaction, and the interaction between them generated controversy over the conduct of bishops and consecrated virgins. The co-inherence of co-operation and competition in Christian almsgiving, together with the continued existence of traditional euergetism, meant, however, that Christian alms did not, as is sometimes thought, turn bishops into the megapatrons of their cities.Less
The book examines the various sources, distinctive forms, privileged recipients, and likely extent of almsgiving in the churches of the later empire. Almsgiving was crucial in the construction of the bishop's authority, but was also a cooperative task involving clerics and laity in which honour was shared and which exposed the bishop to criticism. Almsgiving by monks belongs in the context of self-dispossession and attracted further alms for distribution to the destitute, but proved controversial not least because of the potential for competition with bishops. Lay people were encouraged to give, at set times and in particular places, both through the Church's agency and directly to the poor. These practices gained meaning from the promotion of almsgiving in many forms, of which preaching was the most important. It involved redescription of the poor and the incorporation of almsgiving within the virtues of generosity and justice. So cast, Christian almsgiving differed from pagan almsgiving as an honourable benefaction typical of leadership. This distinctive pattern of thought and conduct existed alongside an older classical pattern of benefaction, and the interaction between them generated controversy over the conduct of bishops and consecrated virgins. The co-inherence of co-operation and competition in Christian almsgiving, together with the continued existence of traditional euergetism, meant, however, that Christian alms did not, as is sometimes thought, turn bishops into the megapatrons of their cities.
Eric Plumer
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199244393
- eISBN:
- 9780191601194
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199244391.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Explains why Augustine's Commentary on Galatians, which he says was written while he was still a priest and not yet a bishop, should be assigned a date of 394/5.
Explains why Augustine's Commentary on Galatians, which he says was written while he was still a priest and not yet a bishop, should be assigned a date of 394/5.
Angela Leighton
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263037
- eISBN:
- 9780191734007
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263037.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This lecture discusses form, which is a term that has multiform meanings and is contradictory. It looks at the sense of form found in the works of Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, and Anne Stevenson. ...
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This lecture discusses form, which is a term that has multiform meanings and is contradictory. It looks at the sense of form found in the works of Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, and Anne Stevenson. Form is not simply as a matter of formal technique, but as an object in a tradition that goes back to Victorian aestheticism's playful commodifications of its own formal pleasures. It states that the sense of elegy may be greater or lesser, depending on the poem.Less
This lecture discusses form, which is a term that has multiform meanings and is contradictory. It looks at the sense of form found in the works of Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, and Anne Stevenson. Form is not simply as a matter of formal technique, but as an object in a tradition that goes back to Victorian aestheticism's playful commodifications of its own formal pleasures. It states that the sense of elegy may be greater or lesser, depending on the poem.
David M. Armstrong
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199590612
- eISBN:
- 9780191723391
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199590612.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics/Epistemology
It is argued that particulars have only a ‘loose and popular’ identity over time (Bishop Butler), ‘perdurantist’ rather than ‘endurantist’. For an unchanging particular we need to go to a ...
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It is argued that particulars have only a ‘loose and popular’ identity over time (Bishop Butler), ‘perdurantist’ rather than ‘endurantist’. For an unchanging particular we need to go to a four‐dimensional object, a ‘space‐time worm’. Such an object is primarily held together by a causal relation (immanent causation in W.E. Johnson's terminology). Following Russell, an ordinary particular can be described as a ‘causal line’. Particulars are contingent entities.Less
It is argued that particulars have only a ‘loose and popular’ identity over time (Bishop Butler), ‘perdurantist’ rather than ‘endurantist’. For an unchanging particular we need to go to a four‐dimensional object, a ‘space‐time worm’. Such an object is primarily held together by a causal relation (immanent causation in W.E. Johnson's terminology). Following Russell, an ordinary particular can be described as a ‘causal line’. Particulars are contingent entities.
Rowan Strong
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199218042
- eISBN:
- 9780191711527
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199218042.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This new Anglican imperial paradigm was also framed in the colonies, where it was adopted at different speeds in different colonies. In Australia, between the 1820s and 1840s, the old church-state ...
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This new Anglican imperial paradigm was also framed in the colonies, where it was adopted at different speeds in different colonies. In Australia, between the 1820s and 1840s, the old church-state paradigm only gradually and reluctantly gave way to the new episcopal autonomous one under Bishop William Broughton. In New Zealand, it was the driving force of the state, of the episcopate of Bishop George Selwyn, from the 1840s. In both colonies, Anglican missionaries and bishops continued to construct identities for colonizers and the Aborigines and Maori indigenous peoples in ways similar to the 18th century Anglican missions.Less
This new Anglican imperial paradigm was also framed in the colonies, where it was adopted at different speeds in different colonies. In Australia, between the 1820s and 1840s, the old church-state paradigm only gradually and reluctantly gave way to the new episcopal autonomous one under Bishop William Broughton. In New Zealand, it was the driving force of the state, of the episcopate of Bishop George Selwyn, from the 1840s. In both colonies, Anglican missionaries and bishops continued to construct identities for colonizers and the Aborigines and Maori indigenous peoples in ways similar to the 18th century Anglican missions.
Kathleen G. Cushing
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207245
- eISBN:
- 9780191677571
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207245.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History, History of Religion
This book explores the role of canon law in the ecclesiastical reform movement of the eleventh century, commonly known as the Gregorian Refom movement. Focusing on the ...
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This book explores the role of canon law in the ecclesiastical reform movement of the eleventh century, commonly known as the Gregorian Refom movement. Focusing on the Collectio canonum of Bishop Anselm of Lucca — hitherto largely unexplored in English — it is concerned with the symbiotic relationship between canon law and reform, and seeks to explore the ways in which Anselm’s writing can be seen in the context of the reformer’s need to devise and articulate strategies for the renovation of the Church and Christian society. Its principal contention is that Anselm’s collection cannot be seen merely as a catalogue of canon law, but also functioned to articulate, define, and propagate reformist doctrine in a time of great social and religious upheaval.Less
This book explores the role of canon law in the ecclesiastical reform movement of the eleventh century, commonly known as the Gregorian Refom movement. Focusing on the Collectio canonum of Bishop Anselm of Lucca — hitherto largely unexplored in English — it is concerned with the symbiotic relationship between canon law and reform, and seeks to explore the ways in which Anselm’s writing can be seen in the context of the reformer’s need to devise and articulate strategies for the renovation of the Church and Christian society. Its principal contention is that Anselm’s collection cannot be seen merely as a catalogue of canon law, but also functioned to articulate, define, and propagate reformist doctrine in a time of great social and religious upheaval.
Conrad Leyser
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198208686
- eISBN:
- 9780191678127
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208686.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political ...
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This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political context, one of the most articulate claims to power was made, paradoxically, by men who had renounced ‘the world’, committing themselves to a life of spiritual discipline in the hope of gaining entry to an otherworldly kingdom. Often dismissed as mere fanaticism or open hypocrisy, the language of ascetic authority, the book shows, was both carefully honed and well understood in the late Roman and early medieval Mediterranean. It charts the development of this new moral rhetoric by abbots, teachers, and bishops from the time of Augustine of Hippo to that of St Benedict and Gregory the Great.Less
This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political context, one of the most articulate claims to power was made, paradoxically, by men who had renounced ‘the world’, committing themselves to a life of spiritual discipline in the hope of gaining entry to an otherworldly kingdom. Often dismissed as mere fanaticism or open hypocrisy, the language of ascetic authority, the book shows, was both carefully honed and well understood in the late Roman and early medieval Mediterranean. It charts the development of this new moral rhetoric by abbots, teachers, and bishops from the time of Augustine of Hippo to that of St Benedict and Gregory the Great.
Colin Podmore
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207252
- eISBN:
- 9780191677588
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207252.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Religion
The effects of the great Evangelical Revival in eighteenth-century England were felt throughout the world, not least in America. It has long been accepted that the Revival owed much of its initial ...
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The effects of the great Evangelical Revival in eighteenth-century England were felt throughout the world, not least in America. It has long been accepted that the Revival owed much of its initial impetus to the Moravian Church, but previous accounts of the Moravians' role have been inadequate and overly dependent on Wesleyan sources. This book uses original material from German as well as British archives to dispel common misunderstandings about the Moravians, and to reveal that their influence was much greater than has previously been acknowledged. It discusses what motivated people to join the Church, analyses the Moravians' changing relationships with John Wesley and George Whitefield, and shows how Anglican bishops responded to the Moravians' successive ecumenical strategies. Its analysis of the successful campaign to secure state recognition (granted in 1749) sheds light on the inner workings of the Hanoverian parliament. In conclusion, the book explores how acclaim quickly turned to ridicule in a crisis of unpopularity that was to affect the Moravian Church for a generation.Less
The effects of the great Evangelical Revival in eighteenth-century England were felt throughout the world, not least in America. It has long been accepted that the Revival owed much of its initial impetus to the Moravian Church, but previous accounts of the Moravians' role have been inadequate and overly dependent on Wesleyan sources. This book uses original material from German as well as British archives to dispel common misunderstandings about the Moravians, and to reveal that their influence was much greater than has previously been acknowledged. It discusses what motivated people to join the Church, analyses the Moravians' changing relationships with John Wesley and George Whitefield, and shows how Anglican bishops responded to the Moravians' successive ecumenical strategies. Its analysis of the successful campaign to secure state recognition (granted in 1749) sheds light on the inner workings of the Hanoverian parliament. In conclusion, the book explores how acclaim quickly turned to ridicule in a crisis of unpopularity that was to affect the Moravian Church for a generation.
Owen Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 1983
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198264453
- eISBN:
- 9780191682711
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198264453.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This is a biography of Hensley Henson, one of the most controversial religious figures in England during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This book examines Henson's education at ...
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This is a biography of Hensley Henson, one of the most controversial religious figures in England during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This book examines Henson's education at Oxford University and describes the highlights of his career as pastor of Ilford and Barking Church, as canon of Westminster Abbey, and as bishop of Hereford and Durham. It explores his involvement in political issues and his controversial views on such issues as divorce, the Italian invasion of Abyssinia, and the anti-Semitic policies of Nazi Germany.Less
This is a biography of Hensley Henson, one of the most controversial religious figures in England during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This book examines Henson's education at Oxford University and describes the highlights of his career as pastor of Ilford and Barking Church, as canon of Westminster Abbey, and as bishop of Hereford and Durham. It explores his involvement in political issues and his controversial views on such issues as divorce, the Italian invasion of Abyssinia, and the anti-Semitic policies of Nazi Germany.
Nigel Aston
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202844
- eISBN:
- 9780191675553
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202844.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, History of Religion
This book examines how and where the bishops exerted their political influence between 1786 and 1790, and episcopal involvement to the National Assembly. In so doing, it concentrates particularly on ...
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This book examines how and where the bishops exerted their political influence between 1786 and 1790, and episcopal involvement to the National Assembly. In so doing, it concentrates particularly on the prélats politiques, a powerful minority of archbishops and bishops, reformers from conviction, and politicians before they were pastors. The rapid pace of change in the 1780s gave increased opportunities for episcopal involvement in politics, as the national financial crisis induced the creation of a constitutional monarchy, and the final collapse in 1789 of the prevailing ancien régime. This widening of the political nation and the concomitant abolition of the historic Estates quickly reduced episcopal prominence both in matters of state and in the running of the Gallican Church. The book discusses the prelates in the French Church and Louis XVI's governments, Loménie de Brienne's reforms of 1787–8, archbishop minister J.-M. Champion de Cicé of Bordeaux, and the first Assembly of Notables.Less
This book examines how and where the bishops exerted their political influence between 1786 and 1790, and episcopal involvement to the National Assembly. In so doing, it concentrates particularly on the prélats politiques, a powerful minority of archbishops and bishops, reformers from conviction, and politicians before they were pastors. The rapid pace of change in the 1780s gave increased opportunities for episcopal involvement in politics, as the national financial crisis induced the creation of a constitutional monarchy, and the final collapse in 1789 of the prevailing ancien régime. This widening of the political nation and the concomitant abolition of the historic Estates quickly reduced episcopal prominence both in matters of state and in the running of the Gallican Church. The book discusses the prelates in the French Church and Louis XVI's governments, Loménie de Brienne's reforms of 1787–8, archbishop minister J.-M. Champion de Cicé of Bordeaux, and the first Assembly of Notables.
Bridget Morris
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166446
- eISBN:
- 9780199785049
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166442.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter presents a modern English translation of Book III of the Revelationes of St. Birgitta of Sweden. The Book can be broadly described as a Speculum episcoporum, a mirror of bishops, ...
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This chapter presents a modern English translation of Book III of the Revelationes of St. Birgitta of Sweden. The Book can be broadly described as a Speculum episcoporum, a mirror of bishops, comprising as it does a collection of admonishments to high-ranking bishops and members of the hierarchy of the church in Rome. It teaches the virtues of a good Christian life within the priesthood and provides a program for reform — in true Birgittine style — by juxtaposing specific examples of human frailty against the exemplary ideal to which she believes all men in holy orders should aspire. About half of the revelations date from the 1340s and half from the 1350s, while some remain undated.Less
This chapter presents a modern English translation of Book III of the Revelationes of St. Birgitta of Sweden. The Book can be broadly described as a Speculum episcoporum, a mirror of bishops, comprising as it does a collection of admonishments to high-ranking bishops and members of the hierarchy of the church in Rome. It teaches the virtues of a good Christian life within the priesthood and provides a program for reform — in true Birgittine style — by juxtaposing specific examples of human frailty against the exemplary ideal to which she believes all men in holy orders should aspire. About half of the revelations date from the 1340s and half from the 1350s, while some remain undated.
Nigel Yates
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199242382
- eISBN:
- 9780191603815
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199242380.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter examines the religious leadership of Ireland between 1770 and 1850. There are separate sections on the Church of Ireland, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Presbyterian churches. Within ...
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This chapter examines the religious leadership of Ireland between 1770 and 1850. There are separate sections on the Church of Ireland, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Presbyterian churches. Within each of these sections, a number of key individuals have been identified and their careers analysed.Less
This chapter examines the religious leadership of Ireland between 1770 and 1850. There are separate sections on the Church of Ireland, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Presbyterian churches. Within each of these sections, a number of key individuals have been identified and their careers analysed.
Peter Norton
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199207473
- eISBN:
- 9780191708701
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199207473.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This book details a topic of great importance in early Church history and late antiquity. It challenges the conventional view that after the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire the local ...
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This book details a topic of great importance in early Church history and late antiquity. It challenges the conventional view that after the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire the local community lost its voice in the appointment of bishops, and argues that this right remained in theory and practice for longer than is normally assumed. Given that bishops became important to the running of the empire at the local level, a proper understanding of how they came into office is essential for our understanding of the later empire. This book explores a topic of great relevance to an understanding of how the later Roman Empire was administered.Less
This book details a topic of great importance in early Church history and late antiquity. It challenges the conventional view that after the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire the local community lost its voice in the appointment of bishops, and argues that this right remained in theory and practice for longer than is normally assumed. Given that bishops became important to the running of the empire at the local level, a proper understanding of how they came into office is essential for our understanding of the later empire. This book explores a topic of great relevance to an understanding of how the later Roman Empire was administered.
Hamilton Hess
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198269755
- eISBN:
- 9780191601163
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269757.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
In response to a general problem in the fourth‐century Church arising from ambitious or unworthy petitions submitted to the imperial court by individual bishops, seven of the Serdican canons are ...
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In response to a general problem in the fourth‐century Church arising from ambitious or unworthy petitions submitted to the imperial court by individual bishops, seven of the Serdican canons are devoted to specifying appropriate causes for petition and for regulating the ways in which they should be presented. Canons 8 (Greek VII) and 10b draw a distinction between self‐seeking petitions, which are condemned, and petitions concerning widows, orphans, those who suffer injustice, and exiles, and stipulates that no bishop shall go to the court unless he is summoned or invited by the emperor. Canon 9a (Greek VIII) directs that the petitions should be delivered to the court by the petitioning bishop's deacon, and canon 9b (Greek IXa) adds that the petitions should first be approved by the metropolitan bishop of the province. Canon 10a (Greek IXb) makes a provision for bishops who have petitions and who are going to Rome that the Roman bishop may examine and send approved petitions to the court. This chapter also considers the development of the office of the metropolitan bishop in the East in the light of the evidence provided by Canon 9b (Greek IXa).Less
In response to a general problem in the fourth‐century Church arising from ambitious or unworthy petitions submitted to the imperial court by individual bishops, seven of the Serdican canons are devoted to specifying appropriate causes for petition and for regulating the ways in which they should be presented. Canons 8 (Greek VII) and 10b draw a distinction between self‐seeking petitions, which are condemned, and petitions concerning widows, orphans, those who suffer injustice, and exiles, and stipulates that no bishop shall go to the court unless he is summoned or invited by the emperor. Canon 9a (Greek VIII) directs that the petitions should be delivered to the court by the petitioning bishop's deacon, and canon 9b (Greek IXa) adds that the petitions should first be approved by the metropolitan bishop of the province. Canon 10a (Greek IXb) makes a provision for bishops who have petitions and who are going to Rome that the Roman bishop may examine and send approved petitions to the court. This chapter also considers the development of the office of the metropolitan bishop in the East in the light of the evidence provided by Canon 9b (Greek IXa).
Lisa M. Bitel
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195336528
- eISBN:
- 9780199868599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195336528.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History, Early Christian Studies
This chapter recounts the life of Genovefa (Saint Geneviève) from her birth at Nanterre ca. 420 to her death ca. 509 in Paris, as told by her earliest 6th-century biographer. Although a woman, and ...
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This chapter recounts the life of Genovefa (Saint Geneviève) from her birth at Nanterre ca. 420 to her death ca. 509 in Paris, as told by her earliest 6th-century biographer. Although a woman, and thus limited in ecclesiastical authority, Genovefa acted much like a Christian bishop. She was most famous for building the shrine of Saint Denis, supposedly the first missionary to Paris. Her building projects and her written biography taught Christians lessons about saints, bishops, and religious landscapes.Less
This chapter recounts the life of Genovefa (Saint Geneviève) from her birth at Nanterre ca. 420 to her death ca. 509 in Paris, as told by her earliest 6th-century biographer. Although a woman, and thus limited in ecclesiastical authority, Genovefa acted much like a Christian bishop. She was most famous for building the shrine of Saint Denis, supposedly the first missionary to Paris. Her building projects and her written biography taught Christians lessons about saints, bishops, and religious landscapes.
Gary Macy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195189704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868575
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189704.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
For the first twelve hundred years of Christianity, women were ordained into various roles in the church. References to the ordination of women exist in papal, episcopal, and theological documents of ...
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For the first twelve hundred years of Christianity, women were ordained into various roles in the church. References to the ordination of women exist in papal, episcopal, and theological documents of the time, and the rites for these ordinations have survived. Yet, many scholars hold that women, particularly in the Western church, were never ordained. A survey of the literature discussing the ordination of women in Western Christianity reveals that most of these scholars use a definition of ordination to determine whether earlier references to the ordination of women were “real” ordinations that would have been unknown in the early Middle Ages. In the early centuries of Christianity, ordination was the process and the ceremony by which one moved to any new ministry (ordo) in the community. By this definition, women were ordained into several ministries. Four central ministries of episcopa (women bishop), presbytera (women priest), deaconess and abbess are discussed in detail in order to demonstrate particularly the liturgical roles women performed in the early Middle Ages. A radical change in the definition of ordination during the 11th and 12th centuries not only removed women from the ordained ministry, but also attempted to eradicate any memory of women's ordination in the past. The debate that accompanied this change has left its mark in the literature of the time. However, the triumph of a new definition of ordination as the bestowal of power, particularly the power to confect the Eucharist, so thoroughly dominated western thought and practice by the thirteenth century that the early definition of ordination was almost completely erased.Less
For the first twelve hundred years of Christianity, women were ordained into various roles in the church. References to the ordination of women exist in papal, episcopal, and theological documents of the time, and the rites for these ordinations have survived. Yet, many scholars hold that women, particularly in the Western church, were never ordained. A survey of the literature discussing the ordination of women in Western Christianity reveals that most of these scholars use a definition of ordination to determine whether earlier references to the ordination of women were “real” ordinations that would have been unknown in the early Middle Ages. In the early centuries of Christianity, ordination was the process and the ceremony by which one moved to any new ministry (ordo) in the community. By this definition, women were ordained into several ministries. Four central ministries of episcopa (women bishop), presbytera (women priest), deaconess and abbess are discussed in detail in order to demonstrate particularly the liturgical roles women performed in the early Middle Ages. A radical change in the definition of ordination during the 11th and 12th centuries not only removed women from the ordained ministry, but also attempted to eradicate any memory of women's ordination in the past. The debate that accompanied this change has left its mark in the literature of the time. However, the triumph of a new definition of ordination as the bestowal of power, particularly the power to confect the Eucharist, so thoroughly dominated western thought and practice by the thirteenth century that the early definition of ordination was almost completely erased.
Hamilton Hess
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198269755
- eISBN:
- 9780191601163
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269757.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
An augmented second edition of The Canons of the Council of Sardica, ad 343: A Landmark in the Early Development of Canon Law (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1958). The earlier historical and ...
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An augmented second edition of The Canons of the Council of Sardica, ad 343: A Landmark in the Early Development of Canon Law (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1958). The earlier historical and exegetical study of the Serdican canons has been updated from that of the first edition in the light of more recent scholarly treatment of the period and of topics relating to early conciliar legislation and the Serdican canons themselves. The first three chapters—constituting Part I—are completely new, covering successively the beginnings of the conciliar movement in the second century as an inter‐congregational medium for decision‐making, the development of the conciliar system (‘councils’ in the West and ‘synods’ in the East) in the third and early fourth centuries into an exclusively episcopal forum employing the consensus process of the Roman senate and other civil deliberative bodies, the fourth‐century emergence of conciliar legislation in the form that came to be known as ‘canons’, and the final development of conciliar legislative acts from consensual agreements to ecclesiastical law during the fifth and sixth centuries. The Serdican canons are presented and studied both as a series of episcopal enactments that shed light in uniquely important ways on fourth‐century developments of conciliar legislation and as a centrepiece for a study of fourth‐ and fifth‐century church legislation in general. Solutions are presented for problems regarding the form of publication of the Serdican canons, the literary priority between the Greek and Latin texts, and their variant readings. In content, the canons are concerned almost exclusively with questions concerning the episcopate: the appointment of bishops, their working relationships with one another, the provision for appeal to the bishop of Rome for retrial in cases of unjust judgements against them by their peers, the prohibition of uninvited episcopal visits to the imperial court, and the prevention of unjust treatment of the clergy by their bishops. The main conclusion reached in this study is that decision‐making in the early Christian Church followed a significant path of development, following Roman cultural and governmental models, as it moved from congregational self‐rule to a system of ecclesiastical law parallel to and interrelated with the Roman civil code.Less
An augmented second edition of The Canons of the Council of Sardica, ad 343: A Landmark in the Early Development of Canon Law (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1958). The earlier historical and exegetical study of the Serdican canons has been updated from that of the first edition in the light of more recent scholarly treatment of the period and of topics relating to early conciliar legislation and the Serdican canons themselves. The first three chapters—constituting Part I—are completely new, covering successively the beginnings of the conciliar movement in the second century as an inter‐congregational medium for decision‐making, the development of the conciliar system (‘councils’ in the West and ‘synods’ in the East) in the third and early fourth centuries into an exclusively episcopal forum employing the consensus process of the Roman senate and other civil deliberative bodies, the fourth‐century emergence of conciliar legislation in the form that came to be known as ‘canons’, and the final development of conciliar legislative acts from consensual agreements to ecclesiastical law during the fifth and sixth centuries. The Serdican canons are presented and studied both as a series of episcopal enactments that shed light in uniquely important ways on fourth‐century developments of conciliar legislation and as a centrepiece for a study of fourth‐ and fifth‐century church legislation in general. Solutions are presented for problems regarding the form of publication of the Serdican canons, the literary priority between the Greek and Latin texts, and their variant readings. In content, the canons are concerned almost exclusively with questions concerning the episcopate: the appointment of bishops, their working relationships with one another, the provision for appeal to the bishop of Rome for retrial in cases of unjust judgements against them by their peers, the prohibition of uninvited episcopal visits to the imperial court, and the prevention of unjust treatment of the clergy by their bishops. The main conclusion reached in this study is that decision‐making in the early Christian Church followed a significant path of development, following Roman cultural and governmental models, as it moved from congregational self‐rule to a system of ecclesiastical law parallel to and interrelated with the Roman civil code.
Hugh McLeod
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199298259
- eISBN:
- 9780191711619
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199298259.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The 1960s were a time of explosive religious change. In the Christian churches, it was a time of innovation from the ‘new theology’ and ‘new morality’ of Bishop Robinson, to the evangelicalism of the ...
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The 1960s were a time of explosive religious change. In the Christian churches, it was a time of innovation from the ‘new theology’ and ‘new morality’ of Bishop Robinson, to the evangelicalism of the Charismatic Movement, and of charismatic leaders, such as Pope John XXIII and Martin Luther King. But it was also a time of rapid social and cultural change when Christianity faced challenges from Eastern religions, from Marxism and feminism, and above all from new ‘affluent’ lifestyles. Using oral history, this book tells in detail how these movements and conflicts were experienced in England, but because the 1960s were an international phenomenon, it also looks at other countries, especially the USA and France. The book explains what happened to religion in the 1960s, why it happened, and how the events of that decade shaped the rest of the 20th century.Less
The 1960s were a time of explosive religious change. In the Christian churches, it was a time of innovation from the ‘new theology’ and ‘new morality’ of Bishop Robinson, to the evangelicalism of the Charismatic Movement, and of charismatic leaders, such as Pope John XXIII and Martin Luther King. But it was also a time of rapid social and cultural change when Christianity faced challenges from Eastern religions, from Marxism and feminism, and above all from new ‘affluent’ lifestyles. Using oral history, this book tells in detail how these movements and conflicts were experienced in England, but because the 1960s were an international phenomenon, it also looks at other countries, especially the USA and France. The book explains what happened to religion in the 1960s, why it happened, and how the events of that decade shaped the rest of the 20th century.
Thomas B. Dozeman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195367331
- eISBN:
- 9780199867417
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367331.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter analyzes the relationship between the sacred and ordination in the New Testament literature through an examination of the offices of apostle, presbyter, deacon, and bishop, arguing that ...
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This chapter analyzes the relationship between the sacred and ordination in the New Testament literature through an examination of the offices of apostle, presbyter, deacon, and bishop, arguing that the New Testament does not provide a fully developed theology of ordination for the emerging Christian church. Rather, the references to the ordained presuppose the more extensive theological reflection on holiness and ordination within the Mosaic office of the Pentateuch for background, which indicates that the primary teaching on ordination in biblical literature is in the Hebrew scripture, rather than in the New Testament, requiring a broad view of biblical authority.Less
This chapter analyzes the relationship between the sacred and ordination in the New Testament literature through an examination of the offices of apostle, presbyter, deacon, and bishop, arguing that the New Testament does not provide a fully developed theology of ordination for the emerging Christian church. Rather, the references to the ordained presuppose the more extensive theological reflection on holiness and ordination within the Mosaic office of the Pentateuch for background, which indicates that the primary teaching on ordination in biblical literature is in the Hebrew scripture, rather than in the New Testament, requiring a broad view of biblical authority.
Gregory A. Beeley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195313970
- eISBN:
- 9780199871827
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195313970.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The final chapter examines the pastoral dimension of Gregory's Trinitarian doctrine and the Trinitarian shape of his pastoral theory, on which he is the seminal teacher in Eastern and Western ...
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The final chapter examines the pastoral dimension of Gregory's Trinitarian doctrine and the Trinitarian shape of his pastoral theory, on which he is the seminal teacher in Eastern and Western Christianity. Drawing on his influential Oration 2 On the Priesthood and his panegyrics on such figures as Athanasius and Basil, it traces Gregory's lifelong concern for the leadership of the Church and analyzes his understanding of pastoral ministry, while also providing an excursus on the love of the poor by all Christians. After noting the intrinsic connection between pastoral ministry and the divine economy as recorded in Scripture, it analyzes the practicalities of the cure of souls—a work that Gregory memorably terms “the art of arts and the science of sciences”—which are summed up in the pastor's adaptive treatment of different spiritual conditions. It then identifies the basis of pastoral praxis in the personal experience and virtue of the priest—exemplified above all by the apostle Paul—against which abuses of the pastoral office and the examples of bad bishops are considered. It shows the central place of the Scriptures in pastoral ministry, from the priest's preparation through the spiritual study of the Bible to the central work of the ministry of the word, which is compared with broader sacramental ministry. Finally, it locates the heart of pastoral ministry in the administration of the Holy Trinity.Less
The final chapter examines the pastoral dimension of Gregory's Trinitarian doctrine and the Trinitarian shape of his pastoral theory, on which he is the seminal teacher in Eastern and Western Christianity. Drawing on his influential Oration 2 On the Priesthood and his panegyrics on such figures as Athanasius and Basil, it traces Gregory's lifelong concern for the leadership of the Church and analyzes his understanding of pastoral ministry, while also providing an excursus on the love of the poor by all Christians. After noting the intrinsic connection between pastoral ministry and the divine economy as recorded in Scripture, it analyzes the practicalities of the cure of souls—a work that Gregory memorably terms “the art of arts and the science of sciences”—which are summed up in the pastor's adaptive treatment of different spiritual conditions. It then identifies the basis of pastoral praxis in the personal experience and virtue of the priest—exemplified above all by the apostle Paul—against which abuses of the pastoral office and the examples of bad bishops are considered. It shows the central place of the Scriptures in pastoral ministry, from the priest's preparation through the spiritual study of the Bible to the central work of the ministry of the word, which is compared with broader sacramental ministry. Finally, it locates the heart of pastoral ministry in the administration of the Holy Trinity.
