hold the Virgin Mary in such veneration that they charge the Jesuits with not rendering her sufficient honour. They contend that the soul of man is not created, because, they say, God finished all his works on the sixth day. They are not agreed among themselves as to the immediate state of the soul, but the more general opinion is, that upon the dissolution of the body the souls of good men immediately enter into a state of bliss.

It appears indeed in considering all the peculiar tenets and practices of the Abyssinians that their religion is little more than a mass of superstitions unworthy the name of Christianity, often giving rise to disputes and persecutions, but incapable of producing any salutary effect upon the sentiments of its professors. Their canon of Scripture is the same as our own, except that they admit the apocryphal books, and the canons of the apostles, as well as the apostolical constitutions, as genuine.

There are two classes of monks amongst the Abyssinians; those of Debra Libanos, and those of St. Eustatius. The latter are said to be particularly ignorant. The chief of the former is called the Itchaguè, who in turbulent times, and those have always been very frequent in the country, has more extensive influence than the Abuna himself. The churches are always erected in the vicinity of some running water, for the advantage of purifications and ablutions, according to the Levitical law. The internal partition and arrangement of the church is also always made according to that prescribed by the Mosaic law; and most of their ceremonies and observances in their mode of worship are obviously derived from the ceremonial rites of the Jewish religion; whence many have looked upon them rather as Jews than Christians.

ABYSSINIAN CHURCH, the name given in ecclesiastical history to the church established in Abyssinia.-See the last Article.

ACADEMY, a term originally used to denote a garden or villa, situated within a mile of Athens, where Plato and his disciples held their philosophical meetings. It took its name from one Academus, who had been the original owner of it, and to whose memory it was afterwards consecrated. Cicero in like manner called his villa, an academy, and here composed his Academical Questions, and other philosophical works. Among the moderns the word is generally used to signify a society of learned men, established for the support of any doctrine, or the improvement of any art or science. Thus most nations have their academies of different descriptions, but the greatest number are found in Italy, which is the only country perhaps in which an ecclesiastical academy has been instituted for the examination of the doctrine, discipline, and

history, of each age of the church. This society was established at Bologna in the year 1687.

ACALOUTHIA.-See Articles, Liturgy, Missal, Ritual, &c.

ACASIANS, a sect of heretics who had their origin in or about the middle of the fourth century, and derived their name from Acasius, bishop of Cæsarea, who is chiefly known from the active part taken by him in the banishment of Pope Liberius, and placing Felix in the pontifical chair. Their principal tenets turned upon the nature of the Son, which at one time they maintained to have been of a similar, but not of the same, substance with the Father; whilst at other times they held he was not only a distinct, but a dissimilar substance. The sect themselves perhaps were divided upon this point, but each party acknowledged Acasius for their leader, who at different times espoused either opinion, and is said to have had no other faith, but that of the party who prevailed for the time.

Another sect of this name had their denomination from Acasius, a patriarch of Constantinople towards the end of the fifth century, from having espoused his cause against the attempts of Pope Felix II. to depose him from his see. This was the boldest step any pope had yet taken. They had previously assumed, and exercised a kind of supremacy and absolute authority over the bishops of Italy, Gaul, and Spain; and had endeavoured to bring all Africa under their subjection. Towards the eastern bishops however they had hitherto used great caution and reserve, contenting themselves with denying them communion, which every other bishop had an equal power to do. This was the occasion of the first schism between the East and the West, or the Latin and Greek churches.

ACATHISTUS, the name given to a solemn hymn or vigil, anciently sung in the Greek church on the Saturday of the fifth week in Lent, in honour of the Virgin for having at three several times delivered the city of Constantinople from invasion. It was denominated άzádoros, that is, without sitting, because in the celebration of the Virgin, the people stood all night singing.

ACCENDENTES, ministers of the lowest order in the church of Rome, whose office is to light and trim the candles, whence they took their name.

ACCEPTANCE, a term used in the see of Rome for the act of receiving the pope's constitutions.

ACCLAMATION, which is usually accompanied with applause, or the clapping of hands, and with which it is often confounded, is a noise or shout of joy uttered by the people for the purpose of publicly expressing their praise

or approbation. These seem first to have been used in the theatre, and thence passed to the senate, and were at length admitted, and seem even to have been encouraged, at the ordinary assemblies of the church, and the acts of councils. The more general forms of acclamation made use of by the people for expressing their approbation of the preacher were, "Orthodox! Third Apostle!" or the like. These acclamations having been carried to great excess, and often leading to riot and confusion, were frequently prohibited, and were at length abrogated. This practice however, although so inconsistent with that decorum which is due to the solemnity of the service of the church, seems still to disgrace some of our ecclesiastical meetings. - See Bing. Orig. Eccl. lib. xiv. ch. 4. s. 27.

ACCOMMODATION, is the application of one thing by analogy to another, in consequence of a real, or supposed resemblance between them. In a theological sense this term is generally referred to the indirect fulfilment of prophecies. A prophecy is said to be directly fulfilled when the thing foretold comes to pass; and indirectly, or by accommodation, when an event happens to any place or people, like to what fell out some time previously to another. Thus the denunciations of Isaiah against the hypocrites of his own time, such as drew near to God with their mouth, and honoured him with their lips, but had removed their hearts far from him (Is. xxix. 13), are said to be fulfilled, when applied, or accommodated, by St. Matthew to those who lived in the time of our Saviour. "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Matt. xv. 7, 8. As if he had said, You are a sort of Jewish hypocrites, of whom Esaias thus prophesied. In the same manner the prophecy of Habakkuk, i. 5. is accommodated by St. Paul to the Jews of his own time. Acts, xiii. 40. The method of interpreting the prophecies of Scripture on this principle of accommodation has by some been looked upon as a key for solving many of the greatest difficulties in which they are involved; and much discussion has taken place, particularly among the German divines, as to the extent, to which it may with propriety be applied. By many it has been thought too convenient a principle, and few only have pleaded for its unlimited application. Much use has been made of it by the learned Michaelis, who has nevertheless expressly avowed, in which he has been followed by his equally learned commentator, the Bishop of Peterborough, not only his doubt of the propriety of universally extending this principle, but his conviction of the danger with which it would be

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attended, and of the inconclusive reasons, which have been brought forth in its defence. See Marsh's Michaelis, vol. i. p. 200, and notes p. 470.

ACCOMPLISHMENT, the complete finishing or fulfilment of any thing, in a scriptural sense is generally used in speaking of events foretold by any of the prophets, and fulfilled under the New Testament. Prophecies are said to be fulfilled either directly, or by accommodation.-See Articles, Accommodation, and Prophecy.

The

ACCURSED, that which lies under a curse, or sentence of excommunication. The Hebrew and Greek words which in our version are frequently rendered accursed signify things set apart or devoted; and with both Jews and Christians marked the highest degree of excommunication. Thus the Roman Catholics consider every one accursed, who has been excommunicated by the church, and that he continues so until he is absolved. passage in the epistle to the Romans, in which St. Paul says, "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh," has no little difficulty, and has been variously interpreted by the commentators. In the Jewish idiom accursed and crucified are said to be synonymous, and that among them every one was accounted accursed who died on a tree. It is in this sense the Jews call Christ the accursed one. Accursed therefore it is said means crucified, and that άò, here rendered "from," signifies after the manner of: and a passage is brought from St. Paul's second epistle to Timothy, where άzò is stated to have the same signification. And hence the apostle is supposed to mean he could wish himself crucified after the manner of Christ, or as Christ had been crucified. A reference however to this passage in Timothy will shew that although the preposition άτò might here bear that meaning, it certainly does not require it. Other commentators interpret the words of St. Paul, as if he had said, "I could wish to be made an anathema," a person separated to destruction. That is, he would have been content to have devoted himself to death, as a voluntary offering, or expiatory sacrifice, if by that means he could have prevented the ruin and rejection of his countrymen. It has also been observed that the persons for whom St. Paul was thus ready to have suffered were the Jewish nation in general; but as nations, as such, can only be punished in this world, so the curse here spoken of was national, and must have been of a temporal nature only.

ACCUSATION, in law is the imputation of a crime or fault to any person. By the laws of the Inquisition a person is frequently necessitated to become

his own accuser of whatever crime may have been imputed to him. On the slightest report that a person is a heretic, or even that he is suspected of heresy, an inquisitor will receive the denunciation of a stranger; who generally however abjures the office of accuser, since should he fail of his proof he is liable to the law of retaliation. For want therefore of some other accuser the unhappy party is now visited with all the terrors of the institution to induce him to selfcrimination, which have often been sufficiently strong to exact the confession of whatever has been imputed, and even the voluntary invention of crimes that had no existence.

ACEPHALI, from a priv. and xɛpaλn, a head, an appellation given to several sects who refused to acknowledge any leader. In the year 482 the Emperor Zeno, with a design of uniting all his subjects in one faith and communion, published his famous Henoticon, (from ¿vórns, unity), or letter of union, addressed to the clerks, monks, and people of Egypt and Libya. By the fourth article of this letter all are required to anathematise Eutyches; to confess the Word to have taken flesh of the Holy Virgin, who is styled the Mother of God; to have taken flesh really, and not in appearance only; to be One and not Two; to be consubstantial with the Father, according to his divinity, and with us, according to his humanity, without any mixture or confusion. And lastly, all are anathematised who should profess, teach, or maintain any doctrine not therein contained, wherever, or by whomsoever defined, whether by the council of Chalcedon, or by any other council.-All mention of the nature, or natures of Christ seem to have been industriously avoided in this letter. The Henoticon was very generally received as well by the clergy, as the laity; some bishops, however, and other ecclesiastics in Egypt, obstinately refused obedience to it; not that in their opinion it contained any heresy, but because it was silent as to the nature of Christ; and for this reason separated themselves from their patriarch, Peter Mongus, who upon receiving the Henoticon had been installed in the see of Alexandria. These were a kind of more rigid Eutychians; and as at first they had no particular leader or head, were distinguished by the name of 'Axepáλo, or Headless, a denomination which was afterwards extended to all who rejected the council of Chalcedon. Pope Hormisdas, in a letter written by him to the presbyters and deacons of the second Syria, taxes the Acephali with holding the opposite errors of Nestorius and Eutyches; and Nicephorus says that they acknowledged but one nature in Christ with the Eutychians, and two substances with the Nestorians.-This sect was afterwards divided into three others, called Anthropomorphites, Barsa