DEATH, BROTHERS OF, fratres a morte, an appellation given to the members of the society or order of St. Paul, the first hermit, from their always carrying with them the figure of a death's head, in order to keep the thoughts of death perpetually before them. This order, from its constitutions made in 1620, is supposed to have been established about the time of Pope Paul V., and to have been suppressed by Pope Urban VIII. DECALOGUE, the ten precepts or commandments delivered by God to Moses. The Jews, by way of excellence, call these commandments the ten words, whence they acquired the name of decalogue. The two first is considered by them as one, and the last they divide into two. By the church of Rome the second commandment is entirely removed from the decalogue, and in order to complete the number, it likewise considers the tenth as divided into two distinct commandments. The reason of this is sufficiently obvious. DECANETA, or DECANICA, a term used in some codes and councils to denote a prison or place of custody or restraint for delinquents belonging to the church.-Bing. Orig. Eccl. b. viii. c. 7, s. 9. DECREES OF COUNCILS, are the laws made by the church to regulate and settle all questions, either of doctrine or of discipline. The first council of the church was assembled at Jerusalem by the Apostles, to censure and heal a division which threatened to disturb the harmony and concord that had hitherto prevailed among its members.-See Acts, xv. 6. Bishop Tomline remarks, that this council differed from all others that were ever afterwards held in this material circumstance, that its members were under the special guidance of the Spirit of God. DECRETAL, a letter or bull of the Pope upon some point or question in ecclesiastical law. In about the year 1151, Gratian, an Italian monk, collected together the decretal epistles and bulls of the Holy See, up to the time of Alexander III. and reduced them into method in three books, entitled Concordia discordantium canonum, but more generally known by the name of Decretum Gratiani. From that time to the pontificate of Gregory IX. the papal decrees were published, about the year 1280, in five books, entitled Decretalia Gregorii noni, and sometimes the pentateuch. To these another book was added about the year 1298, by Bonaface VIII. called Sextus decretalium. The decrces of Clement V. otherwise called the Clementine Constitutions, were in like manner collected in 1317, under the auspices of John XXII. who also published twenty constitutions of his own, called the Extravagantes Joannis. To these some decrees of later popes were added in five books, called Extravagantes Communes. All these together form the Corpus juris canonici, or body of the Roman canon law. Decretal Letters is also a name given to a work written in or previous to the ninth century, for the purpose of supporting the high pretensions and unlimited authority of the Popish see. These seem to have been first brought to light by M. Isodore, surnamed the Fisher, and were supposed to contain the decrees of sixty bishops, from Clemens to Siricius. In those days of blindness and ignorance, men were little capable of searching with any accuracy into the truth of such a collection, and as the popes are there represented as having acted in conformity with those high claims, to which, however, they were then only beginning to pretend, the credit of the work was soon established, and became the chief foundation, during many ages, of the unbounded authority of the Romish church. In the sixteenth century, the authenticity of this work was attempted to be supported by the Jesuit Turrian. Every thing advanced by him, however, for this purpose, has been entirely refuted in a treatise written by David Blondel, entituled PseudoIsidorus et Turrianas Vapulans. So that all the enlightened part of the Roman church have long looked upon these letters as a mere fiction.-Cave's Hist. Lit. vol. ii. p. 21. DEDICATION, the act of consecrating any thing or person to the honour or service of God, and the purposes of religion. The use of dedications is very ancient, as well among the heathens as Christians. In the Scripture we meet with dedications of the tabernacle, of altars, of the first and second temples, of the houses of private persons, of vessels, and of the garments of the priests and Levites. Among Christians, dedication is only applied to the consecration of a church, which is performed by the bishop with certain prescribed ceremonies. Eusebius gives us a full description of the ceremonies used in the consecration of the churches at Jerusalem and Tyre.—See article Consecration,, and Bing. Orig. Eccl. b. viii. c. 9, s. 2. DEFAMATION. By the statutes 13 Edw. I. and 9 Edw. II. c. 4, this offence is made cognizable by the spiritual courts, from which it appeareth,. saith Lord Coke, that this jurisdiction would not have belonged to these courts had it not been granted by act of parliament.-2 Inst. 492. To bring offences within these statutes, it is necessary that they shall not be for matters temporal, or matters spiritual mixed with temporal, but for VOL. I. 3 P DEATH, BROTHERS OF, fratres a morte, an appellation given to the members of the society or order of St. Paul, the first hermit, from their always carrying with them the figure of a death's head, in order to keep the thoughts of death perpetually before them. This order, from its constitutions made in 1620, is supposed to have been established about the time of Pope Paul V., and to have been suppressed by Pope Urban VIII. DECALOGUE, the ten precepts or commandments delivered by God to Moses. The Jews, by way of excellence, call these commandments the ten words, whence they acquired the name of decalogue. The two first is considered by them as one, and the last they divide into two. By the church of Rome the second commandment is entirely removed from the decalogue, and in order to complete the number, it likewise considers the tenth as divided into two distinct commandments. The reason of this is sufficiently obvious. DECANETA, or DECANICA, a term used in some codes and councils to denote a prison or place of custody or restraint for delinquents belonging to the church.-Bing. Orig. Eccl. b. viii. c. 7, s. 9. DECREES OF COUNCILS, are the laws made by the church to regulate and settle all questions, either of doctrine or of discipline. The first council of the church was assembled at Jerusalem by the Apostles, to censure and heal a division which threatened to disturb the harmony and concord that had hitherto prevailed among its members.-See Acts, xv. 6. Bishop Tomline remarks, that this council differed from all others that were ever afterwards held in this material circumstance, that its members were under the special guidance of the Spirit of God. DECRETAL, a letter or bull of the Pope upon some point or question in ecclesiastical law. In about the year 1151, Gratian, an Italian monk, collected together the decretal epistles and bulls of the Holy See, up to the time of Alexander III. and reduced them into method in three books, entitled Concordia discordantium canonum, but more generally known by the name of Decretum Gratiani. From that time to the pontificate of Gregory IX. the papal decrees were published, about the year 1280, in five books, entitled Decretalia Gregorii noni, and sometimes the pentateuch. To these another book was added about the year 1298, by Bonaface VIII. called Sertus decretalium. The decrces of Clement V. otherwise called the Clementine Constitutions, were in like manner collected in 1317, under the auspices of John XXII. who also published twenty constitutions of his own, called the Extravagantes Joannis. To these some decrees of later popes were added in five books, called Extravagantes Communes. All these together form the Corpus juris canonici, or body of the Roman canon law. Decretal Letters is also a name given to a work written in or previous to the ninth century, for the purpose of supporting the high pretensions and unlimited authority of the Popish see. These seem to have been first brought to light by M. Isodore, surnamed the Fisher, and were supposed to contain the decrees of sixty bishops, from Clemens to Siricius. In those days of blindness and ignorance, men were little capable of searching with any accuracy into the truth of such a collection, and as the popes are there represented as having acted in conformity with those high claims, to which, however, they were then only beginning to pretend, the credit of the work was soon established, and became the chief foundation, during many ages, of the unbounded authority of the Romish church. In the sixteenth century, the authenticity of this work was attempted to be supported by the Jesuit Turrian. Every thing advanced by him, however, for this purpose, has been entirely refuted in a treatise written by David Blondel, entituled PseudoIsidorus et Turrianas Vapulans. So that all the enlightened part of the Roman church have long looked upon these letters as a mere fiction.-Cave's Hist. Lit. vol. ii. p. 21. DEDICATION, the act of consecrating any thing or person to the honour or service of God, and the purposes of religion. The use of dedications is very ancient, as well among the heathens as Christians. In the Scripture we meet with dedications of the tabernacle, of altars, of the first and second temples, of the houses of private persons, of vessels, and of the garments of the priests and Levites. Among Christians, dedication is only applied to the consecration of a church, which is performed by the bishop with certain prescribed ceremonies. Eusebius gives us a full description of the ceremonies used in the consecration of the churches at Jerusalem and Tyre. See article Consecration, and Bing. Orig. Eccl. b. viii. c. 9, s. 2. DEFAMATION. By the statutes 13 Edw. I. and 9 Edw. II. c. 4, this offence is made cognizable by the spiritual courts, from which it appeareth,, saith Lord Coke, that this jurisdiction would not have belonged to these courts had it not been granted by act of parliament.-2 Inst. 492. To bring offences within these statutes, it is necessary that they shall not be for matters temporal, or matters spiritual mixed with temporal, but for VOL. I. 3 P matters purely spiritual; otherwise a prohibition will lie from the court of common law. The party defamed cannot sue in the spiritual court for amends or damages, but only for correction of the offence, pro salute anima; and the punishment, therefore, is the injunction of penance, at the discretion of the judge. If the words were spoken in a public place, the penance is usually enjoined to be done publicly, as in the parish church; but if they were spoken in private, the penance is directed to be done privately, as in the house of the person defamed.-See Burn. Eccl. Law. DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, Fidei Defensor, a title conferred on Henry VIII. by Pope Leo X. for his writings against Martin Luther, and afterwards confirmed by Clement VII. The Pope, however, upon Henry's suppressing the religious houses at the time of the Reformation, issued a bull for the purpose not only of depriving him of this title, but of deposing him from his crown also. In the 35th year of his reign this title was confirmed by act of parliament, since which time it has been used by all his successors. It has been said, indeed, that the title of Defender of the Faith belonged to the kings of England before the time of Henry VIII. and that the bull of Pope Leo was only a recognition of an ancient right. But there seems to be no sufficient authority for this assertion. DEFENDERS, were anciently officers of considerable distinction as well in the church as in the state. Their principal business was to see to the preservation of the public weal, to protect the poor and helpless, and to maintain the interests and causes of churches and religious houses. By the council of Chalcedon, the defender of a church is termed an Avenger. Bishop Beverige considers these as the same with the modern chancellors of the church, and says that they heard and determined causes in the bishop's name, and those not only such as related to the poor, who sought the patronage of the church, but also, that when any presbyters and deacons had any controversy with any other, they might bring their action before the defensor.-But see Bing. Orig. Eccl. b. iii. ch. 11, s. 7. DEGRADATION, ECCLESIASTICAL, is the deprivation of a bishop or priest of his dignity and office. When the patriarch Constantine was condemned to death by Constantine Copronymus, he was degraded previous to execution, which is perhaps the first instance of ecclesiastical degradation. Having ascended the ambo, or pulpit, he was stript of his pallium, and anathematized, and then compelled to go out of the church backwards. In our own |