ecclesiastic (ekleziastik)

and n. [ For merly also ecclesia stick; Pg . ecclesiastico = It. ecclesias And pulpit, drum ecclesia stick , Was beat with fist instead of a stick. S. Butler, Hudibras, I. i. 11. ought not to go in splendid astical courts. That of primary resort is the Consistory Court of the diocese; from it appeals go to the Court of Arches, and from there to the Privy Council. In the Protestant Episcopal Church of America the administration of discipline of lay members is wholly in the hands of the rector, an appeal lying to the bishop. The method of proceeding against clergymen in each diocese is determined by diocesan canons. A bishop is tried by the House of Bishops. In the Presbyterian Church the ecclesiastical courts are the Se ion, Presbytery, Synod, and General A embly, the last being the court of last resort; in the Church are had before a church commit tee, with an appeal to the Conference; in both churches there are provisions for the constitution of courts for the trial of clergymen for false doctrine or immoral conduct. In churches of the Congregational system there are no ecclesiastical courts; the local church is the only tribunal recognized. In the Roman Catholic Church there are bishops' courts for the trial of ordinary church causes, the trial of bishops being reserved to the pope; but the methods of procedure differ according to the position of the church in different countries. - Ecclesiastical epistles, in the Rom. Cath. Ch., letters written by church dignitaries officially, and carrying with them ecclesiastical authority, as apostolic epistles written by the Roman pontiff in virtue of his apostolic authority, commend a tory epistles (see commendatory ), dimi ory epistles (see dimi ory), encyclical epistles (see encyclic ), pastoral epistles, and epistles of instruction to particular churches. - Ecclesiastical fast. See fast3.- Ecclesiastical history, the history of the church from the beginning to the present time, including both Old Testament and New Testament history; more specifically, the history of the Christian church, including both its interior and its exterior development - that is, its organization and also the development of its doctrinal beliefs.-Ecclesiastical the law of the church as administered in the ecclesiastical courts; in a more general sense, especially in those countries where there is no church establishment, the whole body of the law relating to religion or religious institutions as administered in the civil courts. - Ecclesiastical mode. See mode. - Ecclesiastical moon, or calendar moon, a fictitious month used in determining the date of Easter. It is made purposely to depart from the natural month, to avoid the po ibility of a coincidence of Easter with the Jewish Pa over. - Ecclesiastical notary. See notary. Ecclesiastical polity, the principles and laws of church government. - Ecclesiastical statet, the body of the clergy. An ecclesiastic person and vain ornaments. Jer. Taylor , Works (ed. 1835), II. 7. A church of England man has a true veneration for the scheme established among us of ecclesia stick government. Swift . A king... in whose time also began that great alteration in the state ecclesiastical . Bacon , Advancement of Learning, ii. 131. IMG:content-0185.png:[blocks in formation] ecclesiasticism. Ν. Α. Rev., CXLI. 246.