Encyclopedic Dictionary of Bible and Theology

Canons, Minor (also called victars), are clergymen in England attached to a cathedral under the dean and chapter. During the period from the Conquest to. the Reformation, each canon was bond to maintain a vicar skilled in music, to supply his place when absent, in the ministrations of the Church. Before the Reformation they were … Continue reading “Canons, Minor”

Canons, Honorary are canons exempted from observing the hours. Sovereign princes and nobles were occasionally regarded as honorary canons of cathedrals; as the emperor, at Strasburg, Liege, Bamberg, Ratisbon, Cologne, Spiers, Utrecht, Aix-la-Chapelle, St. Peter’s and St. John Lateran, Rome; the king of France, at Poictiers, Chalons, Sens, Anjou, Tours, and as warden of St. … Continue reading “Canons, Honorary”

Canons, Ecclesiastical Ecclesiastical Canons are certain rules or norms of conduct or belief prescribed by the Church. The name is derived from the Greek kanon, the instrument used by architects and artificers for making straight lines. Some writers think that the Church preferred the word canon to law, as the latter had a harsh meaning … Continue reading “Canons, Ecclesiastical”

Canons, Collections of Ancient While the essential principles of the constitution and government of the Church were immutably fixed by her Divine Founder, ecclesiastical legislation, emanating as it does from the authority established by Christ in His society, has shared all the vicissitudes of the latter. This means that it was not a finished product … Continue reading “Canons, Collections of Ancient”

Canons, Chapters of (Greek: kanon, rule) Bodies of clerics instituted for the purpose of celebrating Divine worship with greater solemnity or to assist the bishop in ecclesiastical government. These clerics may be canons secular or regular, exempt or non-exempt, major (cathedral ) or minor (collegiate church) according to the chapter to which they belong. They … Continue reading “Canons, Chapters of”

Canons, Book Of was a set of rules formed for the government of the Scottish Church, by order of Charles I, and designed to establish episcopacy and subvert the Presbyterian constitution of the Church. In 1634 it was agreed that such a book and a liturgy should be framed in Scotland, and submitted to Laud, … Continue reading “Canons, Book Of”

Canons, Austin Canons regular are clerics who live in community, performing work relating to the Divine mysteries, and presided over by one of their own order. Most canons regular follow the rule which Saint Augustine gave to his own clergy, hence their name Austin Canons. They date their institute from Apostolic times, claiming to have … Continue reading “Canons, Austin”

Canons, Augustinian Canons regular are clerics who live in community, performing work relating to the Divine mysteries, and presided over by one of their own order. Most canons regular follow the rule which Saint Augustine gave to his own clergy, hence their name Austin Canons. They date their institute from Apostolic times, claiming to have … Continue reading “Canons, Augustinian”

Canons, Apostolic An ancient collection of ecclesiastical decrees concerning the government and discipline of the Church. Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary Canons, Apostolic A collection of ancient ecclesiastical decrees (eighty-five in the Eastern, fifty in the Western Church) concerning the government and discipline of the Christian Church, incorporated with the Apostolic Constitutions (VIII, 47). They deal … Continue reading “Canons, Apostolic”

Canons and Canonesses Regular (Also called REGULAR CLERICS, RELIGIOUS CLERICS, CLERIC-CANONS, AUGUSTINIAN CANONS, BLACK CANONS, MONXCANONS). According to St. Thomas Aquinas, a canon regular is essentially a religious cleric, or, as the same doctor aptly expresses it: “The Order of Canons Regular is necessarily constituted by religious clerics, because they are essentially destined to those … Continue reading “Canons and Canonesses Regular”