me for not ascribing to them greater powers than I had authority to do. The matter is curious, and may exercise the pens of learned men, and be the subject of further disquisition and inquiry.

Sect. 1.

stituted in the fourth

century. The reasons of their institution.

CHAPTER XII.

OF THE ECONOMI.

In the writings of the fourth and fifth The ocenom in centuries we frequently meet with an officer in the church, styled by the Greeks' oikovóμog, and by the Latins œconomus, or præpositus domus, as it is in St. Austin.3 His office was to manage the revenues of the whole diocese under the inspection of the bishop. For anciently, as I have showed elsewhere, the whole revenue of the church was intrusted in the hands of the bishop, to be divided among the clergy and poor of the church by his direction and appointment and in managing this affair he commonly made use of his archdeacon, as a proper assistant to ease himself of the great burden and encumbrance of it. But upon the general conversion of heathens, and the consequent augmentation of every diocese and church revenues, both the bishop and his archdeacon had business enough of another nature to take up the greatest part of their time; and then it was found necessary to institute officers on purpose, and set them over this affair, under the name of economi, or stewards of the church. Morinus thinks they were instituted to avoid suspicion; and in some churches there is no question but it was so: for in the remaining fragments of the council of Tyre, anno 448, which are inserted into the acts of the council of Chalcedon, we find that Ibas, bishop of Edessa, being accused by some of his clergy for embezzling the revenues of the church, is obliged to promise, that for the future the revenues should be managed by œconomi, or stewards, chosen out of the clergy, after the manner of the great church of Antioch. And it is not improbable, but the like accusation being brought against Dioscorus, bishop of Alexandria, in the council of Chalcedon, was the reason that moved that council to make a general decree in this matter, that forasmuch as they were informed, that in some churches the bishops alone administered the

6

Possid. Vit. Aug. c. 24.

Vid. Conc. Chalced. c. 2, 25, 26. * Liberat. Breviar. c. 16. Book II. chap. 4. sect. 6. Morin. de Ordinat. Eccl. par. 3. Exerc. 16. c. 5. n. 3. Concil. Chalced. Act. 9.

Conc. Chalced. c. 26. ἔδοξεν πᾶσαν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπίσκοπου ἔχουσαν, καὶ οἰκονόμον ἔχειν ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου κλήρου. ὅτε μὴ ἀμάρτυρον εἶναι τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς ἐκκλησίας, &c. Conc. Ephes. in Act. 1. Conc. Chalced. t. 4. p. 292. Charisius presbyter et œconomus Philadelphia.

ecclesiastical revenues, without any stewards, they now ordained, that every church having a bishop, should also have a steward of her own clergy,' to manage the revenues of the church by the direction of the bishop; that so there might be witnesses of the right administration of them; and by that means neither the church's goods be embezzled, nor any scandal or reproach brought upon the priesthood. But then I cannot think this was the case of all churches. For these canons were made plainly against such bishops as managed the revenues of the church, duáprupo, as the canon words it, without either archdeacon or œconomus to attest the fidelity of their management: but in such churches where bishops took the assistance of their archdeacon, this could not be the reason for setting up the office of the economus, because suspicion of mismanagement was provided against as well by the testimony of an archdeacon, as any other officer that could be appointed. And therefore I have assigned a more general, and, as I take it, a truer reason for the institution of this office in the church. And that which further confirms

Sect. 2.

out of the clergy.

my opinion is, that the economi, as Always to be chosen well as the archdeacons, were always to be chosen out of the clergy. For so those canons of the councils of Tyre and Chalcedon, already cited, plainly direct. And for any thing that appears to the contrary, this was the constant practice of the church. We find in the acts of the council of Ephesus, which are inserted also into the council of Chalcedon, one Charisius styled both presbyter and œconomus of the church of Philadelphia. And Liberatus' speaks of one John, who was œconomus of Alexandria, and presbyter of Tabennesus, a region belonging to Alexandria. Possidius tells us, in the Life of St. Austin," that he always made one of his clergy the præpositus domus, as he calls him, whose office was to take care of the church revenues, and give an account of what he received and expended, when it was demanded of him. And to the same purpose Socrates" says of Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria, that having advanced two monks to the honour of the clergy, he made them the economi of the church. So that it was both the rule and practice of the church to take the economi out of some of the clergy, and we never meet with any instance or order to the contrary. Which argues plainly, that the true reason for devolving this office upon them, which formerly belonged to the

Liberat. Breviar. c. 16. Johannes ex œconomo factus presbyter Tabennesiotes.-Factusque est iterum œconomus, habens causas omnium ecclesiarum.

10 Possid. Vit. Aug. c. 24. Domus ecclesiæ curam, omnemque substantiam ad vices valentioribus clericis delegabat et credebat: nunquam clavem, nunquam annulum in manu habens, sed ab eisdem domus præpositis cuncta et accepta et erogata notabantur.

" Socrat. lib. 6. c. 7. τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῖς ἐνεχείρισεν.

archdeacons, was no other than that because of a multiplicity of business the archdeacons now could not so well attend it.

Sect. 3.

Their office to take of the church, espe

care of the revenues

cially in the vacancy of the bishopric.

12

What the office itself was, appears from what has already been said: to which I shall only add one thing: that by the authority of the council of Chalcedon the economus was to continue in his office during the vacancy of the bishopric, and to look after the income of the church, that it might be preserved safe for the succeeding bishop. Which canon some not improbably think was designed to prevent delays in filling of vacant sees; that no metropolitan, or interventor, under whose care the vacant church was, might lie under any temptation to defer the election of a new bishop, in hopes of enriching himself from the revenues of the church; but whether this was the reason or not, it certainly argues that these men were generally persons of extraordinary credit and worth, since the church could securely repose so great a confidence in them. And indeed all imaginable care was The consent of the taken in their election, that they the choice of them. should be persons of such a character. To which purpose some canons required, that they should be chosen by all the clergy; as particularly Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria," in his canonical epistle, gives a direction in that case. Which provision was but reasonable: for since all the clergy had a common concern in the revenues of the church, which were their livelihood and subsistence, it was fit the economus, to whose care the revenues were committed, should be chosen by common consent, that he might be a person without exception, and no one have reason to complain that he was injured or defrauded of his dividend or portion.

Sect. 4.

clergy required in

language of that council. But the translators and critics are not agreed upon the meaning of the word. The ancient translation of Dionysius Exiguus renders it mansionarius, and explains that in a marginal reading by ostiarius, or door-keeper of the church. And indeed this was the office of the mansionarius in the Roman church about the time when Dionysius Exiguus lived. For Gregory the Great, not long after, in one of his dialogues, speaking of Abundius mansionarius, gives him also the title of custos ecclesiæ; and in another dialogue he makes it the office of the mansionarius to light the lamps or candles of the church. Yet, notwithstanding this, the best learned of the modern critics give another sense of the Greek name rapaμovápioc. Justellus explains it by villicus, a bailiff, or steward of the lands. Bishop Beverege styles him rerum ecclesiasticarum administrator, which is the same. their opinion is confirmed by Gothofred, Cujacius, Suicerus, Vossius, and many others, whose judgment in the case may be sufficient to decide the controversy, till the reader sees better reason otherwise to determine him.

Sect. 2.

And

Of the custodes ecclesiarum, and

custodes locorum how these differed

sanctorum; and

from each other.

4

The civil law takes notice of another sort of officers, who are called custodes ecclesiarum, and custodes locorum sanctorum; which, though some writers confound together, yet Gothofred makes a distinction between them. The custodes ecclesiarum were either the same with the ostiarii, or order of door-keepers, or else with those called seniores ecclesiæ, which, as I have showed in another place, were much of the same nature with our churchwardens and vestry-men. But the custodes locorum sanctorum were the keepers of those particular places in Palestine, which, if Gothofred judge right, had more peculiarly the title of loca sancta, holy places, because they were a sort of memorials of our Saviour; such as Bethlehem, the place of his nativity; and Mount Golgotha, the place of his crucifixion; and his grave or monument, which was the place of his resurrection; and Mount Olivet, the place of his ascension. These places were frequently visited by Christians in those ages, as appears from Eusebius, Gregory Nyssen, St. Jerom, and several others, whom the reader, that is curious in this matter, may find quoted by Gothofred,' who maintains, that upon that very account those places had a sort of guardians or keepers assigned them, under the title of custodes locorum sanctorum. But however this matter be, it is certain they had such an employment in the church as, in the eye of the law, was reputed a religious service; and accordingly they were entitled

lampades ecclesiæ implevit aqua, &c.

4 Justel. Bibliothec. Jur. Canon, t. 1. p. 91.

5 Bevereg. Not. in Conc. Chalced. c. 2. Book II. chap. 19. sect. 19.

Gothofred. Not. in Cod. Th. lib. 16. Tit. 2. Leg. 26.

to the same privilege' as the ecclesiastics had, to be exempt from personal tribute in regard to this their employment, as appears from a law of Theodosius the Great, by whom this immunity was granted

them.

Sect. 3.

Of the scenophylaces, or ceimeli archa.

Next to these, for the similitude of the name and office, I mention the sceuophylaces, or, as they were otherwise called, kuμŋλiwv qúλakıç, keepers of the Kunia, that is, the sacred vessels, utensils, and such precious things as were laid up in the sacred repository of the church. This was commonly some presbyter: for Theodorus Lector' says, Macedonius was both presbyter and sceuophylax of the church of Constantinople; and Sozomen" before him, speaking of the famous Theodore, presbyter of Antioch, who suffered martyrdom in the days of Julian, styles him φύλακα τῶν κειμηλίων, keeper of the sacred utensils, and says, he was put to death because he would not deliver up what he had under his custody to the persecutors. It will not be improper to give this officer also the name of chartophylax and custos archivorum, because the rolls and archives are reckoned part of the sacred repository of the church. Whence Suicerus" observes, that in Photius the names sceuophylax and chartophylax are given to the same person. But I must note, that the modern Greeks have a little changed this office, and added a power to it which did not belong to it in the primitive church. For now, as Balsamon12 informs us, the chartophylax acts as the patriarch's substitute, excommunicating, censuring, and licensing the ordinations of presbyters and deacons, and sits as supreme ecclesiastical judge under the patriarch in many other cases relating to the church, which are things we do not find belonging to the office of a sceuophylax in the primitive ages.

Sect. 4 Of the herme

Epiphanius takes notice of another neute, or interpret. Sort of officers in the church, to whom he gives the names of ouŋvevraì, interpreters, and says, their office was to render one language into another as there was occasion, both in reading the Scriptures, and in the homilies that were made to the people. That there was such an office in the church appears further from the Passion of Procopius the martyr, published by Valesius," where it is said, that Procopius had three offices in the church of Scythopolis, he was reader, exorcist, and interpreter of the Syriac tongue. I conceive

*Cod. Th. lib. 16. Tit. 2. de Episc. Leg. 26. Universos quos constituerit custodes ecclesiarum esse, vel sanctorum locorum, ac religiosis obsequiis deservire, nullius adtentationis molestiam sustinere decernimus. Quis enim eos capite censos patiatur esse devinctos, quos necessario intelligit supra memorato obsequio mancipatos? *Theodor. Lector. lib. 2.

"Suicer. Thesaur. t. 2. p. 971.

10 Sozom. lib. 5. c. 8.

12 Balsam. Not. ad can. 9. Concil. Nic. 2.

"Epiph. Expos. Fid. n. 21. ¿pμnvevtai yλwoons eis

the office was chiefly in such churches where the people spake different languages, as in the churches of Palestine, where probably some spoke Syriac and others Greek, and in the churches of Africa, where some spake Latin and others Punic. In such churches there was occasion for an interpreter, that those who understood not the language in which the Scriptures were read, or the homilies preached, might receive edification by having them immediately rendered into a tongue which they did understand. So far was the primitive church from encouraging ignorance, by locking up the Scriptures in an unknown tongue, that she not only translated them into all languages, but also appointed a standing office of interpreters, who were viva voce to make men understand what was read, and not suffer them to be barbarians in the service of God, which is a tyranny that was unknown to former ages!

Sect. 5. Of the notarii.

Another office, that must not wholly be passed over whilst we are upon this head, is that of the notarii, or exceptores, as the Latins called them; who are the same that the Greeks call ὀξυγράφοι, οι ταχυγράφοι, from their writing short-hand by characters, which was necessary in the service they were chiefly employed in. For the first use of them was to take in writing the whole process of the heathen judges against the Christian martyrs, and minutely to describe the several circumstances of their examination and passion; what questions were put to them; what answers they made; and whatever passed during the time of their trial and suffering. Whence such descriptions were called gesta martyrum, the Acts and Monuments of the Martyrs; which were the original accounts which every church preserved of her own martyrs. The first institution of these notarii into a standing office at Rome, Bishop Pearson's and some other learned persons think, was under Fabian in the time of the Decian persecution. For in one of the most ancient catalogues 16 of the bishops of Rome, Fabian is said to have appointed seven subdeacons to inspect the seven notaries, and see that they faithfully collected the acts of the martyrs. But though it was no standing office before, yet the thing itself was always done by some persons fitly qualified for the work; as appears from the ancient acts of Ignatius and Polycarp, and several others, which were written before Fabian is said to

γλῶσσαν, ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἀναγνώσεσιν, ἢ ἐν ταῖς προσομιλίαις. 14 Acta Procop, ap. Vales. Not. in Euseb. de Martyr. Palæstin. c. 1. Ibi ecclesiæ tria ministeria præbebat: unum in legendi officio, alterum in Syri interpretatione sermonis, et tertium adversus dæmones manus impositione consummans. 15 Pearson. de Succession. Episc. Rom. Dissert. 1. c. 4. n. 3. Fell, Not. in Cypr. Ep. 12.

16 Catalog. Rom. Pontif. in Fabian. Hic fecit sex vel septem subdiaconos, qui septem notariis imminerent, ut gesta martyrum fideliter colligerent.

have instituted public and standing notaries at Rome. In after ages these notaries were also employed in writing the acts of the councils, and taking speeches and disputations, and whatever else passed in synod. Thus Eusebius" notes that Malchion's dispute with Paulus Samosatensis in the council of Antioch was recorded as it was spoken, by the notaries who took it from their mouths : and Socrates says the same of the disputation between Basilius Ancyranus and Photinus in the council of Sirmium. We read also of a sort of notaries in councils, whose office was to recite all instruments, allegations, petitions, or whatever else of the like nature was to be offered or read in council. And these were commonly deacons, and sometimes a presbyter was the chief of them, and thereupon styled primicerius notariorum; as in the acts of the general councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon there is frequent mention of Aetius, deacon and notary, and Peter, presbyter of Alexandria and chief of the notaries, primicerius notariorum, There were also notaries that were employed to take the discourses of famous and eloquent preachers from their mouths: by which means, Socrates 20 observes, many of St. Chrysostom's sermons were preserved, and some of Atticus his successor. Bishops also had their private inoypapeis, which some call notaries: but Valesius" reckons them in the quality of readers. Whatever they were, Athanasius served in this office, as vñoуpapeùç, under Alexander, and Proclus under Atticus, as Socrates 22 informs us. The curious reader perhaps will find Of the apocrisa several other of these lesser offices, which he will think might come into this catalogue: but, that I may not seem too minute in small matters, I will only add one office more, which is that of the apocrisarii, or responsales. These were a sort of residents in the imperial city in the name of foreign churches and bishops, whose office was to negociate as proctors at the emperor's court, in all ecclesiastical causes wherein their principals might be concerned. The institution of the office seems to have been in the time of Constantine, or not long after, when the emperors being become Christians, foreign churches had more occasion to promote their suits at the imperial court than formerly: however, we find it established by law in the time of Justinian; for in one of his

Sect. 6.

rii, or responsales.

Η Euseb. lib. 7. c. 29. ἐπισημειουμένων ταχυγράφων. -18 Socrat. lib. 2. c. 30. οξυγράφων τὰς φωνὰς αὐτῶν γραφόντων.

19 Concil. Ephes. Act. 1. in Actione 1. Concil. Chalced. t. 4. p. 292.

20 Socrat. lib. 6. c. 4. It. lib. 7. c. 2. in Socr. lib. 5. c. 22.

21 Vales. Not. 22 Socrat. lib. 7. c. 17 et 41. 23 Justin. Novel. 6. c. 2. Sancimus, si quando propter ecclesiasticam occasionem inciderit necessitas, hanc aut per eos qui res agunt sanctarum ecclesiarum (quos apocrisarios vocant) aut per aliquos clericos huc destinatos, aut

Novels it is ordered," that forasmuch as no bishop was to be long absent from his church without special command from the emperor, if therefore any one had occasion to negociate any ecclesiastical cause at court, he should prefer his petition either by the apocrisarius of his church, whose business was to act in behalf of the church, and prosecute her affairs; or else by the economus, or some other of his clergy sent on purpose to signify his request. It does not indeed appear from that law, that these apocrisarii were of the clergy, but from other writers we may easily collect it. For Liberatus says," Anatolius, a deacon of Alexandria, was apocrisarius or resident for Dioscorus his bishop at Constantinople, by which means he gained a favourable opportunity of being chosen bishop of Constantinople upon the death of Flavian. And Evagrius observes the same of Eutychius, that from being apocrisarius to the bishop of Amasia, he was immediately advanced to be bishop of the royal city after Mennas. Which seems plainly to imply, that he was one of the clergy before, since it does not appear that he was promoted per saltum. I must further observe, that in imitation of these apocrisarii in the church, almost every monastery had their apocrisarü likewise, whose business was not to reside in the royal city, as the former did, but to act as proctors for their monastery, or any member of it, when they had occasion to give any appearance at law before the bishop under whose jurisdiction they were. This is clear from another of Justinian's Novels, which requires the Ascetics in such cases to answer by their apocrisarii or responsales." And these were sometimes also of the clergy, as appears from the acts of the fifth general council, where one Theonas" styles himself presbyter and apocrisarius of the monastery of Mount Sinai. The Latin translator calls him ambasiator, which is not so very proper, yet in some measure expresses the thing: for, as Suicerus observes, in process of time the emperors also gave the name of apocrisari to their own ambassadors, and it became the common title of every legate whatsoever. Which I the rather note, that the reader may distinguish these things, and not confound the civil and ecclesiastical sense of the name apocrisarius together. And thus much of the inferior orders and offices of the clergy in the primitive church.

œconomos suos notam imperio facere, &c.

24 Liberat. Breviar. c. 12. Ordinatus est pro eo (Flaviano) Anatolius diaconus, qui fuit Constantinopoli apocrisarius Dioscori.

2 Evagr. lib. 4. c. 38. ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσιν ̓Αμασείας ἐπιστ κόπου διηκονεῖτο, &c.

26 Justin. Novel. 79. c. 1.

Concil. 5. General. Act. 1. in Libello Monachor. Syriæ Secundæ. t. 5. p. 116. Θεωνᾶς πρεσβύτερος, καὶ ἀποκρι σάριος τοῦ ἁγίου ὄρους Σινᾶ.

25 Suicer. Thesaur. t. 1. p. 456.

of designing persons

the first way, by easting lots.

the mist of mitive church, both superior and inferior, together with the several offices

and functions that were annexed to them, I now proceed to consider the rules and methods that were observed in setting apart fit persons for the ministry, especially for the three superior orders, which were always of principal concern. And here in the first place it will be proper to observe, that in the apostolical and following ages, there were four several ways of designing persons for the ministry, or discovering who were most fit to be ordained: the first of which was by casting lots; the second, by making choice of the first-fruits of the Gentile converts; the third, by particular direction and inspiration of the Holy Ghost; and the last, in the common and ordinary way of examination and election. The first method was observed in the designation of Matthias to be an apostle, as we read, Acts i. 23, 26, where it is said, that the disciples themselves first appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, and Matthias; and then praying to God, that he would show whether of those two he had chosen, they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias. St. Chrysostom' says, they used this method because as yet the Holy Ghost was not descended on them, and they had not at this time the power of choosing by inspiration; and therefore they committed the business to prayer, and left the determination to God. The author of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy under the name of Dionysius, fancies that God answered their prayer by some visible token: but if so, this had not been choosing by lot, as the Scripture says it was, but a quite dif

Chrys. Hom. 5. in 1 Tim.

Dionys. Ecel. Hier. c. 5. p. 367.

'Lightfoot, in Acts i. 21.

'Dodwel, Dissert. 1. in Cypr. n. 17.

'Concil. Barcinon. c. 3. tom. 5. p. 1606. Duobus aut

K

ferent method of election. However, interpreters generally agree, that there was something extraordinary in it: Dr. Lightfoot thinks Matthias had no other ordination to his apostleship; for the apostles did not give him any ordination by imposition of hands after this, as they did to presbyters afterwards: and that, if true, was extraordinary indeed. Others reckon the extraordinariness of it to consist in the singular way of electing and designing him to that office by lot: for they say' all ecclesiastical history scarce affords such another instance: and I confess there are not very many, but some few there are, which show that that method of electing was not altogether so singular as is commonly imagined. For in Spain, it was once the common practice, as may be concluded from a canon of the council of Barcelona, anno 599, which orders, that when a vacant bishopric is to be filled, two or three shall be elected by the consent of the clergy and people, who shall present them to the metropolitan and his fellow bishops, and they, having first fasted, shall cast lots, leaving the determination to Christ the Lord then he on whom the lot shall fall, shall be consummated by the blessing of consecration. There is nothing different in this from the first example, save only that in this there is express mention of a consecration afterward, which is not in the history of Matthias; and yet, perhaps, there might be a consecration in his case too, though not expressly mentioned: but I leave this to further inquiry.