Glossary of Terms
Polity
The term is derived from the Greek word for “city.” In general English usage, polity refers to the form of government in a city or nation and the body of laws which govern a political entity. In ecclesiastical use polity has come to refer also to the form of government for an organized church. In […]
Polk, Leonidas
(Apr. 10, 1806-June 14, 1864). Bishop and Confederate general. He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1821 he matriculated at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 1823 he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1827. He then studied at Virginia Theological Seminary and […]
Polly Bond Awards
Awards established in the mid-1970s by the Episcopal Communicators to acknowledge excellence and achievement in the ministry of church communications. They are named in honor of Polly Bond (1914-1979), one-time director of communications in the Diocese of Ohio. Bond was a skilled writer and a pioneer in the use of electronic media in the church.
Polycarp
(d. Feb. 23, 156). Bishop and martyr. He was born in the second half of the first century and became the Bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor (Turkey). Polycarp is listed among the “Apostolic Fathers.” Writings related to him include a letter of Polycarp to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp. The letter reveals […]
Polyphony, Choral
Contrapuntal, or “many voiced,” choral compositions in which the vocal lines are conceived as independent melodies that are woven together into a complex whole. This style of music is “linear” in contrast to vocal settings (including hymns) which are conceived chordally with a melody in the upper voice and with an accompaniment provided by the […]
Pope, Clarence Cullam, Jr.
(b. Oct. 26, 1929). Leading traditionalist bishop. He was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. Pope received his B.A. from Centenary College in 1950, and his B.D. from the University of the South in 1954. He was ordained deacon on June 29, 1954, and priest on May 9, 1955. Pope began his ordained ministry as curate at […]
Porter
See Minor Orders.
Porter, Harry Boone
(Jan. 10, 1923-June 5, 1999). Priest, liturgical scholar, professor, editor, and missioner. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He received his B.A. from Yale University in 1947 and his S.T.B. from the Berkeley Divinity School in 1950. From 1950 until 1952 Porter was a fellow/tutor at the General Theological Seminary, and in 1952 he received […]
Position Paper
A paper issued by the House of Bishops which expresses the position of the House on any given subject or issue. The House of Bishops may require the dissemination of a position paper on the same basis as a pastoral letter.
Post-modernism
A relativistic movement that denies the existence of absolute meaning and the possibility of objective knowledge of reality. It contradicts the attempt of the Enlightenment to reach absolute truth through pure human reason. Post-modernism denies the possibility of objective theological truth. Faith is reduced to a way of speaking used by a given community rather […]
Postcommunion Prayer
A prayer of thanksgiving after communion that also seeks God's help for Christian service. The eucharistic community is sent “into the world in peace” to love and serve God as witnesses of Christ (BCP, pp. 365-366). This prayer expresses the transition of the Christian's attention from the mystery of sacramental participation to the engagement of […]
Postulant (Holy Orders, Monastic)
One who tests a vocation such as a vocation to an ordained ministry or the religious life. Postulants for holy orders seek ordination as deacon or priest. The length of postulancy varies. The time involves meeting with the bishop of the diocese, examination by the Commission on Ministry, along with physical and mental examinations, and […]
Potter, Alonzo
(July 6, 1800-July 4, 1865). Bishop and educator. He was born in Beekman (La Grange), Dutchess County, New York. He graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1818. In 1819 he returned to Union College as a tutor and in 1822 was made professor of mathematics and natural philosophy. At the same time he […]
Potter, Henry Codman
(May 25, 1835-July 21, 1908). Bishop and advocate of social justice. He was born in Schenectady, New York, and was the son of Alonzo Potter, the third Bishop of Pennsylvania. In 1845 the family moved to Philadelphia, and he attended the Episcopal Academy in that city. He was a student at the Virginia Theological Seminary […]
Potter, Horatio
(Feb. 9, 1802-Jan. 2, 1887). Bishop and educator. He was born in Beekman (La Grange), Dutchess County, New York. He received his B.A. from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1826. He was ordained deacon on July 15, 1827, and priest on Dec. 14, 1828. His diaconate was spent at Trinity Church, Saco, Maine, and […]
Praise (Prayer)
Loving worship of God in prayer. We may respond with praise for God's mighty deeds throughout salvation history. The Canticle Te Deum laudamus (Canticle 21, BCP, pp. 95-96), begins, “You are God: we praise you.” It recalls that Christ “became man to set us free,” he “did not shun the Virgin's womb,” he “overcame the […]
Prayer
The experience of corporate or individual nearness with God, through words, acts, or silence. Any act or activity offered to God in a spirit of dedication may be prayerful. This nearness may take the form of addressing God, as in prayers of petition, praise, and thanksgiving; or the form of listening, as in contemplative and […]
Prayer Book
See Book of Common Prayer, The (“BCP”).
Prayer Book Commentary
A comprehensive study of the liturgical and theological background of a Prayer Book. During the Puritan Commonwealth in England, when the BCP was outlawed, two systematic commentaries were published: Anthony Sparrow's A Rationale or Practical Exposition upon the Book of Common Prayer (1655) and Hamon L'Estrange's The Alliance of Divine Offices (1659). Thomas Comber published […]
Prayer Book Concordance, The
An examination of word usage in the 1979 BCP. This volume was published in 1988 by the Church Hymnal Corporation. It was edited by Galen Bushey. There are 6,423 separate and distinct words which appear at least once in the 1979 BCP. The first section of this book is a concordance (alphabetical index of words […]
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.