Glossary of Terms

Reverend, The

An adjective used in formally addressing a member of the clergy. It is from the Latin reverendus, “worthy of reverence.” It is intended to be descriptive. The term is incorrectly used as a noun title (like bishop or sister) to refer to a member of the clergy. For example, it is appropriate to say “the […]

Revised English Bible

A 1989 revision of the New English Bible (1970) that was intended to make it more suitable for public worship. “You” is used instead of “thou” in addressing God. The Revised English Bible also opted for inclusive language for people. The Roman Catholic Church joined the Protestant communions of the British Isles in sponsoring the […]

Revised Standard Version Bible (RSV)

The RSV is a revision of the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Holy Scriptures (1901), which was an American modification of the British revised version of 1881-1885. In 1937 the project of revising the ASV was authorized by the National Council of Religious Education. The RSV was completed in 1952 and published by the […]

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, an Ecumenical Edition, The (“RSV Common Bible”)

A 1973 revision of the Revised Standard Version that was completed with the cooperation of members of the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches. The inclusion of the Apocrypha or Deutero-canonical books with the thirty-nine books fo the Protestant canon make it acceptable to Roman Catholics. The addition of 3 and 4 Maccabees and […]

Revised Version of the Bible, The

In 1870 the Convocation of Canterbury appointed a commission to revise the King James Version of the Bible. The intention was not to make a new translation but to make necessary changes called for by Hebrew and Greek manuscripts not available at the time of the Authorized Versions, and also to clarify some of the […]

Revival

Christian worship characterized by intense and personal emotional experiences, fervent preaching, and extemporaneous prayer. It has served as a primary technique for evangelism in much of American Protestant Christianity. Several periods of revivalism swept through the American churches, beginning with the Great Awakening in the eighteenth century. Revival spread through the denominations under the leadership […]

Rhode Island, Diocese of

Organized at Newport on Nov. 18, 1790, it voted to declare Bishop Samuel Seabury of Connecticut “Bishop of the Church in this State.” From July 20, 1798, until Sept. 10, 1803, Rhode Island was under the jurisdiction of Bishop Edward Bass of Massachusetts. On May 29, 1810, Rhode Island participated in the organization of the […]

Richard, Bishop of Chichester

(c. 1197-Apr. 2 or 3, 1253). Bishop and clerical reformer. He studied at Oxford, Paris, and Bologna. Richard became university chancellor at Oxford around 1235. He was later appointed chancellor by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Edmund of Abingdon. Richard also served as chancellor of Canterbury under Boniface of Savoy. Richard was ordained priest in 1243, […]

Ridley, Nicholas

(c. 1500-Oct. 16, 1555). Bishop and Protestant martyr. He was born in Willimoteswick, Northumberland. Ridley attended Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, where he later became a fellow. In 1527 he was ordained priest. He then studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and at Louvain. He returned to Cambridge and in 1540 was appointed the king's chaplain and […]

Right of Sanctuary

See Sanctuary (2).

Right Reverend, The

See Reverend, The.

Righteousness

Living in right relationship with God and others. Unrighteous behavior would tend to undermine right relationship with God. For example, the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gn 3) was unrighteous because it distorted relationship with God. In the OT, righteousness was understood in terms of the demands of God’s covenant […]

Righter, Walter Cameron

(b. Oct. 23, 1923). Bishop brought to trial for ordaining a homosexual. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Righter received his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1948 and his S.T.B. from the Berkeley Divinity School in 1951. He was ordained deacon on Apr. 7, 1951, and priest on Oct. 6, 1951. He began […]

Rightmyer, Nelson Waite

(July 19, 1911-Sept. 29, 1983). Historian and seminary professor. He was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. Rightmyer received his M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1935, his Th.B. from the Philadelphia Divinity School in 1935, his Ed.D. from Temple University in 1945, his Ed.M. from Loyola College (Baltimore) in 1961, and his Ph.D. from International […]

Rikkyo University

See St. Paul's University, Tokyo.

Rings

Christians have apparently worn finger-rings with Christian symbols since the third or fourth centuries. Rings have been associated with fidelity. There are several specific Christian uses of rings. Wedding Rings. It was a Roman custom for the man to give the woman a ring at the time of betrothal. The use of wedding rings by […]

Rio Grande, Diocese of

The 1892 General Convention established the Missionary District of New Mexico. The 1895 General Convention voted to take the counties of El Paso, Reeves, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Presidio, Brewster, Terrell, Hudspeth, and Pecos from the Missionary District of Western Texas and add them to the Missionary District of New Mexico. On Feb. 6, 1923, the […]

Ritchie, Arthur

(June 22, 1849-July 9, 1921). Anglo-catholic leader. He was born in Philadelphia, and received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1867. After teaching at the Episcopal Academy, Philadelphia, 1867-1868, he entered the General Theological Seminary. He received his S.T.B. in 1871. He was ordained deacon on July 2, 1871, and priest on June […]

Rite

A form for religious ceremony. It includes both what is said and what is done in the religious observance. Rite expresses the church's relationship with God through words, actions, and symbols. It orders the church's common worship. Rite enables the community to share its faith and experience God's presence in a particular liturgical and pastoral […]

Rite 1, Rite 2

The 1979 BCP provides the services of Morning and Evening Prayer, the Holy Eucharist, and the Burial Office in both traditional language and contemporary language rites. The traditional language rites are known as Rite 1, and the contemporary language rites are known as Rite 2. The BCP also presents the collects for the church year […]

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms