Glossary of Terms
Egeria
(or Etheria or Aetheria), Pilgrim. Egeria's personal account of her journey to holy places in the Sinai, Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor around the end of the fourth or […]
Eighth Day
Sunday, the Lord's Day. Sunday is both the First Day and the Eighth Day of the liturgical week. The Christian week has been ordered around the Sunday Eucharist since the […]
El Camino Real, Diocese of
The 1979 General Convention voted to divide the Diocese of California and create a new diocese called El Camino Real. The primary convention of the Diocese of El Camino Real […]
El Himnario
A hymnal for Hispanic congregations prepared by the Hispanic Ministry Office of the Episcopal Church Center. It was published in 1998 as an ecumenical effort of the Episcopal Church, the […]
El Salvador, Diocese of
The House of Bishops created the Missionary District of El Salvador on Sept. 18, 1967, and assigned jurisdiction to the Missionary Bishop of Guatemala. It became the Diocese of El […]
Elder
See Presbyter, Presbyterate.
Elevation of the Elements
The lifting up of the eucharistic elements for adoration at the concluding doxology of the eucharistic prayer. This gesture identifies the bread and wine with the sacrifice of Christ. The […]
Eliot, Thomas Stearns
(T. S.) (Sept. 26, 1888-Jan. 4, 1965). Poet and literary critic. He was an American, born in St. Louis and educated at Harvard, the Sorbonne, and Merton College, Oxford. He […]
Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary
(1207-Nov. 16, 1231). Medieval saint. She was born at Pressburg (Bratislava), Hungary, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his queen, Gertrude. In 1221 she married Louis IV, […]
Elizabethan Settlement
Religious and political arrangements worked out during the reign of Elizabeth I in England. Elizabeth I (1533-1603), daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became Queen of England in 1558. […]
Ellerton, John
(Dec. 16, 1826-June 15, 1893). Hymn writer. He was born in London. He was educated at King William's College on the Isle of Man, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. Shortly […]
Ellinwood, Leonard Webster
(Feb. 13, 1905-July 8, 1994). Hymnal editor and music historian. He was born in Thomaston, Connecticut, and received his B.A. from Aurora College in 1926. He received his Master of […]
Elliott, Stephen
(Aug. 31, 1806-Dec. 21, 1866). Bishop and educator. He was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. In the fall of 1822 he entered the sophomore class at Harvard, and the next […]
Elohim
A Hebrew word in the plural which occasionally means pagan gods, superhuman creatures, or earthly judges in the OT; but the term usually refers to Israel's one God, Yahweh. Although […]
Elohist, The
One of four sources for the composition of the Pentateuch, according to a theory accepted by many biblical scholars. Known as Documentary Theology, the theory assigns the name Elohist to […]
Ely, Richard Theodore
(Apr. 13, 1854-Oct. 4, 1943). Social Gospel advocate. He was born in Ripley, New York. He received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1876 and a Ph.D. from Heidelberg University […]
Emancipation, African American, and the Episcopal Church
Beginning with the founding of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts in 1701, Anglican slave holders sought to incorporate African Americans within the traditions of […]
Ember Day Letter
Every postulant or candidate for holy orders in the Episcopal Church is required by canon to report to the bishop four times a year, during the Ember Weeks. The report […]
Ember Days
Three days which occur four times a year: the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after St. Lucy's Day (Dec. 13), Ash Wednesday, the Day of Pentecost, and Holy Cross Day (Sept. […]
Ember Weeks
The four weeks in each year during which the Ember Days occur. See Ember Days.
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.