An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms


High Altar

The main altar for eucharistic celebration in a church. In medieval and gothic revival churches, the high altar stands centered, near or placed against the east wall. The high altar is typically on a platform some steps higher than the rest of the church. This position of prominence distinguishes the high altar from the other […]

High and Dry

” The term generally indicates a high church Anglican or Episcopalian who precedes or is not strongly influenced by the Oxford Movement, especially the advanced catholic ritual practices that came to be associated with the Oxford Movement. In this case, a “high” theology of the church is associated with the less elaborate (“dry”) ritual practices […]

High Church

The terms “high church” and “high churchman” began to appear in the late seventeenth century to describe those who opposed the Calvinist-Puritan wing of the Church of England. In colonial America a high church party emerged in Connecticut when four Congregationalist ministers decided their ordinations were invalid, and went to England to be ordained deacons […]

High Mass

This is a term used, mostly in Anglo-catholic parishes, to describe a celebration of the eucharist characterized by multiple ministers (a priest- or bishop-celebrant, deacon, “subdeacon,” acolytes, choir, and possibly others) and a rich ceremonial (incense, candles, processions, stylized movements and gestures), and a preference for singing rather than saying the various texts of the […]

Higher Criticism

This method of scriptural interpretation was considered a step beyond text criticism (lower criticism) because it was dealing with larger historical problems. Source criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, and narrative criticism are the most widely used “higher” methods. All these methods assume that the biblical texts have developed over time within various specific Christian communities, […]

Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers

(c. 315-c. 367). Bishop and theologian. He was born in Poitiers, Gaul (France). Around 353 he was consecrated Bishop of Poitiers and spent most of his episcopal life fighting the Arians and defending the great Nicene theologian, Athanasius. Hilary also promoted the work of Martin of Tours, who introduced monasticism into Gaul. His most significant […]

Hilda

(c. 614-Nov. 17, 680). Abbess and saint. She was baptized at Easter 627 by Paulinus, Bishop of York. When she was thirty-three she entered the monastic life, and Bishop Aidan placed her in a small monastery in East Anglia. After about a year she became the abbess at Hartlepool. In 657 Hilda founded a monastery […]

Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen

(1098-1179). Abbess, mystic, scholar, composer, scientist, and physician. She was born in the Rhineland Valley of Germany and raised by the anchoress Jutta in a cottage near the Benedictine monastery of Disibodenberg. Hildegard experienced spiritual visions from early childhood. Other women came to live with Jutta and Hildegard, and a convent was organized with Jutta […]

Hill, Frances Maria Mulligan

(July 10, 1799-Aug. 5, 1884). Episcopal missionary and pioneer woman educator. She was born Francis Maria Mulligan in New York City. She married John Henry Hill, a banker and graduate of Columbia College, on Apr. 26, 1821. He then attended the Virginia Theological Seminary. On Oct. 1, 1830, after his ordination, he, Mrs. Hill, and […]

Hill, John Henry

(Sept. 11, 1791-July 1, 1882). Foreign missionary and educator. He was born in New York City. Hill graduated from Columbia College when he was sixteen and entered the mercantile business. He then studied at the Virginia Theological Seminary. Hill was ordained deacon on May 23, 1830, and priest on June 20, 1830. He and his […]

Hines, John Elbridge

Hines, John Elbridge (Oct. 3, 1910-July 19, 1997). Twenty-second Presiding Bishop. He was born in Seneca, South Carolina. Hines received his B.A. from the University of the South in 1930 and his B.D. from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 1933. He was ordained deacon on Aug. 31, 1933, and priest on Oct. 28, 1934. Hines […]

Hinman, Samuel Dutton

(1839-Mar. 24, 1890). Missionary to the Dakota Indians. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and orphaned at an early age. Hinman studied at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut and graduated from the Seabury Divinity School in 1860. He was ordained deacon on Sept. 20, 1860, and priest on Mar. 8, 1863. Hinman began his missionary work […]

Hippolytus

(c. 170-c. 236). Theologian of the Roman Church, presbyter, antipope, and martyr. Hippolytus strongly resisted Popes Zephyrinus, Callistus, Urban, and Pontianus. Hippolytus was zealous for orthodoxy and a rigorist concerning penitential discipline. He wanted a church of the pure. He accused Callistus of heresy and laxity. Hippolytus was apparently made antipope of a schismatic Christian […]

Historic Episcopate

The succession of bishops in the history of the church from the apostles until the present. During the colonial period there were several efforts to bring the historic episcopate to America, but none succeeded. Samuel Seabury went to England in 1783 to receive the historic episcopate. It proved impossible for Seabury to be ordained and […]

Historical Criticism

This term refers to the kind of scriptural interpretation which developed after the study of the texts or manuscripts of these writings. It is clear that we do not have any of the original documents, merely copies of copies. Because questions were raised about their validity, scholars began to question the significance of the different […]

Historical Documents of the Church

This is a collection of five documents in the 1979 BCP (pp. 863-878), the first Prayer Book to have and use the title Historical Documents. The five documents are the “Definition of the Union of the Divine and Human Natures in the Person of Christ,” which was adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in 451; […]

Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church

Predecessor to Anglican and Episcopal History. This journal began publication in Mar. 1932, and for years carried the statement, “Published With The Approval Of A Joint Committee Of The General Convention And Under The Auspices Of The Church Historical Society.” The last issue with this title was Dec. 1986. With the Mar. 1987 issue the […]

Historical Theology

The study of theology in light of historical periods, movements, events, trends, or figures. For example, Arthur Michael Ramsey's An Era in Anglican Theology, From Gore to Temple, The Development of Anglican Theology between Lux Mundi and the Second World War, 1889-1939 (1960) is a work of historical theology.

Historiographer of the Episcopal Church

The General Convention of 1838 established this office. The historiographer collects documents related to the Episcopal Church and sees that they are transmitted to the Archives of the Church in Austin, Texas. The historiographers of the church have included Samuel Farmar Jarvis (1838-1851), Francis Lister Hawks (?-1866), William Stevens Perry (1868-1898), Samuel Hart (1898-1917), Edward […]

Historiography

Discipline which deals with the methods of writing history and with the techniques of historical investigation. Historiography seeks to reconstruct an accurate record of human activities and to achieve a deeper understanding of them. Until the nineteenth century, the interpretation of human life as a whole was more properly the function of the theologian, the […]

2647 records

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.