Glossary of Terms

Pentecost (Season)

The season after Pentecost, according to the calendar of the church year (BCP, p. 32). It begins on the Monday following Pentecost, and continues through most of the summer and autumn. It may include as many as twenty-eight Sundays, depending on the date of Easter. This includes Trinity Sunday which is the First Sunday after […]

Pentecostalism

The term refers to a wide variety of churches and movements that claim to re-experience the spiritual gifts associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, most notably the gift of tongues (see Acts 2:1-11). The experience is usually referred to as “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Although instances of these gifts recur […]

Per Saltum (Ordination)

See Direct Ordination.

Perichoresis

This term means interpenetration and mutual indwelling of the three Persons of the Trinity. This understanding maintains the distinction and unity of the divine Persons. It avoids the trinitarian heresies of modalism and tritheism. See Trinity.

Pericope

This Greek word used by scripture scholars refers to a certain portion of a text. The word literally means “cut around.” A pericope is a section of text that, if removed from the writing, could be recognized as a tradition that could stand on its own. It may have circulated orally before it was included […]

Perkins, Frances

(Apr. 10, 1880-May 14, 1965). First woman cabinet member in the United States. She was born Fannie Coralie Perkins in Boston, Massachusetts. She received her B.A. at Mount Holyoke College in 1902. While a student at Mount Holyoke College, Perkins heard a speaker vividly describe the nation's growing urban and industrial problems. She was deeply […]

Perpetua and her Companions

(d. c. 202). Catechumen and martyr. Perpetua and her companions Felicitas, Revocatus, Saturninus, Secundulus, and Saturus were Christians imprisoned in Carthage under Emperor Septimius Severus. All of them may have been catechumens. Some accounts indicate that Saturus was their catechist or a priest. Felicitas and Revocatus were slaves. Perpetua was a young woman, about twenty-two, […]

Perquisite, Perquisites

Payment or benefits in addition to a regular salary. They are known informally as “perks.” The term may be applied to benefits in the compensation package for a member of the clergy or other paid members of the church staff, including provided housing or a housing allowance, life and health insurance, retirement benefits, travel or […]

Perry, James DeWolf

(Oct. 3, 1871-Mar. 20, 1947). Eighteenth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Perry received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1891 and then received another B.A. from Harvard University in 1892. He received his B.D. from the Episcopal Theological School in 1895. Perry was ordained deacon on […]

Perry, William Stevens

(Jan. 22, 1832-May 13, 1898). Bishop and church historian. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Perry graduated from Harvard College in 1854 and then studied for a while at the Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained deacon on Mar. 29, 1857, and priest on Apr. 7, 1858. From 1858 until 1861 Perry was rector […]

Personal Profile

See CDO Personal Profile.

Peter, Saint

(d. c. 64). Apostle and leader of the early church. He was first named Simon, but Jesus named him Cephas, or Peter, which means “rock.” He was also known as Simon Peter. Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus invited them to follow him and fish for people (Mt […]

Peters, John Punnet

(Dec. 16, 1852-Nov. 10, 1921). Leading biblical and archeological scholar. He was born in New York City. He received his B.A. from Yale in 1873 and his Ph.D. from Yale in 1876. He was ordained deacon on Nov. 24, 1876, and priest on Dec. 23, 1878. From 1876 to 1879 he was a tutor at […]

Petition

The form of prayer in which one asks God for divine grace or assistance. Petition addresses God as divine Providence who lovingly watches over the needs of human creatures. It is an elementary form of prayer, but it should not be discouraged as long as it is not prompted by selfish motives. It expresses the […]

Pettigrew, Charles

(Mar. 20, 1744-Apr. 8, 1807). First priest elected to serve as Bishop of North Carolina and a leading eighteenth-century evangelical. He was born near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Pettigrew moved to Virginia and then in 1760 to North Carolina. Around 1773 he joined the Church of England. He became a lay reader at St. Paul's Church, Edenton, […]

Pew

A long bench, typically with a back, for congregational seating in church. Seats were not provided for the congregation in the early church, and this practice continues today in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The use of pews in the naves of churches has been dated from the thirteenth century. Some pews have been elaborately carved, […]

Pew Rents

The renting of pews was the primary way that churches in many denominations collected funds prior to the twentieth century. Most of the time families were seated in separate pews. The closer a family sat to the altar or pulpit, the higher its social or economic position. See Free Pew.

Ph D.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree. A Ph.D. in theology does not necessarily presuppose a first theological degree and is to equip persons for teaching and research in theological seminaries, colleges, and universities.

Philadelphia Divinity School

This school was founded in 1857 by Bishop Alonzo Potter of Pennsylvania. On June 6, 1974, it merged with the Episcopal Theological School at Cambridge, Massachusetts, to create the Episcopal Divinity School.

Philadelphia Eleven, The

The eleven women who were ordained priests at the Church of the Advocate, Philadelphia, on the feast of St. Mary and St. Martha, July 29, 1974, two years before General Convention authorized the ordination of women. The women ordained were Merrill Bittner, Alla Bozarth-Campbell, Alison Cheek, Emily Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Suzanne Hiatt, Marie Moorefield, Jeanette […]

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms