INTERCESSION
72
INTERCESSION
the Divine vouchsafement, depart hence first, let our
love continue in the presence of the Lord, let not
prayer for our brethren and sisters cease in the pres-
ence of the mercy of the Father" (Ep. ivii, in P. L.,
IV, 35S). "To those who would fain stand, nei-
ther the guardianship of saints nor the defences of
angels are wanting " (St. Hilary, " In Ps. cxxiv ", n.
5, 6, in P. L., X, 682). "We then commemorate also
those who have fallen asleep before us, first, pa-
triarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, that God, by
their prayers and intercessions, may receive our peti-
tions" (St. Cyril of Jerus., "Cat. Myst.", v, n. 9) in
P. C!., XXXIII, 1166). "Remember me, ye heirs of
God, ye brethren of Christ, supplicate the Saviour
earnestly for me, that I may be freed through Christ
from him that fights against me day by day" (St.
Ephraem Syrus, " De Timore Anim.", in fin.). "Ye
victorious martyrs who endured torments gladly for
the sake of the God and Saviour; ye who have bold-
ness of speech towards the Lord Himself; ye saints,
intercede for us who arc timid and sinful men, full of
sloth, that the grace of Christ may come upon us, and
enlighten the hearts of all of us that so we may love
him" (St. Ephraem, " Encom. in Mart."). "Do thou,
[Ephraem] that art standing at the Divine altar, and
art ministering with angels to the life-giving and most
Holy Trinity, bear us all in remembrance, petitioning
for us the remission of sins, anfl the fruition of an ever-
lasting kingdom " (St. Gregorv of Nyssa, " De vita
Ephraemi", in fin., P. G., XLVI, 850). "Mayest
thou [Cyprian] look down from above propitiously
upon us, and guide our word and life; and shepherd
[or shepherd with me] this sacred flock . . . gladden-
ing us with a more perfect and clear illumination of
the Holy Trinity, before Which thou standest" (St.
Gregory of Naz., Orat. xvii — according to others,
xxiv— "De S. Cypr.", P. G., XXXV, 119.3). In
like manner does Gregory pray to St. Athanasius
(Orat. xxi, " In laud. S. Athan.", P. G., XXXV,
1128). "O holy choir! O sacred band! O unbroken
host of warriors! O common guardians of the human
race ! Ye gracious sharers of our cares ! Ye co-operators
inourprayer! Most powerful intercessors!" (St. Basil,
"Horn, in XL Mart.", P. G., XXXI, 524). "May
Peter, who wept so efficaciously for himself, weep for
us and turn towards us Christ's benignant counte-
nance" (St. Ambrose, "Hexaem.", V, xxv, n. 90, in
P. L., XIV, 242). St. Jerome has been quoted
above. St. John Chrysostom frequently speaks of
invocation and intercession in his homilies on the
saints, e. g. " When thou perceivest that God is chas-
tening thee, fly not to His enemies . . . but to His
friends, the martyrs, the saints, and those who were
pleasing to Him, and wlio have great power" (irapp-q-
alav, "boldness of speech" — Orat. VIII," Adv. Jud.",
n. 6, in P. G., XLVIII, 9.37). "He that wears the
purple, laying aside his pomp, stands begging of the
saints to l^e his patrons with God; and he that wears
the diadem begs the Tent-maker and the Fisherman
as patrons, even though they be dead " (" Hom.
xxvi, in II Ep. ad Cor.", n. 5, in P. G., LXI, 581).
"At the Lord's table we do not commemorate
martyrs in the same way that we do others who rest in
peace so as to pray for them, l)ut rather that they may
pray for us that we may follow in their footsteps " (St.
Augustine, "In Joann.", tr. Ixxxiv, in P. L., XXXIV,
1847).
Prayers to the saints occur in almost all the ancient liturgies. Thus in tlio Liturgy of St. Basil: "By the command of Tliinc niily-lKgottpn Son we communi- cate with the memory of Thy saints ... by whose prayers and supplications have mercy upon us all, and deliver us for the sak<! of Thy holy name which i,- in- voked upon \is". t'f. the Liturgy of Jerusalem, the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom, the Liturgy of Nestorius, the Coptic Liturgy of St. Cyril, etc. That these com- memorations are not later additions is manifest from
the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem: "We then com-
memorate also those who have fallen asleep before us,
first, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, that God
by their pravers and intercessions may receive our
petitions" ("Cat. Myst.", v, in P. G., XXXIII,
1113). (See Renaudot, "Liturgiarum Orientalium
Collectio", Paris, 1716.)
We readily admit that the doctrine of the interces- sion of the saints is a development from the teaching of Scripture and that the practice is open to abuse. But if the carefully-wordeil and wholesome decrees of the Council of Trent lie adhered to, there is nothing in the doctrine or practice which deserves the condemna- tion expressed in Article xxii of the Anglican religion. Indeed the High Church .Vnglicans contend that it is not the invocation of saints that is here rejected, but only the " Romish doctrine ", i. e. the excesses prevail- ing at the time and afterwards condemned by the Council of Trent. " In principle there is no question herein between us and any other portion of the Catho- lic Church. . . . Let not that most ancient custom, common to the LTniversal Church, as well Greek as Latin, of addressing Angels and Saints in the way we have said, be condemned as impious, or as vain and foolish" [Forbes, Bishop of Brechin (Anglican), "Of the Thirty-nine Articles", p. 422]. The re- formed Churches, as a body, reject the invocation of the saints. Article xxi of the Augsburg Confession says: "Scripture does not teach us to invoke the Saints, or to ask for help from the Saints ; for it puts before us Christ as the one mediator, propitiatory, high-priest, and intercessor." In the " Apology of the Augsburg ('(infcssion" (ad art. xxi, sects. 3, 4), it is admitted that the angels pray for us, and the saints, too, "for the Church in general"; but this does not imply that they are to be invoked. The Calvinists, however, reject both intercession and invocation as an imposture and delusion of Satan, since thereby the right manner of praying is prevented, and the saints know nothing of us, and have no concern as to what passes on earth ("Gall. Confess.", art. xxiv; "Re- monst. Conf.", c. xvi, sect. 3).
Denzinger, Enchiridion (lOtli ed., Freiburg im Br., 1908). J1.0S4: Catechism of the Council of Trent. tT. Donovan (Dublin, 1867); St. Thomas, II-II. Q. lxx.xiii, a. 4; and Suppl.. Q. Lxxii. a. 2; SuAREZ, De Incarnatione (Venice, 1740-51). disp. Iii;PETA- vins, De Incarnatione (Bar-lc-DuQ, 1864-70), XV, c. v. vi: Bellarmine, De Controversiis Christianoe Fidei, II (Paris. 1608), Controv. quarta, I, xv sqq.; Waterworth, Faith of Catholics, III (New York, 1885); Milner, End of Rdigioun Controversy, ed. Rivi.ngton (London, 1896); G1BBON.S, Faith of our Fathers (Baltimore. 1890). xiii, xiv; Mohler, Symbolism tr. Robertson, II (London, 1847), 140 sqq.
T. B. SCANNELL.
Intercession, Episcopal, the right to intercede for criminals, which was granted by the secular power to the bishops of the Early Church. This right origi- nated rather in the great respect in which the episcopal dignity was held in the early centuries of Christian- ity, than in any definite enactment. Reference to its existence is made in the seventh canon of the Council of Sardica about 344 (Mansi, "Collectio Amplissima Conciliorum", III. It is also mentioned by St. Au- gustine (Epp. cxxxiii and cxxxix, in Migne, P. L., XXXIII, 509, 535), St. Jerome (Ep. In, in Migne, P. L., XXII, 527-40), and by Socrates in his "Church His- tory" (V, xiv; VII, xvii). St. .\ugustine repeatedly interceded for criminals with M:ir('(l<)nius. who was then governor of .\frica (Epp. clii-fliii, in Migne, P. L., XXXIII, 652). Martin of Tours interceded with Emperor Maximus for the imprisoned rriscillianists in 384-5: and Bishop Flavian of .\iitiocli interceded with Emperor Theodo.sius I in 387 on behalf of the in- habitants of .•\ntioch, who had wantonly destroyed the imperial statues in that city. St. Ambrose in- duced Emperor Theodosius I to enact a law which for- bade the execution of tlic death penalty and the con- fiscation of property until thirty days after .sentence had been passed. It was the purpose of this law to
