Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/140

BISHOP. 118 BISHOP. his oversight. ( For the duties of the special vest- ments worn by Roman Catholic bishops, see Costume, Kcclesiastkal.) In case of the in- capacity tlirougli age or infirmity of a diocesan prelate, an assistant or coadjutor bisho]) is ap- pointed, who bears the title of some extinct see in partibiis inlidelium, it being contrary to an- cient usage to consecrate a bishop with a roving commission. See TiTrL.R Bisiioi'S. In the Greek Church the otlice of bishop is essentially the same, though the powers of the incinnbent are somewhat more restricted. Greek bishops are practically always chosen from the monastic orders, and generally from the archi- mandrites or abbots of those orders. The episcopal office in its essentials has prac- tically disapi)eared from the Protestant com- munities of the Continent of Europe, although the title has been retained in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. The bishops of the two former countries, while they are. from the ecclesiastical standpoint, no more than the superintendents of other Lutheran churches, have retained some of their ancient prerogatives, such as scats in Par- liament, and still use the mitre, pallium, and crosier. In Germany the title has occasionally appeared in modern times among the Protestant churches, having been conferred, for exauijile, by Frederick I. and Frederick William III. In no other Protestant country have the pre- rogatives and revenues and functions of bish- ops remained so little impaired as in England, where the Reformation was guided by the King's ovATi hands, and, being propagated from above downward, was effected in a very conservative spirit. Episcopacy was abolished by law under the Commonwealth; but at the Restoi-ation the bishops were also restored, being connected closely in the thought of the time Avith monarchy, on .James I.'s principle of "no bishop, no king." and have since retained their position in Church and State. The mode of election and confirma- tion is the same in the cases of bishops and arch- bishops, for each archbishop is also a diocesan prelate. They are elected by the chapter of each cathedral church by virtue of a license from the Crown; this is the theory, but actually the bish- ops of the Church of England are appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Prime Minister, since no chapter ventures to disregard the nomination which accompanies the ronqf dV-lire. In early Christendom the laity used to take part in the election: but from the tumults that arose, the different sovereigns of Europe took the appointment, in some degree, into their own hands by reserving to themselves the right of confirming these elections, and of granting in- vestiture to the temporalities which now began to be annexed to these dignities. This right was acknowledged as belonging to Charlemagne by Pope Adrian I., A. I). 77:!. and the Council of the Lateran. The right of appointing to bishoju'lcs is said to have been in the Crown of England even in Saxon times. But when, by length of time, the custom of electing by the dcrgj' only was fully established, the Popes l)egan to object to the usual method of granting these investi- tures, which was per anmihim rt bacuhtm — i.e. by the prince delivering to the prelate a ring and pastoral staff or crosier. In the Eleventh Cen- tury Pope Oregon- VTT. published a bull of ex- communication against all princes who should dare to confer investitures. There were long and eager contests occasioned by this Papal claim, but at length the matter was compromised, the Empe- ror Henry V. agreeing to confer investitures for the future per sceptniin, w'hile the kings of France and England consented to receive only the hom- age for the temporalities, instead of investing them by the ring and crosier, the Pope keeping in his hands the power of confirmation and con- secration. This concession was obtained from Henry 1. of England ; but King John, to obtain the Pope's protection against his barons, gave up, by a charter to all monasteries and cathedrals, the free right of electing their prelates. This grant was confirmed in Magna Charta. and was again confirmed by Statute 2.5 Edward 111. But by Statute 25 Henry VIII. the ancient right of nomi- nation was in effect restored to the Crown. The sovereign, on the vacancy being notified, sends to the dean and chajiter a letter missive, or cohj/c d'elire, containing the name of the i)erson to i)c elected: and if they do not elect in the manner appointed liy the act, or if the archbishop or bishop appointed for the purpose refiisc to con- lirm, invest, and consecrate the bishop-elect, the recusants incur the ))enalty of a pr<vm}(riireii..). A bishop cannot be deposerl, as it is supposed that the order itself cannot absolutely be taken from him ; he may, howe-er, be deprived, as was <lone to the Bishop of Cloglier in 1822; he may also resign his see; and he ma_y be removed from one see to another, which is called trauslalioii : but this practice is now less frequent than it used to be. The Dean and Cha]iter of Canterbury claim it as an ancient right of that church that every bishop of the province is to be consecrated in it, or the archbishop to receive from them a license to consecrate elsewhere: and it is said that a long succession of licenses to that purpose are regularly entered in the registry of that church. Bishops, upon their election, become jieers of the realm, and are summoned to Par- liament as well a.s the other nobles: but the right under which they sit there, whether in respect of their baronies, or by usage and custom, is a matter of uncertainty, it appears, however, that the bishops sat in the Witenagemote. un- der the Saxon moiiarchs, as spiritual jiersons; for they were not barons until William the Con- queror turned their possessions into baronies, and subjccti'd tln'm to tlu' tenure of knights' ser- vice. The bisluips created by Henry VII 1. — viz., Bristol, Gloucester, Chester, Oxford, and Peter- borough, as also some lat<>ly created bishojis — sit in Parliament, though they do not hold tlieir lands by baronial tenure. The bishops withdraw from the House (under protest, however) when any capital charge is to be decided. The bishops sit in Parliaioent next to the Archbishop of York: first, London; second, Durham; tliird, Winchester; an<l th<'n the rest in the order of the foinulation of their sees. In respect of their per- sons, bishops arc not peers with the nobilil_y; and in case of alleged crimes they are tried l)y a jury in the same manner as commoners, as was the case with Cranmer and Fisher. When a see is vacant, the arclibishop of the province is guar- dian of the spiritualities; but he cannot as such consecrate or ordain or present to vacant bene- fices. The sovcreigni has custody of the lay revenues during a vacancy. Queen I'^lizabcth kept the See of Ely vacant nineteen years. Including the two metrojxjlitans, there are thirty-five diocesan bishops in England, most of