FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153  
154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   >>   >|  
ancestral stem at an early period, before the existing forms of Diptera became so extremely specialized, it seems better to regard the fleas as constituting an independent order (see FLEA). (E. E. A.) DIPTERAL (Gr. for "double-winged"), the architectural term applied to those temples which have a double range of columns in the peristyle, as in the temple of Diana at Ephesus. DIPTYCH (Gr. [Greek: diptychos], two-folding), (1) A tablet made with a hinge to open and shut, used in the Roman empire for letters (especially love-letters), and official tokens of the commencement of a consul's, praetor's or aedile's term of office. The latter variety of diptych was inscribed with the magistrate's name and bore his portrait, and was issued to his friends and the public generally. They were made of boxwood or maple. More costly examples were in cedar, ivory (q.v.), silver or sometimes gold. They were often sent as New Year gifts. (2)In the primitive church when the worshippers brought their own offerings of bread and wine, from which were taken the Communion elements, the names of the contributors were recorded on diptychs and read aloud. To these names were early added those of deceased members of the community whom it was desired to commemorate. This custom rapidly developed into a kind of commemoration of saints and benefactors, living and dead; especially, in each church, were the names of those who had been its bishops recorded. The custom was maintained until the lists became so long that it was impossible to read them through, and the observance in this form had to be abandoned. The insertion of a name on the diptych, thereby securing the prayers of the church, was a privilege from which a person could be excluded on account of suspicion of heresy or by the intrigues of enemies. His name could, if written, be expunged under similar circumstances. The names thus written were read from the ambo, in which the diptych was kept. The reading of these names during the canon of the mass gave rise to the term _canonization_. By various councils it was ordained that the name of the pope should always be inserted in the diptych list. The addition of _dates_ resulted from the custom of recording baptisms and deaths; and thus the diptych developed into a calendar and formed the germ of the elaborate system of festologies, martyrologies and calendars which developed in the church. The diptych went by various nam
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153  
154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
diptych
 

church

 

custom

 
developed
 
recorded
 
letters
 

double

 

written

 

impossible

 

abandoned


insertion
 
observance
 

commemorate

 

rapidly

 

commemoration

 

desired

 

deceased

 

members

 

community

 

saints


benefactors
 

bishops

 

maintained

 
living
 

enemies

 
addition
 
resulted
 

recording

 

inserted

 

councils


ordained

 

baptisms

 
deaths
 
martyrologies
 

calendars

 
festologies
 

system

 

calendar

 

formed

 

elaborate


canonization

 

intrigues

 
heresy
 

suspicion

 
account
 
prayers
 

privilege

 

person

 
excluded
 

expunged