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Page 125

 

125 RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA Hippolytus (Philosophumens, viii. 20) says expressly that the views of Encratites about God and Christ accorded with those of the Church. Clement of Alexandria states that Julius Casaianus, whom he calls the founder of the heresy of the Doceta> (see DOCETIBM) wrote " about continence or about eunuchism " and quotes three passages from this work of Encratitic content (Strum., iii. 13). En cratitic tendencies were no doubt shown also by the Gospel according to the Egyptians (see Apoo RYPAA, B, L, 8). Epiphanies devoted an entire section of his history of heresies (xlvii.) to the Encratites; he speaks of their dualism, says that they reckon the Acts of Andrew, John, Thomas, and other apocrypha among their Scriptures, and that they use water instead of wine at the Lord's Supper (like the Aquarii and Hydroparaetatae, qq.v.). Encratism is not confined to Christianity; Clement (Strum., i. 15) compares them with the Indian gymnosophista, and Hippolytus (Philoso Phumena, viii. 20) with the Cynics. The Nazi rite's vow and the usages of the Eseenes may also be brought into comparison, although no genetic connection can be shown. G. KitfYaEa.

Bisn:oasArar: A. Hilgenfeld. Aetzeroeschuhte des Urchristenluma, 1.eipeie, 1884; Nenndet, Christian Church, i. 456-4b8, 505; Schaff, Christian Church, ii. 495; DCB, ii. 118-120; and the literature under TaamotLrwx.

ENCYCLICAL LETTERS: Circular letters, which in the ancient Church were often sent by a church or council to the churches of a certain district. The name is now applied to letters of the pope, relating to the entire Church, sent to all his subordinate bishops.

Conception and Purpose (¢ i). Theological Science in the Primitive Church (1 2). In the Byzantine and Middle Ages (¢ 3). In Humanism and the Reformation (§ 4). Pietism and Rationalism Influential (¢ b). 8chleiermacher and his Influence (§ 8). Modern Problems (¢ 7). Development Outside Germany (¢ 8). In the Roman Catholic Church (§ 9). Theological Encyclopedia is the branch of learn ing which sets forth the order and contents of theo logical science. The word encyclopedia, in its technical sense, is derived from the philosophic realm of Alexandrine study, and back of that from Greek antiquity. Since the time of Aristotle enkyklios paideza meant the circle of education which, according to Quintilian (Iresli'tutiones, L, x. 101), included grammar, rhetoric, music, geometry, and astronomy. The idea which philosophy took up was appropriated by theology. The compounded expression as a single word occurs first in a dis course by the Jesuit Tarquin Gallucci (b. 1574) entitled De encycloPcealis compsrsrtda, (J. Lami, De erttditione alooatotorum, Florence, 1738, p. 215) and next in J. H. Alstedt's Curses philosophici encyclopcedia (Herborn, 1820), in which

r. Concep- Aletedt refers to the Encyclapadie of tion and Matthias Martin (1649) as his source. Purpose. The meaning of " Encyclopedia " in these cases is an orderly exposition of knowledge. The works just named were the forerunners of the great encyclopedic colleo.

tions which have set forth either the material of

science as a whole or that of individual sciences.

So that the word encyclopedia has become fully

naturalized. It was first applied to theology by

S. Mursinna in Primes liners ertcyclapcedice theo

Zogicte (Halls, 1784-94). The idea of a formal

encyclopedia of sciences was first put forward by

Hegel (EncyklagcYdie der philosoPhischen Wiseett

schaften, Heidelberg, 1827, J 16), who limited it

to the setting forth of the beginnings and the

fundamental conceptions of special sciences. So

theological encyclopedia sets forth the fundamental

conceptioue and methods of theological science.

In doing this it takes cognizance of the genius of

the Christian religion, of the causes which have

built up a theology, of the historical and system

atic relationship of the parts to the whole, and,

above all, of the relationship of the science to life

and of theology as the science of religion to the

Church which is held together by this religion.

Inasmuch as this science is always in s state of

flux-new materials always being added, new ques

tions arising-the best that can be done is to

describe it historically and in relation to the present.

The history of theological encyclopedia is not

to be separated from the history of teaching and

of the science. Christian theology grew out of the

proclamation of the Gospel according to the com

mand of Jesus (Matt. xxviii. 19-20). The com

munities of believers, instead of at

_. Theolog-'tempting to satisfy their religious

ical Science needs with cultic organizations or

in the wasting their energies in social per

Primitive formancea, sought through instruo

Church. tion an assured sad unified con

viction of the grounds of their faith

as members of the body of Jesus Christ. And just

se in the religion of the Old Testament priesthood

and prophecy strove together, and in Greco

Roman culture religion and philosophy, so in Chris

tianity revelation and philosophy were the two

factors out of which a developing theology drew its

materials. There was an inherent tendency to a

unification of all the elements which could serve

the nourishment of the soul and the support. of

Christian activities. Catecheties, systematic in

troduction into the Christian rites, were the motives

for the collection of the reports about the work of

Jesus and his relation to salvation (Luke i. 4; I

Cor. xiv. 19; Gal. vi. 6; Heb. vi. 1-2). Thus with

the development of the organization of the Church

grew up a literature of instruction. While direct

testimony to the existence of such a body of material

in the early Church is not immediately attainable, it

can not be doubted that in such centers of Chris

tianity as Alexandria, Antioch, and Conetanti

nople during the second century such technical

material existed. Indirect testimony to this is

found in the technical terms existing in patristic

works which have their roots and their analogies

in the terminology of rhetoric, philology, and phi

losophy. Instruction in the form of question and

answer is suggested by the Institttta reguldris

dim-ce tegis of Juniliue at Antioch, thv Sacra

parallels of John of Damascus, the Qumtioines

Amphilochica of Photius, and the Hupomntatikon