Benediction Of Abbots was formerly styled ordination. The second Council of Nicaea permitted abbots who had received the benediction to admit their own monks to the tonsure and to the four minor orders; but in after-ages they presumed so far as to extend the exercise of it to others than their own monks, so that the Council of Trent (sess. 23, can. 10) reduced it to its original terms. This benediction of abbots differs from ordination chiefly in two points: first, that it is done upon the request of the monastery, whereas ordination is conferred upon the demand of the Church ("Postulat Sancta Mater"); secondly, because it is not accompanied by any invocation of the Holy Spirit. SEE ABBOT.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More