Elect a term sometimes applied in the ancient Church
(1) to the whole body of baptized Christians, who were called ἄγιοι, ἐκλεκτοί, saints, elect;
(2) to the highest class of catechumens elected to baptism;
(3) at other times to the newly baptized, as especially admitted to the full privileges of their profession, and sometimes called the perfect.
Ascetics, who at one time were considered the most eminent of Christian professors, were called the elect of the elect. — Bingham, Orig. Ecclesiastes book 10, chapter 2, § 5. SEE CATECHUMENS.
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