Panis Benedictus (blessed bread), a portion of bread in the ancient African Church, which, being seasoned with salt, was given with milk and honey at baptism. SEE HONEY; SEE MILK. The expression in the patristic writings first occurs in Augustine's work on Baptism. It has given rise to a perplexing controversy respecting the sacrament of the catechumens (q.v.). Bonar, Basnage, and Bingham contend that the panits benedictus of Augustine was not the sacramental bread at all, but bread seasoned with salt; and that the baptism so administered was regarded by the early Christians as the emblem of purity and incorruption. The blessed bread of the Greek Church is the Antidoron (q.v.).
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