Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/684

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664: BISHOP the pope for deciding questions of faith. The guardian of discipline, lie makes statutes and ordinances which he judges necessary to the maintenance of it, dispenses with canons according to the canons themselves, judges the ofi'ences of ecclesiastics, and has power of suspension, excommunication, and absolution. There are Catholic bishops who have no dio- ceses, and who perform duties within limits as- signed by the holy see as vicars apostolic. They bear the title of bishops inpartibus infidelium, because they are assigned to sees which are in the possession of infidels, and are specially dele- gated to ecclesiastical duties elsewhere. These are considered successors of the bishops ex- pelled by Mohammedan conquests from their dioceses in the East, and are appointed by the pope as an expression of a perpetual hope and a protest with respect to those conquered gees. The Protestant movement introduced new conceptions of the church, and changed the form of church government. In the differ- ent branches of Protestantism there was sub- stituted for bishops either the presbytery or ecclesiastical autonomy, or the office of bishop was retained with diminished powers. Only in England and the Protestant Episcopal church of the United States has episcopacy been de- fended by Protestants as a divine institution. Other Protestants affirm its post-apostolic and therefore human origin. The functions of the Anglican bishops are confirmation, ordination of deacons and priests, consecration of other bishops, dedication or consecration of religious edifices and grounds, administration of the ef- fects of deceased persons till some one has proved a right of executorship, institution or collation to vacant churches in their diocese, superintendence of the conduct of the priests in the same, and power of suspension, depri- vation, deposition, degradation, and excommu- nication. Formerly they had also the right of adjudication in questions respecting matrimony and divorce; but in 1857 this episcopal juris- diction was abolished, and a matrimonial court, consisting of three civil judges, was established. They are peers of the realm and members of the house of lords. Some years ago the rev- enue of the different sees was reduced more nearly to an equality, the income of the arch- bishop of Canterbury being fixed at 15,000, that of the archbishop of York at 10,000, those of London, Durham, and Winchester at 8,000 each, and the others at from 5,500 to 4,500. The Anglican bishops are nominated by the crown, and then formally elected by the chap- ters. The ecclesiastical powers of bishops in the Protestant Episcopal church of America resemble those of the Anglican bishops, but they have no political functions. They are elected by the clerical and lay deputies of the vacant diocese assembled in convention, and before consecration are required to produce certifi- cates before the house of bishops and the house of clerical and lay deputies in general conven- tion. The rights of this office are so restricted in Germany that even Roman Catholic rulers have sometimes been made bishops in the Lu- theran church. In Prussia and Nassau this title is ordinarily given to the general superin- tendents of the Evangelical church. Attempts have been made without success to give this church an episcopal organization. The bishops of the Greek church are appointed by the archbishops, and must be selected from the monks, and are therefore always unmarried. They have much less authority than the Roman Catholic bishops. The bishopric is the district or diocese over which a bishop has spiritual jurisdiction. Of the Anglican church, there are in England (1873) 2 archbishops and 26 bishops; in Ireland, 2 archbishops and 10 bish- ops; in the colonies, 45 bishops; there are, be- sides these, in union with the church of Eng- land 6 missionary bishops, and the bishop of Jerusalem. In the Episcopal church of Scot- land there are 8 bishops. The Roman Catholic church in England has 1 archbishop and 14 bishops; in Ireland, 4 archbishops and 25 bishops. In the United States there are 36 bishoprics of the Protestant Episcopal church, and 37 of the Roman Catholic church. There are 10 bishops in the northern division of the Methodist Episcopal church, and 6 in the southern. In 1871 there were in the whole world 660 bishops of the Latin and G3 of Greek and oriental rites. (See AECHBISHOP.) BISHOP. I. Sir Henry Rowley, an English composer, born in London in 1780, died April 30, 1855. In 1806 he composed the music of a ballet entitled " Tamerlane and Bajazet," which was performed at the Italian opera house, and in 1808 that of " Caractacus," a pantomime ballet, at Drury Lane. At this theatre in the following year was successfully produced his first opera, "The Circassian Bride," but on the following evening (Feb. 24, 1809) the theatre was burned to the ground, and with it the score of the opera. Between that time and 1826 his dramatic engagements of all sorts were numerous, including (to use his own words) "operas, burlettas, melo- dramas, incidental music to Shakespeare's plays, patchings and adaptations of foreign operas, with glees, ballads, canzonets, and can- tatas." During this time he was director of music at Co vent Garden theatre, and among over 50 operas which he wrote, the most suc- cessful were " Guy Mannering," " The Maniac," "The Miller and his Men," "Maid Marion," "The Slave," " Clari," and "The Englishman in India." In 1826 his " Aladdin " was produced at Drury Lane, but was not successful. He adapted Rossini's " Barber of Seville," Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro," and some other operas, to the English stage. He was director of the concerts of ancient music for several years, also one of the first directors of the philhar- monic concerts, and composed some sacred pieces which were performed at different mu- sical festivals. He succeeded Sir John Steven- son as arranger of the music of Moore's " Irish