G^NEBRARD
412
GENERATION
MacEvilly, etc. Danko, Historia revelationis divirue Novi
Testamenti (Vienna, 1S67), 180-192, gives all the principal
publications on the question up to 1865.
A. J. Maas.
6€nebrard, Gilbert, a learned Benedictine exe- gete and Orientalist, b. 12 December, 1535, at Riom, in the department of Puy-de-D6me; d. 16 Feb., 1597, at Semur, department of Cote-d'Or. In his early youth he entered the Cluniac monastery of Mausae near Riom, later continued his studies at the monas- tery of Saint- Allyre in Clermont, and completed them at the College de Navarre in Paris, where he obtained the doctorate in theology in 1562. A year later he was appointed professor of Hebrew and exegesis at the College Royal and at the same time held the office of prior at Saint-Denis de La Chartre in Paris. He was one of the most learned professors at the university, and through his numerous and erudite exegetical works became famous throughout Europe. Among his scholars at the College Royal was St. Francis de Sales, who in his later life considered it an honour to have had G^nebrard as professor (Traits de I'Amour de Dieu, XI, 11). About 1578 he went to Rome, where he was honourably received by Sixtus V and stood in close relation to Allen, Baronius, Bosio, and other ecclesiastical celebrities. Upon his return, in 1588, he became one of the chief supporters of the Holy League in France. On 10 May, 1591, he was appointed Archbishop of Aix by Gregory XIII, but accepted this dignity only after the express command of the pope. He was consecrated by Archbishop Beaton of Glasgow on 10 April, 1592. As archbishop he remained a zealous leaguer, even after Henry IV became reconciled with the Church in July, 1593. The new king, however, became daily more popular and gained over to his side most of the Catholics. G^ne- brard saw that further opposition would be useless and, on 15 Nov., 1593, sent his submission to the king ("Revue des questions historiques ", Paris, 1866, I, 616, note). This, however, did not prevent the Pro- vengal Parliament from banishing him on 26 Sept., 1596. For a short time he stayed at Avignon, but, being allowed by the king to return, lie retired to the priory of Semur, which he held in commendam. G^nebrard translated many rabliinic writings into Latin; wrote one of the best commentaries on the Psalms: " Psalmi Davidis vulgata editione, calendario hebraio, syro, grseco, latino, hymnis, argumentis, et commentariis, etc. instruct!" (Paris, 1577); is the author of "De Sancta Trinitate" (Paris, 1569); "Joel Propheta cum chaldjea paraphrasi et commentariis", etc. (Paris, 1563); " Chronographiae libri IV" (Paris, 1580), and numerous other works. He also edited the works of Origan (Paris, 1574).
Desvoye, Etude histvriqite sur Gilbert Genebrard in Revue de Marseille et de Provence (August, 1885). 327-353, and sepa- rately; Critique on the preceding in Studien -und Mitthcilungen
0. S. B. und O. Cist. (Kaigem, 1886). VII, 484 sq.; Hurter, Nomenclalor (Innsbruck, 1907). Ill, 269-274; Gallia Christiana,
1. 334; ZiEGELBAUER, Hist. lit. O. S. B., Ill, 361-366; Heur- TEBizE in ViGOUROUx, Did. de la Bible, s. v.
Michael Ott.
General Chapter (Lat. mpitulum, a chapter). — The <laily a.s.sfinliling of a (.■(iMiiiiunity for purposes of discipline and administralioii uf monastic affairs has always included the reading of a chapter of the rule, and thus the assembly itself came to be called the chapter and the place of meeting the chapter-house. The qualifying word conventual, provincial, or general, explains the nature of the meeting, and a general chapter, therefore, is one composed of representatives of a whole order or congregation or other group of monasteries. Historically, general chapters, or the
§erm from which they developed, can be traced back to t. Benedict of Aniane in the beginning of the ninth century. Although his scheme of confederation did not outlive its originator, the idea was revived a cen- tury later at Cluny. The example of Cluny produced
imitators, and abbeys like Fleury, Dijon, Marmoutier,
St-Denis, CI use, Fulda, and Hirsau (or Ilirschau), be-
came centres of groups of monasteries in which a more
or less embryonic system of general chapters was intro-
duced. Later on,Citeaux, Camaldoli, Monte Vergine,
Savigny, and other reforms, elaborated the idea, which
resulted eventually in the congregational system in-
augurated by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, and
since that date it has been the almost invariable
custom of every order or congregation. The constitu-
tion, times of meeting, and powers of a general chap-
ter, however, vary so much in the different religious
orders that it is impossible to generalize on these
points. At Citeaux, for instance, the chapter met at
the mother-house every year, and was, in theory,
attended by all the abbots of the order. In other
orders the meeting of chapters was held every three or
four years, and this has remained the more general
usage till the present day. In those that are divided
into provinces, the provincial superiors, and some-
times some other officials as well, presided over by the
general, if there be one, form the chapter; in others,
the superiors of all the houses. Amongst Benedic-
tines, each congregation has its own separate chapter,
which is composed usually of the abbot and an elected
delegate from each monastery, with the president of
the congregation at their head. A general chapter
usually elects the general or president of the order or
congregation, sometimes appoints the various supe-
riors and other officials, settles matters of business and
discipline, hears appeals from its subjects, and in some
cases also has the right to draw up or sanction changes
in its constitutions. Subject of course to the Holy
See, it represents the highest authority in its own par-
ticular order or federation. For more detailed de-
scriptions as to the composition and powers of general
chapters, the separate articles on the various religious
orders must be consulted.
G. Cyprian Alston.
Generation (Lat. Vulgate, gencratio). — This word, of very varied meaning, corresponds to the two He- brew terms: dor, Idledoth. As a rendering of the lat- ter, the Vulgate plural form, generatio7ies, is treated in the article Genealogy. As a rendering of the former, the word generation is used in the following principal senses. (1) It designates a definite period of time, with a special reference, to the average length of man's life. It is in this sense, for example, that, during the long-lived patriarchal age, a "generation" is rated as a period of 100 years (Gen., xv, 10, compared with Gen., XV, 13, and Ex., xii, 40), and that, at a later date, it is represented as a period of only 30 to 40 years. (2) The word (jcneration is used to mean an indefinite period of time: of time past, as in Deut., xxxii, 7, where we read: "Remember the days of old, think upon every generation ", and inlsaias, Iviii, 12, etc.; of time future, as in Ps. xliv (Heb. xlv), 18, etc. (3) In a concrete sense, generation designates the men who lived in the same period of time, who were contem- poraries, as for instance in Gen., vi, 9: "Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations"; see also: Num., xxxii, 13; Deut., i, 35; Matt., xxiv, 34; etc. (4) Independently of the idea of time, generation is em- ployed to mean a race or class of men as characterized by the same recurring condition or quality. In this sense, the Bible speaks of a "just generation", liter- ally "generation of the just" [Ps. xiii (Heb., xiv), 6; etc.], a "perverse generation", equivalent to: "gen- eration of the wicked" [Deut., xxxii, 5; Mark, ix, 18 (Gr., verse 19); etc.]. (5) Lastly, in Is., xxxviii, 12, the word generation is used to designate a dwelling- place or habitation, probably from the circular form of the nomad tent. Whence it can be readily seen that, in its various principal acceptations, the word generation (usually in the Septuagint and in the Greek New Testament: yeved) preserves something of the
