Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/184

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EPISC0PIT7S. 158 EPISTLE SIDE OF THE ALTAR. minians or Rem.. I a conference to be he! "' Hague between six m i, liscopius was one f t ne 3 f of Arminian- ism, and highly distinguished himself by his good rig. I)i Iiil2 the cura-

'niversit; n appointed him

in the place ol Gomarus, who ha and; this enraged the lead- ers ,,i [.arty, who unscrupulously Socinianism. In 1(518- li> was held f Dort (q.v.). Episeopius was ng with several other Arminians; but ilvinists, who happened to be in an over- whelming majority, would not allow him to .- expelled from the Church and led from the country. Episeopius betook himself first to Antwerp, and afterwards to Rouen and Paris, but in ll>2li returned to Rotter- dam. In 1634 he was made professor of divinity in the newly established seminary of the Remon- strants in Amsterdam. His works were published in Amsterdam 1650-05. The chief are the Con- Remonstrantium (1621) and the Apologia pro Confessione (1629). Consult Calder, Mem- oirs of Simon Episeopius (London, 1838). See GOMABUS : Ap.MlMfS. EPISTATES, e-pis'ta-tez ( l.at.. from Gk. l-i- o-Tor^s. commander, president, from £(pi<rTa<r$ai, ephistasthai, to preside, from Art, epi, upon + urravat, histanai, to -land). In general, the title in ancient Greece of any officer in charge of certain functions, but in particular the title of the pre- siding officer of the two great Athenian councils, the Ecclesia and the Senate of Five Hundred. The Senate was divided into ten bodies, repre- senting the ten tribes, of fifty members each, and each body of fifty acted in turn as a committee t both councils for a period of from thirty-five to thirty nine days. The members of this com- mittee were called Prytanes, and every day there ' chosen from among their number a single member, called the Epistates of the Prytanes, or briefly the Epistates, to act as chief presiding fur t hat da J EP'ISTAX'IS I Xoo l.al.. corrupted from Gk. nose bleed, from brurr6-

  • *v, epistazein, to bleed at the nose, from »■-',

epi, upon i ara^etv, siazein, to drip). Hem- orrhage from the nose, a symptom of various conditions. It occur, in some people frequently aftei heavj work or exertion causing the hear! to iolently, or during paroxysms of coughing, as in wl ping-cough. II nia be a premonitory symptom of typhoid fever, or it may be a symp- tom of disease of the hear! or kidneys in which ilood-vessels air diseased, or during purpura or hemophilia. II is can -.i hi picking the nose, ma II ulcei at ion an produi ed. If it ol stop through spontaneous clotting in the oi aftei pre lire of the wing of the nos tril a septum, it ma I issary to physician look into the nostril, find the applj cotton or tannin or alum I he ndst ril must be I in front and b. hind in the throat. In i he Id. i,,d loses its l'la-t ici i ei nose bli ed may be EPISTEMOL'OGY Gk. brurrij/n i. g< in, ay). technical term, probably originated by Ferrier, and used in philosophy to designate that branch of inquiry which deals with the origin of our knowledge. Before we can arrange and classify scientifically the knowledge we have at- tained, it is necessary to have at least a theory to account for our possession of it, and hence to study closely the relations between the different parts of the 'human organism, or between body and mind. Epistemology is differentiated from psychology by its abstract nature, which neglects historical considerations of growth and develop ment. Accordingly it may be grouped with psy- chology and metaphysics or ontology as one of the subsidiary sciences which go to make up the broader philosophy. For a fuller discussion of .the manner in which our knowledge is attained, see Knowledge, Theory of. EPISTLE (AS. epistol, OF. epistle, epistre, Fr. epitre, Lat. epistola, from Gk. eirurroXy, epis- lole, letter, from iircariKea>, epistellein, to send, from ;'-/, epi, upon + ariea>, stellein, to send). Properly, a letter; used specially for a letter intended for publication, or which, having been published, belongs to literature. The twenty- one books of the New Testament immediatelj - fol- lowing the BOok of Acts are called the Epistles, having been originally letters or cast in epistolary form. The first thirteen, traditionally assigned to Saint Paul, used to be called 'the Apostle.' The two epistles to Timothy and that to Titus are called the pastoral Epistles because they treat of the duties of a pastor. The general or catholic Epistles are those of Peter, James, John, and Jude. For discussion of the authorship, date, and other questions connected with these books, see the individual articles. The lesson in the liturgy which precedes the gospel for the day is called the epistle, because generally taken from the New Testament Epistles; in the Middle Ages, because most of them were taken from Saint Paul, it was frequently called the 'apostle.' In the earlier ages it was custom- ary to read two lessons, one from the prophets and one from the Epistles, on feast days. In the mod- ern Roman missal many of the epistles are taken from the Old Testament : on a few days two les- sons are still read in this place, on Ember Satur- days six, of which the first five are from the ill.! Testament. Saint Jerome is said by the medi- aeval liturgical writers to have made the selection of the epistles and gospels at the request of Pope Damasus. The epistle was formerly read or sung from the ambo (q.v.) ; about the end of the Middle Ages it became customary to recite it fac- ing the altar. Being addressed to the faithful, it is read at. the south side of the altar, which in inediawal symbolism typifies the quarter of light. while the gospel, preached to the heathen, is read toward the north, the quarter of darkness and evil. Down to the eighth century the lector or reader was charged with the recitation of the epistle: then it was attributed to the suhdeacon, not al first as a function of bis office, but as a concession. EPISTLES, Sl'l KIOI S. See AlMH'HYI'HA. EPISTLE SIDE OF THE ALTAR. The left side of the altar or communion table, looking from it , at which in the Church service I he epistle ..f the day is read. It is of lesser distinction than the right or gospel side, and is occupied by the clergymen "I lower ecclesiastical rank. In early