CONSECRATION. 



which, from any thing that appears to the contrary, 

 was the only solemnity observed at their admission into 

 office. It is equally uncertain whether all these cere- 

 monies were repeated at the instalment of every new 

 high priest, or whether he was merely invested with 

 the pontifical habit. 



Of the manner in which the consecration of priests 

 among the ancient Greeks was conducted, we have no 

 precise information ; but Manilius and Prudentius have 

 described the ceremonies with which the inauguration of 

 particular pontiffs among the Romans was accompanied. 

 '•' According to the latter," says the learned author of 

 Indian Antiquities, " the Taurobolium, a ceremony in 

 which the high-priest of Cybele was consecrated, might 

 be called a baptism of blood. In this dreadful and 

 sanguinary ceremony, the high-priest, about to be inau- 

 gurated, was introduced into a dark excavated apart- 

 ment, adorned with a long silken robe and a crown of 

 gold. Above this apartment was a floor perforated in 

 a thousand places with holes like a sieve, through 

 which the blood of a sacred bull, slaughtered for the 

 purpose, descended in a copious torrent on the inclosed 

 priest, who received the purifying stream on every part 

 of his dress, rejoicing to bathe with the bloody shower 

 his hands, his cheeks, and even to bedew his lips and 

 his tongue with it. When all the blood had run from 

 the throat of the immolated bull, the carcase of the vic- 

 tim was removed, and the priest issued forth from the 

 cavity a spectacle ghastly and horrible, his head and 

 Vestments being covered with blood, and clotted drops 

 of it adhering to his Venerable beard. As soon as he 

 appeared before the assembled multitude, the air was 

 rent with congratulatory shouts;" and he was saluted by 

 their acclamations with the title of Pontifex. Maurice, 

 vol. ii. p. 196. 



By the Greeks, all dead persons were thought to be 

 under the jurisdiction of the infernal deities; and, 

 therefore, no man could resign his life till some of his 

 hairs were cut out, as an offering by which he was con- 

 secrated to them, and especially to Proserpine. They 

 were also consecrated by having peculiar honours con- 

 ferred on their memory, such as celebrating the anni- 

 versary of their death, erecting monuments, statues or 

 altars to them, according to the degree of virtue which 

 they were supposed to have attained, orthe eminentpub- 

 hc services which they had performed. Some were even 

 raised to the level of the gods; in which case their con- 

 secration was called SiasrewW; and the sacrifical worship 

 given them Bv<n», the same term that was used with re- 

 spect to the greatest of their deities. This latter cus- 

 tom prevailed also among the Romans. Thus Romu- 

 lus was worshipped as a God, under the name of Qui- 

 nnus And hence, afterwards, the solemn consecra- 

 tion (aa-oWjj) of the emperors by a decree of the se- 

 nate, when they were said to be ranked in the number of 

 the gods ; priests, and temples, and altars, on which sa- 

 crifices were offered, being assigned to them. The ves- 

 tal virgins, after having been chosen by lot, or selected 

 according to the pleasure of the high-priest, were con- 

 secrated, first by cutting off and burying their hair, 

 and then arraying tliem in long white robes bordered 

 with purple, and decorating then heads with fillets 

 and ribbons. 



In the ancient Christian church, to the canonical 

 consecration, or ordination of a Bis/top, it was required 

 that at least three bishops should be present, two of 

 whom held the book of the Gospels over his head, and 

 whilst one pronounced the blessing, or consecration 

 prayer, the others solemnly laid their hands on his 



175 



head. He was then Conducted by his brethren to his 

 chair or throne, and having placed him in it, they salu- 

 ted him with a holy kiss. Presbyters were consecra- 

 ted kneeling at the altar, with prayer, imposition of 

 hands, and consignation, or the sign of the cross on the 

 head. In the consecration of deacons, the whole ser- 

 vice consisted of a prayer by the officiating minister, 

 that God would endow them with suitable gifts, and 

 enable them faithfully to discharge the duties of their 

 office. But imposition of hands, as well as prayer, 

 seems to have been observed in the consecration of dea- 

 connesses, so early as the time of Cyprian and Tertul- 

 lian ; and consequently long before the establishment 

 of convents, we read of virgins dedicating themselves to 

 the service of religion, by vowing to lead a single life. 

 If they kept their vow till they reached the °age of 

 40, before which their consecration was not reputed va- 

 lid, they expressed to the bishop their wish of being 

 consecrated, and having gone to the church, and pub- 

 licly professed their resolution in the presence of the 

 congregation, the bishop, or presbyter at the altar, put 

 on them a particular kind of veil, and a mitre of purple 

 and gold, by which they might be distinguished from 

 all other females. In later ages, when superstition 

 increased, other ceremonies were added, and the taking 

 of (he veil was the signal of at least the external relin- 

 quishment of every secular concern, and of subjection 

 to a life of rigid seclusion from society. 



Under the head of the consecration of persons, we 

 may notice, lastly, that of the Pope. This name was gi- 

 ven to the ceremony observed at the instalment of every 

 new pontiff, and was conducted in the following man- 

 ner, till the pontificate of Gregory X. when the present 

 usage of the conclave of cardinals was introduced. Three 

 days after the funeral of the former pope, the cardinals 

 assembled in the Lateran church, and having invoked 

 the Holy Spirit, and celebrated mass, proceeded to elect 

 a successor to him. The election being made, the first 

 cardinal deacon invested the Pope elect in his pontifical 

 habits, and announced the new name which he chase to 

 assume. He was then conducted to the altar, where he 

 prostrated himself, while the cardinals sung the TeDemn. 

 They next seated him in a marble chair behind the al- 

 tar, where the cardinals, bishops, and others were ad- 

 mitted to kiss his feet, and to receive the kiss of peace. 

 After being led to another chair, called the stercorary, 

 and seated in it, the choir sung Psal. cxiii. 7, 8, adding 

 this clause, " and that he may possess the throne of his 

 glory ;" on the conclusion of which the chamberlain 

 put into his hands three derniers, which he threw to the 

 people, saying, silver and gold I have none for my plea- 

 sure, but what I have I give you. He then went into 

 the portico, where he was hailed with shouts of accla- 

 mation, and his election declared. After this he walk- 

 ed in procession to the basilic of St Sylvester, and there 

 being seated in a chair of porphyry, he received from 

 the prior of that church, the pontifical ferula and keys ; 

 carrying which, he again placed himself in another chair, 

 and then returned these insignia of power to the priors, 

 who girt him with a girdle of red silk, and gave him a sil- 

 ken purse of the same colour, in which were twelve pre- 

 cious stones, and a small piece of musk. In this chair 

 he received and returned the salutations of the ministers 

 of the palace, and cast among the people three several 

 times some silver coin, saying, " He hath dispersed, he 

 hath given to the poor, his righteousness endureth for 

 ever." On the following Sunday, attended by all the 

 orders of the sacred palace, and the principal people of 

 the city, he went to the church of the Vatican, and was 



Consec 



tioii. 



