PRECENTOR
372
PRECIOUS
1869-95), 376: Santi, Pralectiones juris canonici, I (Ratisbon,
1898), 378-80: Chassaneus, Calologus gloria mundi, excellentias
et praeminentias omnium fere statuum corUinens (Paris. 1527) ;
Crosids, De praeminen^ia. sessione^ prcecedentia (Bremen. 1665) :
Baaht. Legal Formulary (New York, 1898); Tadnton, The Law
of the Church (London, 1906).
A. Van Hove.
Precentor (L. PrcecenioT, from prw, he! ore-cantor, singer), a word describing sometimes an ecclesiastical dignitary, sometimes an administrative or ceremonial officer. Anciently, the precentor had various duties: he was the first or leading chanter, who on Sundays and greater feasts intoned certain ant iphons.psalms, hymns, responsories etc.; gave the pitch or tone to the bishop and dean at Mass (the succentor performing a similar office to the canons and clerks); recruited and taught the choir, directed its rehearsals and supervised its official functions; interpreted the rubrics and exjjlained the ceremonies, ordered in a general way the Di\dne Office and sometimes composed desired hjTnns, se- quences, and lessons of saints. He was variously styled capiscol (caput scholw, head of the choir-school), prior scholw, magister scholce, and primicerius (a word of widely different implications). Victor of St. Hugo tells us that in the care of the primicerius were placed the acolytes, exorcists, lectors, and psalmists (chant- ers). In the Middle Ages the principal dignitaries of cathedrals, collegiate chapters, and monastic orders, imitated the example of St . Gregory the Great in acting as directors of chant-schools. The schola was always in attendance when the bishop officiated in his cathe- dral, and to the precentor was assigned a place near the bishop and high in dignity. His office was ob- viouslj' one demanding much learning and executive abihty, and his dignity corresponded with his duties.
In the cathedrals of England, France, Spain, and Ger- many, he ranked sometimes next to the dean, some- times next, to the archdeacon. In some instances his sphere of acti\'ity was much broader, including the duty of installing deans, canons, and other dignitaries; and in some monasteries, the duties of librarian and registrar. But from the fourteenth centurj- his title and dignity were largely handed over to incumbents whose musical knowledge did not fit them for the duties to which the name of precentor owed its origin; the dignities remained, but the duties became ob- scured. "In France, some chapters retain traces of the dignity of Precentor, and one may see sometimes an archdeacon, sometimes a titular or honorarj' canon, carrying the baton cantoral, the insignia of his office" (Migne, "Diet, de Droit Canon", s. v. Chantre). This "baton cantoral" is a sUver or white staff. "In the dioceses of Aix, Carcassorme, Coutances, Dijon, Metz, Orleans, the dignity of Precentor is still the highest in the chapter. . . . Some chapters have sub-chant- ers, those of .\rras being among the honorary resident canons" (Migne, "Diet, de Jurisprudence", s. v. Grand Chantre, where also the quoted statutes of the Bishop of Dijon may serve to illustrate the modern idea of the office of precentor: "The Pri^centeur or Grand Chantre is the head of the choir and . . . brings the antiphon to the bishop when officiating pontifically. Sacristans, chanters, choir-boys, and employfe of the Cathedral are placed imder his sur- veillance. He will also ])reserve order and silence in the sacristy"). In the .Vnglican Church the precentor directs the choir, his stall in the cathedral correspond- ing with that of the dean.
Cl-BWEN, Studies in Worship Music (London. 1888), 141-8, 170-2. gives interestinK details of the duties of precentor in the Scotch Presb.vterian Churclies; for Praecentrix, Prsecentorissa, etc., see Du Can'oe. Glossarium, a. v. Pracentor; Venables in Diet. Christ. Antiq., a. v.
H. T. Henbt.
Precept (Lat. prccceptuin from prcecipere, to com- mand), CANONICAL, in its common acceptation, is opposed to counsel, inasmuch as the former imposes an obligation, while the latter is a persuasion. In
ecclesiastical jurisprudence, the word precept is used:
(1) In opposition to law. — A law is always binding,
even after the death of the legislator, until it is re-
voked; a precept is obhgatory only during the life-
time or office of the precipient. A law directly affects
the territory of the legislator, and thence passes to the
subjects dweUing in it; a precept directly affects the
persons of the inferiors and is independent of locality.
Finally, a law is promulgated for a whole community,
present and future, while a precept is directed to indi-
viduals and ceases with them. (2) As a term in extra-
judicial processes. — When a grave fault has been com-
mitted by a cleric, it is the duty of the bishop, after
making an informal inquiry into the matter, to give
the dehnquent two successive monitions or warn-
ings. If he does not thereupon amend, the bishop
proceeds to the issuance of a canonical precept, as
directed by the Decree "Cum Magnopere" (1884).
The precept, under pain of nullity, must be in writing,
state plainly what is to be done or avoided by the
delinquent, and mention the specific punishment to be
inflicted if the precept go unheeded. The accused is
then cited before the chancellor of the episcopal court,
and the latter, in presence of the vicar-general or two
witnesses, ecclesiastical or lay, must serve the precept
upon him. An official record of this fact is then to be
drawn up and signed by all concerned, including the
delinquent if he so wishes. The witnesses may be
bound bj' oath to observe secrecy as to the proceed-
ings. If the accused contumaciously refuses to ap-
pear, the precept may be served upon him by a trust-
worthy person or sent by registered mail. If even
these measures are not possible, the precept may be
posted publicly as an intimation to the delinquent. If
he fails to amend after receiving the precept, a formal
trial may then be instituted.
Smith, Elements of Ecclesiastical Law, III (New York, 1888); Ferraris. Bibliotheca Canonica, V (Rome. 1S89), s. v. Lex, art. 1: Baart, Legal Formulary (N'ew York, 1898).
W'iLLi.\M H. W. Fanning.
Precepts of the Church. See Commandments
OF THE Church.
Precious Blood, the blood of our Divine Saviour.
Jesus, at the Last Supper, ascribes to it the same life- giving power that belongs to His flesh (see Eucha- rist). The Apostles, St. Peter (I Peter, i, 2, 19), St. John (I John, i, 7; Apoc. i, 5 etc.), and above all St. Paul (Rom., iii, 25; Eph., i, 7; Hebr., Lx, x) regard it as sjTionymous with Jesus's Passion and Death, the source of redemption. The Precious Blood is therefore a part of the Sacred Humanity and hj-postatically united to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. In the fifteenth centurj- some theologians, with a view of determining whether the blood shed by the Saviour during His Passion re- mained united to the Word or not, raised the point as to whether the Precious Blood is an essential part or only a concomitant of the Sacred Humanit)'. If an essential part, they argued, it could never be de- tached from the Word; if a concomitant only, it could. The Dominicans held the first view, and the Franciscans the second. Pius II, in whose presence the debate took place, rendered no doctrinal decision on the point at issue. However, chiefly since the Council of Trent (Sess. XIII, c. 3) called the body and blood of Jesus "partes Christi Domini", the trend of theological thought has been in favour of the Dominican teaching. Suarez and de Lugo look askance at the Franciscans' view, and Faber writes: "It is not merely a concomitant of the flesh, an in- separable accident of the body. The blood itself, as blood, was assumed directly by the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity" (Precious Blood, i). The blood shed during the triduum of the Passion was therefore reunited to the body of Christ at the Res- urrection, with the possible exception of a few par-
