BEN
&8tnr 9 who were cloathed in white. Vid. Steph. Supp. to Dugd. Monaft. T. 2. p. 169, and 1S4.
The origin and hiftory of the benediStins^ are in a great mea- fure the origin and hiitory of regular monachifin, atleaftin the Weft. The religious before them, as of St Columban, St. Patrick, St. Bafi!, Eifc. not being ftricrly regulars. St. Benedict, founder of the order, made his iirft fettlcmcnt in a deiart, in the diocefe of Tibur, 40 miles from Rome ; where he hid himfelf in a fmall, low cave, formed by nature in a rock ; now called the holy grotto. But the fame of his fanciity drawing to him a great number of follower::, he creEled 12 monafteries, of 12 monks each, in his wilder- ness; one of which in 'after ages grew fo great, that it had 14 villages under its jurifdiction. From hence here moved to mount Caffin, where he ere&ed another monaftery ; from whence he fent his miffionaries, and propagated his or- der into other countries with great fuGceft : Into Sicily by St. Placidius, in 724; into France by St. Maur, in 543. The fame was brought into England in 596, by St. Auftin, after- wards archbifhop of Canterbury : the time of its introduction into Spain is contefted. Steph. Supp. to Dugd. Monaft. T. z. p. 1, feq
The henedi&inSi tho' but one order, are divided into feveral congregations, which have their peculiar cuftoms and obfer- vances, differentfrom the reft.
Each of thofe are fubdivided into provinces, which have their general chapters.
The Englifh congregation, which had fubfifted from the time of the minion of St. Auftin, was destroyed under Henry VIII. and by degrees reduced to one fingle man ; father Buckley, who in 1607, procured a re-eftablifhment of the con"rc"-a- tion, at Doway, in the Netherlands, where it frill fubfifts in a kind of dependency on that of St. Valladolid in Spain. Steph. he. p. J 69 and 18 1.
At the general chapters they choofe provincials, with their af- fiftants, for each of the provinces of Canterbury and York, who have juriJHt&ton over the miflionaries employed therein. They are governed by a prcfident-general, and three diffini- tors s chofen every three years.
At their admiffion they make a 4th vow, viz. that they will go to the minion in England, and return, when their fuperiors think fit.
Some fpeak of four congregations antiently in England j viz. Thofe of St. Auguftin, St. Benedict, St. Dunftan, and St. Lanfrac ; but thefe were not fo properly different con- gregations, as different ages, or ftates of this order under thofe different peifons, who were all eminent reformers of the order. Steph. 1. c. p. 169.
The antiquity of the Englifh benedtftins has been difputcd ; the general tradition dates it from St. Auguftin and pope Gre- gory, who are both fuppofed to have been of this order. F. Barnes, tho' a brother, wrote with zeal againft this opinion, afTerting that St. Auguftin, and the monks who came with him, were not of the benediStn, but an older order of St. E- quitius. He has been refuted with great force, chiefly by help of the MSS in the Cotton library by F. Clement Reynal, who feems to have proved, that from the reign of Ed^ar to the conqucft, there was no monaftery in England, but "what followed this rule. Nicbolf. Engl. Hift. Libr. P. 2. p. 146.
Benedictin nuns, are religious women who embrace the rule of St. Benedidl:. .
The origin of female lencdiRins is unknown ; fome will have them to have commenced in the time of St. Benedict, ground- ed chiefly on certain paffages in his life, which fpeak" of his, correfpondencies with women. Others, with more probabi- lity, make them of much later rife. F. Mabillon takes St. Scholaftica, about the year 620, for the mother of the bene- diRin nuns.
Their habit antiently was different, in different monafteries; of late it has been a black gown, with a fcapular of the fame, and a tunic of wool, white, or not dyed. Overall, on fo- lemn occafions, and in the choir, a black cowl like that of the monks. Steph. Suppl. to Dugd. T. 2. p. 168.
BENEDICTION, in a general fenfe, the ad of blefting, or giving praife to God, or returning thanks for his favours. Hence alfo benediction is ft ill applied to the aft of faying o-race, before or after meals.
Neither the antient Jews, nor Chriftians, ever eat without a fliort prayer. Diet. Trev. T. 1. p. 983. See alfo Fabric. Bibl. Ant. c. ig. §. 9. p. 573.
The Jews are obliged to rehearfe an hundred benedictions per day; of which, eighty are to be fpoken in the morning. Vi- trtng. de Synagog. vet. 1. 3. p. 1033. Wolf. Bibl. Hxbr. T. 2. 1. 8. p. 1467.
The firft treatife of the firft order in the Talmud, entitled feraim, contains the form and order of the daily benedictions. Wolf. 1. c. T. 2. p. 704, and T. 3. p. 1 194. It was ufual to give benediction to travellers on their taking leave ; a practice which is ftill preferved among the monks. Mem. Acad. Infer. T. 2. p. 23.
Benedictions were likewife given among the antient Jews, as well as Chriftians, by impofition of hands. And when at
Ben
length the primitive funplicity of the Chriftian wbrttup beMtfl to give way to ceremony, they adued the flgn of the croft; which was made with the fame hand, as before only elevated or extended DuCdnge, T. i. p. 523. SchmL L ex. in vac. ' Hence benediaim, in the modern Romift church, is ufed in a. more particular manner, to denote the fignofthe crefs made by a biihop, or prelate, as conferring fome graceon the people. The cuftom of receiving CatediBim, by bowing the head before the bifhops, is very ancient, and was fo univerfal, that emperors themfcives did hot decline this mark of fubmiflion. Theod. Hift. Ecclef. 1.4. c. 5. Bvagr. 1. 4. c. 34. ap. Bingh. Orig. Ecclef. 1. 2. c. 9. §. 1,
Camerarius has given a collcflion of the feveral forms of bene- diction mentioned in fcripture. Fabric. Bibl. Grax. 1.6. e.g. p. 496.
Rabbi Nehemiah Baruch, in 1688, publiflled a difcourfe on the manner wherein the facerdotal benediction is to be pro- nounced. In the fynagogue of Ferrara it is rather funo than fpoken. Waif. Bibl. Hcbr. T. 3. p. 827. See alfo Fabric. Bibl. Ant. c.n. §. 14. p. 370.
Benediction is alfo ufed for a prefent made to a prieft, of fometbing firft fanitified by a fort of bmidiU'w. Du Gauge, T. 1. p. ' .
In this fenfe, bmediclions amount to the fame with what are otherwife called euiogia.
Under the name benediction, the Hebrews alfo frequently un- derstand the prefents which friends make to one another, in all probability becanfe they are generally attended with blcf- fings and compliments, both from thofe who give, and thofe who receive them. Camel, Dift. Bibl. in voc.
Benedictions are alfo ufed to denote an extraordinary fort of repafts given to monks on certain folemn days, called alfo cari- tatcs. Du Cange, T. 1. p. 52S.
Nuptial Benediction, the external ceremony performed by the prieft in the office of matrimony. Hartung. Exerc. Jur. Civ. 6. p. ;l. 1'faff. Inft. Iheol. app . p. 743. This^is alfo called facerdotal, and matrimonial benediction, by the Greeks fcpoiwjia and itfslrto-ii. Arid. Lex. Ant. p. 655. The nuptial bmediHion is not eflential to, but the confir- mation of a marriage in the civil law. Ca,v. Lex Jur. p 114.
Bcatic Benediction, bemdictio beatica, is the viaticum given to dying perfons.
The pope begins all his hulls with this form. Saiutern & apo- Jiolicam bmediStionem'. Diet. Trev. p. 975.
Regular Benediction, that conferred by abbots on their monks, or by a fenior monk on a junior.
Benedictions frivari, to be deprived of benediction, was a kind of punifhment infliefed on monks, whereby when the reft received the abbot's bleffing, the offenders were difmiffed without it. Schmid. Lex. Ecclef. p. 92.
Benediction is alfo ufed for an eccleiiaftical ceremony, where- by a thing is rendred facred, or venerable. In this fenfe benediction differs from confecration, as in the latter unction is applied, which is not in the former: Thus the chalice is confecratcd, and the pix blcifed, as the former, not the latter, is anointed : Tho' in the common ufage thefe two words are applied promifcuoufly.
The fpirit of piety, or rather of fuperftition, has introduced into the Romilh church benedictions for almoft every thing. — We read of forms of benediction for wax-candles, for boughs, for allies, for church-veffels, and ornaments ; for Hags or en- ligns, arms, firft fruits, houfes, fhips, pafcal eggs, cilicium,' or the hair-cloth of penitents, church-yards, Z$c. Amd. Lex. Ecclef. p. Si 6.
In general thefe benedictions are performed by afperfions of holy water, figns of the crofs, and prayers fuitable to the na- ture of the ceremony.
'I he forms of thele benedictions are found in the Roman pontifical, in the Roman miffal, in the book of ecclefiaftical ceremonies, printed in pope Leo the 1 cth's time, and in the rituals and ceremonies of the different churches, which are found collected in father Martcne's work, on the rites and difcipline of the church.
Benediction of judgment, bencdiclio judiciorum, denotes the office or ceremonies preparatory to the canonical purgations. Du Gauge, Gioff Lat. T. 1 . p. 5 24,
Benediction of arms was a fort of public confecration of the weapons, and enfigns, before the entring on a war, by a formula of words, and ceremonies appointed for that purpofe. Aquin. Lex Mil. T. 1. p, 126. b.
BENEDICTIONALIS liber, an antient church book, con- taining the forms of the divers forts of benedictions given by bilhops, priefts, &c. Du Gauge, T. I. p. 52U. SchmiJ. Lex. Ecclef. p. 91.
Such was the benediclionalis liber of Gregory the great, de- fcribed by Lambecius.
BENEDICTUM, an epithet formerly given to lenient, or gently operating medicines ; more efpecially rhubarb. Cj/l. Lex Med. p. IC2.
In this fenfe we find in fome difpenfatory writers, bmediBim
laxativum, ufed for lenitive electuary. Tho' in others, bene-
dicla laxativa, or the blefled laxative, denotes another eafy
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