titious externals of Christianity, rather than in its intrinsic spiritual and immutable excellences.
In the Jacobite communion the ministerial orders, beginning with the lowest, are as follow:—
1. The janitor, acolyte, and exorcist. These are conferred, without imposition of hands, by a simple commission of the bishop; and to them maybe added the rab-baitho da-idtho, or steward of the church, and the meshamshonitho, or deaconess.
2. The mazmorono, or singer; the koruyo, reader; phelguth-mashamshono, the half-deacon; mashamshono, the deacon; and rish-mashamshonee, "head of the deacons," or archdeacon.
3. Kashisho or koheno, the presbyter or priest, the chorepiscopus, and the periodeutes, or visitor.
4. The bishop; metropolitan, maphrian; and abo darishonee, "father of the chiefs," or patriarch.
Those in the third class are by the same ordination; the same is true of the higher dignitaries of the fourth, with the addition of a few circumstantials.
In the ordination of a bishop, the person elected reads a confession of faith in the presence of the patriarch and of two or three bishops, who perform the entire ceremony, no priest or deacon assisting. A portion of the gospel is read upon the head of the elect, after which is the investiture with the episcopal habits, namely, ܡܰܨܝܰܧܬܳܐ matsyaphtho, the robe, or vestment, of wrought linen, the ܟܽܘܟܽܠܘܢܳܐ black hood, ܦܰܝܢܳܐ phaino, the mantle, and ܐܽܘܪܳܪܳܐ urroro, the stole or pallium. The Maronite bishops wore formerly the ring, the cross on the breast, and the mitre; but these latter decorations have never been in use among the Jacobites. The imposition of hands then takes place, preceded by a thanksgiving from one of the bishops, and followed by
h 2
