Nicholas of Cusa: A Sketch for a Biography

Glossary

147 Glossary Abbess The superior in a community of nuns. Abbot The superior in a community of monks. Abbreviator an official in the papal curia who wrote out the bulls, letters, and decrees in their official form; so named because of the use of abbreviations to reduce the amount of writing. Benefice Refers to a source of income or the income itself assigned to a cleric of whatever rank, the revenue coming from a property (often land), parish church, an institution, endowment from an altar or chapel, or even from patronage. The principle was that the cleric received revenue (“temporalities”) in return for performing pastoral duties (“spiritualities ”). a cleric could hold multiple benefices. Brethren of the Common Life Geert de Groote (1340–1384), born in Deventer in the Netherlands, renounced his ecclesiastical career and with a stirring message of reform inspired great numbers, including a band of young men who gathered around him to form (ca. 1381) the first “Brethren of the common life.” communities of predominantly laymen and laywomen that grew from this took no vows, cultivated the spiritual life, promoted literature and education, and are known for having inspired the Modern Devotion (devotio moderna). This form of piety led to a second type of community, the Windesheim congregation. 148 Glossary Breviary a liturgical book (from latin brevis, “concise”) that contains the lessons , prayers, hymns, and Psalms for use in the office, i.e., the “hours” of worship throughout the day and night. Bull (Papal Bull, Bull of Submission, etc.) a letter containing a solemn pronouncement by the pope, the term derived from the latin bulla, or “leaden seal,” since the letters were traditionally sealed with lead. Canon in cusanus’s time a priest who belonged to the permanent staff of a cathedral or collegiate church, lived with others in the vicinity of the cathedral or church, often followed a rule, and was responsible for maintaining the building and liturgical services. see also Collegiate Chapter. Canon Law The body of regulations that governs the church. its main sources are the Bible, decrees of the councils, the Decretum of Gratian (ca. 1144) and papal declarations known as “decretals.” Canons Regular Those canons who live under a rule, especially the augustinian canons who follow the Rule of augustine. Collegiate Chapter “collegiate” refers to the “college,” or group of priests, that oversees worship in a particular church. Members are called “canons” and live together in a “chapter.” a cathedral chapter, as distinguished from a collegiate chapter, serves, as the name indicates, a cathedral. Concordat a formal agreement or treaty between the papacy and a temporal authority or state. 149 Glossary Congregation (Windesheim Congregation) a group of monasteries and/or convents affiliated with one another through choosing to follow the same rule, and by maintaining contact through, for example, an annual meeting of representatives from the cloisters. a cloister founded in Windesheim in 1387 initiated the congregation that in 1430 encompassed thirty-one cloisters in the Netherlands and Germany. Consistory in general, an ecclesiastical court, where, for example, a bishop administers justice for his diocese. in particular, it is the meeting of the pope and cardinals to receive ambassadors, install new cardinals, and conduct other business. Curia a group of ecclesiastical officials who assist in the governance of the church, ranging from the relatively simple diocesan curia to the larger patriarchal curias to the Roman curia, which assists the pope in governing the entire Roman catholic church. Deanery The office of a dean, one who has supervisory duties for a number of parishes grouped together in a prescribed, normally rural, area. The dean ranks close to the bishop. Decretals Papal letters enunciating ecclesiastical decisions with the force of law. after Gratian had collected canon law in his Decretum, around 1144, popes began to publish collections of these decretals, which, together with the decisions of the councils, are chief sources of the legislation of the church. Distich a couplet, or self-contained two-lined unit of verse. 150 Glossary Endowed altar an altar, as well as the clergy who attended to the prayers or masses at the altar and looked after its care, and even the building necessary to house the altar, all endowed by pious donations to maintain regular use of the altar for its designated purpose, such as prayers for the donor. Foundation an institution, typically a monastery, convent, or hospital, founded and/or supported by private endowment or donations...