By way of eminency, or holy orders, denote a character peculiar to ecclesiastics, whereby they are set apart for the ministry. This the Romanists make their sixth sacrament. In no reformed church are there more than three orders, viz. bishops, priests, and deacons. In the Romish church there are seven, exclusive of the episcopate; all which the council of Trent enjoins to be received and believed on pain of anathema. They are distinguished into petty or secular orders, and major or sacred orders. Orders, the petty or minor, are four, viz. those of door-keepers, exorcist, reader, and acolyth. Sacred, or major, are deacon, priest, and bishop.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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