A term applied to several persons whose offices are very different, as,
1. The rector of a parish is a clergyman that has the charge and care of a parish, and possesses all the tithes, &c.
2. The same name is also given to the chief elective officer in several foreign universities, and also to the head master of large schools.
3. Rector is also used in several convents, for the superior officer who governs the house. the Jesuits gave this name to the superiors of such of their houses as were either seminaries or colleges.
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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