Glossary of Terms
Rose, Lawrence
(Nov. 2, 1905-Oct. 17, 1987). Priest and educator. He was born in Monterey, Mexico, and received his B.A. from Harvard in 1923 and his S.T.B. from the General Theological Seminary […]
Rota
A rotating service schedule that identifies who will serve in a particular ministry (such as acolytes or lectors) at scheduled services throughout a given period.
Round (Musical)
See Canon (5).
Routley, Erik
(1917-1982). A British Reformed Church minister, composer, hymn writer, hymnal editor, and teacher. He was born in Brighton, Sussex, England, and educated at Lancing College and Mansfield College, Oxford. He […]
Rowson, Susanna Haswell
(c. 1762-Mar. 2, 1824). Novelist and educator. She was born in Portsmouth, England. When she was seven her family settled in Nantasket, Massachusetts. Her first novel, published in 1786, was […]
Ruach
See Episcopal Women's Caucus.
Rubric
A ceremonial or other direction given in the BCP, now typically printed in italics. Rubrics were printed in red in medieval service books. The term “rubric” is derived from the […]
Rule of Faith
A term designating a summary of orthodox faith (regula fidei) in the first Christian centuries. It was a confession of faith in the three divine Persons that included a confession […]
Rule of Life
1) A set of guidelines and commitments directing one's life. The rule usually includes set times of daily prayer and meditation, study (such as reading the Bible), and acts of […]
Rural Messenger, The
See Rural Workers' Fellowship.
Rusch, Paul. See KEEP
(Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project), American Committee for.
S.T.B.
T.B. (The Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree presupposes a first bachelor's degree and was designed to prepare persons for ministry in the church. It is no longer used.
S.T.D.
T.D. (The Doctor of Sacred Theology degree presupposes a first theological degree and is to equip persons for teaching and research in theological seminaries, colleges, and universities.
S.T.M.
T.M. (The Master of Sacred Theology degree presupposes the M. Div. degree and is an academic program stressing fuller mastery of resources in one of the theological disciplines.
Sabbatarian
A person who observes Saturday as the Sabbath, as in Judaism, some Puritan groups, and some sect groups in Christianity such as Seventh Day Adventists. It also means a person […]
Sabbath
The seventh day of the Jewish week, our Saturday. It was marked by a total prohibition of work (Ex 23:12). In Christian liturgical usage, Holy Saturday is called the Great […]
Sabbatical
This term comes from the word “sabbath,” and means seven or seventh. It means a period of rest and an intermission in labor. A sabbatical year is the seventh year. […]
Sabellianism
Trinitarian theology of Sabellius, a teacher in Rome before his condemnation by Pope Callistus (217-222). Sabellius believed that the Creator (Father) is not personally distinguished from the Redeemer (Son) or […]
Sacerdotal, Sacerdotalism
From the Latin sacerdos, “priest.” It means of or pertaining to the order of priests or the role, identity, or function of priests. A ministry reserved to the ordained priesthood […]
Sacramental Rites
The sacramental rites of the Episcopal Church include Confirmation, Ordination, Holy Matrimony, Reconciliation of a Penitent, and Unction (BCP, pp. 860-861). These rites are distinguished from the sacraments of Baptism […]
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.