Glossary of Terms

Lord’s Day, The

Sunday, the day of Jesus Christ's resurrection, the first day of the week. The term was used in early Christian literature for the Christian observance of Sunday. Each Sunday was […]

Lord’s Prayer, The

This prayer of Jesus was given to his disciples as an example of how they should pray. The phrase “Lord's Prayer” is not used in the NT. The prayer is […]

Lord’s Table

The altar, also known as the holy table. The term “Lord's table” has been used by those seeking to emphasize the eucharist as a shared meal rather than a sacrifice. […]

Lorica (Celtic)

Prayer to be chanted while dressing or arming for battle. It is also known as a breastplate prayer. It is recited for protection while one prepares for physical or spiritual […]

Los Angeles, Diocese of

The General Convention of 1895 voted to divide the Diocese of California and establish a new diocese. The new diocese consisted of the following counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San […]

Louis IX, King of France

(Apr. 25, 1214-Aug. 25, 1270). The patron saint for the Third Order of St. Francis. Born in Poissy, Louis IX became King of France on Nov. 29, 1226, and ruled […]

Louisiana, Diocese of

The Diocese of Louisiana was organized on Apr. 28, 1838, at Christ Church, New Orleans. Philander Chase (1775-1852) organized Christ Church, New Orleans, after a group of Protestants in New […]

Louttit, Henry Irving

(Jan. 1, 1903-July 24, 1984). Bishop of South Florida and a key figure in the effort to try Bishop James A. Pike of California for heresy in the mid-1960s. He […]

Low Church

The term was apparently invented to describe churchmen whose principles were the opposite of “high church.” The term “low church” emerged in England in the early eighteenth century. During this […]

Low Mass

A simple celebration of the eucharist in which the celebrant was typically assisted by only one server. The entire liturgy was said, not sung. The priest typically read all the […]

Low Sunday

The Sunday after Easter, the Second Sunday of Easter. The term may reflect the somewhat less intense celebration of the day relative to the great feast of Easter on the […]

Low, Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon

(Oct. 31, 1860-Jan. 18, 1927). Founder of the Girl Scouts. She was born in Savannah, Georgia. Low was educated at Stuart Hall and Edge Hill in Virginia, and at the […]

Lower Criticism

This method of scriptural analysis, most often called text criticism, focuses on the Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic text of a particular portion of scripture. It works from the conclusion that […]

Lowrie, Walter

(Apr. 26, 1868-Aug. 12, 1959). Kierkegaardian theologian and translator. He was born in Philadelphia. Lowrie received his B.A. in 1890, and his M.A. in 1893, both from Princeton University. He […]

“Toryism” in the American colonies at the time of the American Revolution was virtually synonymous with “Loyalism.” The term described those who were critical of colonial resistance to British imperial […]

Loyalty Oath to the English Sovereign

Beginning in 1549, a person ordained in the Church of England was required to swear an Oath of Loyalty to the sovereign. In the liturgy for ordaining deacons, the ordinand […]

Lucernaria, Lucernarium

Lucernarium is the singular form and Lucernaria the plural of the Latin word for “light.” In the BOS and The Hymnal 1982 (S 305-S 320 in the Accompaniment Edition, Vol. […]

Luke the Evangelist, Saint

(St. Luke was a Gentile, and the traditional author of the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. He was a physician and is identified with the […]

2647 records

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.

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church