Glossary of Terms

Dix, Morgan

(Nov. 1, 1827-Apr. 29, 1908). Long-time rector of Trinity Church, New York City, and General Convention leader. He was born in New York City. Dix graduated from Columbia College in 1848 and from General Theological Seminary in 1852. He was ordained deacon on Sept. 19, 1852, and priest on May 22, 1853. He began his […]

Doane College

This school in Crete, Nebraska, had extremely tenuous Episcopal connections. It was founded in 1872. It was not endorsed by the Diocese of Nebraska until 1931, when Bishop Ernest Vincent Shayler (1868-1947) was elected to its board of trustees. It was related in this superficial way to the diocese for twenty years, until Mar. 15, […]

Doane, George Washington

(May 27, 1799-Apr. 27, 1859). High church bishop. He was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1818. In 1820 he entered the General Theological Seminary, New York, where he came under the influence of Bishop John Henry Hobart, the leader of the high church party in the […]

Doane, William Croswell

(Mar. 2, 1832-May 17, 1913). Leader of the high church party. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Doane graduated from Burlington College in 1850. He studied for the ordained ministry under his father, George Washington Doane, the second Bishop of New Jersey. He was ordained deacon on Mar. 6, 1853, and began his ministry as […]

Docetism

A heretical teaching about the person of Christ which holds that Christ, the divine Word, only seemed to assume the flesh of Jesus. The term is from the Greek dokein, "to seem." Jesus' life, suffering, death, and bodily resurrection were considered unreal. It thus undermines belief in the reality of the Incarnation as a […]

Doctors of the Church

See Patristics.

Doctrine

The term is from the Latin docere, “to teach.” It means teaching or instruction in the most general sense. In a theological context the word carries the implication of belonging to a school of thought or a body of believers. Christian doctrine is the rational exposition and illumination of the affirmations of the Christian faith […]

Dod, Robert Stockton

(Jan. 13, 1855-Aug. 27, 1924). One of three founders of the Order of the Holy Cross. He studied at General Theological Seminary. Dod was ordained deacon on June 9, 1878, and priest on Aug. 24, 1880. He and James Otis Sargent Huntington attended a retreat in Philadelphia on Nov. 8-13, 1880, led by the Rev. […]

Doddridge, Philip

(June 26, 1702-Oct. 26, 1751). English independent theologian, writer, and poet. He was born in London and educated at Kingston Grammar School at the Rev. John Jenning's Dissenting Academy, Kibworth, Leicestershire. Doddridge served as minister at the Dissenting Academy after Jenning's death in 1723. The academy was reconstituted at Northampton in 1729 under Doddridge, who […]

Dogma

Definitive teaching of the church which is to be believed by the members of the church. The term is from the Greek dokein, “to seem.” It designates doctrine which has been considered by an authoritative body and promulgated as officially established teaching. It “appears to be good” to that body, and there “seems” to be […]

Dom

An abbreviated form of Dominus, which means “master.” This title is given to some professed Benedictine monks and to some monks in other monastic orders.

Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society

The missionary organization and corporate body of the Episcopal Church. The constitution of the missionary society was first adopted by the special General Convention of 1821 and incorporated by the New York State legislature. In 1835 the General Convention adopted a new constitution which made membership in the society no longer voluntary but inclusive of […]

Dominic

(c. 1170-Aug. 6, 1221). Dominic de Guzman was born in Calaruega, Castile, Spain. He studied at the University of Palencia, in the Kingdom of Leon. In 1216 Pope Honorius III granted Dominic the right to establish a new religious order. This new order was to preach the gospel, convert heretics, defend the faith, and propagate […]

Dominical Letter

See Sunday Letter.

Dominical Sacraments

Sacraments associated with the Lord Jesus Christ. The two great sacraments given by Christ to his church are Baptism and Eucharist (BCP, p. 858). The term “dominical” is from Latin words meaning “of a lord,” and “lord.”

Dominican Republic, Diocese of the

Anglicanism was brought to the Dominican Republic in 1897 when Benjamin Isaac Wilson migrated from the Virgin Islands. Wilson was a teacher of the Christian faith, and was ordained priest in 1898 by the Bishop of the Independent Haitian Episcopal Church. His primary mission was to serve the English-speaking community in the Dominican Republic. The […]

Don

This term comes from “Dominus.” In Spain it was a title given to a nobleman. It is now used for the head of a college and for fellows in English universities, such as an “Oxford Don.”

Donatism

Rigorist schism. Donatists were the followers of Donatus Magnus, a schismatic bishop of Carthage in the mid-fourth century, who believed that the validity of a sacrament depended on the personal virtue of the celebrant. Many other North African Christians shared this view. In particular this group of rigorists rejected the ordination of Caecilian as Bishop […]

Donne, John

(1572-Mar. 31, 1631). Noted preacher and poet. He was born in London, sometime between Jan. 24 and June 19, 1572. Donne studied at Hart Hall, Oxford. In 1592 he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn to study law. At about the same time, he had a gradual conversion from Roman Catholicism to the Church of England. […]

Door Keeper

See Minor Orders.

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms