CONGREGATION (

See also:

• LAT

Lat. congregatio, a gathering together, from cum, with, grex, gregis, a

See also:

• FLOCK

flock,

See also:

• HERD (a word common to Teutonic languages; the O. Eng. form was heord; cf. Ger. Herde, Swed. and Dan. hjord; the Sans. ca'rdhas, which shows the pre-Teutonic form, means a troop)

herd)  , an assembly of persons, especially a body of such persons gathered together for religious worship, or the body of persons habitually attending a particular church, hence the basis of that system of religious organization known as Congregationalism (q.v.) . Apart from these, the more general meanings of the word, " congregation " is used in the English versions of the Old and New Testaments to translate the Hebrew words `edah and kahal, the whole community of the Israelites and the assembly of the people . The words " assembly " and " congregation " have been to a certain extent distinguished in the Revised Version, " congregation " being kept for Walt and " assembly " for kahal . The Septuagint generally translates the first by vupaya yil, the second by E,cxXrloia (see J . H . Selbie, in Hastings's Diet. of Bible, s.v . " Congregation," cf . " Assembly," ib.) . In the Roman Church " congregation " is applied to the committees of cardinals into whose hands the administration of the various departments of the church is given (see CURIA ROMANA) . The committees of bishops who regulate the business at a general council of the church are also known as " congregations." In the Roman Church there are several kinds of associations for religious purposes known by the generic name of " congregation "; such are: (I) those branches of a particular order, which, for the stricter practice of the rules of their order, group themselves together under a special form of government and discipline,—thus the Trappists are a congregation of the Cistercians, the monks of Cluny and St Maur are congregations of the Benedictines; (2) communities of religious under a common rule; persons belonging to such communities have either taken no vows, or have not taken " solemn " vows; of the many congregations of this class may be mentioned the Oratorians, the Oblates and the Lazarists; (3) in France religious associations of the laity, male or female, joined together for some religious, charitable or educational purpose (see FRANCE: Law and Institutions) . Lastly " congregation " in secular usage is applied to two governing bodies at the university of Oxford, viz. the " Ancient House of Congregation," in whom lies the granting and conferring of degrees, consisting of the vice-chancellor, proctors and " regent masters," and secondly the " Congregation of the University of Oxford," created by the University of Oxford Act 1854, and consisting of all members of convocation who are " resident,"i.e. have passed 141 nights within a m. of Carfax during th preceding year . All statutes must be passed by this congregatio before introduction in convocation, and it alone has the powe of amending statutes (see OXFORD) .

At

Cambridge University congregation is the term used of the meeting of the senate . II Scottish history, from the fact that the word occurs, in the sens( of " church," frequently in the national covenant of 1537, th( name of " congregation " was used of the Reformers . Generall) and similarly the title of " lords of the congregation " was giver to the signatories of the covenant .