See also:

• SPONSOR (from Lat. spondere, to promise)

SPONSOR (from See also:

• LAT

Lat. spondere, to promise)  , one who stands See also:

• SURETY

surety for another, especially in the rite of See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian See also:

• BAPTISM

baptism, a godfather or godmother . The practice originated not in See also:

• INFANT (in early forms enfaunt, enfant, through the Fr. enfant, from Lat. infans, in, not, and fans, the present participle of fari, to speak)

infant baptism, but in the See also:

• CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom of requiring an adult See also:

• PAGAN
• PAGAN (Lat. paganus, of or belonging to a pagus, a canton, county district, village, commune)

pagan who offered himself for the rite to be accompanied by a Christian known to the See also:

• BISHOP (A.S. bisceop, from Lat. episcopus, Gr. irio-Korros, " overlooker " or " overseer ")
• BISHOP, ISABELLA (1832-1904)
• BISHOP, SIR HENRY ROWLEY (1786-1855)

bishop, who could vouch for the applicant and undertake his supervision, thus fulfilling the See also:

• FUNCTION

function performed in the Eleusinian mysteries by the mystagogus . The See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek word for the See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person undertaking this function is avhSoxos, to which the Latin susceptor is See also:

• EQUIVALENT

equivalent . The word " See also:

• SPONSOR (from Lat. spondere, to promise)

sponsor " in this ecclesiastical sense occurs for the first See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time, but incidentally only, and as if it were already See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long See also:

• FAMILIAR (through the Fr. familier, from Lat. familiaris, of or belonging to the familia, family)

familiar, in See also:

• TERTULLIAN (c. 155-c. 222)

Tertullian's See also:

• TREATISE

treatise De baptismo (ch . IS), where, arguing that in certain circumstances baptism may conveniently bepostponed, especially in the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of little See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children, he asks, " For why is it necessary that the sponsors likewise should be thrust into danger, who both themselves by See also:

• REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason of mortality may fail to fulfil their promises, and may also be disappointed by the development of an evil disposition [in those for whom they become sponsors] ? The sponsors here alluded to may have been in many cases the actual parents, and even in the 5th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century it was not See also:

• FELT (cognate with Ger. Filz, Du. vilt, Swed. and Dan. fill; the root is unknown; the word has given Med. Lat. filtrum, " filter ")

felt to be inappropriate that they should be so; See also:

• AUGUSTINE, SAINT (354-430)
• AUGUSTINE, SAINT (d. c.613)

Augustine, indeed, in one passage appears to speak of it as a See also:

• MATTER

matter of course that parents should bring their children and See also:

• ANSWER (derived from and, against, and the same root as swear)

answer for them " tanquam fidejussores" (Epist . . . . ad Bonif . 98), and the See also:

• OLDEST

oldest See also:

• EGYPTIAN

Egyptian See also:

• RITUAL (from Lat. ritus, a custom, especially a religious rite or custom)

ritual bears similar testimony . Elsewhere Augustine contemplates the bringing of the children of slaves by their masters, and of course orphans and foundlings were brought by other benevolent persons . The comparatively See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance, however, of such names as commatres, commatres, propatres, promatres, patrini, matrinae, is of itself sufficient See also:

• EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence, not only that the sponsorial relationship had come to be regarded as a very See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close one, but also that it was not usually assumed by the natural parents . How very close it was held to be is shown by the Justinian See also:

• PROHIBITION (Lat. prohibere, to prevent)

prohibition of See also:

• MARRIAGE

marriage between godparents and godchildren .

On the other See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand, the anciently allowable practice of parents becoming sponsors for their own children, though gradually becoming obsolete, seems to have lingered until the 9th century, when it was at last formally prohibited by the See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council of See also:

• MAINZ (Fr. Mayence)

Mainz (813) . For a long time there was no fixed See also:

• RULE

rule as to the necessary or allowable number of sponsors and sometimes the number actually assumed was large . By the council of See also:

• TRENT
• TRENT (Lat. Tridentum; Ital. Trento; Ger. relent)
• TRENT, COUNCIL OF

Trent, however, it was decided that one only, or at most two, these not being of the same See also:

• SEX (Lat. sexes; possibly connected with secure, to cut)

sex, should be permitted . The See also:

• RUBRIC (Fr. rubrique, Lat. rubrica, Tuber, red)

rubric of the See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

Church of See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England according to which " there shall be for every male See also:

• CHILD
• CHILD, FRANCIS JAMES (1825-1896)
• CHILD, L
• CHILD, LYDIA MARIA (1802-1880)
• CHILD, SIR FRANCIS (1642-1713)
• CHILD, SIR JOHN (d. 1690)
• CHILD, SIR JOSIAH (163o - 1699)

child to be baptized two godfathers and one godmother, and for every See also:

• FEMALE

female one godfather and two godmothers," is not older than 1661; the sponsors are charged with the See also:

• DUTY (from " due," that which is owing, O. Fr. deu, dil, past participle of devoir; Lat. debere, debitum; cf. " debt ")

duty of instructing the child, and in due time presenting it for See also:

• CONFIRMATION (Lat. confirmatio, from confirmare, to establish, make firm)

confirmation, and in the See also:

• CATECHISM (from Gr. Karnxeiv, teach by word of mouth)

Catechism the child is taught to say that he received his name from his " godfathers and See also:

• GOD

god-mothers." At the See also:

• REFORMATION
• REFORMATION, THE

Reformation the Lutheran churches retained godfathers and godmothers, but the Reformed churches reverted to what they believed to be the more See also:

• PRIMITIVE

primitive rule, that in See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary circumstances this function should be undertaken by a child's proper parents . Most churches demand of sponsors that they be in full communion . In the See also:

• ROMAN

Roman See also:

• CATHOLIC (Gr. KcaBoXuK6s, general, universal)

Catholic Church, priests, monks and nuns are disqualified from being sponsors, either " because it might involve their entanglement in worldly affairs," or more probably because every relationship of See also:

• FATHER

father-See also:

• HOOD,
• HOOD, JOHN BELL (1831–1879)
• HOOD, SAMUEL HOOD, VISCOUNT (1724–1816)
• HOOD, SIR SAMUEL (1762-1814)
• HOOD, THOMAS (1799-1845)
• HOOD, TOM (1835–1874)

hood or motherhood is felt to be in their case inappropriate . The spiritual relationship established between the sponsor and the baptized, and the sponsors and the parents of the baptized, constitutes an impediment to marriage (see MARRIAGE: See also:

• CANON

Canon See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

Law) .