Dispersion of the Apostles

Dispersion of the Apostles

The Dispersion of the Apostles (Lat. Divisio Apostolorum) is a feast in commemoration of the missionary work of the Twelve Apostles. It is celebrated as a double major on 15 July. The first vestige of this feast is found in the sequence composed for it by a certain Godescalc (d. 1098) while a monk of Limburg on the Haardt; he also introduced this feast at Aachen, when provost of the church of Our Lady. The sequence is authentic beyond doubt. It is next mentioned by William Durandus, Bishop of Mende (Rationale Div. Off. 7.15) in the second half of the thirteenth century. Under the title, "Dimissio", "Dispersio", or Divisio Apostolorum" it was universally celebrated during the Middle Ages in Spain and Italy. The object of the feast (so Godescalcus) is to commemorate the departure (dispersion) of the Apostles from Jerusalem for the various parts of the world, some fourteen years after the Ascension of Jesus presumably following the Great Commission. According to Durandus some of his contemporaries honoured this feast the (apocryphal) division of the relics (bodies) of St. Peter and St. Paul by St. Sylvester.

As of 1913, the feast was kept with solemnity by some missionary societies, in Germany and Poland, also in some English and French dioceses and in the United States by the ecclesiastical provinces of St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Dubuque, and Santa Fé.

References

Attribution

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dispersion of the Apostles — • A feast in commemoration of the missionary work of the Twelve Apostles Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Dispersion of the Apostles     Dispersion of the Apostles …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Church —     The Church     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Church     The term church (Anglo Saxon, cirice, circe; Modern German, Kirche; Sw., Kyrka) is the name employed in the Teutonic languages to render the Greek ekklesia (ecclesia), the term by which… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Story of Civilization —   Author(s) Will Durant Ariel Durant …   Wikipedia

  • Dispersion —    (Gr. diaspora, scattered, James 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1) of the Jews. At various times, and from the operation of divers causes, the Jews were separated and scattered into foreign countries to the outmost parts of heaven (Deut. 30:4).    1) Many were… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • History of the Roman Catholic Church — The History of the Catholic Church from apostolic times covers a period of nearly 2,000 years, [August Franzen, Kleine Kirchengeschichte Neubearbeitung, Herder,Freiburg,1988, p.11] making it the world s oldest and largest institution. It dates… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Eastern Orthodox Church — The Eastern Orthodox Churches trace their roots back to the Apostles and Jesus Christ. Eastern Orthodoxy reached its golden age during the high point of the Byzantine Empire, and then continued to flourish in Russia after the Fall of… …   Wikipedia

  • Second Epistle to the Thessalonians — The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, also known as the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Paul, because it begins, Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy,… …   Wikipedia

  • Christianity in the 1st century — Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant.[1] Depicted by 19th century Danish painter Carl Heinrich Bloch is his Sermon on the Mount (c. 30) in which he Expounds on the Law. Some scholars consider this to be …   Wikipedia

  • Paul the Apostle — [Bauer lexicon; ] (ca 5 67 AD) was, together with Saint Peter and James the Just, [ The Canon Debate, McDonald Sanders editors, 2002, chapter 32, page 577, by James D. G. Dunn: For Peter was probably in fact and effect the bridge man (pontifex… …   Wikipedia

  • Christianity in the 20th century — Part of a series on Christianity   …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”