An ecclesiastical dictionary : containing definitions of terms and explanations and illustrations of subjects pertaining to the history, ritual, discipline, worship, ceremonies, and usages of the Christian church : with brief notices of ancient and modern sects, and biographical sketches of the early fathers and writers of the church / by William Staunton.

  • Staunton, William, 1803-1889.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An ecclesiastical dictionary : containing definitions of terms and explanations and illustrations of subjects pertaining to the history, ritual, discipline, worship, ceremonies, and usages of the Christian church : with brief notices of ancient and modern sects, and biographical sketches of the early fathers and writers of the church / by William Staunton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    he took nothmrj morc^ or, at least, that what he did take, over and above, was not worth mentioning in comparison with the ‘ Titled And indeed, as to the Title itself, it appears that the Doctor really took only the two words ‘ Church’ and ‘ Dictionary’ from the American book,—which book has a title of rather liberal extent. Concerning the ‘ Title,’ then, nothing further need be said ; but concern- ing the almost unavoidable inference from such a notice, namely, that nothing besides the Title w^as taken from Staunton’s ‘ Dictionary of the Church,’ com- mon justice demands that something further should now be said; especially since Dr. Hook’s work is known in the United States, and has often been quoted by writers, for its sound learning, valuable information, clearness of definition, and the high authority of its author’s name,—those writers never suspecting (what has proved in numerous cases to be true) that they were doing homage to borrowed property, and that the real author of the articles they admired was on their own soil, quietly enjoying the amusement created by the laudations unconsciously bestowed on his own lucubrations. Those writers and readers generally may be surprised to learn that while Dr. Hook gives Dr. Staunton credit for the Title of his book (which was hardly worth the trouble), yet, no acknowledgment whatever is made by him of the undeniable fact, that matter to the amount of more than fifty pag^s of Staunton’s ‘Dictionary of the Church’ is incorporated into the English work, without quotation marks, references, the author’s name, or any indication that the articles thus taken were written by a clergyman of New York, and that to Dr. Hook, or his assistants, belongs only the credit of transcribing them. This simple fact any one may verify, by comparing Dr. Hook’s ‘ Church Dictionary’ with Dr. Staunton’s ‘ Dictionary of the Church.’ Moreover, this transfer of material was made so apparent to a publishing house in Phila- delphia, some years ago, on the issuing of an American edition of Dr. Hook’s work, that an honorable compromise was made with the author of the ap- propriated matter, to avoid legal proceedings under the copyright laws of the United States. Of the numerous articles thus transferred, without acknowledgment, from the American to the English work, the more important ones (with a single exception) are strictly original, and some investigation and care were be- stowed on their preparation. Among them may be mentioned the articles entitled Chorepiscopus, Episcopal Church (in Hook’s article, Church in North America), Fasting, Hell, Descent into^ Holy-days (in Hook’s article. Feasts), Jure Divino, Lay-baptism, Lent, Litany, Mystery, Mystical, Opus operatum. Pardons, Primitive Church, Response, Ring in matrimony^ Viaticum, and Uninterrupted Succession (in Hook’s ar- ticle, Succession). Respecting the name of the writer of these articles, no