A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 1: Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of FriendsClarkson, Thomas
Religion
A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 1: Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends
Clarkson, Thomas
Society of Friends
medals, monumental pillars, and in public acts of the state. Pliny, in
his letters to Trajan, though reputed an excellent prince, addressed him
as only sir or master, and he wrote many years after the death of Paul.
Athenagoras, in addressing his book, in times posterior to these, to the
emperors M. Aurelius Antoninus, and L. Aurelius Commodus, addresses
them only by the title of "great princes." In short titles were not in
use. They did not creep in, so as to be commonly used, till after the
statues of the emperors had begun to be worshipped by the military as a
legal and accustomary homage. The terms "eternity and divinity" with
others were then ushered in, but these were confined wholly to the
emperors themselves. In the time of Constantine we find the title of
illustrious. This was given to those princes, who had distinguished
themselves in war, but it was not continued to their descendants. In
process of time, however, it became more common, and the son of every
prince began to be called illustrious.
[Footnote 51: [Greek: makarios] and [Greek: philochrisos] are
substituted by Athanasius for the word christian.]
[Footnote 52: Acts, xxiii, 26.]
[Footnote 53: Acts, xxiv. 3.]
SECT. VI.
_Thirdly against the alteration of the names of the days and
months--people, it is said do not necessarily pay homage to Idols, who
continue in the use of the ancient names--if the Quaker principles also
were generally adopted on this subject, language would be thrown into
confusion--Quakers also, by attempting to steer clear of Idolatry, fall
into it--replies of the Quakers to these objections._
The next objections for consideration, which are made against the
language of the Quakers, are those which relate to their alteration of
the names of the days and the months. These objections are commonly
made, when the language of the Quakers becomes a subject of conversation
with the world.
"There is great absurdity, it is said, in supposing, that persons pay
any respect to heathen idols, who retain the use of the ancient names of
the divisions of time. How many thousands are there, who know nothing of
their origin? The common people of the country know none of the reasons,
why the months, and the days are called as they are. The middle classes
are mostly ignorant of the same. Those, who are well informed on the
subject, never once think, when they mention the months and days, on the
reason of the rise of their names. Indeed the almost hourly use of
those names secures the oblivion of their origin. Who, when he speaks of
Wednesday and Thursday, thinks that these were the days sacred to Woden
and Thor? but there can be no idolatry, where there is no intention to
idolize."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account