As to doctrine, they differ from the Evangelical Churches generally only in their peculiar belief in the personal coming of Christ, and his bodily reign witli the saints on the earth. They have no regular creed or form of discipline. It is a common belief among the Adventists that the wicked will be annihilated. Their numbers are estimated at 20.000. See Mille- narians. — American Christian Record, p. 21.
Adversary, in Heb. properly '^b, satan (i. e. Satan, as it signifies, when with the article), an oppo- nent, e. g. in war, a foe (1 Kings v, 18 ; xi, 14 ; xxiii, 25 ; 1 Sam. xxix, 4), in the forum, a plaintiff (Psa. cix, 6; comp. Zech. iii, 1, 2), or generally a resister (2 Sam. xix, 23), as one that blocks the way (Num. xxii, 23 ; comp. ver. 32). In Greek properly c'ivti- Sikoq, one who speaks against us, e. g. in a suit, the complainant (Matt, v, 25 ; Luke xii, 50) ; or, generally, an enemy (Luke xviii, 3), specially, the Devil (1 Pet. v, 8). See Accuser.
Advocate (Y\apaK\r]Toc, Paraclete), one who pleads the cause of another; also one who exhorts, defends, comforts, prays for another. It is an appel- lation given to the Holy Spirit by Christ (John xiv, 16; xv, 26; xvi, 7) [see Comforter], and to Christ himself bv an apostle (1 John ii, 1 ; see also Rom. viii, 34 ; Heb. vii, 25).
In the forensic sense, advocates or pleaders were not known to the Jews [see Trial] until they came un- der the dominion of the Romans, and were obliged to transact their law affairs after the Roman manner. Being then little conversant with the Roman laws and with the forms of the jurists, it was necessary for them, in pleading a cause before the Roman magis- trates, to obtain the assistance of a Roman lawyer or advocate who was well versed in the Greek and Latin
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languages (Otti Spicil. Crim. p. 325). In all the Ro- man provinces such men were found who devoted their time and labor to the pleading of causes and the transacting of other legal business in the provincial courts (Lamprid. Vit. Alex. Sev. c. 44). It also ap- pears (Cic. pro Ccelio, e. 30) that many Roman youths who had devoted themselves to forensic business used to repair to the provinces with ttie consuls and prae- tors, in order, by managing the causes of the provin- cials, to fit themselves for more important ones at Rome. Such an advocate was Tertullus, whom the Jews employed to accuse Paul before Felix (Acts xxiv, 1) ; for although 'P/'/rwp, the term applied to him, signifies primarily an orator or speaker, yet it also denotes a pleader or advocate (Kuinol, Comment., and Bloomfield, Recens Synpt. ad Act. xxiv, 2). — Kit- to, s. v. See Accuser.
Advocate of the Church (Advocates Ecctesice), the patron or defender of the rights of a church or monastery, was formerly called Patronus or Advocatus bonorum Ecclesice. Spelman distinguishes two sorts of advocates of churches : 1. The advocatus causarum, who was granted by the prince to defend the rights of the Church at law. He appeared in the secular courts as the representative of the bishop, but only in cases involving the temporalities of" his church. In all personal causes, civil or criminal, the bishop was answerable to the ecclesiastical synod alone. 2. The advocatus soli, or advocate of the territory, which office was hereditary. These offices were first intrusted to canons, but afterward were held even by monarchs. The advocates set over single churches administered justice in secular affairs in the name of the bishops and abbots, and had jurisdiction over their whole dioceses. In case of necessity they defended the property of the clergy by force of arms. In the courts of justice they pleaded the cause of the churches with which they were connected. They superintended the collection of the tithes and other revenues of the Church, and enjoyed, on the part of the convents, many benefices and considerable revenues. After a time these advocates and their assistants becoming a bur- den to the clergy and the people under their charge, who began to suffer severely from their avarice, the churches began to get rid of them. Urban III labor- ed to deliver the Church from these oppressors, but found, in 1186, the German prelates, in connection with the Emperor Frederick I, opposed to it. Under the Emperor Frederick II, however, most of the Ger- man churches succeeded in abolishing these offices by the grant of large sums of money and of various im- munities. Sec Paullini, Be Advocatis (Jen. 1G8C) ; Knorre, Kirehen-Yogte, in the Hall. Anzeig. 1750; Miller, Be Advocatia (Giess. 17G8) ; Gallade, Be Ad- vocatis (Heidelb. 1768); Wundt, Be Advocatia (ib. 1773). See Warden.
Advocatus Diaboli (BeviVs Advocate'), the per- son appointed at Rome to raise doubts against the genuineness of the miracles of a candidate for canon- ization (q. v.), to expose any want of formality in the investigation of the miracles, and to assail the general merits of the candidate, whose cause is sustained by an Advocatus Dei (God's Advocate). It is said that in the beginning of the seventeenth century the can- onization of Cardinal Boromeo was almost prevented by the accusations of the devil's advocate.