Article, in Grammar. Of this part of speech, but one kind, the definite article, requires an)' consid- eration here, since the indefinite article in those lan- guages where it is grammatically treated as a peculiar form is, after all, but a modification of the numeral for one (Gr. tic, ivoc,; Lat. units; French, un ; Germ. ein; En-r. an, etc.). In Hebrew the definite article is denoted by the syllable fl prefixed to the noun (or other word so employed), and the Dagcsh forte insert- ed in the following letter (whenever this will admit) shows that this was but a contraction for some older form, probably ?rj (or perhaps a modified form of the demonstrative pronoun S12X), corresponding to the Ar- abic al or el, which in like manner assimilates its last letter to that of many words with which it is joined. In Chaldee and Syriac, however, this prefix is never employed, but in its stead the letter X (or syllable ah) is appended to the noun, which is then said to be in the "definite or emphatic state." In the Greek lan- guage, on the other hand, the article is pronominal in form and construction, being, in fact, originally (e. g. in Homer) actually a demonstrative pronoun. The point of the greatest importance in biblical criticism, and that for the interest connected with which the subject is here introduced, is the frequent omission of the definite article in the New Testament, where in classical Greek its presence is grammatically requisite. Bishop Middleton has treated copiously of this peculi- arity {Doctrine of the Creek Article, Lond. 1824, and often since); but many of the "canons" that he lays down fur its use or disuse, upon which important theo- logical conclusions have often been made to depend, are highly fanciful, and unsupported by general Hel-
lenistic usage. The idiom in question is, in fact, noth- ing more than a transfer of the Hebrew laws for the omission or insertion of the article prefix, which may be found clearly drawn out in Nordheimer's Heb. Cram. ii, § 716-729, especially § 717, 718; and depend upon this essential principle, that the article may be omit- ted before any word that is regarded as being already sufficiently definite, either by reason of being in con- struction with another noun, adjective, pronoun, or other qualifying term, or by being distinctive in itself, so as not to be specially liable to misinterpretation.
Article (Aoyot;) of Agreement (1 Mace, xiii, 29 ; 2 Mace, xiv, 28). See Alliance.
Articles of Faith, statements of the main points of belief of any single church framed by authority of the church, and binding upon its ministers or mem- bers, or upon both. Some object to Articles of Faith. Among the grounds of objection are the following, viz. that they infringe Christian liberty, and super- sede the Scriptures by substituting in their place a number of humanly-formed propositions; that to ex- hibit the Christian faith in any limited number of statements is virtually to declare that all besides is superfluous. It is objected, also, that such articles nourish hypocrisy, and hinder advancement in divine knowledge. "If employed at all," it is said, "they should be in the words of Scripture." The advocates for "articles of faith," on the other hand, affirm that it is not their purpose to sum up the whole of Christianity in any number of propositions, but merety to set forth the belief of a given church upon the leading truths of religion, as well as upon those matters which have at anj' period been subjects of heretical corruption or of controversy, and respecting which it is necessary that there should be agreement among such as are to .be members of the same church ; that articles are not in- tended to be guides through the whole voyage of Christian inquiry, but only beacon-lights to inform the mariner where lie those rocks and shoals on which preceding voyagers have made shipwreck. It is clear that there is a necessity for such articles, because the sense of Scripture upon any one point of faith lies scat- tered over too large a surface to be easily collected for himself by every individual member of the church ; that scriptural truths are as capable as any other of being translated into common language ; and that con- troversies within the church upon the meaning of Scripture would abound, if the church itself should give no interpretation of them (comp. Rom. vi, 17 ; 2 Tim. i, 13). — Buck, Theol. Diet.; Eden, Theol. Diet. See Confessions ; Creeds.
ARTICLES, Lambeth. The Calvinistic doctrine concerning Predestination, Free-will, etc., which had been the cause of vehement disputes on the Continent, had been brought into England by the refugees, and gained Lreat footing, about the year 1594, at Cam- bridge, by the influence of Cartwright, the Lady Mar- garet professor. Barret, a fellow of Caius College, preached ad clcrum against Calvin's doctrines. Arch- bishop Whitgift at first took Barret's part; but at last, urged by the heads of colleges, sent for him to Lam- beth, and directed him not to preach such doctrine again. Dr. Whittaker, the regius professor, support- ed the novel doctrines ; and this party, having stated the controversy to their own liking, drew up nine ar- ticles into form, and laid them before Archbishop Whitgift, who called, November 10th, an assembly at Lambeth to consider the question, consisting of Fletch- er, the elect of London; Vaughan, elect of Bangor; Trindall, dean of Ely; and Whittaker and the Cam- bridge divines. They drew up the following nine ar- ticles, known as the " Lambeth Articles :" " 1. God hath from eternity predestinated certain persons to life, and hath reprobated certain persons unto death. 2. The moving or efficient cause of predestination unto life is not the foresight of faith, or of perseverance, or