Commisfiioii, 1. n^, daih (a mandate, Ezra viii.
86; elsewhere '* decree," etc.); 2. imrporfi (tuQ. charge. Acts xxvi, 12). COMMISSION, ECCLESIASTICAL. See Com-
mSSART.
Commissioner, a gloss rendering (1 Mace, ii, 25) for dvTip, man, i. e. officer.
Commodiftnns, a Christian historian, supposed to have been bom in Africa in the second half of the 8d century, and to have been converted from heathen- ism. He wrote, in a sort of acrostic verse, LXXX in- strucHones adv. gentium deot, which ridicules heathen- ism and exhorts the Christians to lead a pure life. It also contains Chiliastie notions, and gives out the idea that Nero was the Antichrist. It is one of the oldest monuments of Christian history.' It was published bv Rigalt (1660); by Priorius, together with the works of Cyprian (Paris, 1666) ; by Schurafleisch (Wittenb. 1704, 4to) ; and by Davishis (Cambridge, 1711). See CUrke, Suceeision (ffSac, LiL i,171; Wetser u. Welte, KircK-Lex, ii, 716.
Comm'odns, Lucius ^lius Aubblius, a Roman emperor, was bom A.D. 161, and succeeded his fkther, Mark Aurelius, as emperor in 19fk Fh>m early youth he was noted for weakness of character, licentiousness, and cmelty. His fitther was the first emperor who issued a decree of persecution against the Christians. On the accession to the throne of Commodus the per- secution ceased, owing, it was said, to the influence of his concubine, Marda. According to IrensBus, Christians were found during the reign of Commodus even in the palace, and in the service of the emperor. But, though Commodus did not decree to persecute the Christians, there were laws according to which Christians who were informed against were to be tried. Thus the leamed senator Apollonius, who was infomr- ed against by one of his slaves, was condemned to death. Partial persecutions during the reign of Com- modus are mentioned by TertuUian, and Irennus like- wise speaks of martyrs of this time. But, as Commo- dus was supposed to be favorably disposed toward the Christians, the goveraon of the provinces felt no in- clination to carry out thculaws against the Christians. —Wetzer u. Welte, KireA.-Less, S, 717.
Common (jcocvoc). The Greek term properly sig- nifies what helongs to off (as hi Wisd. vii, 8, Koivbq mtp), but the Hellenists applied it (like the Hebrew bh) to what was profane, L e. not Aofy, and therefore of com- mon or promiscuous use (Acts x, 14). They also ap- plied the term to what was impure, whether naturally or legally (as in BCark vii, 2, compared with 1 Mace, i, 47, 62). Finally, it was used of meats forbidden, or such as had been partaken of by idolaters, and which, as they rendered the partakers thereof impure, were themselves called Koiva (common), and oKaOapra (un- dean) (see KuinSl on Acts x, 14). See Clean.
Common-house. A room in a monastery where a fire is constantly kept for the monks to warm them- sdves.
Common Life. See Bbethben of thb Com- MOir Life.
Common Lot, BROTHERS OF THE. See Bbethbsn of the Common Life.
Common Prayer, the service-book of tbe Church of England and of the Protestant Episcopal Church. It is so called because it contains the prayere which the members of those churches use m common, as dis- tinguished f^om their devotions as private individuals. In the view of those churches, tbe devotions of sepa- rate fiunUies or persons may be conducted in any mode which best suits the circumstances of each ; but jomt wonhip, common prayer, must be in forms on which all are previously agreed, because these alone can equally express common wants (see Canons 4, 88, and 98, Church of England, on the obligation to use the Book of Common Prayer ; Eden, Churchman's Diction^
COMMON PRAYER
438
COMMON PRAYER
«fy, 8. v.)- Ab to the qnestion of the yalae of sach forms, see Fobics of Pbatbb. On liturgies proper (i. e. commvmom tervice)^ see Litubot. We give here a brief sketch of the history of English and Amer- ican Prayer-books.
I. The Engtiah Prayer-iook^—The "Common Pray- er contains, in one yolnme, the articles of faith, and all the rites, ceremonies, and prescribed fbrms of the Church of England ; and it is thus not only a Prayer- boolc, bat a ^toal and Confession of Faith. Before the Reformation, the Missals, Breviaries, etc, of the Church of Borne were in use in England. In 1587 the Convocation pot forth, iniEngUsh, " The godly and pi- out IrutUution of a Chritiicm Man^" containing the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Commandments, and the Ave Maria. In 1647, the first of Edward VI, a com- mittee was appointed to draV up a liturgy hi English, free fh>m Popish errors. Cranmer, Ridley, and other eminent reformers were of this committee, and their book was confirmed in Parliament in 1548. Tliis is known as the jtrsl Prayer-book of Edward VI. Great part of it was taken ftx>m the old servioes nsed in England befinre the Reformation; bat the labors of Melanctlion and Bncer helped to give the book its Protestant form. ** About the end of the year 1550 exceptions were taken against some parts of this book, and archbishop Cranmer proposed a new review. The principal alterations occasioned by this second review were ihe addition of the Sentences^ Exhortation, Confer mon, and AhtobutUmy at ttie beginning of the morning and evening services, which in the first Common Prayer-book began with the Lord's Prayer ; the addi- tion of the CommandmenU at the beginning of the communion office ; the removing of some rites and ceremonies retained in the former book, sach as the use of oil in confirmation, the unction of the sick, prayers for the departed sools, the invocation of the Holy Ghost at the consecration of the eucharist, and the prayer of oblation tliat used to follow it ; the omit- ting the rubric that ordered water to be mixed with the wine, with several other less material variations. The habits, likewise, which were prescribed in the for- mer book were in this laid aside ; and, lastly, a rubric was added at. the end of the communion office to ex- plain the reason of kneeling at the sacrament" (Hook). The liturgy, thus revised and altered, was again con- firmed by Parliament A.D. 1551. This is cited as the second Prayer-Soak of Edward VI, See Cardwell, Two Books of Common Prayer set forth under Edward VI compared (Lond. 1888, 8vo); Ketley, The two Lit- urgies, A.D. 1549 and 1552 (edited for the Parker Soci- ety, 8vo, 1844). See Cbanmbb.