Congregatlo de atudliis diviziaB gratiss is the name given to a commission formed by pope Cle- ment Till in 1598, to examine Molina's (q. v.) book entitled Concordia Uberi ctrbiirU cum graka. This work had been the cause of great disputes between tlie Jesuits and the Dominicans, and it was hoped that the investigations of the comnussion would settle these diflficulties. The oonffregatio de auxilUs, after three montlis, decided that the Jesuits were in the wrong in most of the controverted points. Instead of submit- ting to this decision, that powerful order managed to inveigle the dvil authorities, and even kings and em- perors, into the quarrel. After colloquies between the most celebrated theologians of the two parties had led to no result, in 1602 the pope ordered the controversy to be discussed in his own presence. These transac- tions lasted until 1606. The Dominicans still tried to show that the doctrines of Molina were Semipelagian errors, and the Jesuits charged their opponents with Calvinistic views. Pope Clement VIII, who person- ally sympathized with the views of the Dominicans, resolved to read the book himself, but before he could do so he died (1605). During the conclave following his death, every cardinal had to take an oath that if elected pope he would bring the controversy, as soon as possible, to a close. The new pope, Paul Y , conse- quently dissolved in 1607 the congregation, and in an encydica, addressed to the generals of the Jesuits and Dominicans, and which the latter had to communicate to all the provincials of the two orders, allowed both parties to retain, teach, and defend their opinions, and forbade them to charge the other party with heresy. This decision was coniSrmed by a constitution of Oct. 2, 1783. Soon after the dissolution of the congrega- tion, the general of the Jesuits prescribed tliat in the schools of the order a somewhat modified form of Mo- lma*s views should be taught. As some of the Jan- senist theologians maintained that Paul V had really condemned the views of Molina in a special constitu- tion which the Jesuits had subsequently induced him not to pubUsh, pope Innocent X in 1654 declared tliat such a constitution did not exist. Nevertheless, the accounts of the Dominican and Jesuit writers of the history of this congregation have never been harmo- nized.—Wetzer u. Welte, Kirchen-Lex, ii, 786.
Congregation (usually rci^, edah\ or perhaps more technically bil^, hahal% both often rendered
"assembly;" Gr. biKnffia or <ntvayiayii\ a term that describes the Hebrew people hi its collective capacity under its peculiar aspect as a holy community, held togetlier by religious rather than political bonds.
Sometimes it is used in a broad sense as inclusive of foreign settlers (Ezod. zii, 19), but more properly as exclusively appropriate to the Hebrew element of the
population (Num. xv, 15); hi each case it expresses
the idea of the Boman cwUa$ or the Greek woXirf (a. See Alien. Every circumcised Hebrew (H'ltK ; o^ Tojfiwv ; indiffma; A. V. ** home-bom," "bom in the land," the term specially descriptive of the Israelite in opposition to the non-Israelite, Exod. xii, 19 ; Lev. xvi, 29 ; Num. ix, 14) was a member of the congrega- tion, and took part in its proceedings probably from the time that he bore arms. It is important, however, to observe that he acquired no political rights in his individual capacity, but only as a member of a house; for the basis of the Hebrew polity was the house, whence was formed in an ascending scale the /amily or collection of houses, the tribe or collection of fami- lies, and Uie oonffregaium or collection of tribes. See GovEBMiCBNT. Strangers (D'^'n,^) settled in the land, if circumcised, were, with certain exceptions (Dent, xxiii, 1 sq.), admitted to the privilege of citizenship, and are spoken of as members of the congregation in its more extended application (Exod. xii, 19; Num. ix, 14 ; XV, 15) ; it appears doubtful, however ^ whether they were represented in the congregation in its cor- porate capacity as a deliberative body, as they were not, strictly speaking, members of any house ; their position probably resembled that of the vpSKfvoi at Athens. The congregation occupied an important po- sition under the Theocracy, as the ootniHa or national Convention, invested with legislative and judicial pow- ers. In this capacity it acted through a system of patriarchal representation, each house, family, and tribe being represented by its head or fother. These delegates were named l^^^O *^^P^ (Sept. trpftrfivripoi ; Vulg. eemores,' A. V. "elders"), D'^K'^^p i^xovrtc; prmcipeti "princes**)* and sometimes DW'lJJ {M- jcXiyrot ; qui vocdbamtar^ Num. xvi, 2 ; A. Y. " renown- ed," " £Bunous* *). See Elder. The number of these representatives being inconveniently large for ord^ nary business, a forther selection was made by Moses of 70, who formed a species of standing committee (Num. xi, 16). Occasionally, indeed, the whole body of the people was assembled, the mode of summoning being by the sound of the two silver trumpets, and the place of meeting the door of the tabemacle, hence usually called the tabemacle of ike congregcOion 0?1^9 lit. plaoe qf tneetinff) (Num. x, 8) ; the occasions of such general assemblies were solemn religious servioes (Exod. xii, 47 ; Num. xxv, 6 ; Joel ii, 15), or to receive new commandments (Exod. xix, 7, 8 [comp. Acts vii, 88] ; Lev. viii, 4). The elders were summoned by the caU of one trampet (Num. x, 4), at the command of the supreme govemor or the high-priest; they repre- sented the whole congregation on various occasions of public hiterest (Exod. iii, 16; xii, 21 ; xvii, 5; xxiv, 1) ; they acted as a court of judicature in capital of- fences (Num. XV, 82; xxxv, 12), and were charged with the execution of the sentence (Lev. xxiv, 14; Num. XV, 85); they joined in certain of the sacrifices (Lev. iv, 14, 15) ; and they exercised the usual rights of sovereignty, such as declaring war, making peace, and concluding treaties (Josh, ix, 15). The people were strictly bound by the acts of their representa- tives, even in cases where they disapproved of them (Josh, ix, 18). After the occupation of the land of Canaan, the congregation was assembled only on mat- ters of the highest importance. The delegates were summoned by messengers (2 Chron. xxx, 6) to such places as might be appointed, most frequently to Mis- peh (Judg. X, 17 ; xi,ll; xx,l; 1 Sam. vii, 5 ; x, 17 ; 1 Mace iii, 46); they came attended each with his band of retainers, so that the number assembled was very considerable (Judg. xx, 2 sq.). On one occasion we hear of the congregation being assembled for judi- cial purposes (Judg. xx) ; on other occasions for re- ligious festivals (2 Chron. xxx, 5; xxxiv, 29) [see Convocation] ; on othera for the election of kings, as Saul (1 Sam. x, 17), David (2 Sam. v, 1), Jeroboam