(3.) The exarch in the Greek Church at the present day is the patriarch's deput}', whose duty it is to visit the provinces under his insjiection, to inform himself as to the lives and morals of the clergy ; to take cognizance of ecclesiastical causes — the manner of celebrating di- vine ordinances, the sacraments, particularly confes-' sion, the observance of the canons, monastic discipline, affairs of marriages, divorces, etc. ; but, aljove all, to take account of the revenues which the patriarch re- ceives from the several churches. — Bingham, Orlg. Ec- cles. Bohn's ed. i, 61, G7.
Exchanger (T-pnTTf^iVfjc? so called from the tahle used for holding the coin ["see Chaxger of Money]), a broker or l)auker (i. e. bench-man) [see Baxk], one who exchanged money, and also received money on deposit at interest, in order to loan it out to others at a
EXCOmiXJNICATION
385
EXCO^BIUNICATION
fcigher rate (Matt, xxv, 2/). (See Smith's Diet, of Class. Ant. s. v. Mensarii.) See Money-changek ; Loan.
Exconiniunication, the judicial exclusion of of- feuders from the religious rites and privileges of the particular community to -which they belong. It is a power founded upon a right inherent in all religious societies, and is analogous to the powers of capital punishment, banishment, and exclusion from member- ship which are exercised bj' political and municipal bodies. If Christianit}' is merely a philosophical idea thrown into the world to do battle with other theories, and to be valued according as it maintains its ground or not in the conflict of opinions, excommunication, and ecclesiastical punishments and discipline are vm- reasonable. If a society has been instituted for main- taining any bod}' of doctrine and any code of morals, they are necessary to the existence of that society. That the Christian Church is an organized polity, a spiritual " kingdom of God" on earth, is the declara- tion of the Bible; and that the Jewish Church was at once a spiritual and a temporal organization is clear. Among the Jews, however, excommunication was not only an ecclesiastical, but also a civil punishment, be- cause in their theocracy there was no distinction be- tween the divine and the statutory right (Exod. xxxi, 14 ; Ezra x, 3, 11 ; Neh. xiii, 28). But among Chris- tians excommunication was strictly confined to eccle- siastical relations, as the situation and constitution of the Church during the first three centuries admitted of no intermingling or confounding of civil and religious privileges or penalties. Excommunication, in the Christian Church, consisted at first simply in exclu- sion from the communion of the Lord's Supper and the love-feasts: "with such a one, no, not to eat" (1 Cor. V, 11). It might also include a total separation from the bod}' of the faithful ; and such a person was, with regard to the Church, " as a heathen man and a pub- lican." But this excision did not exempt him from an}' duties to which he was liable in civil life, neither did it witlihold from him am' natural obligations, such as are founded on nature, humanity, and the law of nations (Matt, xviii, 17; 1 Cor. v,'5, 11; x, lG-18; 2 Thess. iii, 6, 14 ; 2 John 10, 11). See Church.
I. Jezcish. — The Jewish system of excommunication was threefold. For a first oflfence a delinquent was subjected to the penalty of '^*112 (iiiddui). Eambam (quoted by Lightfoot, IIor(e Ifebraica', on 1 Cor. v, 5), ISIorinus (Z)e Punilenlia, iv, 27), and Buxtorf (^Lericon Taliii. col. 1303 sq.) enumerate the twenty-four offences for which it was inflicted. Tliey are various, and range in heinousness from the offence of keeping a fierce dog to that of taking God's name in vain. Else- where (Talm. Bab. Moed Katon,£o\. 16, 1) the causes of its infliction are reduced to two, termed money and epicurism, by which is meant debt and wanton inso- lence. The oftender was first cited to appear in court, and if ho refused to appear or to make amends, his sentence was pronounced — ■" Let M. or N. be under excommunication." The excommunicated person was prohibited the use of the bath, or of the razor, or of the convivial table ; and all who had to do with him were commanded to keep him at four cubits' distance, lie was allowed to go to the Temple, but not to make the circuit in the ordinary manner. The term of this punishment was thirty days, and it was extended to a second and to a third thirty days when necessary. If at the end of that time the offender was still contuma- cious, he was subjected to the second excommunication termed n"lH (cherern), a woi'd meaning something de- voted to God (Lev. xxvii, 21, 28 ; Exod. xxii, 20 [19]; Num. xviii, 14). Severer penalties were now attached. The ofl^ender was not allowed to teach or to be taught in company with otliers, to hire or to be hired, nor to perform any commercial transactions beyond purchas- ing the necessaries of life. Tlie sentence was deliver- Ill.— B D
ed by a court often, and was accompanied by a solemn malediction, for which authority was supposed to be found in the " Curse ye Meroz" of Judg. v, 23. Last- ly followed xr'JS'^ (shanimdtka), which was an enth-e cutting oflf from the congregation. It has been sup- posed by some that these two latter forms of cxcom- nmnication were undistinguishable from each other. See Ban.