LICA.
Literse Formatae, or simply Forjiat.e, are the epistles of bishops and churches to others of like char- acter, and are so called because they are framed after cer- tain prescribed canonical rules. There have been need- less discussions over the fitness of the expression for- mata, and some would have it to heformalis (Suetonius, Domitian, 13) ; others will derive it hom forma, tvttoq, seal (hence formata, T(TV!rojfji.kin], equivalent to sigil- lata), etc. Originally they were termed KavoviKai, ca- nonicw, but afterwards formatce. The adoption of a particular form was early necessary, in order to prevent the alteration of and tampering with letters, of which Dionysius, bishop of Corinth (f c. a. 167), complained, according to Eusebius {hist. Eccl. lib. iv, cap. 23), as also Cyprian (Ejnst. 3). From the earliest times the brother- ly union of the churches was cultivated by means of a regular correspondence, of which Optatus of Mileve says in the middle of the fourth century : " Totus orbis com- mercio formatarum in una communionis societate con- cordat." The holy Scriptures themselves, namely, the epistles of the apostles, served as the first models. Let- ters of introduction and recommendation of brethren to the different churches were in the infancy of the Church the chief subject of this correspondence ; these were called by the apostles avaraTiKal iTzmroXai (2 Cor. iii, 1), lite7-(e commendaiitice. They are mentioned by Ter- tullian {Adcersus hccreses, cap. 20), Gregory of Nazian- zum (Oratio, iii), and Sozomen {Hist. Eccl. lib. v, cap. 16), etc. The demand for such letters of recommenda- tion became so numerous that it was necessary to frame regulations determining who was and who was not en- titled to them, and in what form they shoidd be writ- ten. The Council of Elvira, a. 305 (? 310), c. 25, that of Aries, a. 314, c. 9, etc., decided that bishops alone should be authorized to write them. Every traveller, whether laic or clerical, was to provide himself with one. It is said, cap. 32 (al. 34) : " Nullus episcopus peregrinoruni aut presbyteroriim aut diaconorum sine commendatitiis recipiatur epistolis ; et cum scripta de - tulerint, discutiantnr attentius, et ita suscipiantur, si prc-cdicatores pietatis extiterint; sin minus, base qute sunt necessaria subministrantur eis, et ad communionem nullatenus admittantur, quia per subreptionem multa proveniunt" (see Cone. Antioch. a. 341 [? 332], c. 7, in c, 9, dist. Ixxi; African, i, a. 506, c. 2 [c. 21, dist. 1], c. 5), The defence of the right of these members of the clergy to officiate was often withdrawn, as by the Cone. Chalcedon. a. 451, c, 13, in c, 7, dist. Ixxi, etc. The form of the writings was taken from the apostolic mod- els. Atticus, bishop of Constantinople, stated in the Council of Chalcedon, 451, that there was a formiUa established by the Council of Nicrea, 325 : " Nic;\?» .... constitutum, ut epistohc formatie banc calculationis seu supputationis habeant rationem, id est, ut assumantur in supputationem prima Grteca elementa Patris et Filii
LITPI
454
LITHUANIA
et Spiritus Sancti, hoc est tt. v. a. qure elementa octo- gcnariuin, et quadringentesimum, et primiim signiiiicant nimierura. Tetri quoquc apostuli prima litera, id est
TT : ejus quoque, qui scribit, episcopi prima litera ;
cui scribitur secuiida litera ; accipientis tertia litera ; civitatis quoque, de qua scribitur, quarta : et indictioiiis, quix'cunque est illius temporis, Humerus assumatur. At- quc ita his omnibus Grajcis literis . . . . iu mium ductis, unam, quajcunque fuerit collecta, sumraam epistola te- neat, hauc qui suscipit omni cum cautela requirat ex- presse. Addat prasterea separatim iu epistola etiam iionagenarium et nonum numerum, qui secundum Grjeca elementa signiticat ap]i>y From these letters of rec- ommendation must be distinguished the ilpipnKai tiri- (TToXai, UtercE pacijine, a kind of letters of dismission (hence also called cnroXnTiKai), stating that the giver was privy to the bearer's intention of traveUing (c. 7, 8, Cone. Antioch. a. 332, c. 11 ; Coiic. Chalced. 451; Cone. Trnllan. a. 672, c. 17, etc.). Formatce also contamed the communications of one community to another, such as the information concerning the election of bishops, etc. (ypdj^ii^icira ii'SrpoinariKii, Euscbius, Hist. Ecel. lib. vii, cap. 30 ; Evagrius, Hist. Keel. lib. 4, cap. iv) ; no- tices of festivals, particularly Easter, etc. (ypiifiiJiaTa iopraariKci, Traaxu^ta, epistoke Jestales, puschales, etc. ; Cone. A relat. i, a. 314, c. 1 ; Carthu;j. v, a. 401, c. 7 ; Bia- car. ii, a. 572, c. 7 ; Gratian. c. 24-26, dist. iii, " de con- secr."). The publication of ordinations was also made by J'u?-matce, as circulars, tyKVK\ia, tTrtaToXai, circu- hires,tractorice. See Du Fiesne, Glossa?: Lat.; Suicer, Thesaur. ecel. s. v. tipijviKog ; F. B. Ferrarii Be antiquo epistolarum ecelesiastiearum genere (Meliol. 1613 ; and edit. G. Th. Meier, Helmstadt, 1678, 4to) ; Phil. Priori! De literis canonieis diss, eum appendice de traetoriis et synodicis (Paris, 1675) ; J. R. Kiesling, De stabili primi- tirce ecclesire opie literarum conmnmicatoriartim connitbio (Lipsioe, 1745, 4to) ; Gonzalez Tellez, Kommenhir z. d. Deeretakn (lib. ii, tit. xxii, "Z'e clerieis p)erefirinis,^'' cap. 3); Rheinwald, A'iVc/(?2c/;e Archdoloc/ie (Berlin, 1830). — Herzog, Real-EncyUoj). s. v.
Iiith, JoHANN WiLiiELM ■\'OX, a German theologian, was bom at Anspach, in Bavaria, Fel). 4. 1678. In 1693 he entered the University of Jena, and became in 1694 A.M. In the following year he went to the University of Altdorf to continue his studies ; in 1697 he studied at the University of Halle, and in 1698 he was admitted to the philosophical faculty of that universit}-. His health failing, he was obliged to leave for his native city. In 1707 he became dean at Wassertrlidingen. In 1710 he accepted a call to his native city as preacher of a foun- dation and counsellor of the Consistory; in addition to this, he became in 1714 city pastor. He died March 13, 1743. Yon Lith repeatedly declined calls to far higher dignities abroad. His polemics against Cathol- icism prove him to have been a man of wide knowledge and great acuteness ; and his repeatedly reprinted ser- mons, and liis valuable contributions to the history of the lieformation, give evidence of his success as a great preacher and historian. We mention Evlduterung der Reformationshistorie von 1524-28 (Schwabach, 1733, 8vo; 2d edit. ibid. 1739, 8vo): — Disquisitio de ndora- iione pcinis consecrati, etc. (Suabaji, 1754, 8vo). See Diiring, Gelehrte Theol. Dcutschlands, vol. ii, s. v.