gested methods for advancing her spiritual prosperity. Their religious views are similar to those held by their brethren in Europe. They have, however, distinguish- ing peculiarities. Their office-bearers — bishops, minis- ters, and deacons — are all of them chosen by lot. Their pastors give their services gratuitously. Their views and character as a body meeting with much misrepre- sentation, and exciting .considerable prejudice against them, they translated and published at Pliiladclphia, ia 1727, their Confession of Faith. For details, see A mer- ican Christ i(in Record, p. 145 sq.
Besides the Old Mennonites, there are in America : 1, The Ri'Jhrmed oT Strict Mennonites, who in 1811 branch- ed off' from the parent American body. They follow strictly the inj mictions of Simon Menno in regard to foot-washing, non-resistance of evil, abstinence from oatlis, and separation from all excommunicated persons. This sect numbers not more than 10,000, and is con- lined chietiy to Pennsylvania, where it lirst originated. Their doctrines are too rigid for general acceptance, and they progress but slowly. They are a worthy, honest, and exeni[)lary people. 2. The Ne^o Mennonites, num- bering about 2500, organized in 1847 b\' J. H. Oberholt- zer and ten other ministers of the Old Mennonites in Eastern Pennsylvania. They introduced various re- forms, and spread rapidly, not only in Pennsylvania, but in other states, and were the first Mennonites to found a theological seminary, located at Wadsworth, Ohio. In 1872 they had three teachers and twenty-two jnipils. They also have a publishing-house at Milford Scjuare, I'a. 3, The J-Jranr/e/ical Mennonites, organized from the preceding body in 1856, who hold stated meetings for prayer as a Christian necessity. They number only about 300. 4. The Ornish Mennonites, numbering about 1200, followers of Jacob Amman, of Alsace, and very much like the Kefonned. They discard the use of but- tons on their clothes, substituting the hook, and hence are frequently called /lookers.
The Mennonites all over the world count probably 200,000. Their oldest authoritative " Confession of Faith" dates from 1580, entitled f)e Waterkindsche Be- Iijdenis; in 1591 was published the Concept von Koln; in 1G17, l)e Friesche Belydenis ; and later (17GG), the most complete and generally accepted Confession was prepared by .lobn Kie.<, preacher of the ^^'aterlanders in Alcmar. and bv Lubbert Gerard, in Latin (comp. Schvn, ii,78,279; i, 172).
For infonnatioa respecting the ^lennonitcs, see Ot- tus, Annales Anabuptislici (Basle, 1G72, 4to) ; (Jriind- liche JJistorie von den Bef/ebenheiten, Streiti</keiten, und 'Tremwrif/en, so unter den Tiuif<jesinnten bis 1G15 vorge- ;/<inf/en (from the Dutch of Van (Jent), by Jehring (.Jena, 1720); Schyii, yy/.v/. ('hristiani>rinn,qiii in Beljio Jlede- riito Mennonitm apjiellantiir (Ainstelod. 1725) ; id., Ilis- tonie Afennoniturum plenior JJeductio (Amsterd. 1729), which is a defence of the sect, and in which the author protests against their being confounded with the Ana- bajitists; A'an Huyzen, Epitome doctr. Mennonitarum ; Botsace, Wiederbelebiinr/ der W'iedertduJ/'erischen Lthre; Crichton, Gesch. der Mennoniten; Starck, (Jesch. d. Tavje II. Tiiiifi/esinnten ; V. Keiswitz u. Wadzeck, Gluubensbe- kenntniss der Mennoniten u. Xdchricht von ihren Colonieen nebst Lebensbeschreib. Menno Simonis (Berl. 1824); Keis- witz, Beitrdije zur Kenntniss der Mennoniten (Breslau, 1829); BlaupotTcn Cate, Geschiedenisder Doopsgezinden in Frieslund, I/nlland, Zeeland, etc. (Amsterd. 1837-50) ; Cornelius, Gtsch. d. Miinstersch. A nj'ruhrs (Leips. 1855) ; Wigandus, In Ihii/mutibus Anaboptistarum ; Ilase, Xeue Propheteu ; De Bussierc, Les Anabiiptistes (Paris. 1853); Kucs, Gi;i<nuiirtiyer Ziisttind der Mennoniten; JIos- heim. l-.t-rlts. Hist. cent, xvi, § iii, pt. ii, c. 3; and cent, xvii, i^ ii, pt. ii, c. 5 (it is to be wished that Mosheim had written the history of this sect in a spirit of great- er candor); (lieseler. Juries. /list, iv, 371 sq.; Jliihler, Si/mbolics, p. 355 sq,; llagenbach, J/ist. of Doctrines, vu\. ii (see Index); and Van t)osterzee, in Ilerzog, /ie«/-A'«- ct/klop. vol. ix, s. V. (J. 11. W.)
MENOCHIUS
99
MENSA CAPITULARIS
Menochius, Giovanni Steffano, a learned Ital- ian, the son of Jacques Menochius, a celebrated lawyer, was born at Pavia in 1576. At the age of seventeen he entered the Order of the Jesuits. He taught theol- ogy in different colleges of his order, was principal of those of Modena and Rome, then became inspector for the province of Milan, next for that of Venice, and was finally appointed assistant to the superior-general. He died at Kome Feb. 4, 1655. Of his works we men- tion Ilkropoliticon, sire imtitutiones politicm e Scrip- turis depromptm (Lyons, 1625, 8vo) -.—Institutiones aco- nomicce e Scripturis depromptm (Lyons, 1627, 8vo) :— Brevis Expositio sensus litter alis totius Scripturce (Co- logne, 1630, 2 vols. fol. : this estimable work was reprint- ed several times ; the best edition is that published at Paris [1719, 2 vols, fol.], by P. Tournemine — re- produced at Avignon [1768, 4 vols. 4to] ; it contains an appendix to the commentaries on the Bible, and to dif- ferent Jesuitical authors. See Simon, Histoire critique des 2>rincipaux Commentateurs du Nouv, Test. p. 651) : — Storie tessute di varie eruditione sacra, morale e pro- fana (Rome, 1646-51, 6 vols. 4to) ; the first published under the fictitious name of J. Corona: — De Repuhlica Ilehraorum (Paris, 1648 and 1652, fol.): — De (Kcono- miaChrisiiuna (Venice, 1656, 4to) -.—Storia Miscellanea Sacra (Venice, 1658, 4to). See also Alegambe and Sottwell, Sci-iptO}-es Societates Jesu ; Dupin, Bibl. des Autmrs Eccles. vol. xviii. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biofj. Gene- rale, s. V.
Menologiiim (/ojrrjXoyiov, from ////»'); and Xo- yoQ), a name given by the Greek Christians to such of their Church books as contained, besides the Mencea (q. v.), or special prayers and hymns for each festival and saint's day, short biographical notices and descrip- tions of the death of the saints and martyrs. The Menologia were generally divided into monthly parts ; sometimes into two semi-annual volumes. There are yet a number of them extant in MS., and extracts of them for the use of the Greek Church were repeatedly printed in the 17th century. It nearly corresponds to the Martijrolog;) of the Roman Church. The Greeks give the names of the saints, together with short biographical notices of them, taken from the i.ir}vaia, and also the Gospel lessons for the day. AUatius, in De libris Grcecorum, p. 83-86, gives an account of their origin and contents. Several of them are very ancient, and known to us by the accounts of Assemani, Gene- brardus, and Ant. Contius. The most important are: Menol. ex rersimir ('unliiKiIis Sirleti in Canisii lectt. antiquarum, (tonic \) : — M'liol. ex Menceis Grmcoi-um erutum et in limjuain rem. rcrsum a Maximo Afai-gut2io ed. Anion. Pinello (Venet. 1529): — Menol. Grcecoi-um jussu Basilii Imperatoris Greece olim editum — nunc primum Gr. et Liit. prodit studio et opera A nnibalis Tit. S. Clementis (Urbini, 1727). Still more remarkable than this edition of the so-called Menoloyium Basilianuni is the M»;i^oXoy(oi' tmv svayyiXujv iopraarix^v sive Calendarium Ecclesice Constaniinopolitanm primitus ex BihUotheca Romana Albanoruni in lucem editum, etc., cura Steph. A nton. MorcelU (Rome, 1788, 2 vols.). The text in this edition, revised with great care, was, accord- ing to the opinion of the author, written during the reign of Constantinus Copnuiymus. See Augusti, Denk- %ciirdi(/lceiten, vi, 208; xii. .'.(H): Suicer and Du Fresne, Lexicon, s. v. ; Siegel, (7///.s7/. Al!< rtliilmer (see Index); Neale, Introd. Hist. East. Church. — Herzog, Real-Ency- Mopddie, ix, 353.