Mess (rxilJia, maseth', a lifting vp, as of the hands, Psa. cxli, 2; ox' oi flame, Judg. xx, 38, 40; so of a sign, Jer. vi, 1; hence an oracle or "burden," Lam. ii, 14), properly a gift (" oblation," " reward," etc., Esth. ii, 18 ; Jer. xl, 5 ; Amos v, 11) ; also tribute ("oblation," "collec- tion," 2 Chron. xxiv, 6, 9 ; Ezek. xx, 40) ; specially a portion of food to a guest (Gen. xliii, 34 ; 2 Sam. xi, 8). See Eating.
Mess Johns, in the Church of England, is, accord-
MESSAGE
134
MESSER
ing to Broughton {Bibliotheca IJist. Sac. s. v.), a name given last century to a certain class of chaplains kept by the nobility and families of higher rank, who were generally expected to rise from table after the second course, and were in little better esteem than menials. In Scotland, Eadie (L'ccles. Ci/clup. s. v.) informs us, the name of J/(W,s- or Mess John was given to Presbyterian ministers, not from any connection with the mass, or be- cause they succeeded mass-priests, but probably because they were called Mr. or Messrs., the title " )-eve?eiid" not being applied to them.
Message (prop, for n^2X?^, Ilag. i, 13; ayyiXio, 1 John ill, 11; elsewhere "'^'^, a word; 'nrayyt\ia, a jtromkc ; TrpiajSiia, an embcissi/). See Messkngku.
Messalians (from Chald. '■plp:^^), or Elciiites (from evxa^ai, to pi-ai/) is the name borne by two lie- retical sects of Christian mendicants. (1.) An ancient sect, composed of roaming mendicant monks, flour- ished in Mesopotamia and Syria towards the end of the 4th century (dating from 3(50) as a distinct body, al- though tlieir doctrine and discipline subsisted in Syria, Egypt, and other countries before the birth of Christ. Tiu-y were a sort of mystics, who believed that two souls exist in man, the one good, the other evil. Tliey were anxious to expel the evil soul, and hasten the re- turn of the good Spirit of God, by contem|)lation and prayer, believing tliat only prayer could save them, and therefore taught the duty of every Christian to make life a period of unintermitted prayer. They de- spised all pliysical labor, moral law, and the sacra- ments, and embraced many opinions nearly resembling the Manicliivan doctrine, derived from Oriental phi- losophy. When their heretic principles became fully known towards the end of the 4th century, the perse- cution of both the ecclesiastical and civil authority fell upon them ; yet they perpetuated themselves to the 7th century, and rcajjpeared in the Bogomiles and Mes- salians (2) of the Middle Ages.
(2.) Another sect of this name arose in the 12th cen- tury, in which there appears a revival or extension of the ojiinions held by those of tlie same name in the 4th century. They arc charged with holding heterodox views respecting the Trinity. They rejected marriage, abstained from animal food, treated with contempt the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper, and the various ordinances of external worshi]), placing the es- sence of religion in prayer, and maintaining the eliica- cy of perpetual supplications to the Supreme Being for expelling the "evil genius which dwells in the breast of every mortal. The term Kuchite, or Messaliun, be- came an invidious appellation for persons of piety in the Eastern churches, just as the terms Albigenses,Wal- dcnses, and Bogomiles were used subsequently to des- ignate all enemies of the Koman jiontiff. — Xeander, Cli. JIht. iii, fjsy ; Ilaweis, Ch. Hist, ii, 222 ; IMoslieim, Ch. J/ist. liU. iii. ch. xii; pt. ii, ch. v; Schaff, C/i. IJist. ii, IDi) s(i. (.l.ll.W.)
Messemakers, ENOELUEitT (Latin, Cnilrijlci'.i), a Bcli,^i:ni ihcologian.wasborn at Ximeguo about theopen- iui; lit the l.itli century. He joined the Dominican friars, became a doctor of theology, probably at Cologne, and in 1 KJo undertook to establish a convent in ZwoUe. of which he was appointed the lirst friar. lie died about 1 !;>2. Among other works, he wrote Kjmtola ikcluratorid jirivilrr/iornm F. /•'. Mendicantiiim contra curatos juiroc/iales et Epistola de simonia rilamla in rc- ceptiune noricioritm (Nimi-gue, 1479, 4to; Cologne, 1497, 8vo; Paris, 1507, Xvo ; Delft, 1508, IGmo) -. — Carmen de Pane: — Manuide Confessorum metriciim (Cologne, 1497, 4to). See De Jonghe, Dcsolata JJataria Domin- icanu, p. 18G-87 ; llartzheim, Prodj-oiniis I/ist. unire?s. Colonicnsis, vol. ii. — Hoefer, Xour. Jiiog. Ginerule, s. v.
Messenger ([)roperly TiXSw, malah' [see Mai.a- CiuJ, ayytKoc,, both words often rendered unr/d [q. v.] ;
in a more general sense 'T'S, ai:oaTo\oc, Prov. xxv, 13 ; Isa. Ivii, 9 [see Apostle] ; in a special sense for forma of "1 w3, '" convey good neu-s [see Gospel] ; also vaguely for n53, to tell; ITl^, to command). It is a practice in the East to employ messengers who run on foot to con- vey despatches (Job i, 14), and these men sometimes go a hundred and fifty miles in less than twenty-four hours. See Foot.max. Such messengers were sent by Joab to acquaint David with the fate of his son Ab- salom. Ahimaaz went with such speed that he outran Cushi, and was the first to appear before the king, who sat at the gate of Mahanaim, anxiously awaiting tid- ings from the battle (2 Kings ix, 18). The common pace of travelling in the East is very slow. Camels go little more than two miles an hour; but dromedaries arc often used for the purpose of conveying messages in haste, especially to a distance, as they arc said to out- run the swiftest horses. To this practice Job alludes when he says, "ily days are swifter than a post" (ix, 25). Instead of passing awaj' with a slowness of mo- tion like that of a caravan, my days of prosperity have disai)|)eared with a sAviftness like that of a messenger carrying despatches.