Ossilago (bone-hardenincj). See Ossipaga.
Ossilegium {as, "a bone," and legere, "to gather"), the act of collecting the bones of the dead. It was customary among the ancient Greeks, when the funeral pyre was burned down, to quench the dying embers with wine, after which the relatives and friends col- lected the bones of the deceased. This last practice received the name of the Ossilegium. The bones, when collected, were washed with wine and oil, and deposited in urns, which were made of different materials, some- times even of gold.— Gardner, Faiths of the World, s. v.
Ossipaga (bone-fastener'), an ancient Roman deity, whose (jfiice it was to harden and consolidate the bones of infants. — Gardner, Faiths of the World, s. v.
Ossuarium, the vase or urn in which the ashes of the deiiarted are deposited. See Ukns.
Oster, P. J., a missionary among the Jews in France, was born at Strasburg March 5, 1804, where he also studied for the ministry. In November, 1828, he was engaged as a missionary by the London Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Jews, and was sta- tioned at Marseilles, visiting and also preaching to the Jews in Paris, Metz, Colmar. IMontbeliard, liesancjon, Lyons, Avignon, etc. In 1835 he was stationed at Metz, whence he nndertook extensive journeys through the south of France. After fourteen vears' labor in the
missionary cause, IMr. Oster resigned his office in 1843, and was during the last four years the minister of the Lutheran congregation in Posen. Too great exertion in the duties of his office had, however, an injurious ef- fect on his health, for the restoration of which he was advised to undertake a voyage to South Australia. He died, however, Oct. 24, 1847, having been eight weeks on the sea. Besides his French translation of Dr. A. M'Caul's nhrj mni.lS (the Old Path), under the title Les Sentiers d'lsrael, he published also a brochure, Les Conjectures d'un Israelite Frangais sur VOriyine du Culte Mosa'ique, examinees (Metz, 1840), against a certain Tsarphati, who denied the inspiration and divine au- thority of the laws of Moses. See the proceedings of the London Societj' in the Jewish Expositor (London, 1829-31); the Monthly Intelligencer (1830-34); Jewish Intelligencer (1835-43), w-here Mr. Oster's interesting missionary journals are found. (B. P.)
Ostertag, Paul Albert, Dr., a noted German missionary worker, was born at Stuttgard A])ril 18, 1810. Having received the necessary education, he entered the University of Tubingen for the study of theology. In 1837 he became tutor and leader of the missionary institution at Basle, in which position he for a long time edited the Easier Missionsmayazin (the Missionary Magazine), which up to this day is very extensively circulated in Europe as well as in this coun- try. Failing health obliged him to retire from active work, and after some j-ears of retirement he finished his course at Basle, Feb. 17, 1871. He is the author of some hymns, which are found in Knapp's Evangelischer Liederschaiz. See Knapp, Evangelischer Liederschatz, p. 1340; Schiitze, Beutschland's Dichter u. Schiiftsteller, s. V. (B. P.)
Oster'wald, Jean Frederic, an eminent French- Swiss Reformed theologian, was born at Neuchatel, where his father was pastor, in 1663. In 1676 he went to Zurich to study inider Prof. Oft, and in 1678 went to the University of Saumur, where he graduated in 1679. He then completed his studies at Orleans under the re- nowned Claude Pajon ; at Paris under Pierre Alii, Jean Claude, etc. ; and at Geneva under Louis Tronchin. He was ordained at Neuchatel in 1683, appointed deacon in 1686, pastor in 1699, and was repeatedly chosen dean by the clergy. He died at Neuchatel April 14, 1747. Osterwald wrote, Traite des sources de la cori-uption, qui 7-egne avjourd'hui panni les Chretiens (Neuch. and Amst. 1700, anon. ; often reprinted, and translated into English under the title of A Treatise concerning the Causes of the j^resent Coi-ruption of Christians, and the Remedies thereof, 3d ed. Lond. 1711, 8vo; and in Wat- son's Tracts, No. 6 ; it was also translated into Dutch in 1703, and twice into German in 1713 and 1716). By this work Osterwald, who during his long and active life had, with Winnfels (q. v.) and Turretin (q. v.) — to- gether called the Swiss triumvirate— labored zealously for the promotion of practical piety, sought a departure from that phase of orthodoxy which, recognising pro- fession as a principal obligation, had dwelt upon it so prominently as to lose sight of the holy living required of the Christian professor. Osterwald attributed the corruption of Christians to the tendency to dispute con- cerning certain dogmas, and considered the bad state of morals as arising from the people seeking to derive comfort, but not improvement, from Scripture. He ac- cused them of attaching more importance to the knowl- edge of the word of Scripture than to a life of practical piety. To insist on morals as of paramount im]ior- tance was considered a heresy. This corruption was further authorized by the doctrine that good works are unnecessary, and also that it is impossible to fulfil all the requirements of the law, as if the regenerate man remained as impotent as the natural man. Osterwald also asserted that the Reformation was not a com- plete work, and that the reformation of morals was yet to take place. There was also a want of unity, the