Roe, Azel, D.D., a Presbyterian minister, was born at Setauket, Long Island, N. Y., Feb. 20, 1738. He was graduated at the College of New Jersey in 1756, and studied theology under Rev. Caleb Smith, of Newark Mountains (now Orange), N. ,1. He was licensed to preach by the New York Presbytery in 1759 (or 1760), and was ordained sine titulo by t!ie same presbytery about two years after. In the atitutnn of 1763 he was installed pastor at Woodbridge, N. .1. During the Revo- lution he proved himself an earnest friend of the colo- nies. Mr. Roe was trustee of tlie College of New Jerse_v for twenty-nine years (1778-1H07), a member of the first (ieneral Assembly in 1789, and moderator of that body in 1802. He was made doctor of divinity by Yale Col- lege in 1800. He died of an affection of the throat.
Dec. 2, 1815. See Sprague, ^nn«/s of the Ante?: Pulpit, iii, 232.
Roe, Charles A., a minister of the Methocb'st Episcopal Churcli, was converted at an early age, and received his license to preach when about twenty-three years old. In 1853 he was received on jjrobation in the Rock River Conference, in wliich he labored until the conference of 1857 granted him a superannuated rela- tion, which he sustained until his death by consump- tion, Sept. 27, 1859. See Minutes of A nnuul Conf. 1860, p. 330.
Roebuck. See Rok.
Roebuck, J. H., a minister of the Wesleyan Meth- odist Association, was born in Leeds, England, Feb. 14, 1816. He was awakened at about the age of liftcen years, and when nineteen years of age he was apijointed to the Sheffield circuit. Wliile laboring in Manchester he had a public debate with Roliert Owen, the founder of socialism, in which he showed great skill. Removing to Glasgow, he still continued his services against Owen- ism, and was very successful in his ministerial labors. He died Dec. 20, 1840, of tlisease of the throat. He con- ducted for a time The Temperance Journal, See Simp- son, Cyclop, of Methodism, s. v.
Roeh. See HARoiiH.
Roell, Herman Alexander, a celebrated Protes- tant divine, was born in 1653 at Doelberg, Westphalia. He studied first at Unna and then at Utrecht, but upon the breaking-ont of tiie war he was obliged to go to Gottiiigen. This place becoming unsafe, he returned to Germany, studied at IMarburg, and afterwards at Hei- delberg. He then went to Basel and Zurich, and in 1676 he again visited the United Provinces, spending two years at the universities of Utrecht and Leydeii. He became chaplain to Elizabeth, abbess of Hervorden, and held that position until her death in 1680, when he was appointed preacher to Albertine, princess of Orange. In 1686 he was elected professor of divinity at the Uni- versii;y of Franeker, and in .June, 1704, was appointed to the divinity chair of Utrecht, which he retained with great reputation until his death, July 12, 1718. Among his publications are, Commentarius in Principium Epis- tolm Pauli ad Ephesos (Utrecht, 1715, 4to ): — a Con- tinuation, with An Ereyesis on Colossians (ibid. 1731, 4to): — Exjylicatio Catecheseos Heidelbergensis (ibid. 1728): — Exeyesis in Psalmum Ixxxix (Diiisburg, 1728, 8vo) : — Gulichii Analysis et Compendium Librorum Pro- pheticorum, etc. (Amherst, 1683, 4to): — Oratio Inauyu- ralis de Reliyione Rationali. See Chalmers, Bioy. Diet. s. V. ; Hook, Eccles. Biog. s. v.
Roeska, in Norse mythology, was the sister of Thi- alfe and servant of Thor.
Rogatiaiii, one of the numerous sects into which Donatism subdivided itself. They took their name from tlieir leader, Rogatiis, and flourished in Mauritania Ca;- sariensis (A.D. 372-373).
Rogation Days (Lat. royare, to beseech) are the three davs immediately before the festival of Ascension. About the middle of the 5th century, Mamertus, bishop of Vienna, upon the prospect of some particular calami- ties that threatened his diocese, appointed that extraor- dinary prayers and supjilications should be offered vip with fasting to God for averting those impending evils upon the above-mentioned days; from which supplications (called by the (ireeks litanies, by the Latins royations) these days have ever since been called Royation days. The calamity referred to was a terrible fire which raged in the city of Yienne, Danphiny, and which suddenly went out in answer to the prayers of the bishop. Tlie same result followed his supplications on the occurrence of a second great tire. Such is the assumed miracle (Thompson, Philos. ofMayic, ii, 291). At the time of the Reformation these days were continued for the pur- pose of retaining the perambulation ((). v.) of the cir- cuits of parishes. In the Cliurch of England it has
ROGATION SUNDAY
62
ROGERS
been thought fit to continue the observance of these days as private fasts. There is no office, or order of prayer, or even a single collect, appointed for the Koga- tion days in the Prayer-book; but there is a homily appointed for Rogation week, which is divided into four parts, the first three to be used on the three Rogation days, and the fourth on the day when the parish make their procession. The days Avere called in Anglo-Saxon gany daecjas ; the old form of the name, "gang days," still lingering in the north of England. There was considera- ble opposition to the observance of rogations during the fifty days between Easter and Pentecost — a time which was one continued festival in the early Church. The Eastern Church does not keep Rogationtide, and even drops the fasts of Wednesday and Friday during the fifty davs. See Bingham, Christian Antiq. xxi, 2, 8; Bltint, hicf. of T/ieol. s. v.; Eden, T/ieol. Did. s. v.; Hook, Church Diet. s. v.