Runcarii, the name of an Antinomian sect of the Waldenses, which is mentioned by Reiner as agree- ing for the most part with the Paterins, but as holding that no part of the body below the waist can commit mortal sin, because such sin proceeds "out of the heart." They probably took their name from the town of Run- calia or Runkel. See Reiner, Contr. Waldeiis. in Bibl. Max. Ijujd. xxv, 26G sq. — Blunt, Diet, of Sects, s. v.
Runcina, in Roman mythology, was a goddess who presided over the reaping of grain.
RundeH, William W., a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born in Norwich, Chenango Co., N. Y., and joined the Genesee Conference in 1818. He began his labors in Canada, where his name is still men- tioned with great respect. He travelled in the itinerant ranks for thirty years, and was superaimuated twenty- seven. He was a member of the Northern New York Conference at the time of his death, which occurred in
IMexico, Oswego Co., N. Y., March 28, 1876. See Min- utes of Annual Conferences, 187(5, p. C5.
Rundi, in Hindu mythology, was the daughter of prince Dritarashtra and Kanderi, and the form in which the goddess Maritshi chose to appear among meiu Her mother became famous as having won the love of Krish- na; but Rundi was not the daughter of that god, hav- ing been born before Vishnu was incarnated in tliat form. — Vollmer, Worterb. d. Mythol. s. v,
Rundle, Tiiojias, LL.D., an English prelate, was born in the parish of Milton Abbot, Devonshire, about 1686. In 1702 he entered Exeter College, Oxford, and was introduced to Mr. Edward Talbot, son of Dr. Will- iam Talbot, bishop of Oxford — an event of great im- portance, as it secured to him the friendship and patron- age of the Talbot family. He was ordained by bishop Talbot in 1718, in 1720 was made archdeacon of Wilts, and in the same year was constituted treasurer of the church of Sarum. On Jan. 23, 1721, he was collated to the first stall in Durham Cathedral, but on Nov. 12 in the following year was removed to the twelfth preb- end. He had also the mastership of Sherburne Hos- pital (Julj' 5, 1728), and became associate chaplain at the palace in Durham. He was consecrated bishop of Derry, in Ireland, February, 1734 (or 1735). and died at his palace in Dublin, April 14, 1743. Of his works we have nothing except four Sermons (1734-36), and The Letters of the Late Thomas Rundle to Mrs. Burba San- di/s (Oxf. 1790, 2 vols. 12mo). See Allibone, Diet, of Brit, and A mer. A utliors, s. v. ; Chalmers, Biog, Diet. s. v.
Runner, a word that does not occur in the A. V.. although "ruiniing" frequently does (usually as a ren- dering of Vni, 7-iits, rpix^o}. The Old Test, furnishes many illustrations of speed of foot. See Footmen. We have a very curious specimen of the manners of the times, and a singular instance of Oriental or Jewish craft in Ahimaaz, who, it appears, was a professed run- ner— and a very swift one, too — which one would hard- ly have expected in the son of the high-priest. It be- longs, however, to a simple state of society that bodily powers of any kind should be highly valued, and exer- cised by the possessor of them in the most natural way (comp. Homer's favorite epithet of "Achilles swift of foot"). Ahimaaz was probably naturally swift, and so became famous for his running (2 Sam. xviii, 27). So we are told of Asahel, Joab's brother, that "he was as light of foot as a wild roe" (ii, 18). And that quick run- ning was not deemed inconsistent with the utmost dig- nity and gravity of character appears from what we read of Elijah the Tishbite, that " he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab [who was in his chariot] to the en- trance of Jezreel" (1 Kings xviii, 46). The kings of Is- rael had running footmen to precede them when they went in their chariots (2 Sam. xv, 1 ; 1 Kings i, 5), and their guards were called C^iJ"!, runners. It appears by 2 Chron. xxx, 6, 10, that in Hezekiah's reign there was an establishment of running messengers, who were also called D'^^"i. The same name is given to the Persian l)osts in Esth. iii, 13, 15; viii, 14, though it appears from the latter passage that in the time of Xerxes the service was performed with mules and camels. The Greek name, borrowed from tlie Persian, was dyyapoi.
Ancient Kmcci-s.
As regards Ahimaaz's craftiness, we read that when Ab- salom was killed Ijy Joab and his armor-bearers, Ahi- maaz was very urgent with Joab to be employed as the
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messenger to run and carry the tidings to David. — Smith. See Post.
Ill the New Test, we have frequent reference to run- ning, in the allusions to the Grecian races (1 Cor. ix, 24; Heb. xii, 1; comp. Psa. xix, 5; Eccles. ix, 11). See Game,
Rupert (or Ruprecht, i. e. Robert), St., the apos- tle OK B.vvAKiA. The exact period in which this per- sonage lived is not known, and is the subject of contin- ued dispute, the limits being from about A.D. 580 to 700 sq. The authorities are the Salzburg Chronicles from the I'ith to the 14th century, on the one hand; and the Vita Pi-imigenia, composed about 873 ( see Kleinmayr, Nachr. voin Ziistande d. Gegend u. Stadt Juvavia [Salzb. 1784, supi)l. p. 7 sq. ]), the so-called Congesium of bishop Arno of Salzburg, the Breves No- titim of the time of bishop Virgil (died 784), etc., on the other. The preponderance of opinion is towards the later date, according to which Rupert entered on his work of conversion in 696, after a beginning had already been made bj' other agents. Concerning his life, it is related that he sprang from the royal family of the Franks, became bishop of Worms, and was invited by dukeTheodo to preach the cross in his Bavarian domin- ions. Having consented, he was received at Ratisbon with great solemnity, and baptized the duke, many no- bles, and large numbers of the common people. He was also permitted to select a place for his settlement any- where in the country, and for this purpose traversed the land, everj'where preaching the Gospel: and after a tem- porary experiment elsewhere, he Hnally chose the spot covered by the splendid ruins of a Roman city on the Juvavum (Salzach), and there built an episcopal resi- dence, church, and convents. This was the beginning of the town and diocese of Salzburg (about A.U. 700), which in the time of Arno, the tenth successor of Ru- pert, was raised into a metropolitan see. Rupert placed twelve pupils from Worms in the monastery, and as- signed the nunnery to the virgin Erindrud. After fur- ther tours for preaching, the founding of other churches, and the appointing of a successor, he returned to his jiroper see (propria sedes), and there died on Easter- Sunday. So the Vita Primigenia, though Arnold of Vochburg lets him die at Salzburg. See Rudhard, in the Miinchen. Gelehrten-Anzeiger, 18.37, Nos. 196-2"2"2; 1845, Nos. 80-83 ; A elteste Gesc'h. Buyerns (Hamb. 1841) ; Rettberg, Kirch. Gesch. ii, 193 sq. ; Kurtz, Bandb. d. iillgem. Kirchengesch. II, i, 120 sq. — Herzog, Real-En- cyklop. s. V.