This doctrine of the oinis supererogationis was at- tacked by Wycliffe {Dial. p. 287), and sharply criticised in Job. von Wesel's Adv. Indulg. Disput. The position of the Reformers on that question may be seen in Me- lancthon {Loci, De Satisfactione) and Calvin {Inst, iii, 5). It was afterwards treated b}' Chemnitz (i, De Bo- nis 0pp. qu.3 ; ii, De Indulg.), Chamier {Panstratia Ca- thol. iii, lib. 24, De Satisfactionibus A lienis), and .Jo. Ger- hard {Loc. XV, 9, ed. Cotta). The Synod of Pistoja {Propos. XLI), in 1876, took the same views in the Roman Catholic Church. If Protestant polemists have occasionall)' failed to observe that the vicarious satis- faction of the saints does not refer to sin itself, but to the temporal consequences of ^n pardoned, this has, nevertheless, made no practical difference. We may also notice here the evident incongruity between the Roman Catholic essays on this subject and the fundamental truth of Christ's all-sufficient merits. For, admitting
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the fundamental lUstiiiction made by the Tliomists be- tween imrituiii (le coii(li//iio and miri/iim de conyruo, since the merit of Clirist retnains still the active princi- ple of the supererogatory merits of the saints, the latter cannot increase the vidve of the merits of Christ, but only the quaulily or numbi'i: " Per modnm cumuli ad- jiciuntur satisfactionibus Christi, quin islis uUa ratiuiie (leroLjetur." The merits of others, consequently, are re- versible merely as satisfactory services, not as personal moral actions, and thus arc looked upon only as means of application of the merits of Christ as manifested in supererof,'ative works. " Non habent nisi rationem me- dii, quo Christi pretium nobis applicatur" (^IJellarmiiie, l)e. Iiidulij. i, 4, n. 4).— llerzog, Rtal-Encyklop. s. v. See Mtiar.
Superfroutale, a term applied to — 1. The back wall of the altar, wliich received either stone-reliefs or a metal covering with embossed designs and enamel- work. 2. The modern name for a covering for the top of the altar, wiiich commonly hangs down about six inches all round and is fringed. It is ordinarily made of silk velvet, satin, or damask, and is placed over the three white linen cloths which customarily cover and preserve the altar slab.
Superhumeral Cloth, a term used to designate the (Uidce ((J. v.).
Superhumerale, a term for the archiepiscopal pall (q. v.).
Superindicta were taxes imposed by the Roman emperors, beyond the ordinary canonical taxes, upon great exigencies and extraordinary occasions. The or- dinary taxes were called indictions, so those extraordi- nary were called superindictions. From these the clergy were universally exempted by several laws of the Chris- tian emperors. — Bingham, Clirist. A ntiq. bk. v, ch. iii, § 8.
Superinspector, a word by which Latin writers have translateil I'pUaipiis (tTrirrKoirog), or bishop (q. v.).
Superinstitution is, in the Anglican Church, the institution to a benefice over the head of a bencticiary supposed to be dead after prolonged absence.
Superintendent. 1. The officer of the early Church who was also called omrseer, or bishop (tTricTKo- TTog). 2. The officer in the English Wesleyan Church who has charge of a circuit; he is responsible to the Conference for the maintenance of discipline and order in all the societies of ttie circuit, and presides as chief pastor in all circuit courts. The superintendent or one of his colleagues must make the circuit plan, arrange for the quarterly visitation of the classes, change or re-elect the stewards — the nomination being with himself, the
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vote with the leaders' or quarterly meetings. All the minor details comiected with the management of the circuit are in his hands. 3. An ecclesiastical superior in several Hoformed cliurches where episcopacy is not admitted, particularly among the Lutherans in (Jermany and the Calviiiists in some other places. The su])erin- tenck'ut is siniil;ir to a liisliop, only liis jiower is some- what more restrained than tlial of our diocesan bishops. He is the chief pastor, and has the direction of all tlie inferior pastors within his district or diocese.
Superior, an official exercising jurisdiction; the chief of a confraternity, brotherhood, sisterhood, monas- tery, or convent. In most orders the '■ sui)erior" or other head of a convent is elected by the members of the con- vent, and the superiors in a province elect the provincial.
Superioress, a female superior of a convent or numiery.
SupernaturaL This is a word which is popular- ly used in opposition to "natural," things and events which are not within the ordinary concrete experience and knowledge of mankind being looked n[)on as form- ing part of a sejiarate system of things and events. "That is supernatural, whatever it be, that is either not in tlie chain of natural cause and effect, or which acts on the chain of cause and effect in nature from without the chain" ( Bushnell, Natui-e and the Super- natural). MHyOsh {On the Supei-iiaiural, p. 14G, 147) gives this definition; "We may speak of whatever is supposed to be beyond the natural as preternatural. The phrase will apply not only to the divine action, but to the agency of such beings as ghosts and daemons — to h all such operations as witchcraft and necromancy. We may reserve the phrase supernatural to the Su- preme IJeing and to the works performed by him, and to the objects created by him beyond the natural a sphere, such as angels and the world to come. We would confine the word miracle to those events which were wrought in our world as a sign or proof of God making a supernatural interposition or a revelation to man. We must not look upon creation as supernatural, but we do look upon it as miraculous." So far as our investigation push- es out into the world of nature, ■we find that law and order exist, and everj' increase of knowledge reveals to us further illustrations of the assertion that "order is Heaven's first law." Belief in the supernatur;d does not, therefore, require us to believe in an}' violation of law, since all reasoning which starts from what we know leads to the conclusion that " supernatural phenomena are as much the result of law as phenomena which are called ' natural.' " See Miracle.