Pictet, Benedict, a learned Swiss divine, was born at Geneva in 1655. He studied there under Francis Turretin, whom he succeeded as professor of theology in 1687, and obtained great celebrity. In 1690 he was made rector of the academy; in 1700 pastor of the Ital- ian Church. He died in 1724. Pictet joined to vast erudition a vivid and natural eloquence. A list of his numerous works is given bj' Niceron. Among these the following are the most important: La Theologie Chre- tit mi, , et la Science du Saint (new ed. Gen. 1721, 3 vols. 4to) ; originally Theologia Christiana (ibid. 1616, 2 vols.
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12mo) ; Christian Theology (translated from the Latin by the Rev. Frederick Reyroux, B.A., Lond. 1847, sm.8vo): — La Morale Chretienne, ou i A rt de bien virre (nouv. ed. augmente'e, Gen. 1709, 8 vols. 12mo) ; the first volume of this work appeared anonymously. It was reprinted at Lyons, in France, with a dedication to the bishop of Belley: — Dissertation sv.r les Temples, leur Dedicace, et plusieurs Glioses qu'on y voit, avec i/n Si riimn ( ibid. 1716, 12mo) : — Iluit Sermons stir VExamen des Religions (1 Thess. v, 21) (ibid. 1716, 8vo) :—l>ix Sermons sur dicers Sujets (ibid. 1718, 8vo) : — UHistoire du douzieme Steele (Amst. 1732, 4to): — Quatorze Sermons sur divers Sujets (Gen. 1721, 8vo). See Biblioth. Germanique, s. v. ; Ni- ceron, Memoires, vol. i ; Senebler, Hist, litter, de Geneve, ii, 249 sq. ; Darling, Cyclop. Bibl. s. v.; Mosheim, Eccles. Hist. vol. iii ; Hook, Eccles. Biog. viii, 92. (J. H. W.)
Picture, the rendering in the A. V. in three pas- sages of two Hebrew words which are from the same root (nsb. to look at).
1. MasMth, ^3OT,«« image; used alone, either lit- erally (plur. "pictures," Prov. xxv, 11) or in the sense of imagination ("conceit," Prov. xviii, 11 ; plur. "wish," Psa. lxxiii, 7) ; with "2X, a stone (" image of stone," Lev. xxvi, 1 ; plur. " pictures," Numb, xxxiii, 52) ; with Tin, an apartment (plur. " chambers of imagery" [q.v.], Ezek. viii, 12), "it denotes idolatrous representations, either independent images, or more usually stones ' por- trayed,' i. e. sculptured in low relief, or engraved and colored (Ezek. xxiii, 14; Layard, Nin. and Hah. ii, 306, 308). Movable pictures, in the modern sense, were doubtless unknown to the Jews; but colored sculptures and drawings on walls or on wood, as mummy-cases, must have been familiar to them in Egypt (see Wilkin- son, Anc. Egyptians, ii, 277). In later times we read of portraits (tiicavac), perhaps busts or intagli, sent by Alexandra to Antony (Josephus, Ant. xv, 2, 6). The ' pictures of silver' of Prov. xxv, 11, were probably wall- surfaces or cornices with carvings, and the ' apples of gold' representations of fruit or foliage, like Solomon's flowers and pomegranates (1 Kings vi, vii). The walls of Babylon were ornamented with pictures on enam- elled brick" (Smith).
2. SeTdyah, iT^cb, the flag of a ship, as seen from afar (plur. " picture," Isa. ii, 16). The Phoenician and Egyp- tian vessels had their flags and sails of purple and other splendid colors (see Ezek. xxvii, 7; comp. Diod. Sic. i, 51 ; Wilkinson, Anc. Egypt, iii, 211). See Standard.
Pictures, Worship of, in Churches. The use of paintings and images in churches was introduced as early as the commencement of the 4th century, but was speedily condemned by a council held at Illiberis, in Spain, A.D. 305. Individual writers also during this century bore their testimony against the practice in question. Eusebius of Caesarea, at the beginning of the century, and Epiphanius of Salamis, towards the close of it, denounced the practice as heathenish and unscript- ural (see Milner's Hist, of the Church, vol. iv, ch. xiii, p. 423). Nevertheless the practice of hanging up pict- ures of saints and martyrs, as well as symbolical repre- sentations of Scripture histories, prevailed in the 5th century. No images of God or representations of the Holy Trinity were tolerated in churches till after the sec- ond Nicene council. Pictures of Scripture scenes were hung on the walls of churches at first to aid those who could not read. The idolatrous devotion with which the Papists bow down before the images and paintings of the dead is a consequence of this practice. See Im- age-worship. Besides, the pictures are used by the Romanists for working upon the superstitious belief of the masses. Thus Seymour tells us the following in his Pilgrimage : "There is scarcely an incident in the life of our Lord that has not its rival incident or parallel in the legendary life of Mary. For example, a picture represents an angel announcing to Mary the miraculous conception of the Messiah ; it, is rivalled by another rep-
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resenting an angel announcing to Anna, the legendary mother of Mary, the miraculous and immaculate con- ception of Mary in the womb. A picture represents the birth of our Lord; it is paralleled by another represent- ing the nativity or birth of the Virgin Mary. If there
i< ■ n presenting our Lord sitting on the throne and
bearing the crown as King of kings, there is a rival pict- ure n presenting .Mary sitting on the same throne, bear- ing the sceptre, and wearing the crown as Queen of heaven. There are two classes of miraculous pictures, comprehends those whicb are said to have had a miraculous origin; thai is. to have been painted in pan or in whole by no human bands, but by an angel, or some mysterious visitant from the world of spirits. The second class of miraculous pictures is far more nu- merous, and comprehends all those which have per- formed miracles. At the church of St, Giovanni e Paolo, near Rome, is a small picture of the Virgin Mary, which is said to have shed tears on the French invasion of It- aly. At Arezzowewere shown a picture in the cathedral church, which wept many tears at the Language of some drunkards. It was a Madonna, and the bishop made it the means of collecting sufficient funds to build a new chapel to commemorate it. In the church of St. Pietro de Montorio is a singularly ugly representation oi Mary and our Lord. Indeed, it is positively hideous; but an inscription on a marble slab announces that 'this sacred