ProthSsis (1), a small altar in Greek churches cor- responding to the credence table. The name is taken from the shew -bread, which was called 7) TrpuStaig tCjv cipriiiv — the setting- out of the loaves. (2.) A small side-altar in a Clugniac church, on the epistle side, at which the ministers of the allar, on Sundays and festivals, partook of both kinds, using a silver cala- mus to drink of the chalice.
Prothonotary, a word that has a different signifi- cation in the Greek Church from what it has in the Latin ; for in the first it is the name of one of the great officers of the Church of Constantinople, who takes rank next, to the patriarch, and writes all despatches he sends to the grand seignior; besides which he is empowered to have an inspection over the professors of the law, into purchases, wills, and the liberty given to slaves; but in the Roman Church they were formerly called prothonotaries who had the charge of writing the acts of the martyrs and circumstances of their death, a title of honor whereunto are ascribed many privileges, as legitimizing bastards, making apostolic notaries [see Protonotarius Apostolic us], doctors of divinity and of the canon and civil law : they are twelve in number.
Proto (first). This adjective is prefixed to the name of several officers in the Greek Church, denot- ing that he who holds it, is the chief of his class- such as prothonotary, protopapas, j^rotopsaltes, proto- syncellus.
Protodiacon. The protodiacon, or archdeacon, holds the first rank among the deacons employed in the Episcopal Church to assist the bishop during worship and in the exercise of his pontificalia. He is constantly near the person of the bishop or archbishop, and stands at his side while he is performing the liturgical rites or conferring holy orders. The splendor of the episcopal
PltOTOXOTAKM'S APOSTOLICUS GOG
dignity reflected on this office, and the influence which the archdeacons in all times exercised upon the bishops, made of the proto- 01 arch-deacon, in the Greek-Russian Church, a very important person. In larger parishes several deacons arc employed, l>ut only the lir-t deacon of an episcopal church is distinguished by ih<- honorary title of an hi- or proto-diaconus.
Protonotarius Apostolicus is a notary ap-
pninted liy I In- i>a|i:il -it. Tin- i { 1 1 : 1 1 i I i i ' - 1 1 inn of -/iwmr
i- but honorary. In tin- apostolic chancery- rules i In- word " prothonotary" i> regularly employed, inn the papal bulls and rescripts '-all the -aim' function- ary "notarius apostolicus." The papal notaries ap- pointed in the city of Rome (in curia), and forming, twelve in number, a special mil,-.' of prelates, are dis- tinguished by thr addition | Nbtarii | "de numero par- ticipantium" from those appointed abroad (extra curi- am), vvlio are simply notarii or protonotarii, sometimes with the specification "extra numerum." The former are the regular and paid, the latter the extraordinary and titular notaries. The origin of tin- papal notariate i- assigned to the 1st century, for pope < tlemenl I is said to have employed seven of them in noting the memo- rabilia of the Church, and composing trustworthy ac- counts of the various manners in which the martyrs were brought to death. In later times it became the 1 usiness of the prothonotaries to write the biographies of tin- popes, to draw up authentic minutes of the de- bate in the Consistory of Cardinals, especially in cases of beatification, canonization, etc. Their college was increased to twelve members and endowed with great
• by pope Sixtus V. They precede in the pa- pal chapel at different solemnities the Auditores S. Ro- ue, all eumeral ecclesiastics .and lower prelates, and the generals of orders. Formerly t hey e\ en enjoj ed prece- dence over bishops, but Paul II decreed thai at Rome and abroad they should step after the episcopate. I mly in public consistories and in processional cavalcades four prothonotaries take their place immediately after the as- sistant bishops of the pontifical chapel, and consequently in front of the episcopate. They are, moreover, not sub- ject to the jurisdiction of the ordinaries, but are placed under the immediate protection of the pope; they can freeh dispose by testament even of their beneficial fort- une to the amount of 2000 ducats; they receive all - and graces of the pope free of tax and stamp; they have ir<-i' access to the papal chancery, to the public consistories, and to the cardinal consistories, de- bating cases of beatificatiot >r canonization. They are entitled, under certain restrictions, to use portable altars in saying mass, and at certain festivals to wear the pon- tifical badges (comp. Sixt, V, Constt. "Romanus Ponti- fex" and " Laudabilis"). They have also the peculiar privilege of creating annually si\ doctors, who enjoy all the rights of regularly graduated doctors; but only residents of Rome can be thus promoted (Bened. XIV. Const. Titter Conspicuos, A. iv CaL Septbr. 1711 i. These distinctions belong exclusively to the regular prothonotaries appointed by the pope himself. Those "extra Btatum," and the titular notaries, who can he appointed not only by the pope, but also by hi- legate '/ latere, and. with some rest riet ions, hy the college oT real prothonotaries, occupy in the Bcale of rank the de- gree next to the canons of a cathedral, and only if they are themselves provided with a eanonry have they pre-