II. In tin Chun-It of England, the bishop is nominally elected by the chapter; but. in reality, the numbers of the chapter are only permitted to name the particular
person whom tl rown presents to them for election
with the i-onoi il'ilin. In the Roman Catholic Church of England and oflreland, the parochial clergy, togethi r with the canons, recommend three candidates, one of whom is commonly, although not necessarily, appointed bj i he pope. < lhambi rs, s. \ .
III. In <h< Russo- Greek Church, the candidates are presented by the holy synod, and the czar name- the bi>hop from among them. See Hardwick, Hist, of the Reformation, i. 350.
Provisor, (1) a chamberlain; (2) the Clugniac bailiff of the ville or manor ami receiver of rents. — Walcol t. Sacri </ I rchceologg, s. v.
Provisors, Statute of. Clement V. in the be- ginning of the I 1th century, went beyond all his pred- ecessors by declaring that the disposal of all ecclesias- tical benefices belonged to the pope. Tbi pope accord- ingly made reversionary grants, or provisi is, as they were called, during the lives of the incumbents; and he resen ed such benefices as he thought tit for hi- ov< □ pe- culiar patronage. England in particular sullen,] great- ly from these papal encroachments during the r< ign of Henry III. The parliament assembled at Carlisle in the thirty-fifth year of Edward I sent a strong remon- strance to pope Clement V against the | -| al . ocroach- ments. Bui this remonstrance produced no effect. The first prince who was bold enough i.. a--, n the power of the legislature to restrain these encroachments was Ed- ward III. After complaining ineffectually to Clement Yi ot the h.inous abuse of papal reservations, he pro- cured the famous statute of Provisors (25 Edw. Ill, stat. 6) to be passed i \.|). 1850). This act ordained that all elections ami collations should be free act ording to law: and that in case any provision, collation, or rest rvation should be made by the court oi Rome of an) archbish- opric, bishopric, dignity, or other ben. lice, the king
PROVOOST 7]
should for that turn have the collation of such archbish- opric or other dignities elective. This statute was for- tified by several others in this and the succeeding reigns down to the 3 Henry V, c. 4.— Eadie, Eccles. Diet. s. v.
Provoost, Samuel, D.D., an American prelate of the Protestant Episcopal Church, was born in New York Feb. 26, 1742, and passed A.M. in King's College in 1758. Though educated in the Dutch Reformed Church, he early became a convert to Episcopacy, and, having entered Cambridge College, was ordained in 1766. On his return from England he became assist- ant minister of Trinity Church, also of St. George's and St. Paul's, New York. He subsequently retired to East Camp till the close of the Revolution, engaging chiefly in literary pursuits. In 1784 he was elected rector of Trinity Church, New York, and a regent of the univer- sity. He next acted as chaplain of Congress, and in 1786 was raised to the episcopate. He served also as chaplain to the United States, and died Sept. 6, 1815. He wrote a copious Index to the Historia PlanUxrum of John Bauhin. See Sprague, .4 rmals of the A mer. Pulpit, v, 240; A mer. Ch. Rev. Jan. 1872, p. 35, 46; July, 1862, p. 668.
Provost (Lat. propositus, set over) is, in ecclesias- tical language, the chief dignitary of a cathedral or col- legiate church, from which use the title has been trans- ferred to the heads of other similar bodies, whether re- ligious, literary, or administrative. Properly, however, the name is given to the highest dignitary in the met- ropolitan or diocesan chapter, and is often held con- jointly with the archdeaconry. The provost is the next in dignity after the archbishop or bishop, a position which is also the right of the prov chapter. The name is also given to the superiors of cer- tain religious houses of lesser rank, and the relation of which to the more important houses is analogous to that of the priory to the abbey. It was also given to certain lay officials, whose duties, in relation to the Church and the maintenance of its material condition, were similar to those of the modern churchwarden. In the Protes- tant Church in Germany, the name provost is some- times used as synonymous with that of dean or arch- priest; and occasionally, where several minor churches or chapels are attached to one chief church, the minister of the latter is called " provost." In England, the heads of several colleges in the University of Oxford, and the head of King's College. Cambridge, are designated prov- ost. The head of Eton College is also so called. — Cham- bers, s. v. See Walcott, Sacred A rcheeolof/y, s. v.
Pro we, a divinity of the Wends and Northern Slaves, had the reputation of a wise but severe and ter- rible judge. He was the god of justice, and carried, as a symbol of wisdom, snakes on his breast: he held in his hand an iron shield, which in doubtful cases was made glowing for the fiery ordeal. His iron statue rep- resents him in the shape of an old man clothed in a long, folding garment; he wears chains around his neck, and holds a sacrificial knife in his hand. He was more especially worshipped at Stargard : he had a temple in that city, and sacrifices were constantly of- fered to him. Around bis sanctuary, and the wood consecrated to him, the people assembled every Mon- day : to penetrate into the holy forest itself was prohib- ited under penalty of death, a prohibition which among the Prussians secured likewise the solitude of the holy spots. The priests drank of the blood of the victims, and then, in the presence of the king and of the whole people, requested the advice of the idol. Sentences were then pronounced by the god, and orders given, which nobody coidd think of contradicting; animals and prisoners, in later times Christians, were immolated to him. On Fridays, according to the old chroniclers, women, children, and servants who brought offerings were allowed the entrance of the holy wood ; a banquet was held in its surroundings, and merry dances were performed till an advanced hour of the night.