consistory

consistory
—consistorial /kon'si stawr"ee euhl, -stohr"-/, consistorian, adj.
/keuhn sis"teuh ree/, n., pl. consistories.
1. any of various ecclesiastical councils or tribunals.
2. the place where such a council or tribunal meets.
3. the meeting of any such body.
4. Rom. Cath. Ch. a solemn assembly of the whole body of cardinals, summoned and presided over by the pope.
5. Anglican Ch. a diocesan court for dealing with ecclesiastical and spiritual questions, held in the cathedral church and presided over by the bishop, the bishop's chancellor, or the commissary.
6. (in certain Reformed churches) the governing board of a local church or congregation.
7. any assembly or council.
8. Obs. a council chamber.
[1275-1325; ME consistorie < AF < LL consistorium meeting place, equiv. to L consist(ere) (see CONSIST) + -(t)orium -TORY2]

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      (from Latin consistorium, “assembly place”), a gathering of ecclesiastical persons for the purpose of administering justice or transacting business, particularly meetings of the Sacred College of Cardinals with the pope as president. From the 11th century, when the institution of the cardinalate became more important, the Sacred College of Cardinals, assembled in regular meetings called consistories, became the normal counsellors of the popes. In the course of time more complicated business came to be assigned to various commissions of cardinals, and with the formal organization of the congregations, or offices, of the Roman Curia by Sixtus V (1585–90), the active function of the consistories diminished. In modern times consistories are largely ceremonial. The limited matters they deal with have already been arranged by the pope himself or by the Consistorial Congregation, and the request for the opinion of the cardinals is a formality. Thus, consistories—of which there are three kinds (secret, semipublic, and public)—have become a form of solemn promulgation of certain special papal acts, such as creating cardinals, conferring the hat on newly created cardinals, making appointments to dioceses, accepting resignations, and issuing annual policy summaries on the state of the church.

      In the Church of England (England, Church of) the consistory court is the bishop's court for administering church law in his diocese. In some Presbyterian churches (Reformed and Presbyterian churches) the consistory court is the lowest court, consisting of the minister and elders of the congregation.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • CONSISTORY — (Consistoire), official organization of the Jewish congregations in France established in 1808. The term was borrowed from Protestant usage by the Napoleonic administration to designate the committees of rabbis and laymen responsible for the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Consistory — Con*sis to*ry (? or ?; 277) n.; pl. {Consistories}. [L. consistorium a place of assembly, the place where the emperor s council met, fr. consistere: cf. F. consistoire, It. consistorio. See {Consist}.] 1. Primarily, a place of standing or staying …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Consistory — Con*sis to*ry, a. Of the nature of, or pertaining to, a consistory. To hold consistory session. Strype. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • consistory — ► NOUN (pl. consistories) 1) (in the Roman Catholic Church) the council of cardinals, with or without the Pope. 2) (also consistory court) (in the Church of England) a court presided over by a bishop, for the administration of ecclesiastical law… …   English terms dictionary

  • consistory — index board, meeting (conference) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • consistory — c.1300, secular tribunal, from O.N.Fr. consistorie (O.Fr. consistoire, 12c.) and directly from L.L. consistorium waiting room, meeting place of the imperial council, from L. consistere (see CONSIST (Cf. consist)). Meaning Church council is from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • consistory — [kən sis′tə rē] n. pl. consistories [ME consistorie < OFr < L consistorium, place of assembly, council < consistere: see CONSIST] 1. a) Obs. a meeting place for a council or court b) the meeting of a council 2. a) …   English World dictionary

  • Consistory — Contents 1 Antiquity 2 Religion 2.1 Roman Catholic Church 2.2 In Protestant churches 2.3 Jewish …   Wikipedia

  • consistory —    The term consistory designates certain ruling bodies in various churches. In the Reformed tradition the consistory is the authority in the local church, generally made up of all of the teaching ELDERs (ministers) and the ruling elders (lay… …   Encyclopedia of Protestantism

  • consistory — n. (usu. rel.) to convoke, hold a consistory * * * [kən sɪst(ə)rɪ] hold a consistory (usu. rel.) to convoke …   Combinatory dictionary

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