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 PROTHONOTARY

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PROTOPOPE

work quoted above, compares Catholic with Prot- estant methods and results: although his sympathy is naturally with his own, his approbation is all for the other side.

XI. Conclusion. — Catholicism numbers some 270 millions of adherents, all professing the same Faith, using the same sacraments, living under the same disciphne; Protestantism claims roundly 100 mil- lions of Christians, products of the Gospel and the fancies of a hundred reformers, people constantly bewailing their "unhappy divisions" and vainly cry- ing for a union which is only possible under that very central authority, protestation against which is their only common denominator.

For controversial matter see any Catholic or Protestant text- books. The Catholic standard work is Bellarmine, Disputationes de Controversiis ChrisliaruE fidei etc. {4 vols.. Rome, 18.32-8); on the Protestant side: Gerh.vrd, Loci Theologici, etc. (9 vols., Berlin, 1863-75). For the historical, political, and social his- tory of Protestantism the best works are: Dollinger, Die Reformation (3 vols., Ratisbon, 1843-51): The Church and the Churches, tr. M.lcC.tBE (1862): J.\NS8EN, Hisl. of the German People at the close of the Middle Ages, tr. Christie {London, 1896-1910): Pastor. Hist, of the Popes from the close of the Middle Ages, tr. Anthobus (London, 1891-1910): Balmeb, Protestantism and Catholicity in their effects on the civilization of Europe, tr. H.\nford and Kershaw (1849): Baudrillart. The Catholic Church, the Retiaissance and Protestantism, tr. GiBBs (London, 190S), these are illuminating lectures given at the Institut Cathoiique of Paris by its rector. On the Protestant side may be recommended the voluminous writings of Creighton and G.ARDINER, both fair-minded.

J. WiLHELM.

Prothonotary Apostolic, member of the highest college of prelates in the Roman Curia, and also of the honorarj- prelates on whom the pope ha.s conferred this title and its special privileges. In later antiquity there were in Rome seven regional notaries, who, on the further development of the papal administration and the accompanying increase of the notaries, re- mained the supreme palace notaries of the papal chan- cery {yiotarii apostolici or protonotarii). In the Middle Ages the prothonotaries were very high papal officials, and were often raised directly from this office to the cardinalate. Sixtus V (158.5-90) increased their num- ber to twelve. Their importance gradually dimin- ished, and at the time of the French Revolution the office had almost entirely disappeared. On 8 Febru- ary, 1838, Gregory XVI re-established the college of real prothonotaries with seven members called "protonotarii de numero participantium", because they shared in the revenues.

Since the sixteenth century the popes had also ap- pointed honorary prothonotaries, who enjoyed the same privileges as the seven real members of the college; and titular prothonotaries, who held a corre- sponding position in the administration of theepiscopal ordinariate or in the collegiate chapter. By the Motu Proprio "Inter multiplices" of 21 February, 1905, Pius X exactly defined the position of the prothono- taries. These are divided into four classes: (1) the "Protonotarii apostolici de numero participantium" (members of the college of prelates), who exercise their office in connexion with the acts of consistories and canonizations, have a representative in the Congrega- tion of the Propaganda, and, according to the reor- ganization of the Curia by the Constitution "Sapienti consilio" of 29 June, 1908, .sign the papal Bulls instead of the earlier abbreviators (q. v.). They enjoy the use of pontificals and numerous privileges, and may also, after examining the candidates, name annually a fixed number of doctors of theology and of canon law; (2) the "Protonotarii apostolici supranumerarii", a dignity to which only the canons of the three Roman patriarchal churches (the Lateran, St. Peter's, and St. Mary Major), and of cathedral chapters outside of Rome to which the privilege has been granted, can be raised; (3) the "Protonotarii apostolici ad instar (sc. participantium]", who are appointed by the pope and have the same external insigni:i as the real prothono- taries; (4) the "Protonotarii titulares seu honorarii",

who are found outside of Rome, and who may receive this dignity from the nuncios or as a special privilege. The privileges, dress, and insignia of the members of these four classes are exactly defined by the above- mentioned Motu Proprio. See the bibliography of Prelate.

J. P. KiRSCH.

Protocanonical Books. See Canon of the Holt

Scriptures.

Protocol, the formula used at the beginning of public acts drawn up by notaries, e. g., mention of the reign, time, place, etc. (Justinian, "Novels", 43); also, the compact register in which notaries register the acts drawn up by them, in order of date; finally, the first draft of these acts (called minutes, because they are written in small characters), which remain in care of the notary, and from which a copy or tran- script (said to be engrossed, because written in larger characters) is made, and sent to the interested parties. In tribunals where the registrars have retained the name notary, the protocol is the register in which records of the proceedings are preserved and the office in which the originals of these documents are kept (cf. Regulation of the Rota, 4 August, 1910, art. 2). Public acts, official records, ought to be either the originals (engrossed) or authentic copies, i. e., certified to be faithful copies of the original preserved in the protocol, the notary who transcribes the document witnessing on the copy itself that it is exact; this is what is known as fides instrumentorum, or trust- worthiness of the documents.

Du Cange, Glossarium, s. v. ProtocoUum; the canonical writers on the title De fide instrumentorum, II, tit. xxii.

A. BOUDINHON.

Protoevangelium of St. James. See Apocry- pha, sub-title III.

Protomartyr. See Stephen, Saint.

Protopope, a priest of higher rank in the Orthodox and Byzantine Uniat Churches, corresponding in gen- eral to the Western archpriest or dean. The rights and duties of these dignitaries have varied to some ex- tent at different times and in different local Churches.

Roughly the titles archpriest (apxit^pei^pirepoi), pro- loprie.ii (irpuroifpeus, irpuT07rpe Tepos), protopope (^poi- ToirdTTas) may be taken as meaning the same thing, though they have occasionally been distinguished. The general idea is that the archpriest has the highest rank in his order; he comes ii-amediately after the bishop. In the fifth century he appears as head of the college of priests, as the bishop's delegate for certain duties of visitation and judgment, as his representative in case of absence or death {sede vacante). So Liberatus: "Breviarium", XIV (P. L., LXVIII, 1016). He therefore combined the offices of our modern dean of the chapter, vicar-general, and vicar capitular. The title recurs constantly in the early Middle Ages (Bing- ham, op. cit., I, 292" sqq.). At Constantinople there was an elaborately organized court of ecclesiastical persons around the patriarch, whose various places in choir when the patriarch celebrated are given in the Euchologion together with a statement of their duties. Among these the protopope had the first place on the left. "The protopope stands above the left choir when the pontiff celebrates, he gives to him [the pon- tiff) Holy Communion and in the same way the pontiff to the protopope; and he has all first places [to. TpwreTa irivra] in thechurch" (Goar, 225). Under him is the "second one" (o Sevrepeiuv), who takes his place in his ab.sence (ibid.). So also Leo .\llatius's list, where it is said further that: "he holds the place [KpaTwi'Tlmov, as deputy] of the pontiff" (ibid., 229). He is promoted by presentation to the patriarch, who lays his hand on him with prayer, and the clergy cry "dfios" three times (the rite from AUatius is given by Goar, 238). Goar notes that the protopope, at least to some ex-