Convocation

An assembly of persons for the worship of God, Lev 23:1-44: Numb. 28: Exo 12:16. An assembly of the clergy for consultation upon matters ecclesiastical. As the parliament consists of two distinct houses, so does this convocation. the one called the upper house, where the archbishops and bishops sit severally by themselves; the other the lower house, where all the rest of the clergy are represented by their deputies.

The inferior clergy are represented by their proctors; consisting of all the deans and archdeacons; of one proctor for every chapter, and two for the clergy, of every diocese

in all, one hundred and forty-three divines, viz. twenty-two deans, fifty-three archdeacons, twenty-four prebendaries, and forty-four proctors of the diocesan clergy. The lower house chooses its prolocutor, who is to take care that the members attend, to collect their debates and votes, and to carry their resolutions to the upper house. The convocations is summoned by the king’s writ, directed to the archbishop of each province, requiring him to summon all bishops, deans, archdeacons, &c. The power of the convocation is limited by a statute of Henry VIII. they are not to make any canons, or ecclesiastical laws, without the king’s license; nor, when permitted, can they put them in execution but under several restrictions.

They have the examining and censuring all heretical and schismatical books and persons, &c; but there lies an appeal to the king in chancery, or to his delegates. The clergy in convocation, and their servants, have the same privileges as members of parliament. In 1665, the convocation of the clergy gave up the privilege of taxing themselves to the house of commons, in consideration of their being allowed to vote at the election of members for that house. Since that period they have been seldom allowed to do any business; and are generally prorogued from time to time till dissolved, a new convocation being generally called along with a new parliament.

Convocation. This term (with one exception) -- Isa 1:13 -- is applied, invariably, to meetings of a religious character, in contradistinction to congregation.

(מַקְרָא, mira’, from קָרָא, kara’, to call; comp. Num 10:2; Isa 1:13), applied invariably to meetings of a religious character, in contradistinction to congregation, in which political and legal matters were occasionally settled. SEE GOVERNMENT. Hence it is connected with קֹדֶשׁ, holy, and is applied only to the Sabbath and the great annual festivals of the Jews (Exo 12:16; Lev 23:2 sq.; Num 28:18 sq.; Num 29:1 sq.). In this sense, with one exception (Isa 1:13, “assembly”), the word is peculiar to the Pentateuch; but in Isa 4:5, it denotes the place of gathering (“assemblies”), and in Neh 8:3, it signifies the public “reading” of the law in the synagogue service. The Sept. treats it as an adjective (κλητός, ἐπίκλητος; called); but there can be no doubt that the A. V. is correct in its rendering (Smith, s.v.). SEE CONGREGATION. Like the Greek πανηγυρις or mass-meeting (Smith’s Dict. of Class. Antiq. s.v. Panegyris), it signifies “a meeting or solemn assembly of a whole people for the purpose of worshipping at a common sanctuary.” The phrase “holy convocation” is applied,

I. To the FEASTS:

1. To the Sabbaths, all of which were “holy convocations” (Lev 23:2-3).

2. To the Passover.

(a.) its first day (Exo 12:16; Lev 23:7; Num 28:18);

(b.) its last day (Exo 12:16; Lev 23:8; Num 28:25).

3. To the Pentecost (Lev 23:21).

4. To the Feast of Trumpets on the 1st of Tisri, the New Year’s day of the civil year (Lev 23:24; Num 29:1).

5. To the Feast of Weeks or First-fruits (Num 28:26).

6. To the Feast of Tabernacles:

(a.) its first day (Lev 23:35; Num 29:12);

(b.) its last day (Lev 23:36).

7. As introductory to the enumeration of these feasts (Lev 23:4), and as closing it (Lev 23:7).

II. To the one great FAST, the annual Day of Atonement (Lev 23:27; Num 29:7). To the deep solemnities of “the Holy Convocation,” whether of joy or of sorrow (“afflicting the soul,” as in the last passage), one great feature was common, marked by the command, “Ye shall do no servile work therein” (see all the passages); or more fully in Exo 12:16, “No manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.” (Such as are curious about the Rabbinical opinions of what might be done, and what might not, on these occasions, may find them in Buxtorf’s Synagoga Judaica, especially ch. 19; the joyous celebrations are described in ch. 21, and the expiatory in ch. 25, 26; see also Ugolini Thesaur. 4:988-1052). With this may be compared Strabo’s statement (bk. 10), “This is a common practice both of Greeks and barbarians, to perform their sacred services with a festive cessation of labor.” SEE SABBATH.

The word used in the expression ’a holy convocation’ is Mikra (מקרא), from kara, to call or convoke. See Exo 12:16, Lev 23:2, al.; and compare Num 10:2. The sabbaths and feast days were occasions for this convocation. The word has been rendered assembly in Isa 1:13; Isa 4:5. It seems to imply that assemblies were convened on these days for purposes of public worship, or for the reading and exposition of the Law. It may be, however, that the word answers to our word institution or solemnity, and signified that the days so designated were intended to be kept free from secular work, and to be regarded as sacred by Divine command. The LXX usually has κλητὴ ἁγία, which, according to N.T. usage, might be rendered ’called to be holy;’ compare the κλητοὶ ἁγίοι of St. Paul’s Epistles (A. V. ’called to be saints’).

NT Teaching on the Temple and Tabernacle

The most notable words that we have been considering reappear in the N.T., sometimes with a more spiritual significance. Whilst the literal ναός or temple was built by Solomon, it was reserved for Christ, the true son of David, to build the spiritual ναός’ which is composed of living stones based up on Him as their foundation. The first hint in the N.T. that there should be such a spiritual temple is in Joh 2:19, where the Lord says, ’Destroy this temple, [We have to distinguish between the ναός, which is the Temple proper, and the ἱερον, or sacred precincts and courts. The latter is never referred to in a spiritual sense in the Epistles.] and in three days I will raise it up.’ He spoke, however, as the Evangelist tells us, of the temple of his body; but his body was itself a figure of that organisation of which all Christians form a part, so that his resurrection was regarded as the rising of the Head, the First-fruits, whilst the Body is to be raised hereafter. this idea of the living Temple is touched up on by St. Paul several times (see 1Co 3:16-17; 1Co 6:19; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:21); each Christian is regarded as a dwelling-place of the Holy Ghost, and, when viewed in connection with others, he is described as a living [It seems unfortunate that the word translated living in the one verb should be rendered lively in the other, the very object of the Apostle being to show the oneness of nature between Christ and believers.] stone in the great Temple, of which Christ is the foundation and the chief corner stone (1Pe 2:5). :Every Christian, whether Jew or Gentile, whether bond or free, is built up and ’fitly framed’ in harmony with the rest; and each community of Christians may be regarded as a chamber (κατοικητήριον, Eph 2:22) in the great edifice.

In the Epistle to the Hebrews the σκηνή or tabernacle of the Mosaic dispensation is contrasted with that which the Lord pitched, of which Christ was the minister (Heb 8:2); and in Rev 21:3 we read, with respect to the same heavenly tabernacle, that hereafter it shall be set up among men.

The σκήνωμα is twice mentioned by St. Peter as a symbol of the earthly body, or dwelling-place for the soul (2Pe 1:13-14) in this sense St. Paul uses the form σκη̂νος; in 2Co 5:1; 2Co 5:4, where he speaks of ’our earthly house of this tabernacle’ being dissolved.

Besides the references to the temple as the house (οἰ̂κος) of God in the N.T., we have the identification of the Church, i.e. the Body of believers, with the House of God in 1Ti 3:15 and 1Pe 4:17; whilst in Heb 3:1-19. a comparison is instituted between the faithfulness of Moses as a servant over his house, i.e. the house of Israel which was committed to his charge by God, and the faithfulness; of Christ the son of God in taking charge of those who believe in Him, and who thus constitute his house in Heb 10:21 He is called a High Priest over the house of God, which is not material but a spiritual house. See 1Pe 2:5.

The word συναγωγή in the N.T. is generally used of the building rather than of those that assemble in it; there are, however, a few passages in which the synagogue meant the judicial and religious assembly. See, for instance, Mar 13:9, Luk 21:12, and Act 13:43. [Compare also the technical word ἀποσυνάγωγος. (Joh 9:22, al.).] in Jas 2:2 the word is apparently applied to the Christian place of meeting, where they were not to forsake the assembling of themselves together (Heb 10:25).

’A calling together,’ and always called ’holy.’ The occasions called ’holy convocations’ are specially given in Lev 23 when the Feasts are recorded; they included the Sabbath, and ended with the Feast of Tabernacles. "These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord." Lev 23:37. It occurs also in Exo 12:16; Num 28:18; Num 28:25-26; Num 29:1; Num 29:7; Num 29:12. The same Hebrew word is translated ’assemblies’ in Isa 1:13; Isa 4:5.

(Latin: con, together; vocare, to call)

The act of calling together an assembly; an assembly; an ecclesiastical meeting of Anglican clergymen, resembling a synod, summoned by the archbishops of Canterbury or York to meet when Parliament is sitting.

kon-vō̇-kā´shun: A rendering for מקרא, miḳrā’ chiefly in the frequent “Holy Convocation”; but the word is sometimes used alone, e.g. Num 10:2; Isa 1:13; Isa 4:5. On a holy convocation no work could be done. The phrase differs from “solemn assembly,” which in the Pentateuch is only applied to the concluding festivals at the end of Passover and Tabernacles, while “Holy Convocation” is used of the Sabbath and all the great holy days of the Mosaic legislation.