About 1579 some men were listed as priests and some as parsons. Does anyone know if there was a great difference between the two? Gary

Hello, I wonder which men, and where were they listed? Generally speaking, a priest is person who offers a sacrifice, so it is usually in churches which believe that the Holy Communion service is a repeat of Christ's sacrifice on the cross that the minister is referred to as a "priest". So in Roman Catholic churches, the clergyman is called a priest. "Parson", strictly speaking, is an Anglican (Church of England) term meaning the incumbent of a benefice in a parish. He is called parson (from the Latin "persona ecclesiae") because he represents the Church for various purposes. Nowadays some Anglican churches (sometimes referred to as "Anglo-Catholic" or "High Church") do refer to their clergymen as "priests". Anyway, without knowing more of the context, it would be difficult to be certain what difference was meant in the particular list you refer to. "Priest" and "parson" are not the only words you may find used to describe ministers of churches. Others include: vicar, rector, pastor, elder, presbyter. I don't know if that helps answer the question - I hope so. David Lamb (Paignton, Devon, UK) ----- Original Message ----- From: <GaryIvoDe@aol.com> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, April 12, 2004 9:58 AM Subject: PRIEST or PARSON? > About 1579 some men were listed as priests and some as parsons. > Does anyone know if there was a great difference between the two? > > Gary >