The Twelve Apostles. THE series of the twelve Apostles is frequently met with in Church decoration, as on the west fronts of Wells and Exeter Cathedrals; the reredos or altar-screen at Bampton, Oxfordshire a, and on numerous rood-screens in Norfolk and Suffolk; they are usually to be distinguished when thus grouped together by the same emblems as in their individual representations, except that S. John generally appears in his character of an Apostle with the chalice and snake, and not as an Evangelist with the eagle; and S. Matthew with the purse or carpenter's square and not with the angel. In many instances, especially on the Norfolk rood-screens, they each have a scroll containing a sentence from the Creed, in accordance with the tradition that before they separated after the Ascension, they met for the purpose of deciding upon a confession of faith, and that each furnished one article of belief, the whole being comprehended in what is now termed the Apostle's Creed: these are assigned as follows. S. Peter: Credo in Deum Patrem Omnipotentem, Creatorem Cœli et terræ. S. Andrew: et in Jesum Christum Filium Ejus unicum, Dominum nostrum. S. James major: Qui a Glossary of Architecture, plate 168. conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine. S. John: Passus sub Pontio Pilato crucifixus, mortuus et sepultus. S. Philip Descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis. S. James minor: Ascendit ad Colos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris Omnipotentis. S. Thomas: Inde venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos. S. Bartholomew: Credo in Spiritum Sanctum. S. Matthew: Sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam. Sanctorum Communionem. S. Simon: Remissionem peccatorum. S. Matthias: Carnis resurrectionem. S. Jude: Et vitam eternam. They do not invariably consist of the same twelve, either S. Matthias, S. Simon, S. Jude, or S. James the Less being occasionally omitted, and S. Paul, S. Mark, or S. Luke, (rarely S. John the Baptist,) being inserted in their places. The Saviour frequently occupies the centre niche or compartment, and when S. Paul forms one of the group he generally occupies the next place on the left hand of our Lord, S. Peter being on His right. The canon of the Roman Church places the Apostles in the following order, which is frequently followed, as in the annexed illustration, in early representations. 1. S. Peter. [S. Paul]. 2. S. Andrew. 3. S. James major. 4. S. John. 5. S. Thomas. 6. S. James minor. 7. S. Philip. 8. S. Bartholomew. 9. S. Matthew. 10. S. Simon. 11. S. Jude. 12. S. Matthias. CONTENTS AND LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE THE Virgin and Child, from painted glass, S. Michael's Church, 19-30 Clog almanacks, from the Bodleian Library and Ashmolean Museum MARCH. S. Benedict, from the Ethelwold Benedictional Ambry, froni Foulis, N. B., with sculpture of the Saviour, the An- B |