the act of consecrating a temple, altar, statue, palace, or other work, to a divine being or to a sacred purpose.

The custom of dedication is very ancient, both amongst the worshippers of the true God and amongst the heathens. In the Scripture we meet with dedications of the tabernacle, of altars, of the first and second temple, and even of the houses of private persons. There were also dedications of vessels and garments of the priests and Levites, and even of the men themselves. The heathens had likewise dedications of temples, altars, and images of their gods. Nebuchadnezzar made a solemn dedication of his statue; Pilate at Jerusalem dedicated gilt bucklers to Tiberius; in like manner Petronius would have dedicated a statue to the emperor in the same city; and Tacitus mentions the dedication of the capitol, upon its being rebuilt by Vespasian.

When the celebrated temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill was built by Augustus, the poet Horace wrote on the occasion his beautiful ode beginning—

"Quid dedicatum poscit Apollinem Vates?"

This had reference to a superstition prevalent at Rome, that whoever first appeared at the shrine of any deity, early on the day on which a new temple was dedicated to him, that person would obtain from the god whatever request he preferred.—Hor., B. I., Ode 13.

The Jews every year celebrated the anniversary of the dedication of their temple for eight days. This was first enjoined by Judas Maccabeus, and the whole synagogue, in the year 148 of the Syro-Macedonian era, or 164 years before Christ. The heathens had similar anniversaries, as that of the dedication of the temple of Parthenope, mentioned by Lycophron.

The Christians finding themselves in possession of liberty under Constantine, began to replace their ruinous churches by new ones, which they dedicated with much solemnity. The dedication was usually performed in a synod; at least a number of bishops assembled to assist at the service. The description of such of the churches at Jerusalem and Tyre as were thus rebuilt may be found in Eusebius, while many others are noticed in later writers.