secular arm
nounUK /ˌsɛkjʊlə ˈɑːm/ · US /ˌsɛkjələɹ ˈɑɹm/
Etymology From Late Middle English seculer arm, seculer arme (“civil authority or power”), a calque of Medieval Latin bracchium saeculāre (“(figurative) civil or lay power”), from Latin bracchium (“arm”) + saeculāre (neuter singular form of saeculāris (“profane, temporal, worldly”)).
1
Christianity, Law Historical The lay or temporal authority of a secular court to pronounce punishment (particularly capital punishment) of an offender tried by an ecclesiastical court.
- The secular arm as a means by which lay power intervenes in ecclesiastical cases had two types: sought and unsought by the Church.
- Then there's no more to be done, but to deliuer them vp to the ſecular arme of the olde vvife, and do not demaund the reaſon, for that vvere neuer to make an end.1612, [Miguel de Cervantes], “Of the Pleasant and Curious Search Made by the Curate and the Barber, of Don-Quixotes Library”, in Thomas Shelton, transl., The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha. […], London: […] William Stansby, for Ed[ward] Blount and W. Barret, →OCLC, part 1, page 44:
4 more examples
- The firſt Inſtance of the Imploying the Secular Arm againſt Hereticks, that vvas ſet on by any of the Orthodox, vvas under the Reign of that bloody Tyrant [Magnus] Maximus, and it vvas managed by tvvo ſuch ſcandalous Biſhops, that their ill Lives is no ſmall Prejudice againſt every thing that vvas carried on by ſuch Inſtruments.1687, Gilbert Burnet, “The Translators Preface”, in L[ucius] C[aecilius] F[irmianus] Lactantius, translated by Gilbert Burnet, A Relation of the Death of the Primitive Persecutors. […], Amsterdam: […] J[ohn] S[tarkey], →OCLC, pages 29–30:
- The Secular Arm is the Lay or Temporal Authority of a ſecular Judge; to vvhich Recourſe is had for the Execution of the Sentences paſs'd by Eccleſiaſtical Judges. […] The Church ſheds no Blood: Even the Inquiſition, after they have found the Perſon guilty, ſurrenders him to the ſecular Arm.1728, E[phraim] Chambers, “Arm”, in Cyclopædia: Or, An Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences; […] In Two Volumes, volumes I (A–H), London: […] James and John Knapton [et al.], →OCLC, page 138, column 1:
- And vvhether the former [the corrupted clergy] did not abuſe the Povver of the Magiſtracy, in bringing over the Secular Arms for the Support of their VVickedneſs, excluding the vvhole Community from inſpecting and deciding the Matter?1744, “To the Reader”, in Certain Queries, with Their Respective Answers; by Way of Introduction to the Reverend Mr. Godfrey Arnold’s Impartial History of the Church and Hereticks. […], London: […] G. Smith, […]; and sold by Mrs. Cooper, […]; likewise, by Mr. Wilcox, […]; and Mr. Hodges, […], →OCLC, paragraph 19, page 5:
- [W]e not only exhort you to expiate by a penitence proportionate to the enormity of such a crime, but also order you to quit the territories of the church vvithin three days, under pain of being given up to the secular arms, and the rigour of the flames.1792 February 8, [François] Blanchet, translated by [anonymous], “The Dean of Badajoz, a Tale”, in James Anderson, editor, The Bee, or, Literary Weekly Intelligencer, […], volume VII, Edinburgh: […] [Mundell and Son] for the editor, →OCLC, page 209:
- Related terms
- long arm, two swords