Bible Encyclopedias
Corn, Allowance of

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

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was a provision for the maintenance of the clergy, connected with the early stages of the recognition of Christianity by the empire. Constantine, in his zeal for his new creed, ordered the magistrates of each province to supply an annual amount of corn (ἑτήσια σιτηρέσια ), not only to the clergy, but to the widows and virgins of the Church (Theodoret, 1:11). When Julian succeeded, he transferred the grant to the ministers of the heathen cultus, which he revived (Sozom. 5:5; Philostorg. 7:4). Jovian restored it, but on the lower scale of one third of the amount fixed under Constantine. The payment continued, and was declared permanent by Justinian (De SS. Eccles. cod. 1, Titus 2).