Definition

1. Noun:
   • The laity; secular members of a religious community: In Christian contexts, "temporalty" refers to the members of a religious community who are not ordained clergy and do not have priestly responsibilities. They are the laypeople.
   • Secular or worldly possessions of a church: "Temporalty" can also refer to the material assets, properties, or revenues owned by a church or religious institution, as opposed to its spiritual aspects.

Usage Examples

• Noun (referring to people):

  • The temporalty of the parish played a vital role in organizing the community festival. (The lay members of the parish played a vital role in organizing the community festival.)
  • The council included both clergy and temporalty in its discussions. (The council included both clergy and laypeople in its discussions.)

• Noun (referring to possessions):

  • The dispute concerned the management of the bishopric's temporalty. (The dispute concerned the management of the bishopric's secular properties.)
  • Historically, the crown sometimes sought to control the temporalty of monasteries. (Historically, the crown sometimes sought to control the monasteries' worldly possessions.)

Advanced Usage

• "The temporalty and the spirituality": A historical phrase distinguishing between the secular (temporal) and ecclesiastical (spiritual) authorities or properties.
  • Medieval conflicts often arose over the boundaries between the temporalty and the spirituality. (Medieval conflicts often arose over the boundaries between secular and ecclesiastical jurisdictions.)

Variants and Related Words

• Temporality (n): This is a more common variant with the same core meanings: the laity or secular possessions of the church.
  • The document detailed the temporality of the diocese. (The document detailed the secular assets of the diocese.)
• Temporal (adj): Relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs; secular. Also relating to time.
  • The bishop had both spiritual and temporal duties. (The bishop had both spiritual and secular duties.)

Synonyms

• Laity: The body of religious worshipers, as distinguished from the clergy.
• Seculars: People not belonging to a religious order; laypersons.
• Worldly goods/assets: Material possessions.

Notes on Usage

• Archaic/Rare: The word "temporalty" is considered archaic and is rarely used in modern English. The variant "temporality" is more frequently encountered, especially in historical or ecclesiastical contexts.
• Context: Its use is almost exclusively limited to discussions of church history, canon law, or historical sociology of religion. It would not typically be used in everyday conversation.

Noun

1. in Christianity, members of a religious community that do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy
2. the worldly possessions of a church