釋氏稽古略 3.145

3.145

祠部牒　天寶五載五月制天下度僧尼。並令祠部給牒。今謂之祠部者始起於此。

Ministry of Sacrifices ordination certificate. In the fifth month of the fifth year of Tianbao, an imperial decree ordered that throughout the realm, whenever monks and nuns are ordained, the Ministry of Sacrifices shall issue their ordination certificates. What is called a "Ministry of Sacrifices certificate" nowadays began from this.