Hebrews Epistle To The
Hebrews. Epistle To The. The New Testament Writing Known As The Epistle To The Hebrews Raises A Number Of Problems. Two Of These Are Suggested At Once By The Title. Is The Book Really An Epistle? And Who Are The Hebrews? Currie Martin Thinks That The Book Has No Features ...
Helvetic Confessions
Helvetic Confessions. The " First Helvetic Confession " Or The " Second Confession Of Basel," As It Was Also Called, Was The Result Of A Conference Of Repre Sentatives Of The Reformed Cities Of Switzerland Held At Basel In 1536 A.d. The Confession Was Prepared By Bullinger, Myconius, Grynseus, Leo ...
Hermesianism
Hermesianism. The Principles Or Philosophy Of The Roman Catholic Theologian George Hermes (1775 1831). Hermes Is Described By Erdmann As A Semi Kantian. In 1805 He Published A Work " Investigations Relating To The Inner Truth Of Christianity," And In 1819 Philosophical Introduction To Christian-catholic Theology " (2nd Ed. 1831). ...
Higher Criticism
Criticism, Higher. Higher Criticism Is The Common, But Rather Unfortunate, Designation Of The Modern Critical Study Of The Bible. " Part Of The Phrase ` Higher Criticism ' Is A Mere Accident. Crit Icism, In Its Earliest Stage, Took The Form Of Text-criticism. When, At A More Advanced Stage, It ...
Hinduism
Hinduism. The Earliest Form Of Indian Religious Observance Derived From The Ancient Literature Is Known As Brahmanism. The Term Hinduism Is Applied To Later And Modern Developments. " Brahmanism, Founded On These Sacred Books And Claiming To Fulfil Their Precepts. Is The Religion Of Brahma, The Creator, Or Of The ...
Holy Grail
Grail, Holy. The Derivation Of The Word " Grail " Is Doubtful. The Most Probable Identification Is With The Latin Gradalis = Cratalis (from Crater), "cup." The Story Of The Holy Grail, As Is Clear From The Arthurian Legend, Centres Round Some Precious Object Which Was Lost And Could Be ...
Holy Trinity
Trinity, Holy. The Doctrine Of The Holy Trinity —the Trinity In Unity, And Unity In Trinity—is One Of The Profound Mysteries Of Christian Doctrine. It Is A Doctrine Which Was Formulated By The Church When It Became Necessary To Construct Symbols, Creeds, Or Con Fessions. It Was One Of The ...
Horus
Horus. An Egyptian Deity. (1) Horns Was One Of The Names Of The Sun-god. As Such He Bears A Number Of Different Cognomens, According To The Districts In Which He Was Worshipped. Thus We Have " Horns The Elder " (greek Aroeris) Of Letopolis; " Horns Of The Two Eyes ...
Hospitallers
Hospitallers. Hospitallers Is The Designation Of A Number Of Charitable Brotherhoods In The Roman Catholic Church, " Associations Of Laymen, Monks, Canons, And Knights, Which Devoted Themselves To Nursing The Sick And The Poor In The Hospitals, While At The Same Time Observing Certain Monastic Practices, Generally According To The ...
Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli. Huitzilopochtli, Which Means " The Humming-bird On The Left," Was The Name Given To The God Of War By The Ancient Mexicans. It Would Seem To Have Been A Popular Name Which Came Into Use Instead Of The Original Name, Mextli. J. M. Robertson Com Pares The Story Of ...
Humanism
Humanism. Humanism Is The Name Given By F. C. S. Schiller, Of Oxford, To A Form Of Pragmatism (g.v.) Which He Has Himself Developed. The Name Of The Philosophy Seems To Be Due " To The Fact That It Makes Man The Measure' (homo Mensura), Or Bases Itself In Human ...
Hutchinsonians
Hutchinsonians. A School Of Theologians Which Came Into Evidence At The Beginning Of The Eighteenth Century. The Founder Was John Hutchinson (1674-1737), Who Was For Some Time Steward Of The Household Of The Duke Of Somerset. The Duke Procured Him A Sinecure Office As Purveyor Of The Royal Stables Of ...
Iaraclete
I'araclete. The Term Paraclete (gk. Parakletos) Occurs Four Times In The Gospel Of John (xiv. 16, 26; Xv. 26, Xvi. 7) And Once In The First Epistle Of John (ii. 1). In Job Xvi. 2 It Is Used By Aquila And Theodotion In The Plural To Render The Hebrew Word ...
Incense
Incense. The Encycl. Bibl. Defines Incense As "the Perfume Arising From Aromatic Substances During Com Bustion, And The Substances Themselves Which Are Burned To Produce The Perfume." The Use Of Incense In Ritual And Religious Ceremonies Has Been Widespread. It Is Referred To Frequently In The Old Testament, Where In ...
Indulgences
Indulgences. An Indulgence Is A Remission Of The Temporal Punishment Due To Sin After Contrition Has Been Shown (contritio Cordis), Confession Has Been Made (con Fessio Oris), And Absolution Has Been Given. The Prac Tice Is Peculiar To The Roman Catholic Church. In Ancient Times Atonement (satisfactio) For Great Sins ...
Infallibiliti Of The Pope
Infallibiliti Of The Pope. The Decree Of The Infallibility Of The Pope Was Proclaimed In 1870 At The Last Meeting Of The Vatican Council (q.v.). It Was After Wards Confirmed By The Pope. In The Papal Bull " Pastor Jeternus " It Is Defined As Follows : " Therefore Faithfully ...
Inspiration
Inspiration. To Be Inspired In The Religious Sense Of The Word Is To Be Stirred And Influenced By An Outside Power, A Power Which Is Higher Than Anything Human. To Christians Inspiration Denotes The Direct Influence Of The Divine Upon The Human Mind. To The Jews Of Old It Meant ...
Institute Of The Blessed
Institute Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. A Religious Order Founded By An English Lady, Mary Ward (1585-1645). Educated As A Roman Catholic, Mary Ward Left England In 1606 And Went To St. Omer. Here She Entered The Convent Of The Colettines As A Lay Sister. In 1607. However, She Left ...
Irrationalism W
Irrationalism. W. Windelband Has Given The Name Irrationalism To The Philosophical System Of Schopenhauer (1788-1860), And To The Later Theological And Philosophical Speculations Of F. W. J. Von Schelling (1775-1854). Josiah Royce Thinks This Kind Of Philosophy, Which Is Based On The Teaching Of Kant, May Be Sum Marized As ...
Irvingites
Irvingites. The Followers Of Edward Irving (1792 1834). After Studying At The University Of Edinburgh, Irving Went To Haddington As A Schoolmaster (1810-12). In 1512 He Was Selected As The First Master Of A School At Kirkcaldy. Here Three Years Later He Obtained The Pres Byterian License To Preach. In ...
Isis
Isis. An Egyptian Deity. The Goddess Isis Was Sister And Wife Of Osiris (q.v.), Sister Of Set (q.v.) And Nephthys (q.v.), And Mother Of Horns (q.v.). In The Osiris Myth (q.v.) Isis Is The Devoted Wife Who Watched Over Her Husband And Tried To Protect Him Against The Plots Of ...
Ismailiyeh
Isma`iliyeh. A Branch Of The Muhammadan Shi`ah Sect. Whereas The Shi`ahs Find The True Imam In Milsa Al Qasim, The Second Son Of Ja`afar As-sadiq, The Isma `iliyeh Trace The Succession From His Eldest Son, The Sect Was Founded In Persia In The Middle Of The Eighth Century. In The ...
Jainism
Jainism. The Jains Are The Followers Of The Religious Reformer Jina. Jina, However, Like Buddha, Is Not A Name But A Title. The Real Founder Of Jainism Would Seem To Have Been Mahavira Jfiatriputra. Both Jainism And Buddhism May Be Said To Represent Revolts Against Brahmanism. Of The Two Systems, ...
Jansenists
Jansenists. The Jansenists Were A School Rather Than A Sect. They Were So Named After Cornelius Jansen Or Jansenius (1585-1638). The Theological Question To Which They Attached Special Importance Was That Of Grace. In 1588 L. Molina (1535-1600), A Spanish Jesuit, Published A Work " On The Agreement Of Free-will ...
Jesuits
Jesuits. The Roman Catholic Order Known As The Jesuits Or The Society Of Jesu (societas Jean) Was Founded By Ignatius Of Loyola (1491-1556), After Whom The Jesuits Are Called Sometimes Ignatians. Ignatius Was Driven From The Spanish Universities Of Alcala And Salamanca Because He Was Thought To Have An Undesir ...
Jihad
Jihad. An Arabic Word Which Means " A Con Tending " Or A Striving. Muhammed Commanded His Followers To Fight Against Unbelievers, And To Win Them Over To Islam Or To Exterminate Them. The Jihad Thus Became A Sacred Duty. It Is Defined By A Learned Muslim Doctor As " ...
Joachimites
Joachimites. The Followers Of Joachim (a. 1130 1200) Of Floris In Calabria. Joachim Was Abbot Of The Cistercian Monastery Of Floris. He Wrote Books On The Prophecies Of The Old And New Testament, And On The Doctrine Of The Trinity. He Held, As Regards The Trinity, That "the Three Divine ...
John The Gospel Of
John. The Gospel Of. The Gospel Of John Pre Sents A Different View Of Jesus From The View Presented On The Whole In Common By The Three Other (synoptic) Gospels, And It Is Now Almost A Commonplace Of Criticism To Say That It Represents A Distinct And Different Style Of ...
Judaism
Judaism. The Religion Of The Jews, As Deyeloped From The Religion Of The Ancient Hebrews. Before The Settlement Of The Hebrew Tribes In Palestine Their Religion Seems To Have Resembled That Of Other Nomadic Semites. Each Tribe Probably Had Its Own Deity. Some Of The Tribes, However, Before The Settlement ...
Kaniyans
Kaniyans. A Caste Of Astrologers In Southern India. In Malabar The Name Is Spelt And Pronounced Kanisan. According To Thurston And Rangachari, It Is A Malayalam Corruption Of The Sanskrit Word For Astrologer, Ganika. Centuries Ago The Kaniyaus Already Enjoyed A Great Repu Tation As Diviners. They Practise Sorcery And ...
Kenosis
Kenosis. A Term Used In Christian Theology. The Word Is Greek, And Means " Emptying." The Verb Occurs In The Epistle To The Philippians (ii. 7). The Whole Passage (vss. 5-11) Is As Follows: " Let This Mind Be In You, Which Was Also In Christ Jesus, Who, Being In ...
Khonds
Khonds. The Khonds Or Kandhs Are A Dravidian Tribe Found In The Uriya-speaking Tract Of The Sam Balpur District And The Adjoining Feudatory States Of Patna And Killahandi In India. The Khonds Used To Offer Human Sacrifices To The Earth-goddess. Tari Pennu Or Bern Pennu, Which Were Believed To Insure ...
Koran
Koran. The Koran Is The Sacred Book Of The Muharn Madans. The Word, Which Means The " Reading " Or The " Lectionary." Is More Correctly Written Kur'an Or Qur'an. The Work Contains The Revelations Which Are Supposed To Have Come To Muhammad Through The Angel Gabriel. These Are Given ...
Koravas
Koravas. A Nomad Tribe In India. In Different Localities They Are Known By Different Names. According To Thurston And Rangachari, The Members Of The Tribe Are Known As Korava From The Extreme South To The North Of The North Arcot District; North Of This District They Are Called Koracha Or ...
Lammas Day
Lammas Day. The Word Lammas Is Either The Anglo-saxon Hlaf Maesse, Loaf-mass, Or Is A Corruption Of Lamb Mass. The Day Is The First Of August, And If Lammas Is Loaf-mass, It Was So Called Because It Was An Old Saxon Custom To Make Offerings Of New Grain On That ...
Latitudinarians
Latitudinarians. A Term Which Came Into Use About The Year 1670 To Describe Those Who Took A " Broad View " Of Christian Doctrine And Of The Relationship Between Christian Churches. The Latitudinarians Were Forerunners Of The Later School Of Divines Known As Broad Churchmen (q.v.). They Attached Importance To ...
Lawbook Of Manu
Manu, Lawbook Of. The Code Or Lawbook Of Manu Is One Of The Most Remarkable Of The Literary Pro Ductions Of Brahmanism. The Work Seems To Be Due To A Number Of Authors, Some Of Whom Perhaps Lived In The Fifth Century B.c., Others In The Second Century B.c. The ...
League Of Liberal Christian
League Of Liberal Christian Thought And Social Service. A League Founded In Connection With The New Theology (q.v.). A More Convenient Designation Is " The Liberal-christian League." The President Was Mr. R. J. Campbell. The Objects. Briefly Described, Were Spiritual Fellowship, Theological Freedom, And Social Regeneration. The League, As Originally ...
Libations
Libations. The Practice Of Offering Libations Of Blood, Water, Wine, And Even Of Milk And Beer, Has Been Widespread. Libations Of Blood Or Of Wine Are Referred To Frequently In The Old Testament (cp. Ecclesiasticus 1. 15, Where Wine Is Clearly A Surrogate For Blood). They Usually Appear As A ...
Lux Mundi
Lux Mundi. A Theological Work, A Collection Of Essays. Published In 1889. The Work Produced A Con Siderable Amount Of Excitement, And Was Much Criticised. The Contributors Were H. S. Holland, Canon Of St. Paul's, Who Wrote On " Faith "; Aubrey Moore. Honorary Canon Of Christ Church, Who Wrote ...
Magi
Magi. A Priestly Caste From Whom, On Account Of Their Practice Of Astrology And The Interpretation Of Dreams, The Word Magic Is Derived. Iranian Scholars Find A Marked Difference Between The Persians And The Magi. The Magi Were One Of Six Tribes In Media. " They Made A Temporarily Successful ...
Magic
Magic. According To J. G. Frazer (the Magic Art, 1911). The Principles Of Thought On Which Magic Is Based Resolve Themselves Into Two : (1) That Like Produces Like. Or That An Effect Resembles Its Cause (the Law Of Simi Larity); (2) That Things Which Have Once Been In Contact ...
Magic Wand
Wand, Magic. Among The Hebrews A Certain Sacredness Or Magic Power Seems To Have Been Ascribed To Sceptres, Rods, Or Wands. Moses Carried In His Hand A Divine Rod (ma(teh Exod. Iv. 20, Xvii. 0). With This Rod He Smote The Waters (exod. Vii. 20, Xiv. 16), And The Rock ...
Mama
Mama. Yams Is One Of The Deities In Hinduism. At First He Was Regarded As A Man, The " First Of Mortals," Corresponding, It Would Seem, To The Hebrew Adam. In Course Of Time, However, He Came To Be Regarded As The King Of The Dead, The God Of Departed ...
Manbhaos
Manbhaos. A Caste Belonging To The Maratha Dis Tricts Of The Central Provinces And To Berar In India. By Origin The 3ianbhaos Are A Religious Sect Or Order. They Recognise Only Two Of The Hindu Deities, Krishna And Dattatreya, The Latter A Celebrated Devotee Of Siva, Deified As An Incarnation ...
Mandaeans
Mandaeans. The Mandaeans Are An Oriental Sect Of Which Representatives Still Exist To The South Of Bagdad. Their Religion Has Grown Out Of A Mingling Of Babylonian, Persian, Jewish, And Gnostic Elements. The Word Mand4, From Which Their Name Is Derived, Does In Fact Mean " Gnosis." The Rite To ...
Marcosians
Marcosians. A Gnostic Sect, The Followers Of One Marcus, Who Flourished In The Middle Of The Second Century And Belonged To The School Of Valentinus. The Principal Authority For His Teaching Is Irenaeus. To A Great Extent Marcus Was In Agreement With Valentinus: But He Added Features Of His Own. ...
Marduk
Marduk. A Babylonian Deity. The God Marduk Became The Patron Deity Of The City Of Babylon, And As Such Was Greatly Glorified. He Was Not Really One Of The Older Gods. He Became Prominent In The Days Of Ham Murapi, And From This Time Grew More And More Power Ful. ...
Maronites
Maronites. The Syrian Body Known As Maronites Seem Originally To Have Been A Heretical Sect, A Remnant Of The Monothelites (q.v.) And Monophysites (q.v.). The Name Is Used Of A Body Of Heretics By John Of Damascus, Who Wrote In The Eighth Century, And Afterwards By Christian Authors In Egypt. ...
Marrow Men
Marrow Men. In 1646 There Appeared, In The Form Of A Dialogue, A Work On Justification And Sanctification With The Title " The Marrow Of Modern Divinity." The Author Was Described Simply As E.f., And It Has Been Thought By Some That He Is To Be Identified With Edward Fisher ...
Marsyas
Marsyas. A Figure In Phrygian Mythology. Marsyas Was Either A Phrygian Satyr Or Silenus (q.v.), Or A Shepherd Or Herdsman. In Any Case, He Is Represented As A Skilful Player On The Flute, An Instrument Which Was Closely Associated With The Worship Of Cybele (q.v.). Marsyas Is Said To Have ...
Mediating Theology
Mediating Theology. Pfleiderer Gives The Name Eclectic Mediating Theologians To A Class Of Theologians Who Have Sought, Independently Of Definite Philosophical Systems, To Reconcile The Faith Of The Church With The Thought Of Their Times. Typical Of This Class Or School Was Isaac August Dorner (1809-1884). One Of His Works ...
Megalithic Monuments
Megalithic Monuments. There Are Still To Be Found In Various Parts Of The World Sepulchral Monuments Of Stone Which Were Erected In Ancient Times. Many Are To Be Seen Even In Europe. Megalithic Monuments Include Dolmens. Or Table-like Structures Formed Of Several Slabs Of Stone, Cromlechs, Or Stone Circles. And ...
Memra
Memra. Memra Is A Hebrew Word Meaning " Word." It First Came To Be Used To Designate God, Because The Real Name Of The Divine Being Was Considered Too Sacred To Be Pronounced. It Was Then Employed To Denote Some Power Which Issued From God, And Was, Apparently, Thought Of ...
Metaphysics
Metaphysics. The Term " Metaphysic " Was Used By Commentators On Aristotle To Denote The Books Which Came After The Writings Of The Philosopher On Physics. Metaphysics Then Came To Mean The Inquiry Into The Ultimate Nature Of Being, An Inquiry Which Comprehends Morality, Religion, And Politics. Aristotle Himself Described ...
Minoan Worship
Minoan Worship. Discoveries In Crete And Other Centres Of The Minoan-mycenaean Culture Have Furnished Certain Facts About The Minoan Worship. According To L. R. Farnell, " The Most Striking Figure In The Minoan Worship Was A Great Goddess, Conceived Mainly As A Mother But Here And There Al-so As Virginal, ...
Miracles
Miracles. According To One Definition, A Miracle Is " Anything Beyond Human Power, And Deviating From The Common Action Of The Laws Of Nature" (chambers's Etymol. Diet.). Miracles In This Sense Have, It Is Claimed, Often Been Performed By Prophets And Other Great Re Ligious Leaders. Indeed, In Ancient Times ...
Mishnah
Mishnah. The Jewish Mishnah (hebrew Slidnah, Aramaic Tend, " To Repeat ") Comprises For The Most Part The Discussions Of The Rabbis Who Lived Between A.d. 70 And About A.d. 200. These Legal Discussions Were Gradually Codified And Committed To Writing By A Suc Cession Of Scholars Known As Tannahn ...
Mithraism
Mithraism. The Doctrines And Rites Of The Old Persian Deity Mithras Or Mithra. S. Reinach Points Out (0.) That The Iranians And Hindus, Who About The Year 1400 B.c. Were Still United, Have Several Gods With Similar Names. One Of These Is Mithra (see Mitra). After The Reign Of Alexander ...
Modern Anglican Brotherhoods
Brotherhoods, Modern Anglican. There Are Three Well-known Brotherhoods. (1) " The Com Munity Of The Resurrection." This Was Founded At Pusey House, Oxford, In 1892. Since 1898 Its Centre Has Been The House Of The Resurrection, Mirfield, To Which Was Added Iu 1903 A College For Training Can Didates For ...
Modern Theosophy
Theosophy, Modern. Theosophy As Interpreted By The Theosophical Society Has Been Explained In A Statement In The Times (may 30, 1913). It Is The Body Of Truths Which Forms The Basis Of All Religions, And Which Cannot Be Claimed As The Exclusive Possession Of Any. It Offers A Philosophy Which ...
Monism
Monism. As Distinguished From Pluralism, Monism Is That Philosophy Which Traces Back All Phenomena To A Single Physical Or Spiritual Principle. Physical (materialistic) Monism Is Represented By Such A Writer As Ernst Ilaeckel. " A Broad Historical And Critical Comparison Of Religious And Philosophical Systems. As A Whole, Leads As ...
Montanism
Montanism. Montanism May Be Regarded As An Effort To Retain Or Revive The Liberty Of Prophesying. In Itself The Movement Was Not Necessarily One To Be Con Demned, But It Arose At A Difficult Period In The History Of The Church, And Tended To Encourage Movements Which Were Or Might ...
Moravians
Moravians. The Community Of Christians Known As Moravians Had Its Origin In Bohemia, And The Con Nection Of Bohemian Christianity With England Goes Back To The 14th Century. At Various Periods Bohemian Refugees Sought Freedom Of Conscience In England. About The Beginning Of The 16th Century There Was A Colony ...
Mormons
Mormons. The Mormons Are The Followers Of Joseph Smith (1805-1844). Smith Was Born At Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, In The United States Of America. He Became Greatly Interested In Religion When He Was Little More Than Fourteen Years Old. This Interest Was In Time Rewarded, It Is Said. He Received ...
Mugtasila
Mugtasila. The Mugtasila Or The Washers Were A Religious Body Which Flourished About 215 A.d. On The Lower Tigris Near The Arabian Frontier. They Seem To Have Been The Ancestors Of The Mandnans. Fatak, The Father Of Manes Or Mani (see Manich2eism), May Have Founded The Sect. In Any Case, ...
Muhammadan Sermon Onthe
Sermon On The Mount, Muhammadan. A Sermon Delivered By Muhammad On The Occasion Of His Last Pilgrimage To The Kaaba. It Was Delivered On The Mount Of `arafah, The " Mount Of Recognition," Situated Twelve Miles From Mecca. Here The Pilgrims Stay On The Ninth Day Of Their Pilgrimage. To ...
Mummification
Mummification. It Is Thought By Professor Elliot Smith That The Art Of Mummification, As Practised In Ancient Egypt, Was Mainly Responsible For Prompting The Earliest Great Maritime Expeditions Of Which The History Has Been Preserved, And Even Supplied The Foundation On Which The Knowledge Of Anatomy And The Science Of ...
Neo Platonism
Neo-platonism. In Neo-platonism Ancient Greek Philosophy Took A Religious And Mystical Turn. It Was Eclectic In The Sense That With The Ideas Of Plato And Pythagoras Were Combined Oriental Ideas And Doctrines. Founded By Ammonius Sakkas Of Alexandria (175-200 A.d.), The Philosophy Was Developed And Systematized By Plotinus Of Lycopolis ...
Nestorians
Nestorians. The Followers Of Nestorius (ft. 431 A.d.), Patriarch Of Constantinople. Who In Turn Was An Adherent Of Theodore Of Mopsuestia. The Tendency Of Nestoriauism Was To Fix Attention On The Human Element In Jesus Christ. Objecting To The Designation Of The Virgin Mary As Theotokos, " Who Gives Birth ...
Nominalism
Nominalism. The Nominalist School Of Philosophy Was Founded By Roscellinus, Who Was Born About 1050, And Was Canon In Compiegne About 1090. According To Nominalism, Universals (nniversalia) Are Simply Sub Jective Products Of Abstraction; They Are Not Real Things, But Only Names. Real Existence Belongs Only To Indi Viduals (existentia ...
Non Christian Mysticism
Mysticism, Non-christian. In Christian Myst Icism The Aim Is To Enter Into Communion With A Per Sonal God. Where A Personal God Is Recognised, The Same Aim Is Pursued In Other Religions. But Before We Come To The Higher Types Of Religion, It Should Be Noticed That Even In Lower ...
Normalism
Normalism. A Term Invented By Prof. T. W. Rhys Davids. He Explains It In His Cosmic Law In Ancient Thought (1917). " If One Glances Over The Tables Of Con Tents To The Best And Latest Treatises On The Early Religious Beliefs Of The Four Or Five Countries Where Early ...
Oath
Oath. An Oath Is Defined In The Eyelid. Brit. (nth Ed.) As " An Asseveration Or Promise Made Under Non Human Penalty Or Sanction." It Is Sanctified By Reference Or Appeal To A Sacred Person (god, For Instance) Or Object (such As The Bible), And Involves A Curse In Penalty ...
Oberlinvereine
Oberlinvereine. The Oberlin Associations In Germany Have Worked On The Lines Of The ,philanthropist J. F. Oberlin (1740-1s20), Who, As Pastor At Waldersbach In The Steinthal, Did So Much To Improve The Spiritual And Material Conditions Of His People. Oberlin Was Not Only The First To Start Infant Schools, Etc., ...
Old Catholics
Old Catholics. The Body Known As The Old Catholics (alt-katholiken) Arose In Germany In Protest Against The Definition Of Papal Infallibility Made By The Vatican Council In 1870. The Council Was Held Under The Presidency Of Pope Pius Ix. The Proclamation Was As Follows: " If, Therefore, Anyone Says That ...
Old Testament Greek Versions
Greek Versions, Old Testament. The Trans Lation Of The Old Testament Known As The Septuagint Tailed In Course Of Time To Satisfy The Leaders Of Jewish Thought. It Was Considered Too Free, And Wanting In Dignity And Precision. In Consequence Of This Feeling New Translations Came Into Existence During The ...
Ontologism
Ontologism The Philosophy Known As Ontologism Had Its Roots In The Teaching Of The Platonist Marsilius Ficinus (1433-1499), The Author Of A Work Called " Pla Tonica Theologia " (1482). But The Principles Of Ficinus Were Developed First By Nicole Malebranche (163s-1715), And Then By Vincenzo Gioberti (1801-1852). Ontologism Means ...
Orpheus
Orpheus. The Greek Hero Orpheus Was Revered By The Greeks As An Earlier Poet Than Homer. They Ascribed To Him A Wonderful Power Of Song By Which He Was Able To Charm The Wildest Beasts And To Move Even Trees And Stones. When His Beloved Wife Eurydice Died He Descended ...
Orphics
Orphics. The Founder Of The Orphic Mysteries And Of The Sect Known As The Orphics Is Supposed To Have Been Orpheus (q.v.) The Orphics Believed In Re-incarnation, But They Believed Also That Souls Could Escape The " Cycle Of Reincarnation " By Initiation Into The Mysterious Orphic Mysteries. " To ...
Osiris
Osiris. An Egyptian Deity. Osiris, Set (q.v.), Isis (q.v.). And Nephthys (q.v.) Were Supposed To Be The Off Spring Of Keb (q.v.) The God Of Earth And Nut (q.v.) The Goddess Of Sky. Osiris Became Lord Of The Underworld, And We Are Told How He Attained To This Position In ...
Owenites
Owenites. The Followers Of Robert Owen (1771 1858), Who Was A Contemporary Of St. Simon (1760-1825; See Simonianism, St.). After Being Assistant In A Draper's Shop At Stamford In Northamptonshire, Owen Went To Manchester, Where In Course Of Time He Became Manager Of A Large Cotton Mill. In 1799 He ...
Pagodas
Pagodas. The Pagoda Has Developed Out Of The Dhgaba. The Dagaba Was At First Simply The Casket In Which The Buddhists Preserved The Relics Of Their Great Saints. Then In Course Of Time It Came To Denote Not Only The Casket Containing The Relics But Also The Monu Ment Containing ...
Parables Of The New
Parables Of The New Testament. The Gospels Contain A Large Number Of Parables, And These May Be Regarded As Only A Selection Of Those Spoken By Jesus. Jesus Seems To Have Employed This Figurative Style Of Speech As A Means Of Enforcing And Elucidating His Lessons. The Parables Were Not ...
Patron Saints Of Commerce
Commerce, Patron Saints Of. There Was A Widespread Dedication During The Early Middle Ages Of Churches And Fraternities To St. Nicholas Of Myra In Lyda, And Professor G. Unwin (in The Journal Of The Manchester Egyptian And Oriental Society, 1910, P. 13 Ir.) Has Sought To Establish A Connection Of ...
Pelagianism
Pelagianism. The Doctrine And Principles Of The British Monk Pelagius (fl. 400-418). He Was Often Called Pelagius Brito To Distinguish Him From Another Pelagius. He Went From The British Isles, Probably From Ireland, To Rome, Where He Made The Acquaintance Of Paulinus (353-431), Rufinus Of Aquilela, And Ccelestius. In 410 ...
Pericope Adulterae
Pericope Adulterae. The Section In The Gospel Of John Containing The Story Of The Adulteress (john Vii. 53-sill. 12) Is Thus Designated. It Is Clearly An Interpola Tion. It Does Not Appear In A Large Number Of Manu Scripts, And " In Many A Copy It Has Been Merely Added, ...
Phylacteries
Phylacteries. In The Gospel Of Matthew (q.v.) Jesus Is Represented As Saying (xxiii. 5), With Reference To The Scribes And Pharisees : " But All Their Works They Do For To Be Seen Of Men : They Make Broad Their Phylacteries, And Enlarge The Borders Of Their Gar Ments." The ...
Pietism
Pietism. A Religious Movement In Germany In The Seventeenth Century. Its Founder Was P. J. Spener (1635-1705); Its Centre In Course Of Time Was Halle. The Pietists Attached Importance Rather To A Religion Of The Heart Than To A Religion Of Dead Formalism And Orthodoxy. In 1670 Spener Held In ...
Pillar Of Cloud And
Pillar Of Cloud And Fire. The Old Testament Relates That After The Exodus Of The Children Of Israel From Egypt, Jehovah Went Before The People In A Pillar Of Cloud By Day, And In A Pillar Of Fire By Night (exodus Xiii. 21 F.). On One Occasion The Pillar Of ...
Pirqe Aboth
Pirqe Aboth. The Work Which Bears This Title (literally " Chapters Of The Fathers "; But Often Trans Lated " Sayings Of The Fathers") May Be Described As A Hebrew Classic. It Has Been Honoured With A Place In The Hebrew Prayer Book. The Work Is Included In The Mishnah ...
Platonism
Platonism. The Philosophy Of Plato (427-347 B.c.), Whose Real Name Was Aristocles, Is A Form Of Idealism. He Denied The Real Existence Of The Objects Of Sense Which Are Changing Continually. Real Being Belongs Only To Ideas, Which Are Unchangeable And Eternal. The Objects Of Sense Are But Imperfect Copies ...
Positivism
Positivism. A System Of Religion Founded By Auguste Comte (1797-1s5s), A French Mathematician And Philosopher, Author Of Cours De Philosophie Positive (1s39) And Traitd De Sociolog4e (1851-54). Comte Con Tended That Only Phenomena Can Be Known, And These Only Relatively. The Sciences Fall Into Two Classes, Abstract And Concrete, The ...
Pragmatism
Pragmatism. A System Of Philosophy With Which Are Closely Associated The Names Of The American Philosophers William James And John Dewey And The English Philosopher F. C. S. Schiller. The Term, Which Is Derived From The Greek Pragma " Practice," Was First Employed (isis) By Charles Peirce Of America. William ...
Prayer
Prayer. Man Has Been Described As A Praying Animal, And It Has Been Claimed That Prayer Is A Human Instinct. This Is Hardly True Of Prayer In A High Sense Of The Word. " Nobody Dreams Of Propitiating Gods Or Spirits By Prayer While Magic Is Universally Practised," Says Andrew ...
Presbyterians
Presbyterians. The First Presbyterian Church In England Was Formed At Wandsworth In 1572 Under The Pastorate Of John Field. It Was Part Of The Programme Of The Puritan Reformers To Remodel The Church On Presbyterian Lines. They Insisted On The " Parity Of Ministers," And Held That The Episcopacy Ought ...
Priesthood
Priesthood. In Babylonia Priesthoods Had Developed In The Prehistoric Period. Elaborate Liturgies Were Developed Later. " As Time Advanced, The Duties Of The Priests Were Differentiated; Some Gave Themselves To The Ordinary Duties Of A Palest, While Others Were Set Apart For The Observance Of Omens. And Still Others For ...
Primitive Methodists
Methodists, Primitive. A Christian Body Which Represents A Secession From The Methodism Of John Wesley (see Wesleyan Methodists). They Were So Called Because They Reverted, As They Claimed, To The Original Or Primitive Methods Of Wesley And His Followers. They Did This By " Preaching In The Open Air, Holding ...
Profanity
Profanity. Professor G. T. W. Patrick Distin Guishes Two Kinds Of Swearing, Asseverative Or Legal, And Ejaculatory Or Profane. The Latter He Defines As " The Ejaculatory Or Exclamatory Use Of A Word Or Phrase, Usually The Name Of The Deity Or Connected In Some Way With Religion Or Other ...