Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Jerome, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Jerome, Saint jərōmˈ, jĕrˈəm [key], c.347–420?, Christian scholar, Father of the Church, Doctor of the Church. He was born in Stridon on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia of Christian parent...

sin, in religion

(Encyclopedia)sin, in religion, unethical act. The term implies disobedience to a personal God, as in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and is not used so often in systems such as Buddhism where there is no persona...

Satan

(Encyclopedia)Satan [Heb.,=adversary], traditional opponent of God and humanity in Judaism and Christianity. In Scripture and literature the role of the opponent is given many names, such as Apolyon, Beelzebub, Sem...

Chiusi

(Encyclopedia)Chiusi kyo͞oˈsē [key], Lat. Clusium, Etruscan Chamars, town, in Tuscany, central Italy, in...

Ficino, Marsilio

(Encyclopedia)Ficino, Marsilio märsēˈlyō fēchēˈnō [key], 1433–99, Italian philosopher. Under the patronage of Cosimo de' Medici, Ficino became the most influential exponent of Platonism in Italy in the 15...

antinomianism

(Encyclopedia)antinomianism ăntĭnōˈmēənĭzəm [key] [Gr.,=against the law], the belief that Christians are not bound by the moral law, particularly that of the Old Testament. The idea was strong among the Gno...

Hierapolis

(Encyclopedia)Hierapolis hīərăpˈəlĭs [key], ancient city of Phrygia, W Asia Minor, 7 mi (11.3 km) N of Laodicea and on a plateau 500 ft (152 m) above the Lycus valley (in present-day Turkey). Devoted to the w...

Hilda, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Hilda, Saint, 614–80, English abbess of Whitby, princess of Northumbria. She became a Christian at the age of 13 and a nun at 33. About 647 she set out for a convent in France, but was recalled by S...

Heinemann, Gustav

(Encyclopedia)Heinemann, Gustav go͝osˈtäf hīnˈəmän [key], 1899–1976, West German political leader. A corporation lawyer and wartime leader of the Confessing Church, he helped found the Christian Democratic...

Angelus Silesius

(Encyclopedia)Angelus Silesius yōhänˈəs shĕfˈlər [key], 1624–77, German poet. He is best known for his pastoral lyric cycles Heilige Seelenlust (1657–68) and Cherubinischer Wandersmann (1674–75), which...