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patriarch, in Christian churches

(Encyclopedia)patriarch, in Christian churches, title of certain exalted bishops, implying authority over a number of other bishops. There were originally three patriarchates: the West, held by the bishop of Rome (...

Young Men's Christian Association

(Encyclopedia)Young Men's Christian Association, (the Y or YMCA), organization having as its objective the development of values and behaviors that are consistent with Christian principles. Despite its name, member...

Young Women's Christian Association

(Encyclopedia)Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), organization whose stated mission is “to empower women and girls and to eliminate racism.” The movement is nondenominational. It grew out of the homes f...

Woman's Christian Temperance Union

(Encyclopedia)Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), organization that seeks to upgrade moral life, especially through abstinence from alcohol. The National WCTU of the United States was founded (1874) in Cleve...

Stephen, Saint, Christian martyr

(Encyclopedia)Stephen, Saint, d. a.d. 36?, first Christian martyr, stoned at Jerusalem. He was one of the seven deacons. Accused of blasphemy, he was brought before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. His speech defending ...

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

(Encyclopedia)Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), civil-rights organization founded in 1957 by Martin Luther King, Jr., and headed by him until his assassination in 1968. Composed largely of African-Am...

Sibelius, Jean Julius Christian

(Encyclopedia)Sibelius, Jean Julius Christian zhän yo͞oˈlyo͝os krĭsˈtyän sĭbāˈlyo͝os [key], 1865–1957, Finnish composer. Sibelius was a highly personal, romantic composer, yet at the same time he repre...

Dietrich von Bern

(Encyclopedia)Dietrich von Bern: see Theodoric the Great. ...

Defregger, Franz von

(Encyclopedia)Defregger, Franz von fränts fən dāˈfrĕgər [key], 1835–1921, Austrian genre and historical painter. He studied in Munich with Piloty. He is known for his popular pictures of Tyrolean life, whic...

Delbrück, Rudolf von

(Encyclopedia)Delbrück, Rudolf von dĕlˈbrük [key], 1817–1903, German statesman. He served (1857–76) under Bismarck as president of the chancellery of the North German Confederation (1866–71) and, after 1...