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Wassermann, Jakob

(Encyclopedia)Wassermann, Jakob väsˈərmän [key], 1873–1934, Austrian novelist, b. Bavaria. He won international fame with Christian Wahnschaffe (1919; tr. The World's Illusion, 1920), a novel whose moral int...

Rebecca

(Encyclopedia)Rebecca or Rebekah both: rēbĕkˈə [key], wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob. One day, as was her custom, she drew water at the city well; while there she showed kindness to Eliezer, Abraham's servan...

Alexius IV

(Encyclopedia)Alexius IV (Alexius Angelus), d. 1204, Byzantine emperor (1203–4), son of Isaac II. When his father was deposed, Alexius fled to Italy and then went to Germany. Encouraged by his brother-in-law, Phi...

Sacy, Antoine Isaac, Baron Silvestre de

(Encyclopedia)Sacy, Antoine Isaac, Baron Silvestre de äNtwänˈ ēzäkˈ bärôNˈ sēlvĕˈstrə də säsēˈ [key], 1758–1838, French Orientalist. Sacy's works on Arabic were pioneering, and he was one of the ...

Angelus, Byzantine emperors

(Encyclopedia)Angelus ănˈjələs [key], family name and dynasty of three Byzantine emperors (1185–1204): see Isaac II; Alexius III; Alexius IV. ...

Sara

(Encyclopedia)Sara or Sarah, in the Bible, wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. With Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, she was one of the four Hebrew matriarchs. Her name was originally Sarai [Heb.,=princess]. She was chi...

Alexius III

(Encyclopedia)Alexius III (Alexius Angelus) ănˈjələs [key], d. after 1210, Byzantine emperor (1195–1203). He acceded to power by deposing and blinding his brother Isaac II. This act served as pretext for the ...

Al-Fasi, Isaac ben Jacob ha-Kohen

(Encyclopedia)Al-Fasi, Isaac ben Jacob ha-Kohen äl-fäˈsē [key], 1013–1103, prominent Jewish Talmudic scholar of the very late Gaonic period, b. near Fès, N Africa. He headed the rabbinical school at Fès unt...

Esek

(Encyclopedia)Esek ēˈsĕk [key], in the Bible, one of Isaac's wells. ...

Silvestre de Sacy

(Encyclopedia)Silvestre de Sacy: see Sacy, Antoine Isaac, Baron Silvestre de. ...