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Matthew, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Matthew, Saint, in the New Testament, one of the Twelve Apostles. Also called Levi, he was a publican (tax collector) from Capernaum. Since the 2d cent. the first Gospel (see Matthew, Gospel according...

Hebron, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Hebron hēˈbrn [key], in the Bible. 1 A Kohathite descendant of Levi. 2 A name appearing in the genealogical lists of Judah. 3 City, see Hebron, city, West Bank. 4 An unlocated boundary town of N anc...

Ambler, Eric

(Encyclopedia)Ambler, Eric, 1909–98, English novelist. An advertising executive, he turned exclusively to writing after his realistic and innovative suspense novels became popular. Ambler has often been called th...

Leach, Edmund Ronald

(Encyclopedia)Leach, Edmund Ronald, 1910–89, British anthropologist, grad. Cambridge (B.A., 1932; M.A., 1938) and Univ. of London (Ph.D., 1947). He was (1957–72) university reader in social anthropology at Camb...

Gersonides

(Encyclopedia)Gersonides lēˈvī bĕn gûrˈshən [key], 1288–1344, Jewish philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, called also Ralbag, from the initials of his Hebrew name, b. Languedoc. He wrote scientific ...

structuralism

(Encyclopedia)structuralism, theory that uses culturally interconnected signs to reconstruct systems of relationships rather than studying isolated, material things in themselves. This method found wide use from th...

Hirsch, Emil Gustav

(Encyclopedia)Hirsch, Emil Gustav hûrsh [key], 1851–1923, American rabbi, b. Luxembourg. He was rabbi in Baltimore and Louisville, Ky., but is best known for his work as rabbi of the Sinai congregation of Chicag...

Book of the Dead

(Encyclopedia)Book of the Dead, term used to describe Egyptian funerary literature. The texts consist of charms, spells, and formulas for use by the deceased in the afterworld and contain many of the basic ideas of...

Levites

(Encyclopedia)Levites lēˈvīts [key], a religious caste among the ancient Hebrews, descended from Jacob's son Levi and figuring prominently in the Bible. There were three divisions of Levites—Kohathites, Merari...

burial

(Encyclopedia)burial, disposal of a corpse in a grave or tomb. The first evidence of deliberate burial was found in European caves of the Paleolithic period. Prehistoric discoveries include both individual and comm...

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