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baptism

(Encyclopedia)baptism [Gr., =dipping], in most Christian churches a sacrament. It is a rite of purification by water, a ceremony invoking the grace of God to regenerate the person, free him or her from sin, and mak...

Leopold I, Holy Roman emperor

(Encyclopedia)Leopold I, 1640–1705, Holy Roman emperor (1658–1705), king of Bohemia (1656–1705) and of Hungary (1655–1705), second son and successor of Ferdinand III. Upon his elder brother's death (1654), ...

Maundy Thursday

(Encyclopedia)Maundy Thursday mônˈdē [key] [Lat. mandatum, word in the ceremony], traditional English name for Thursday of Holy Week, so named because it is considered the anniversary of the institution of the E...

Augustinians

(Encyclopedia)Augustinians, religious order in the Roman Catholic Church. The name derives from the Rule of St. Augustine (5th cent.?), which established rules for monastic observance and common religious life. The...

Flacius Illyricus, Matthias

(Encyclopedia)Flacius Illyricus, Matthias məthīˈəs flāˈshəs ĭlĭrˈĭkəs [key], 1520–75, German Lutheran reformer, whose original name was Matthias Vlachich or Francowich, b. Istria. After studying for t...

Julius I, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Julius I, Saint, pope (337–52), a Roman; successor of St. Marcus. In the controversy over Arianism, when both sides appealed to him for support, he convened a synod at Rome (340), at which were pres...

Duprat, Antoine

(Encyclopedia)Duprat, Antoine äNtwänˈ düpräˈ [key], 1463–1535, chancellor of France and cardinal. First president of the Paris Parlement (1508), he was a trusted adviser of Louise of Savoy, who appointed hi...

Durandus, Gulielmus

(Encyclopedia)Durandus, Gulielmus gulēĕlˈməs dyo͝orănˈdəs [key], 1237?–1296, French canon jurist and theologian. Educated at the Univ. of Bologna, he served several 13th-century popes in various capacitie...

Socinus, Faustus

(Encyclopedia)Socinus, Faustus fouˈstō sōt-tsēˈnē [key], 1539–1604, Italian religious reformer, founder of Socinianism. Socinus left the Roman Catholic Church when, influenced by the writings of his uncle, ...

Baius, Michael

(Encyclopedia)Baius or Bajus, Michael bāˈyəs, bāˈjəs [key], 1513–89, Flemish Roman Catholic theologian, also known as Michel de Bay. He was chancellor of the Univ. of Louvain and was sent to the Council of ...