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Arminius, Jacobus

(Encyclopedia)Arminius, Jacobus ärmĭnˈēəs [key], 1560–1609, Dutch Reformed theologian, whose original name was Jacob Harmensen. He studied at Leiden, Marburg, Geneva, and Basel and in 1588 became a pastor a...

Reformed churches

(Encyclopedia)Reformed churches, in a general sense, all Protestant churches that claim a beginning in the Reformation. In more restricted and more usual historical usage, Reformed churches are those Protestant chu...

Calvinism

(Encyclopedia)Calvinism, term used in several different senses. It may indicate the teachings expressed by John Calvin himself; it may be extended to include all that developed from his doctrine and practice in Pro...

St. John, John Pierce

(Encyclopedia)St. John, John Pierce, 1833–1916, American political reformer, b. Brookville, Ind. He traveled in the West and in South America, fought in the Union army in the Civil War, and after 1869 practiced l...

Huguenots

(Encyclopedia)Huguenots hyo͞oˈgənŏts [key], French Protestants, followers of John Calvin. The term is derived from the German Eidgenossen, meaning sworn companions or confederates. In the reign of King Louis ...

Melanchthon, Philip

(Encyclopedia)Melanchthon, Philip məlăngkˈthən [key], 1497–1560, German scholar and humanist. He was second only to Martin Luther as a figure in the Lutheran Reformation. His original name was Schwarzerd [Ger...

oratory

(Encyclopedia)oratory, the art of swaying an audience by eloquent speech. In ancient Greece and Rome oratory was included under the term rhetoric, which meant the art of composing as well as delivering a speech. Or...

New, Harry Stewart

(Encyclopedia)New, Harry Stewart, 1858–1937, U.S. Postmaster General (1923–29) and politician, b. Indianapolis. He was long connected (1878–1903) with the Indianapolis Journal. New was an Indiana state senato...

free will

(Encyclopedia)free will, in philosophy, the doctrine that an individual, regardless of forces external to him, can and does choose at least some of his actions. The existence of free will is challenged by determini...

Crandell, Prudence

(Encyclopedia)Crandell, Prudence krănˈdəl [key], 1803–89, American educator and abolitionist, b. Hopkinton, R.I. In 1831 she opened a school for girls in Canterbury, Conn. Her decision to admit a black was pro...