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Cynewulf

(Encyclopedia)Cynewulf kĭnˈəwo͝olfˌ, ko͝onˈ– [key], fl. early 9th cent.?, Old English religious poet of Northumbria or Mercia. Four poems have been ascribed to him on the evidence of his signatures in rune...

Islam in Africa

(Encyclopedia)Islam in Africa, the development of the Muslim religion on the African continent. During Muhammad's lifetime a group of Muslims escaped Meccan persecution (615) by fleeing to Ethiopia, where the Negus...

equatorial coordinate system

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Equatorial coordinate system equatorial coordinate system, the most commonly used astronomical coordinate system for indicating the positions of stars or other celestial objects on the celesti...

Holy Thursday

(Encyclopedia)Holy Thursday: see Ascension.

mandorla

(Encyclopedia)mandorla mänˈdôrlä [key], [Ital.,=almond], a medieval Christian artistic convention by which an oval or almond-shaped area or series of lines surrounds a deity, most commonly Jesus. The mandorla i...

Naruhito

(Encyclopedia)Naruhito, 1960–, Japanese emperor (2019–), son of Akihito. He is the first Japanese emperor to have studied abroad, attending Oxford from 1983 to 1985. In 1991 he was officially invested as crown ...

Easter

(Encyclopedia)Easter [A.S. Eastre, name of a spring goddess], chief Christian feast, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. In the West, Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the full...

Melozzo da Forlì

(Encyclopedia)Melozzo da Forlì mālôtˈtsō dä fōrlēˈ [key], 1438–94, Umbrian painter. His extant works, though few, reveal him as a painter of power and individuality. He is especially notable for his bold...

Rogation Days

(Encyclopedia)Rogation Days, in the calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for solemn processions to invoke God's mercy. They are Apr. 25, the Major Rogation, coinciding with St. Mark's D...

La Farge, John

(Encyclopedia)La Farge, John lə färzh [key], 1835–1910, American artist and writer, b. New York City. He studied with William Morris Hunt in Newport, R.I., and with Thomas Couture in Paris. La Farge began his c...