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Ascension, in Christianity

(Encyclopedia)Ascension, name usually given to the departure of Jesus from earth as related in the Gospels according to Mark (16) and Luke (24) and in Acts 1.1–11. The annual commemoration of this is one of the p...

Knox, Ronald

(Encyclopedia)Knox, Ronald, 1888–1957, English theologian and author. He attended Eton and then Balliol College, Oxford, and in 1910 was ordained as an Anglican minister. Doctrinal preferences, however, led to hi...

Tay Ninh

(Encyclopedia)Tay Ninh tā nĭn [key], city, S Vietnam, NW of Ho Chi Minh City. It is the center of the Cao Dai, a politically active religious group that was suppressed by South Vietnamese forces after an armed in...

Tebéssa

(Encyclopedia)Tébessa təbĕsˈə [key], ancient Theveste, town (1998 pop. 153,246), NE Algeria, in the Atlas Mts. The town is an important agricultural market and is noted for its silk embroidery and carpets. The...

Sebastian, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Sebastian, Saint, fl. 3d cent.?, Roman martyr. Little is known of his life. According to tradition he was an officer of the Praetorian guards much favored by Emperor Diocletian, who did not know that ...

Vigilantius

(Encyclopedia)Vigilantius vĭjˌĭlănˈshəs [key], fl. 400, Christian priest of Gaul who was violently opposed by St. Jerome. Jerome's letters and a tract, Liber contra Vigilantium, declare that Vigilantius denie...

Akhmim

(Encyclopedia)Akhmim ăkhmēmˈ [key], city (1986 pop. 70,602), E central Egypt, on the Nile. Textiles and handicrafts are manufactured; grain, dates, and cotton are processed. The ancient Chemmis and Panopolis, th...

Alexander, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Alexander, in the Bible. 1 Kinsman of Annas. 2 Son of Simon of Cyrene, probably a Christian. 3 Heretic condemned by Paul. 4 Coppersmith who did Paul harm. 5 Jew who tried to speak during a riot at Eph...

Gethsemane

(Encyclopedia)Gethsemane gĕthsĕmˈənē [key], olive grove or garden, E of Jerusalem, near the foot of the Mount of Olives. In the Gospels, it is the scene of the agony and betrayal of Jesus. A number of sites in...

Fenech Adami, Edward

(Encyclopedia)Fenech Adami, Edward, 1934–, Maltese political leader, prime minister (1987–96, 1998–2004) and president (2004–9) of Malta. A lawyer, he joined the Christian Democratic Nationalist party in th...