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Zacharias

(Encyclopedia)Zacharias [Gr. from Heb. Zechariah] or Zachary [Eng. from Heb.]. 1 Priest to whom an angel appeared and foretold the birth of his son, John the Baptist. Luke 1.5–80. He and Elizabeth, his wife, are ...

hajj

(Encyclopedia)hajj häj [key], the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, one of the five basic requirements (arkan or “pillars”) of Islam. Its annual observance corresponds to the major holy day id al-adha, itself...

Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Samuel, two books of the Bible, originally a single work, called First and Second Samuel in modern Bibles, and First and Second Kingdoms in the Septuagint. They are considered part of “Deuteronomist...

Gray, George

(Encyclopedia)Gray, George, 1840–1925, American jurist, b. New Castle, Del. A lawyer, he was (1879–85) attorney general of Delaware and (1885–99) a Democratic senator. Gray often served (1898–1916) on inter...

Brandywine, battle of

(Encyclopedia)Brandywine, battle of, in the American Revolution, fought Sept. 11, 1777, along Brandywine Creek. The creek, formed by two small branches in SE Pennsylvania, flows southeast to join, near Wilmington, ...

Carlson, Evans Fordyce

(Encyclopedia)Carlson, Evans Fordyce, 1896–1947, U.S. marine officer, b. Delaware co., N.Y. Enlisting at 16 in the army, he served in the Philippines and Hawaii and in France during World War I. In the U.S. marin...

New Jersey

(Encyclopedia)CE5 New Jersey, Middle Atlantic state of the E United States. It is bordered by New York State (N and, across the Hudson River and New York Harbor, E), the Atlantic Ocean (E), Delaware, across Dela...

Micah, persons in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Micah mīˈkə [key], in the Bible. 1 Prophet, author of the book of Micah. 2 Levite. It is also spelled Michah. 3 Ephraimite whose sacred belongings were taken from him. 4 Son of Mephibosheth. It is ...

An Najaf

(Encyclopedia)An Najaf än näˈjäf [key], city (2020 pop. 874,000), S central Iraq, on a lake near the Euphrates River. The city, one of Shi'a Islam's holiest, is also called Mashad A...

Thomas of Erceldoune

(Encyclopedia)Thomas of Erceldoune ûrˈsəldo͞onˌ [key], fl. 1220?–1297?, Scottish seer and poet, also known as Thomas the Rhymer and Thomas Learmont. Evidence of his existence is founded on the mention of his...