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Mather, Stephen Tyng

(Encyclopedia)Mather, Stephen Tyng, 1867–1930, American industrialist and environmentalist, b. San Francisco, grad. Univ. of California, Berkeley, 1887. He began working for the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the...

Laban

(Encyclopedia)Laban lāˈbăn [key], in the Bible, father of Leah and Rachel and uncle of Jacob. The Nuzi tablets contain the stories of Laban and Jacob. ...

Israel, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Israel ĭzˈrēəl, ĭzˈrāəl [key] [as understood by Hebrews,=he strives with God], according to the book of Genesis, name given to Jacob as eponymous ancestor of the Hebrews, the chosen people of ...

Shechem, town, West Bank

(Encyclopedia)Shechem shēˈkəm [key], town, central ancient Palestine, the modern Tell Balatan, between Mts. Gerizim and Ebal, near Nablus. Archaeological excavations indicate a village there c.3500 b.c. Shechem'...

Esau

(Encyclopedia)Esau ēˈsô [key] [Heb.,=hairy], in the Bible, son of Isaac, who sold his birthright to his younger twin, Jacob, for lentil stew and who was tricked by Jacob out of his father's blessing. Also known ...

patriarch, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)patriarch pāˈtrēärk [key], in biblical tradition, one of the antediluvian progenitors of the race as given in Genesis (e.g., Seth) or one of the ancestors of the Jews (e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,...

Fugger

(Encyclopedia)Fugger fo͝ogˈər [key], German family of merchant princes. The foundation of their wealth was laid by Hans Fugger, allegedly a weaver, who moved to Augsburg in 1367. His descendants built up the fam...

Tamayo, Rufino

(Encyclopedia)Tamayo, Rufino ro͞ofēˈnō tämäˈyō [key], 1899–1991, Mexican painter, b. Oaxaca. Considered one of the leading Mexican artists of the 20th cent., Tamayo first gained his reputation in the Unit...

Soutine, Chaïm

(Encyclopedia)Soutine, Chaïm khīˈyĭm so͞otēnˈ [key], 1893–1943, French expressionist painter, b. near Minsk, Russia (now Belarus). He went to Paris in 1913 and joined the bohemian society of the school of ...

Rachel, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Rachel rāˈchəl [key], in the Bible, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She is one of the four Jewish matriarchs. An alternate form is Rahel. ...