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saint, in Christianity

(Encyclopedia)saint [O.Fr., from Latin sanctus=holy], in Christianity, a person who is recognized as worthy of veneration. Accounts of saints' lives have been favorite reading material for many, and at times thei...

lemures

(Encyclopedia)lemures lĕmˈərāsˌ, –yərēzˌ [key], in Roman religion, vampirelike ghosts of the dead; also called larvae. To exorcise these malevolent spirits from the home, the Romans held rites, the Lemuri...

Manilius, Marcus

(Encyclopedia)Manilius, Marcus mənĭlˈēəs [key], fl. a.d. 10, Roman poet. Of his didactic poem on astrology, the Astronomica, five books remain. These may or may not have constituted the whole work. ...

Pax

(Encyclopedia)Pax păks [key], in Roman religion, goddess of peace. Vespasian erected a temple to her at Rome. Her attributes were similar to those of the Greek Irene, the olive branch and the horn of plenty. ...

Robbers, Herman

(Encyclopedia)Robbers, Herman hĕrˈmän rôˈbərs [key], 1868–1937, Dutch novelist. A representative of descriptive realism, he wrote De Roman van een Gezin (1909–10; tr. The Fortunes of a Household, 1924). ...

Venite

(Encyclopedia)Venite vēnīˈtē [key] [Lat.,=come], Psalm 95, so called from its opening, “O come, let us sing unto the Lord.” It is the opening psalm of the Roman Catholic matins and of the Anglican morning p...

Cletus, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Cletus or Anacletus, Saint klēˈtəs, ănəklēˈtəs [key], d. a.d. 88?, pope (a.d. 76?–a.d. 88?), martyr, a Roman; successor of St. Linus and predecessor of St. Clement I. Feast: Apr. 26. ...

Fabian, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Fabian, Saint fāˈbēən [key], pope (236–50), a Roman; successor of St. Anterus and predecessor of St. Cornelius. He recast the ecclesiastical organization in Rome. Fabian was martyred under Deciu...

omphalos

(Encyclopedia)omphalos ōmˈfəlŏs [key], in Greek and Roman religion, navel-shaped stone used in the rites of many cults. The most famous omphalos was at Delphi; it was supposed to mark the center of the earth. ...

Fosse Way

(Encyclopedia)Fosse Way fŏs [key], Roman road in England. It apparently ran from Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum) NE past Bath (Aquae Sulis), Cirencester (Corinium Dobunnorum), and Leicester (Ratae Coritanorum) to Lincol...