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Two Sicilies, kingdom of the

(Encyclopedia)Two Sicilies, kingdom of the. The name Two Sicilies was used in the Middle Ages to mean the kingdoms of Sicily and of Naples (see Sicily and Naples, kingdom of). Alfonso V of Aragón, who in 1442 reun...

John of the Cross, Saint

(Encyclopedia)John of the Cross, Saint, Span. Juan de la Cruz, 1542–91, Spanish mystic and poet, Doctor of the Church. His name was originally Juan de Yepes. He was a founder of the Discalced Carmelites and a clo...

Q, letter of the alphabet

(Encyclopedia)Q, 17th letter of the alphabet, corresponding to the koppa of western Greek alphabets. U must follow the letter in English (e.g., queen, question), and the combination properly represents a sound much...

Zephaniah, book of the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Zephaniah zĕfˌənīˈə [key], prophetic book of the Bible. The prophet, who lived in the reign (c.640–609 b.c.) of King Josiah of Judah, traces his genealogy to King Hezekiah. Zephaniah denounces...

Perkins School for the Blind

(Encyclopedia)Perkins School for the Blind, at Watertown, Mass.; chartered 1829, opened 1832 in South Boston as the New England Asylum for the Blind, with Samuel G. Howe as its director; moved 1912. From 1877 to 19...

John, persons in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)John, in the Bible. 1 See John, Saint. 2 See John the Baptist. 3 See Mark, Saint. 4 In the Acts of the Apostles, one of the high priest's family. There are also several persons named John in the books...

Sin, places in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Sin. 1 in the Bible, one of the wildernesses through which the Israelites wandered when they left Egypt. It is not the same as Zin. 2 The town Pelusium, which is rendered Sin in Hebrew. ...

Joshua, persons in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Joshua jŏshˈo͞oə, –əwə [key], in the Bible. 1 Central figure of the book of Joshua. 2 High priest associated with Zerubbabel in rebuilding the Temple. 3 Owner of the field where the Ark of the...

Arpad, chief of the Magyars

(Encyclopedia)Arpad ŏrˈpäd [key], c.840–907?, chief of the Magyars. He led his people into Hungary c.895. The leaders of the Magyars and the first dynasty of Hungarian kings (St. Stephen I to Andrew III) were ...

M, letter of the alphabet

(Encyclopedia)M, 13th letter of the alphabet, usually representing a bilabial nasal as in the English much. It corresponds with the Greek mu. M is the Roman numeral for 1,000. ...