A
2,780 articles · 158 under Ab · English index · Indice italiano-
Ab ('AB)
Fifth month of the Hebrew calendar, of 30 days. It began with the new moon of July. The name, corresponding to the Assyrian abu, does not occur in the Bible.… -
Abaco, Saint, Martyr (ABACO, SANTO, MARTIRE)
ABACO, santo, martire: v. MARIO, MARTA, AUDIFACE and ABACUS, saints, martyrs. -
Abacus (ABACO)
1. IN THE LITURGY. - From the Greek ἄβαξ = tablet, it is the small table which, according to the Caeremoniale Episcoporum, must be placed near the altar, on… -
Abaddon
Hebrew term (perdition, from abhad "to perish"), which occurs in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament (6 times) and in Rev. 9:11. The primitive general… -
Abad y Lasierra, Agustín Ignacio (ABAD Y LASIERA, AGUSTÍN IGNACIO)
Spanish Benedictine, b. at Estadilla (Aragon) in 1745, d. in 1813. He spent eleven years in Puerto Rico, collecting documents on the history and geography of… -
Abad y Queipo, Manuel José
Spanish magistrate and prelate, b. in Asturias (Spain) in 1749, d. in 1825. Having gone as a judge to Michoacán (New Spain) and then appointed bishop, he… -
Aba Mar
ABA MAR: v. MAR ABA. -
Abana (ABANA)
River of Damascus, mentioned by the Syrian general Naaman (II Kings 5:12), who contrasts its importance with the modest course of the Jordan. Some manuscripts… -
Abandoned Childhood (INFANZIA ABBANDONATA)
I. a. is synonymous with infancy in a state of abandonment (from the Old French abandon, at the mercy and discretion of another). Belonging to this category… -
Abandonment (ABBANDONO)
I. ASCETICA. - 1. Notions. - Abandonment (virtue, spirit, act of abandonment) is an attitude of the spiritual life of high perfection, whose nature, degrees… -
Abarbanel
ABARBANEL: v. ABRABANEL. -
Abarim (ABARIM)
A chain of mountains in the region of Moab, extending for about 100 km along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea, between the Arnon and the mouth of the Jordan… -
Abasgi
Aborigines of the western Caucasus, living in the region between the Singames and the Pityus: semi-dependent on Rome since the time of Hadrian. Under… -
Abati, Alessandro
Bishop of Toscanella and Viterbo, b. in Rome, 8 July 1681, d. in Viterbo in 1748. Having entered the prelature, he became secretary of the Congregation of the… -
Abauzit, Firmin
Protestant theologian, b. at Uzès in 1679, d. in 1767 at Geneva, where he lived and worked for a great part of his life. Cultured and scholarly, he wrote on… -
'Abba
1. An Aramaic term, the emphatic state of 'ab, "father," which occurs in a vocative sense in the New Testament, always followed by ὁ πνεῦρ, in Rom. 8, 5 and… -
Abba Areka, Rabbi, called Rab (ABBA AREKA, RABBI, DETTO RAB)
Jewish doctor, b. in Palestine around 160, d. at Sura in 247. A disciple of Judah the Holy (v.), he was the first of the Amoraim (v.), and he brought the… -
Abba Cornaglia, Pietro
Musician, b. at Alessandria on 20 March 1851, d. there on 2 May 1894. Organist and director of the chapel of the Cathedral, he wrote the cantata: Caino ed… -
Abbadie, Antoine d'
Explorer, geographer, astronomer, b. in Dublin, of a French family that had emigrated, on 9 January 1810, and d. in Paris on 19 March 1897. Having returned to… -
Abbadie, Jacques
Born at Nay in Béarn in 1654 or 1658, died in London in 1727. He studied at the Protestant universities of Saumur and Sedan, and at the latter, at the age of… -
Abbaḥu, Rabbi (ABBĀHŪ, RABBI)
A learned Palestinian Amorite, of the "college of the doctors of Caesarea," who lived at the end of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th. He… -
Abbas Antiquus
This name is commonly used to designate, in order to distinguish him from Niccolò de' Tudeschis, called the Abbas siculus or panormitanus or modernus, a… -
Abbasid Dynasty ('ABBASIDI)
'ABBASIDI: v. ISLAMISMO. ABBAS MODERNUS, (PANORMITANUS, SICULUS): v. DE' TUDESCHI, NICCOLÒ. -
Abbas Modernus (Panormitanus, Siculus) (ABBAS MODERNUS, (PANORMITANUS, SICULUS))
ABBAS MODERNUS, (PANORMITANUS, SICULUS): v. DE' TUDESCHI, NICCOLÒ. -
Abbate Ciccio
ABBATE CICCIO: v. SOLIMENA. -
Abbatini, Antonio Maria
Musician, b. at Città di Castello in 1597 (?), d. there between 1679 and 1680. From 1628 he was choirmaster of the Lateran basilica, then returned to his… -
Abbatini, Guidobaldo
Painter, b. at Città di Castello in 1600 or 1605, d. at Rome in 1656. After an education in his homeland that cannot be precisely determined, he came to Rome… -
Abbazia, Martyrs of the (ABBAZIA, MARTIRI DELL')
ABBAZIA, MARTIRI dell': v. SETTEMBRE, MARTIRI di. -
Abbess (ABBADESSA)
A word derived from Low Latin abbatissa, in turn formed by analogy from abbas (abbot, father), the title of the Superior placed over the government of an… -
Abbey (ABBAZIA)
I. DEFINITION AND HISTORY. - Abbatia over the centuries has assumed various meanings, always however in relation to the word abbas from which it is… -
Abbey of Centula (CENTULA, ABBAZIA DI)
CENTULA, ABBAZIA di: v. SAINT-MIQUIER. -
Abbey of Saint Salvatore (ABBADIA S. SALVATORE)
Benedictine abbey on the slopes of Monte Amiata, founded in 743; in 1230 it passed to the Cistercians, who held it until 1792. Recent restorations have given… -
Abbondi, Antonio
ABBONDI, ANTONIO: v. SCARPAGNINO. -
Abbondio and Abondanzio, Martyrs (ABBONDIO E ABBONDANZIO, MARTIRI)
ABBONDIO e ABBONDANZIO, martiri: v. RIGNANO FLAMINIO. -
Abbondio, Saint (ABBONDIO, SANTO)
Fourth bishop of Como, patron of the diocese. He is particularly known for the mission he carried out at Constantinople in 450, as legate of Leo the Great to… -
Abbo of Fleury (Abbo or Abbo Floriacensis), Saint (ABBONE DI FLEURY (ABBO O ABO FLORIACENSIS), SANTO)
Born in the territory of Orléans, between 945 and 950. By his pious parents he was offered as a child (oblatus) to the monastery of St. Benedict at… -
Abbo of Saint-Germain (ABBONE DI SAN GERMANO)
Monk of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (mid-9th century). Little is known about him, and he has often been confused with his namesake of Fleury. He wrote a poem in… -
Abbot, Ezra
Reformed theologian of the United States, b. at Jackson, Maine, 28 April 1819, d. at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 21 March 1884. From 1856 he worked in the… -
Abbot, George
English Protestant, b. at Guildford, to a cloth manufacturer, in 1562, and d. on 4 Aug. 1633. While still a student, he drew attention for his… -
Abbot (or Abate) (ABATE (O ABBATE))
A word of Aramaic origin, Abba, meaning Father. It appears several times in the New Testament (Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6); each time it is addressed to… -
Abbreviations (ABBREVIAZIONI)
In ancient manuscripts and on tombstones it was often customary to abbreviate words in order to write more quickly and to save space, also economizing on… -
Abbreviations (SIGLE)
SIGLE : v. ABBREVIAZIONI. -
Abbreviations, Lapidary (ABBREVIAZIONI LAPIDARIE)
1) Bolsena, Inscription on the reliquary of St. Christina: i(c) r(e)g(ui)es(cit) c(or)p(us) b(e)at(ae) X(ristinae) m(ar(yris). 2) Inscription of Vibius Fimus… -
Abbreviator (ABBREVIATORE)
He was an official of the Apostolic Chancery, to whom the task was entrusted of drafting the minute (notam facere) of pontifical acts. Under the antipope… -
Abde' ('ABDE')
Arabized name of the ancient Nabatean city of "Palaestina tertia" Eboda (Ptolemy, V, 16, 4) or Oboda (Stephen of Byzantium, Onomast., 525, 23), 50 km. as the… -
Abderhalden, Emil
Swiss physiologist and biological chemist (1877-1946), professor at the University of Halle. A pontifical academician from 1936. Besides his work as a… -
Abdias (ABDIA)
Fourth of the minor prophets of the biblical canon, author of the shortest book of the Old Testament (21 verses), containing an oracle against Edom. 1. The… -
Abdias (Pseudo) (ABDIA (PSEUDO))
First (imaginary) bishop of Babylon, elected by the apostles Simon and Jude. Toward the middle of the 16th century the Viennese scholar Wolfgang Lazius… -
Abdication (ABDICAZIONE)
This word, which in ancient Roman law served to indicate every kind of renunciation, and later took on the specific meaning of renunciation of a public office… -
Abdinghof
Benedictine abbey at Paderborn in Westphalia, founded in 1015 by Bishop Meinwerk, who called Cluniac monks there, and consecrated in 1031. It was an important… -
Abdisho
ABDISHO: v. EBEDIESU. -
Abdon
One of the minor judges, son of Hillel, a native of Pirathon, present-day Far'ata, 10 km southwest of Nablus. A wealthy landowner, he had 41 sons and 30… -
Abdon and Sennen, Saints, Martyrs (ABDON E SENNEN, SANTI, MARTIRI)
According to the Passio, which is of no historical value, they were kings of Persia, captured by Decius and killed in an amphitheater in Rome. In reality they… -
Abduction (Matrimonial Impediment and Crime) (RATTO (IMPEDIMENTO MATRIMONIALE E DELITTO DI))
I. NOTION. - In its proper etymological meaning the term r. (from the Latin rapere) implies the concept of an abduction or transfer of a person from one place… -
Abecedaries (ABECEDARI)
Poetic compositions in which the verses and stanzas begin according to the letters of the alphabet in their natural succession. We already have examples of… -
Abednego (ABDÉNAGO)
'Abedh-nebhō, which occurs in an Assyrian-Aramaic inscription (E. Schrader, Die Keilinschriften und das Alte Test., Giessen 1872, p. 429), corresponds to the… -
Abel (Able, Abble), Thomas, Blessed (ABEL (ABLE, ABBLE), THOMAS, BEATO)
English theologian, d. at Smithfield on 30 July 1540. In 1516 he was "Magister artium" at Oxford and became domestic chaplain to Queen Catherine of Aragon… -
Abelard (Abailardus, Abaelardus), Peter (ABELARDO (ABAELARDUS, ABAILARDUS), PIETRO)
French philosopher and theologian. 1. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES. - Born in 1079 at Pallet (Palatium), a village in Lesser Brittany, about 20 km east of Nantes; died… -
Abele (Akele) Sijjōn (ABELE (LEGG. AKELE) SIJJÖN)
"Those who mourn for Zion," among the Jews. The term occurs after the Arab conquest of Palestine (634-40), but already in the Talmüd there is mention of… -
Abel (ABEL)
Name of five Palestinian or Transjordanian localities. 1. Abel beth-Maacha "A. of the house of Maacha (v.)", or Abel Majim "A. of the water", or simply A. A… -
Abel (ABELE)
1. IN SACRED SCRIPTURE. - Second son of Adam, whose name is interpreted by the rabbis as "breath," with an allusion to his ephemeral life, while the word… -
Abel, Heinrich
Jesuit, nephew of the famous minister of state K. Abel, b. at Passau on 15 Dec. 1843, d. at Vienna on 23 Nov. 1926. Having entered the Order in 1863 and… -
Abel, Karl
Minister of State in Bavaria, b. at Wetzlar on 17 Sept. 1788, d. at Munich on 3 Sept. 1859. His career as a civil servant took him as far as the office of… -
Abelly, Louis
French theologian and writer whose exact year of birth (1603, 1604, 1606) and place of birth (in the Vexin or in Paris) are not known. Died October 4, 1691 in… -
Abelsatim
ABELSATIM: v. SETTIM. -
Abel, Vasiliev
Russian monk (in the world Basil Vasiliev), b. in 1757 at Akulov, in the government of Moscow, d. in 1841 in the monastery of Spasso-Evfimiev. He set himself… -
Abenesra
ABENESRA: v. IBN EZRA ABRAMO. -
Abercius, Saint (ABERCIO, SANTO)
Bishop of Hierapolis (or Geropolis) in Phrygia. Feast on 22 October. His Life recounts that, after a decree of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus had been… -
Aberdeen, Diocese of (ABERDEEN, DIOCESI DI)
Located in Scotland (Great Britain), it is a suffragan of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh and comprises northern Scotland, the Orkney and Shetland islands. The see… -
Aberle, Moritz von
Theologian and biblical scholar, b. 25 Apr. 1817 at Rottum near Biberach, ordained priest 29 Aug. 1842, d. 3 Nov. 1875 at Tübingen, where from 1850 he was… -
Abernethy, John
Irish Presbyterian theologian, of liberal ideas, b. to a Protestant minister in Ulster, according to some at Brigh, according to others at Coleraine, in 1680… -
Abert, Friedrich Philipp
German theologian, b. 1 May 1852 at Münnerstadt, d. at Bamberg on 23 Apr. 1912. He held the chair of dogmatic theology at Regensburg in 1885; in 1890 he… -
Abesan (ABESAN)
A minor judge, he governed Israel for 7 years. A native of Bethlehem (probably of Zebulun, about 12 km. northwest of Nazareth), he was the head of an… -
Abgar
Name of several kings of Osroene. The best known are: 1. ABGAR V UKHAMA ("the black," according to Tacitus), who reigned from 4 B.C. to 7 A.D. and then again… -
Abgar Dpir
Also called Safar, an Armenian noble of Senekerim king of Sebaste, b. in Eudocia (Tokat). In the year 1561, A., in a meeting with the katholikos Michael I… -
Abgar of Edessa, Letter of (ABGAR DI EDESSA, LETTERA DI)
ABGAR di EDESSA, LETTERA di: V. ADDAI, DOTTRINA di: EDESSENI, ATTI. -
Abhidhamma Piṭaka (ABHIDHAMMA PIŢAKA)
ABHIDHAMMA PIṬAKA: V. TRIPIŢACA. -
Abia
Name of various biblical figures (Hebr. Abiyām in Kings, 'Abiyāhu and 'Abiyāh in Chronicles, 'Yahweh is father'). 1. Son of Rehoboam and his successor on the… -
Abiathar (ABIATHAR)
High priest, great-grandson of Eli through Phinehas, son of the high priest Ahimelech; he escaped the massacre that Saul made of his father, of the priests and… -
'Abib ('ABIB)
First month of the ancient Hebrew calendar (Ex. 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; Deut. 16:1), called 'abib, "ear of grain" (Ex. 9:31; Lev. 2:14; Ex. 3:15: "Tell Abib"): it… -
Abidjan, Apostolic Prefecture (ABIDJAN, PREFETTURA APOSTOLICA)
The mission of the Ivory Coast, in West Africa, entrusted to the Society for African Missions of Lyon and erected as an apostolic prefecture on 28 June 1895… -
Abigail
Name of two women in the Bible. 1. Wife of Nabal, a resident of Maon, who owned vast fields and flocks on Carmel, at the edge of the desert of Paran, or rather… -
Abignente, Filippo
Politician, b. at Sarno (Salerno) on 9 Apr. 1814, d. at Rome on 13 June 1887. He was elected in 1848 as a deputy to the Neapolitan Chamber. Later an exile at… -
Abila
ABILA: v. ABILENE. -
Abilene (ABILENE (VOLGATA: ABILINA))
Tetrarchy (Luke 3:1), so named from its capital Abila, often mentioned by Flavius Josephus as Abila of Lysanias. Abila stood east of the Anti-Lebanon, near the… -
Abimelech
A proper name, which in Hebrew means: "the Father" or: "my father (divine name?) is king." From the El-Amarna letters, Abimiliki of Tyre is known (14th century… -
Abinal, Antoine
Jesuit missionary, b. at Chanac on 10 Jan. 1829, d. on 11 Nov. 1887 in Madagascar. He published, with Fr. La Vaissière, the work Vingt ans à Madagascar (Paris… -
Abina, Rabbi (ABINA, RABBI)
Jewish doctor of the school of Sura on the Euphrates, the last of the Amoraim (v.). He was a disciple of Rabbi Ashi ben Simai (v.), who had begun the immense… -
Ab Ipsis
Opening words of the apostolic letter that Pius XI addressed on 15 June 1926 to the vicars and apostolic prefects of China concerning the duty of always… -
Abiron
ABIRON: v. CORE. -
Abisag (ABISAG)
A girl from Shunem (today Solem), a locality on the southern slopes of the lesser Hermon. Of rare beauty, she was chosen by the courtiers (by the physicians… -
Abisai (ABISAI)
Nephew of David, son, like Joab, of his sister Zeruiah. A faithful collaborator of his uncle, he accompanied him by night into the tent of the enemy Saul (I… -
Abiu (ABIU)
Second-born of Aaron (Ex. 6:23), he followed Moses on Sinai with Aaron and the 70 elders (Ex. 24:1-9). A. and his three brothers are the first Israelite… -
Abjection (ABIEZIONE)
In ascetics, according to the etymology of the term (abicere), it means the generous renunciation of one's own personality or dignity, not only by procuring or… -
Abjuration (ABIURA)
Retraction of error in matters of faith. In classical Latin and in late Latinity (cf. Du Cange, Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, Paris 1840), the… -
Ablegate (ABLEGATO)
This name designates an ecclesiastic appointed by the Pontiff to carry out particular missions, such as: 1) bringing the blessed swaddling bands for newborn… -
Ablution (ABLUZIONE)
A. is a rite directed at putting an individual or a group in a state of ritual purity with regard to the divinity or to a person, an object, or a place… -
Abner (ABNER)
Cousin of Saul on his father's side (I Sam. 14:50 f.; according to I Chron. 9:9 he would have been his uncle) and commander of his army, esteemed by the king… -
Aboab, Isaac (ABOAB, ISACCO)
Rabbi who lived around 1300 in Spain. In his work Menôrâth ha-mâôr ("the candelabrum of lights"), he expounds in popular form the talmudic and midrashic… -
Aboab, Isaac, Da Fonseca (ABOAB, ISACCO, DA FONSECA)
Rabbi, b. at Castres d'Aire (Spain) in 1605, d. in 1693. He was barely 7 years old when his parents, to escape the Inquisition, had to move to St-Jean-de-Luz… -
Abomination of Desolation (ABOMINAZIONE DELLA DESOLAZIONE)
Idolatrous profanation in the devastated Temple, at the approach of the collapse of Jerusalem, foretold by Jesus. Jesus refers to Daniel (9:27; 11:31; 12:11)… -
Abondance (Abundance)
It is thought that this is not his real name, but the pseudonym of the famous French dramatic poet who died around 1550, who often also signs himself Maistre… -
Abondio, Saint (ABONDIO, SANTO)
ABONDIO, santo: v. ABONDIO. -
Aborigines (ABORIGENI)
Indigenous people native to the place where they live (autochthons). In the ethnological sense, those inhabitants of a land are called aborigines whose… -
Abortion (ABORTO)
1. MORAL THEOLOGY. - It is the expulsion of the ovum or of the embryo or of the immature fetus, that is, not viable; in other words, not yet capable, naturally… -
'Aboth (Pirqē 'Abāth, "Chapters of the Fathers") ('ABOTH (PIRQĒ 'ABĀTH, «CAPITOLI DEI PADRI»))
Treatise IX of the IV order of the Mishnah (v.), not followed by the commentary or gēmarā. It has no logical connection with the treatises among which it is… -
About, Edmond
Journalist and novelist, b. at Dieuze, 14 Feb. 1828, d. at Paris, 16 Jan. 1885. For his ideas, his sentiments and his biting, polemical qualities as a writer… -
Abrabanel (Abravanel)
One of the most powerful Jewish families of Spain, where it was already present in 1310. In 1492, when the Jews were expelled by Ferdinand II (V), the A.… -
Abra de Raconis, Charles-François D' (ABRA DE RACONIS, CHARLES-FRANCOIS D')
French theologian, b. at Raconis, diocese of Chartres, ca. 1580, d. July 16, 1646, of a Calvinist family, but converted to Catholicism. He was professor of… -
Abraham (ABRAMO)
Patriarch of the Old Testament, son of Terah, descendant of Shem. His story, rich in detail, is narrated in Gen. 11:26-25:11. I. ABRAHAM IN SACRED SCRIPTURE. -… -
Abraham, Abbot of Clermont, Saint (ABRAMO, ABATE DI CLERMONT, SANTO)
Born in a country on the Euphrates and died in 485. Having undertaken a journey to visit the solitaries of Egypt, he was arrested by the Persian persecutors… -
Abraham ben Chanania (ABRAMO BEN CHANANIA)
Converted rabbi, of the Galiki family, b. at Monselice, d. around 1625. Having become a Christian in 1605 or shortly thereafter, he took the name Camillo… -
Abraham ben David ha-Levi (ABRĀHĀM BEN DĀVID HA-LĒVI)
Jewish-Spanish philosopher and historiographer, b. at Toledo, d. around 1180. A notable figure in the history of medieval Jewish and Arabic philosophy on… -
Abraham, Bishop of Ephesus (ABRAMO, VESCOVO DI EFESO)
Perhaps the successor of Hypatios, still living in 542, or of Andrew, who was present at the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553). At first a monk and founder of two… -
Abraham Ecchellensis (ABRAMO ECCHELLENSE)
In Arabic Hāqil because he was a native of the village of Hāqil in Lebanon (b. 1605, d. July 5, 1664). He studied at the Maronite college in Rome and was later… -
Abraham I Albathantzi (ABRAMO I ALBATHANTZI)
Armenian Katholikos, from 607 to 610-11. He ascended the patriarchal throne, which had already been vacant for three years, during which Verthanes had directed… -
Abraham ibn Ezra
ABRAHAM ibn EZRA: v. IBN EZRA ABRAHAM. -
Abraham II (Adam Peter I) Arzivian (Aintaptzi) (ABRAMO II (ADAMO PIETRO I) ARZIVIAN (AINTAPTZI))
Armenian Catholic patriarch, b. at Aintab on 12 April 1679, d. on 1 October 1749. Ordained priest and then bishop of Aleppo (1710), he had to endure the… -
Abraham of Balmes (Ben Meir) (ABRAMO DI BALMES (BEN MEIR))
Jewish grammarian, b. in Lecce in the 15th century, d. in Venice in 1523. A celebrated physician, trained at the University of Padua, he earned the gratitude… -
Abraham of Bēth Rabbān (ABRAMO DI BĒTH RABBĀN)
Syriac doctor, who lived from 449 to 569. He was director for about 60 years of the school of Nisibis, in which he succeeded (according to Mari, p. 39) the… -
Abraham of Habran (or of Carrhes), Saint (ABRAMO DI HABRAN (O DI CARRHES), SANTO)
Born in the diocese of Cyrrhus around the middle of the 4th century, he withdrew while still young to the desert of Chalcis. Having then moved to a pagan… -
Abraham of Kaškar (ABRAMO DI KAŠKAR)
Born in the year 491 at Kashkar, today al-Wāšit, in Mesopotamia, he is called the Great and the father of monasticism among the Nestorians. Died in 588. He… -
Abraham of Nisibis (ABRAHAM DI NISIBI)
ABRAHAM di NISIBI: v. NARSAL. -
Abraham of Santa Chiara (ABRAMO DA SANTA CHIARA)
One of the greatest preachers and popular moralists of Germany, b. at Kreenheimstetten (Baden) on 2 July 1644, d. at Vienna on 1 Dec. 1709. After his first… -
Abraham Qidōnāya (or of Bēth Qidōnā) (ABRAMO QIDONĀYA (O DI BĒTH QIDONĀ))
Born in 296 A.D. into a well-to-do family, he consented to marriage under pressure from his parents. After the wedding was celebrated, he fled and went to live… -
Abramites (ABRAMITI)
Two sects bore this name: 1) certain heretics of the 9th century, scattered in Syria, who, embracing the ideas of Abraham of Antioch, denied the divinity of… -
Abram, Nicolas
Humanist and Jesuit exegete from Lorraine, b. at Xaronval in 1589, d. at Pont-à-Mousson on 7 Dec. 1655. Having entered the Society (1606), he studied at the… -
Abramov, Nikolai Alekseyevich (ABRAMOV, NIKOLAJ ALEKSEVIC)
Born at Kourgan (Tobolsk) in 1812, died at Semipalatinsk in 1870. A scholar of the history of Christianity in Siberia, he was the author of many works… -
Abraxas
A magical-mystical word (also written ἀβράζας) of isopsephic value, that is, relating to the numerical value of the individual letters that compose it, and… -
Abrogation (ABROGAZIONE)
ABROGAZIONE: v. LEGGE. -
Abruzzo (ABRUZZO (ABRUZZI))
1. GEOGRAPHY. - Region of central Italy, bounded by the Marche, Umbria, Lazio and Molise, which faces the Adriatic between the mouths of the Tronto and the… -
Absalom (ASSALONNE)
ASSALONNE: v. ABSALOM. -
Absalom (ABSALOM)
Third-born son of David, endowed with natural charms but with unbridled ambition. Eager to excel, he took as his pretext the rape of his sister Tamar by Amnon… -
Absalon, Archbishop of Lund (ASSALONNE, ARCIVESCOVO DI LUND (ABSALON))
Primate of Denmark and Sweden, b. in 1128 to a noble family, d. on 21 March 1201 and buried in the monastery of Sorø, which he founded, near Copenhagen. He… -
Absence (ASSENZA)
In legal language the term a. is sometimes taken in the common meaning of non-presence, and sometimes instead in a special meaning. In the first sense one… -
Absolute (ASSOLUTO)
A word derived from the Latin "absolutus," which corresponds, in part of its meaning, to the Greek terms ὅλος and τέλειος, and takes on now one and now the… -
Absolution (ASSOLUZIONE)
It is the act of absolving. Absolvere in Latin is used in the sense of completing, finishing, e.g., absolvere opus, and in the sense of loosening a physical… -
Absolutism (ASSOLUTISMO)
With this term, in a historical sense, one usually designates the monarchical period that extends from the 16th century to the 18th century. In the struggle… -
Abstention (ASTENSIONE)
ASTENSIONE (dei GIUDICI, TESTIMONI, ecc.): v. PROCESSO. -
Abstinence (ASTINENZA)
From the Latin abs-teneo "I keep away," a. entails abstaining from something either temporarily or entirely. From the dietary point of view, a. is the… -
Abstinentes
"ABSTINENTES": v. ENCRATITI. -
Abstract, Abstraction (ASTRATTO, ASTRAZIONE)
1. In general, "a." is the qualification of mental contents, the universal ideas or concepts (v.), as opposed to things existing per se in reality, that is… -
Absurd (ASSURDO)
From the Latin absurdus, which in its proper sense had the same value as absonus (from the privative ab and sonus, sound), out of tune, dissonant, discordant… -
Abubacer (ABUBACER)
Arab-Spanish physician, mathematician and philosopher of the Islamic religion, b. around 1100, d. in Morocco in 1185. He is known especially for his Risālat… -
Abu Bakr (ABŪ BAKR)
The first successor of Muhammad as head of the Muslim community: thus the first in the series of caliphs (v. CALIPH), and in particular of the first four… -
Abu Hanīfa, al-Nu'mān ibn Thābit (ABŪ HANĪFA, AN-NU'MĀN IBN THĀBIT)
Muslim traditionist and jurisconsult, founder of one of the four principal juridical systems or rites (madhhab) currently in force in Islam. Of Afghan origin… -
Abū Hennis (better Deyr Abū Hennis) (ABŪ HENNIS (MEGLIO DEYR ABŪ HENNIS))
A Coptic village located southwest of Sheikh 'Ibada (Antinoupolis), which preserves the remains of an important 5th-century basilica, transformed (perhaps in… -
Abu Isḥāq ibn al-'Assāl (ABŪ ISHĀQ IBN AL-'ASSĀL)
Coptic theologian and exegete of the 13th century. He was the son of the sheikh Fahr ad-Daula, of great fame in Coptic literature; two brothers of A. also… -
Abukara, Theodore (Thāwādōrās) (ABUKARA, TEODORO (THĀWĀDĀRĀS))
His name in Arabic is Abu Qurrah, "father of joy." He was bishop of Harrān (Mesopotamia). There are indications that he lived between the 8th and 9th centuries… -
Abū l-'Alā al-Ma'arrī (ABŪ 'I-'ALĀ AL-MA'ARRĪ)
ABŪ 'I-'ALĀ al-MA'ARRĪ. Born of Muslim parents in al-Ma'arra or Ma'arrat an-Nu'mān (Syria) in 973, and died in 1058. He is renowned as a poet and as a thinker… -
Abū 'l-Barakāt (ABŪ 'I-BARAKĀT)
Coptic Monophysite theologian of the 13th-14th century, d. before 1327. He was a priest and perhaps a physician, and served as secretary and assistant to the… -
Abū 'l-Faraj 'Abdallah Ibn at-Tayyib (ABŪ 'I-FARAḠ 'ABDALLAH IBN AT-TAYYIB)
Also called: ibn at-Tib and in Latin Benattibus, he was a Nestorian monk and priest of Iraq. He flourished in the first half of the 11th century (d. in 1043)… -
Abū 'l-Faraj Hibatallah (ABŪ 'I-FARAḠ HIBATĀLLAH)
Coptic writer of the 13th century, also called Abū'l-FaraḠ ibn al-'Assal, brother of Abū Ishāq. He made himself famous for his "Gospel Concordances" made on… -
Abulia
From the Greek privative à and βουλὴ "will"; a. is a pathological alteration of the will, consisting in a more or less notable diminution of the normal… -
Abu 'l-Walīd Marwān ibn Janāḥ (ABU 'I-WALĪD MARWĀN IBN GANĀH)
ABU 'I-WALĪD MARWĀN ibn GANĀH: v. JONA IBN GANACH. -
Abuna
In Arabic "our father"; thus the Christians of the Arab countries call the priest. In Ethiopia it is the title of the head of the dissident Church. A. is also… -
Abuse (ABUSO)
It is the unlawful, unreasonable use of a thing or of a right. Moral theology has not so far elaborated a true doctrine of abuse; this must therefore be… -
Abyssinia (ABISSINIA)
ABISSINIA: v. ETIOPIA.