Non-Christian Religions
Religioni Non Cristiane · 87 articles · Principal contributors · All subjectsOther
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Abba Areka (Arika or Ha-Arokh "The Long"), Rabbi, called (by honor) Rab (ABBA AREKA (ARIKA O HA-AROKH «IL LUNGO»), RABBI, DETTO (PER ONORE) RAB)
ABBA AREKA (ARIKA or HA-AROKH "the long"), Rabbi, called (by way of honor) Rab. - Jewish doctor, b. in Palestine around 160, d. at Sura in… -
Abbaḥu, Rabbi (ABBĀHŪ, RABBI)
ABBAḤU, RABBI. - A learned Palestinian Amorite, of the "college of the doctors of Caesarea," who lived at the end of the 3rd century and… -
Abele (Akele) Sijjōn (ABELE (LEGG. AKELE) SIJJÖN)
ABELE (Akele) Sijjōn. - "Those who mourn for Zion," among the Jews. The term occurs after the Arab conquest of Palestine (634-40), but… -
Abina, Rabbi (abbreviated as *Rabina*, following Talmudic usage) (ABINA, RABBI (ABBREVIATO IN *RABINA*, SECONDO L'USO TALMUDICO))
ABINA, Rabbi (abbreviated as Rabina, following Talmudic usage). - Jewish doctor of the school of Sura on the Euphrates, the last of the… -
'Aboth (Pirqē 'Abāth, "Chapters of the Fathers") ('ABOTH (PIRQĒ 'ABĀTH, «CAPITOLI DEI PADRI»))
ABOTH (Pirqē 'Abāth, "chapters of the Fathers"). - Treatise IX of the IV order of the Mishnah (v.), not followed by the commentary or… -
Abu Hanīfa, al-Nu'mān ibn Thābit (ABŪ HANĪFA, AN-NU'MĀN IBN THĀBIT)
ABU HANĪFA, AL-NU'MĀN IBN THĀBIT. - Muslim traditionist and jurisconsult, founder of one of the four principal juridical systems or rites… -
Allah (ALLĀH)
ALLAH. - Arabic name for God, formed, as is generally believed, from the article al and the word ilāh, which means "God, divinity," and is… -
Amitābha (Amitāyus)
AMITĀBHA (AMITĀYUS). - One of the countless buddhas of Mahāyāna Buddhism, "the Great Vehicle," systematized, several centuries after its… -
Ancient Jewish Cemeteries (CIMITERI EBRAICI ANTICHI)
ANCIENT JEWISH CEMETERIES. - The typical Jewish tomb in Palestine is one hewn out of the rock with a burial chamber whose entrance was… -
'Aqibā' (or 'Aqibā') ben Josef, Rabbi ('AQIBĀ' (O 'AQIBĀ') BEN JOSEF, RABBĪ)
'AQIBĀ' (or 'Aqibā') ben JOSEF, Rabbi. - One of the principal Tannaitic doctors, b. in Judea around 40, d. in 137. Legend has adorned his… -
Aretalogy (ARETALOGIA)
ARETALOGY. - The meaning of this word is manifold, as a consequence of the imprecise sense of ἀρετή, commonly translated in dictionaries as… -
Arya-Samaj (ARYA-SAMÁJ)
ARYA-SAMAJ. - Properly "community, society of the Aryas"; one of the numerous religio-social movements of modern India, founded in 1865 by… -
Ashkenaz (plural Ashkhanazim) (AŠKENAZ (PLUR. AŠKHĀNĀZIM))
ASHKENAZ (PLURAL ASHKHANAZIM). - In modern Judaism, the name for German Jews, as opposed to Sēphārādh (plur. Sēphardhām). From the 10th… -
Bahā'īn Paqueda (Pāqūdā)
BAHĀ'ĪN PAQUEDA (PĀQŪDĀ). - Spanish Jewish religious philosopher, also called Bechaie and Bechai. His life (11th century) is unknown to us.… -
Bahaism (BAHĀ'ISMO)
BAHAISM. - A religion that developed from Babism (v.). Its followers believe that the mysterious "he whom God shall manifest," of whom the… -
Bērakhōth (BĚRĀKHÖTH)
BĒRAKHŌTH. - First treatise of the Mišnah (v.), of 9 chapters, contained in both the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmud. As the title… -
Bhagavadgītā (BHĀGAVADGĪTĀ)
BHAGAVADGĪTĀ. - The "Song of the Blessed One" is a didactic poem of 700 stanzas, inserted in Book VI of the Mahābhārata, chaps. 23-40… -
Bogazköy (BOGHAZKÖY)
BOGAZKÖY. - It is the Turkish name of a small village east of Ankara in Turkey, very well known among scholars of the civilizations of the… -
Brahmanism (BRAHMANESIMO)
BRAHMANISM. - B. derives from brahman, as Christianity derives from Christ, but while a Christian is one who professes the religion of… -
Brāhma Samāj
BRĀHMA SAMĀJ. - The name means "congregation of Brahman," that is, "of God." From the attempt to reconcile Christianity with Hinduism, this… -
Buddhism (BUDDHISMO)
BUDDHISM. - The word is broadly comprehensive, and designates not only the philosophical-religious doctrine preached by Gotama Buddha, but… -
Cabbalah (Heb. Qabbālāh « Tradition ») (CABBALA (EBR. QABBĀLĀH « TRADIZIONE »))
CABBALAH (Heb. Qabbālāh « Tradition »). - A term originally referring to the prophetic books of the Bible, which from the 12th century A.D.… -
Caliph and Caliphate (CALIFFO E CALIFFATO)
CALIPH AND CALIPHATE. - The Arabic title halifah means "successor," "lieutenant," and appears frequently also in the Qur'an, but never in… -
Chaos (CAOS)
CHAOS. - A notion found in the cosmogonic process (v. COSMOGONY) of civilized and primitive peoples, and which intends to represent the… -
Clemen, Karl
CLEMEN, KARL. - Protestant, historian of religions, b. at Sommerfeld (Leipzig) in 1865, d. on 8 July 1940 at Bonn, where he was professor… -
Creuzer, Friedrich
CREUZER, FRIEDRICH. - Philologist, b. in Marburg on 10 March 1771, d. on 16 Feb. 1858 in Heidelberg, where for over 40 years he taught… -
Dasam Granth
DASAM GRANTH. - It is an addition to the Adi Granth, the sacred book of the Sikhs (v.), compiled by Govidh Sing (1657-1701), the tenth and… -
Decisors (Heb. Pōsēqim, pl. of Pōsēq) (DECISORI (EBR. PŌSĒQIM, PLUR. DI PŌSĒQ))
DECISORS (Heb. Pōsēqim, pl. of Pōsēq). - Talmudists who, on the basis of Talmudic and Talmudic-rabbinic literature, offer decisions in… -
Deisidaimonia
DEISIDAIMONIA. - A Greek word meaning "respectful fear, piety toward the gods" (Xenophon, Aristotle), but it is also used with an… -
Dervishes (DERVISCII)
DERVISHES. - The word d., from the Persian darwāf, is commonly explained as "beggar" (from dār = "door"), but its etymology is in reality… -
Drusi
DRUSI. - A people inhabiting Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, the surroundings of Damascus and the Hawrān massif. The D. are distinguished by a… -
Eighteen Benedictions (Heb. Šēmōneh 'Ešrēh, understood as Bērākōth "Blessings") (ŠĒMŌNEH 'EŠRĒH («DICIOTTO», SOTTINTESO BĒRĀKHŌTH «BENEDIZIONI»))
EIGHTEEN BENEDICTIONS (Heb. Šēmōneh 'Ešrēh, understood as Bērākōth "Blessings"). - The principal official prayer of Judaism, called… -
Enuma Elish (ENUMA ELIS)
ENUMA ELISH. - Title of the greatest religious and mythological poem of the Babylonians and Assyrians, thus named from its first two words,… -
Epiphany (EPIFANIA)
EPIPHANY. - The Greeks called "epiphany" the manifestation of a god in person or in a dream or by miracle, or his return after an absence.… -
Fakir (Franc., Ingl., Spagn.: Jakir; Ted.: Fakir) (FACHIRO (FRANC., INGL., SPAGN.: JAKIR; TED.: FAKIR))
FAKIR (Franc., Ingl., Spagn.: Jakir; Ted.: Fakir). - From the Arabic faqir, "poor"; the name is practically attributed in India to… -
Falasha (Falà) - Emigrant, from Ge'ez Falata (to migrate) (FALASCIA (FALÀ) - EMIGRATO, DAL GE'EZ FALATA (MIGRARE))
FALASHA (Falà). - Emigrant, from Ge'ez Falata (to migrate). - Small groups of Jewish religion in northern Ethiopia, in the area between… -
Fatiha (FÂTIHAH)
FATIHA. - In Arabic "the opening," "the initial." It is the first chapter (sûrah) of the Quran, and the only one that makes an exception to… -
Feng Shui (FENGS SHUI)
FENG SHUI. - The term f. s. (lit. "wind and water") designates in China a "pseudo-scientific system that is supposed to teach how and where… -
Fetvá (FETVÀ)
FETVÁ. - Turkish pronunciation of the Arabic fatva, a technical term denoting a legal responsum issued by a mufti or jurist of repute, in… -
Flower (FIOR)
FLOWER. - An Arabic word that literally means "expedient," "reasonableness." In its oldest usage it indicated, in contrast to "ilm"… -
Fravashi
FRAVASHI: V. IRAN, RELIGIONE dell'. -
Gabrieli, Giuseppe
GABRIELI, GIUSEPPE. - Arabist and librarian of the Accademia dei Lincei, b. at Melendugno (Lecce) on 4 Apr. 1872, d. at Rome on 7 Apr.… -
Geonim (singular Gaon) (GĒ'ONIM (SING. GĀ'ŌN))
GE'ONIM (sing. Ga'on). - Title of the heads (cf. Ps. 47:5), "pride" of the house of Jacob) of the Talmudic academies of Sura and Pumbedita… -
Great Synagogue (SINAGOGA, GRANDE)
GREAT SYNAGOGUE - In the Mishnah (Avot, I, 1) it is stated that representatives of the genuine Jewish tradition were Moses, the elders… -
Haggadah (« Narration ») (HAGGĜDHĀH («NARRAZIONE»))
HAGGADAH (« Narration »). - Jewish ceremonial for the celebration of the evening of Passover. The texts are ancient and are found, with… -
Hanbali, Rite (HANBALITA, RITO)
HANBALI, RITE. - One of the four great schools or rites or juridical systems of orthodox Islam, going back to the jurist and theologian… -
Hasidism («Pietism») (HASIDHISMO («PIETISMO»))
HASIDISM («Pietism»). - A religious movement founded by Rabbi Yisra'el Ba'al Shem Tov (1699-1760). The epithet "master of the good name"… -
Hegira (EGIRA)
HEGIRA. - From the Arabic hijrah, "emigration." It designates the emigration of the prophet Muhammad (v.) from Mecca to Medina; with it the… -
Hero (EROE)
HERO. - From the Greek ἥρως "lord, prince," of uncertain etymology, it denotes, in general, one who raises himself above others by… -
Horoscope (ὨΡΑΚΆΠΗΣ) (OROSCOPO (ὨΡΑΚΆΠΗΣ))
HOROSCOPE (ὨΡΑΚΆΠΗΣ). - The term h. designates in astrology the precise moment (ὥρα) at which one observes (σκοπεῖν) the position of the… -
Ishtar (ISTAR)
ISHTAR. - Principal female divinity of the pantheon of the Babylonians and Assyrians, as well as of numerous other stocks of ancient… -
Jevons, Frank Byron
JEVONS, FRANK BYRON. - English philologist especially of classical literature, student of the philosophy and comparative history of… -
Kršna
KRŠNA. - Before being identified with the god Vishnu and raised to the honors of worship, K. was a valiant prince of the lineage of the… -
Lamaism (LAMAISMO)
LAMAISM. - It is the Buddhism of the "great vehicle" (mahāyāna), in the particular ritual form that it assumed in Tibet. The name derives… -
Manism (MANISMO)
MANISM. - From Lat. manes "good," a euphemistic epithet referring to the deceased, m. is the theory that explains the origins of religions… -
Maya, Religion of the (MAYA, RELIGIONE DEI)
MAYA, Religion of the. - At the time of the Spanish conquest, the M. occupied southern Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Their civilization,… -
Mēghillath Ta'Ānīth (« Scroll of the Fasts ») (MĒGHILLATH TA'ĀNĪTH (« ROTOLO DEI DIGIUNI »))
MĒGHILLATH TA'ĀNĪTH ("Scroll of Fasts"). - A list of 35 days of the year on which it was forbidden to fast and to deliver funeral orations,… -
Mishnah (MIŠNĀH)
MISHNAH. - Collection of rabbinic treatises from the 1st-3rd centuries AD, which constitute the "oral" law, that is, the deductions drawn… -
Neomenia (Neomnēsía) (NEOMÉNIA (ΝΕΟΜΝΗΣΊΑ))
NEOMENIA (Neomnēsía). - From Gk. νέος = new and μήνη = moon. It is the new moon (Heb. hōdheš, translated in the Latin Bible as kalendae).… -
Nuṣayrī (NUȘAJRĪ)
NUṢAYRĪ. - The N. are a sect which, numbering over 300,000 souls, occupies the regions between Tripoli of Syria and Antioch, with its… -
Parsism (PARSISMO)
PARSISM. - This is the name given to that small group of Persians who were followers of Zarathustra (v. PERSIANS, religion of) and who, not… -
Plant, Cult of the (PIANTA, CULTO DELLA)
PLANT, CULT OF THE. - The sacred value of the plant, whether herb or tree, is documented among all peoples, whether the plant is part of a… -
Prehistory (Religious Manifestations) (PREISTORIA (MANIFESTAZIONI RELIGIOSE))
PREHISTORY (Religious Manifestations). - By prehistory is meant the most ancient phases of human civilizations for which written evidence… -
Priesthood (SACERDOZIO)
PRIESTHOOD. - From sacra dare, "to furnish, to perform the sacred action," it is the religious-social office and function that an… -
Purāṇa (PURĀŅA)
PURĀṆA. - The P., "ancient stories," are encyclopedic works which, according to a notice handed down by the most important P., should treat… -
Ramayana (RĀMĀYAṆA)
RAMAYANA. - Vālmīki, the author of the R., was the first Indian poet who composed an artistic poem (kāvyā) on themes from popular epic, in… -
Sabeism (SABEISMO)
SABEISM. - Name applied in old treatises to the religion of the pre-Islamic Arabs, especially of the southern region, where already in the… -
Sacred Formula (FORMOLA SACRA)
SACRED FORMULA. - In non-Christian religions the s. f. is bound to the sacred-magical value attributed to the word; this is not regarded as… -
Sacro
SACRED. - From the ancient Latin sakros, later sacer, from sancire, by religion or by law, it is that which is held to be inviolable and… -
Šafitta, Rite (ŠAFITTA, RITO)
ŠAFITTA, RITE. - One of the four great schools, or rites or juridical systems, of orthodox Islam, founded in the 9th century by the imām… -
Saoshyant
SAOSHYANT. - From the Old Persian verb sav, meaning to benefit (whence the future participle saoshyant "benefactor"), in the most ancient… -
Satyrs and Sileni (Σάτυροι, Σάλοι) (SATIRI E SILENI (ΣΆΤΥΡΟΙ, ΣΆΛΥΟΙ),)
SATYRS and SILENI (Σάτυροι, Σάλυοι), - Mythological figures of secondary importance, but among the most widespread in the art, literature… -
Serpent, in Ancient Religions (SERPENTE, NELLE RELIGIONI ANTICHE)
SERPENT, IN ANCIENT RELIGIONS. - The cult of the serpent is quite widespread in the ancient religions and in those of primitive peoples,… -
Shaykh al-Islām (SHAJH AL-ISLAM)
SHAYKH AL-ISLĀM. - One of the many Islamic appellations (alqāb) that appear around the middle of the 4th century A.H. (= 10th century A.D.)… -
Sikh
SIKH. - A community that was originally religious and later also military and political, of northern India. Nanak (1469-1538), its founder,… -
Tabu (Tapu) (TÀBU (TÀPU))
TABU (TAPU). - A Polynesian word resulting from two elements: ta "to mark, to note," bu an intensifying particle, each retaining its own… -
Talmud (Talmūdh, «Study») (TALMUD (TALMŪDH «STUDIO»))
TALMUD (Talmūdh, «Study»). - Great corpus of rabbinic traditions, constituted by the development that the Mishnah (v.) underwent in the… -
Tannaim ("Repeaters" or "Teachers") (TANNAITI (« RIPETITORI » O « INSEGNANTI »))
TANNAIM ("Repeaters" or "Teachers"). - Jewish doctors, earlier than the 3rd century, whose teaching is preserved in the official collection… -
Temple (TEMPIO)
TEMPLE. - From a root tem (cf. the Greek τέμνω) meaning "to cut, to delimit", it was among the Ro- > (photo Alinari) > TEMPESTA, ANTONIO -… -
Titans (Τιτᾶνες) (TITANI (ΤΙΤΆΝΕΣ))
TITANS (Τιτᾶνες). - From the union of Uranus and Gaea were born the Titans, gigantic beings endowed with prodigious strength. The Theogony… -
Tosefta ('Addition') (TÓSEPHTÁ' (« AGGIUNTA »))
TOSEFTA ('ADDITION'). - A collection ("corpus iuris" of the type of the Mishnah [v.]), composed of legal norms called bārājthōth, plural of… -
Tripitaka (Tripiṭaka) (TRIPITAKA (TRIPITAKA))
TRIPITAKA (TRIPIṬAKA). - T. means the three baskets, that is, the three collections that constitute the Pāli Buddhist Canon: the… -
Upanishads (UPANIŞAD)
UPANISHADS. - U. means "esoteric doctrine," secret, to be communicated only to a few initiates. It is the common denomination of a series… -
Varuna
VARUNA. - V. is the god of the starry sky, who presides over rta, the order both moral and cosmic. He placed the sun in the sky, the… -
Veda and Vedism (VEDA E VEDISMO)
VEDA AND VEDISM. - In treating of Brahmanism (v.), mention has been made of the V. and of the Vedic religion or Vedism. But we must dwell… -
Vedānta
VEDĀNTA. - One of the six orthodox philosophical systems and perhaps the most important, because it still numbers millions of followers… -
Zodiac (ZODIACO)
ZODIAC. - The name derives from the Greek (ζωδισκός κύκλος), a term by which Greek astronomers and astrologers designated that zone of the…