Religion Past and Present
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Subject: Religious Studies
Edited by: Hans Dieter Betz, Don S. Browning†, Bernd Janowski and Eberhard Jüngel
Religion Past and Present (RPP) Online is the online version of the updated English translation of the 4th edition of the definitive encyclopedia of religion worldwide: the peerless Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (RGG). This great resource, now at last available in English and Online, Religion Past and Present Online continues the tradition of deep knowledge and authority relied upon by generations of scholars in religious, theological, and biblical studies. Including the latest developments in research, Religion Past and Present Online encompasses a vast range of subjects connected with religion.
Subscriptions: see brill.com
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Religion Past and Present (RPP) Online is the online version of the updated English translation of the 4th edition of the definitive encyclopedia of religion worldwide: the peerless Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (RGG). This great resource, now at last available in English and Online, Religion Past and Present Online continues the tradition of deep knowledge and authority relied upon by generations of scholars in religious, theological, and biblical studies. Including the latest developments in research, Religion Past and Present Online encompasses a vast range of subjects connected with religion.
Subscriptions: see brill.com
Qohelet
(2,434 words)
[German Version]
I. Title The traditional English title of Qohelet,
Ecclesiastes (sometimes followed by
or, the Preacher, echoing ¶ Luther’s Ger. title
Prediger), is simply borrowed (via Lat.) from the Greek title of the book in the Septuagint. Luther’s
Prediger was his translation of the (artificial) Hebrew name קֹהֶלֶת/
qōhelet, a feminine qal participle of Hebrew
qhl (niphal: “assemble, come together”; hiphil: “assemble, bring together”; cf. קָהָל/
qāhāl, “assembly”). Apart from this book, it does not occur in the Old Testament. It may denote a functional ro…
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Religion Past and Present
Qohelet Rabbah
(239 words)
[German Version] is an exegetical midrash on Qohelet. The first printed edition (1519) divided it into three major sections (
sedarim); later editions have 12 chapters, corresponding to the chapters of the biblical book. It begins with an anonymous proem (
peticha; preaching: VII) on a verse from the book of Proverbs, which is then used to introduce the initial words of Qohelet. The midrash then follows the structure of Qohelet, with an interpretation of all but a few verses. The work compiled numerous proems of earlier midrashim (Bere…
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Religion Past and Present
Quadratus (Saint)
(249 words)
[German Version] (
Kódratos), apologist. Eusebius (
Hist. eccl. IV 3) identifies Quadratus as the author of ¶ a compilation of apostolic teachings dedicated to Hadrian and presented to him during a visit to Asia Minor (123/124 or 129; see Kienast) or Athens (124/125 or 128/129;
Hist. eccl. IV 3.1; Jer.
Chron. 2140), demonstrating the Christians’ piety in the face of the pagans’ calumnies and pogroms. To authenticate the antiquity of the document, which he calls an apology (Apologetics), Eusebius of Caesarea cites a passage in which Jesus is called “our
sōtēr” because of his miracles. …
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Religion Past and Present
Quaestio
(422 words)
[German Version] A true (as opposed to “rhetorical”) question (Gk ζήτημα/
zḗtēma, πρόβλημα/
próblēma, ἀπορία/
aporía, Lat.
quaestio), seeking an answer that will solve a problem, is a fundamental tool for rational argumentation. It was used already by the ancient Greeks (beginning with the questions of Socrates in the dialogues of Plato) and rabbinic Judaism (in give and take between teacher and student). Formulation of questions became common early on in the theology of the Early Church (reaching a high point in Augustine, e.g.
De diversis quaestionibus ad Simplicianum;
Quaestione…
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Religion Past and Present
Quakers/Society of Friends
(2,452 words)
[German Version]
I. Name and Origin
1. Foundation. The Religious Society of Friends, more often referred to by the pejorative nickname “Quakers,” emerged from the throes of the English Revolution (1642–1660; England: III, 1.d). Led by G. Fox, the movement grew from its leader’s conviction that none of the churches of the day were willing to reject over 1,600 years of apostasy and recapture “primitive Christianity.” Following four years of searching from 1643 to 1647, which led Fox to interiority, he bec…
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Religion Past and Present
Quandt, Johann Jakob
(241 words)
[German Version] (Mar 27, 1686, Königsberg [Kaliningrad] – Jan 17, 1772, Königsberg), began his studies in Königsberg in 1701 and moved to Leipzig in 1706 (M.A. in 1707), Halle, and Jena, along with an educational journey through Germany and the Low Countries, devoted primarily to the study of eastern languages. In 1710 he became a lecturer at Königsberg, and he received his Dr. theol. from Rostock in 1715. In 1716 he was appointed associate professor of theology. In 1718 he also began serving as …
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Religion Past and Present
Quantum Mechanics
(603 words)
[German Version] At the close of the 19th century, the majority of physicists believed that the classical paradigm inaugurated by I. Newton would soon resolve the few remaining puzzles of physics, including blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, and the discrete spectral emissions of atoms (Atomism). In 1900 M. Planck solved the blackbody puzzle but only by introducing the curious notion that energy comes in discrete units called “quanta,” rather than in ¶ continuously varying amounts, as physicists had commonly supposed. In 1905 A. Einstein explained the ph…
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Religion Past and Present
Quantum Theory
(445 words)
[German Version] Like Newtonian mechanics (I. Newton), quantum theory aims to describe the state and evolution of physical systems (Physics), however simple or complex. Unlike Newtonian mechanics though, the standard account of quantum theory – commonly referred to as the “Copenhagen interpretation” after Niels Bohr, its Danish originator – insists that physical objects, from subatomic particles such as electrons to macroscopic objects such as E. Schrödinger’s famous cat, can exist not only in classical states such as
will-appear-at-A or
will-appear-at-B, but also in curio…
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Religion Past and Present
Quanzhen-Taoism
(522 words)
[German Version] “Complete integrity” or “complete realization” (
quanzhen; Quanzhen-Taoism) is the name of a Taoist school (Taoism) that arose during the 12th century in Shandong Province. The school’s founder was Wang Zhe (1112–1170) from Shensi, who is also known as “Double Yang” (Chongyang). His disciples, the “Seven Perfected Beings,” formed the first generation of the Quanzhen patriarchs: Ma Danyang (1123–1183), Tan Chuduan (1123–1185), Qiu Changchun (1148–1227), Wang Chuyi (1142–1217), Liu Chuxua…
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Religion Past and Present
Quaque, Philip
(257 words)
[German Version] (1741, Cape Coast, Ghana – Oct 17, 1816, Cape Coast), the first African Anglican priest. In 1754 Thomas Thompson, the first missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) and chaplain of the British (slave) trading “factory” The Castle, arranged for the young Quaque to go to England to receive a British education. There he was baptized in 1759 and ordained as a priest in 1765. After his return to his native land in 1766, he became successor to T…
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Religion Past and Present
Quaresmio (Quaresmi), Francesco
(251 words)
[German Version] (baptized Alessandro; Apr 4, 1583 or 1585, Lodi – Oct 25, 1656, Milan), OFM. Initially guardian of the Franciscan house in Milan, in 1616 he went to Palestine; in 1618 he was appointed superior in Aleppo and in 1619 president of the Custody of the Holy Land. He was then appointed apostolic nuncio to the Chaldeans (Chaldea) (
Itinerarium di Chaldaea [with Thomas of Milan], 1625;
Apparatus pro reductione Chaldaeorum ad catholicam fidem, 1647; the union conversations on behalf of Pope Urban VIII remained fruitless). His
magnum opus, the
Historica theologica et moralis Te…
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Religion Past and Present
Quartodecimans
(349 words)
[German Version] (or Quartadecimans). The term derives from Latin
quarto- or
quartadecimani, used by Tacitus in a military context; in the present context, however, it translates Greek τεσσαρεσκαιδεκατῖται/
tessareskaidekatítai (first used by Epiphanius of Salamis c. 375). It is an umbrella term for groups of Christians that celebrated Passover (Feasts and festivals: II; III) or Easter on Nisan 14, according the Jewish calculation of Passover. They are first mentioned by Apollinarius of Hierapolis (frgm.
De Pascha) and Polycrates of Ephesus (cit. in Eus.
Hist. eccl. V 24.2–8), …
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Religion Past and Present
Quasten, Johannes
(203 words)
[German Version] (May 3, 1900, Homberg (Niederrhein) – Mar 10, 1987, Freiburg im Breisgau), began his studies in Catholic theology at the University of Münster in 1921 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1926. After studying with F.J. Dölger, he received his doctorate in 1927 with a dissertation on singing in the cults of pagan antiquity and early Christianity (
LQF 25, 1930; 21973). He gained his
Habilitation in 1931 under Adolf Rücker and in 1938 was appointed professor of Early Church history, patrology, and Christian archaeology at the Catholic University …
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Religion Past and Present
Quechua
(414 words)
[German Version] (or Runa Simi) is today the most widespread indigenous language of South America (primarily in the Andean countries of Peru, Bolivia Ecuador, and Colombia); it was already spoken by the Inca. It owes its broad dissemination primarily to the spread of the Inca Empire, with earlier dialects continuing to exist. The name
Quechua or
Quichua dates from the 16th century: in 1560 the Dominican Domingo de Santo Tomás published a lexicon entitled
Lexicón o Vocabulario de la lengua general de los Indios del Perú, llamada Quichua. Etymologically the word means “mild, moderat…
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Religion Past and Present
Quenstedt, Johann Andreas
(283 words)
[German Version] (Aug 13, 1617, Quedlinburg – May 22, 1688, Wittenberg). After the death of his uncle, J. Gerhard, this scion of a patrician family was forced by war to study in nearby Helmstedt ¶ (G. Calixtus, K. Horneius); in 1644, however, he did go to Wittenberg (W. Leyser, J. Hülsemann), where in 1649 he was appointed adjunct professor in the faculties of philosophy and theology. He wrote quite a few geographical and antiquarian works. After receiving his doctorate in 1650, in 1660 he was appointed to the fourth chair of the…
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Religion Past and Present
Quervain, Alfred de
(181 words)
[German Version] (Sep 28, 1896, La Neuveville, canton of Bern – Oct 30, 1968, Bern). After studying Protestant theology and philosophy at Bern, Basel, Marburg (P. Natorp), and Berlin and passing his state examination in Bern (1921), Quervain served as pastor in La Neuveville, Stuttgart, Elberfeld, and Laufen (canton of Bern). In 1919 he gained his Lic.theol. at Basel, where he also received his
Habilitation and taught systematic theology as a lecturer. After 1935, while retaining his Basel appointment, he lectured at the seminary of the Confessing Church in …
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Religion Past and Present
Quesnel, Pasquier (Paschasius)
(329 words)
[German Version] (Jul 14, 1634, Paris – Dec 2, 1719, Amsterdam). After studying theology, Quesnel joined the Oratorians in 1657. Ordained to the priesthood in 1659, he became director of the order’s school in Paris. His early
Réflexions morales sur le Nouveau Testament (1668; ET:
The New Testament, with Moral Reflections upon Every Verse, 1719–1725), a major work that appeared in various editions and was also widely read in Germany, already showed his Jansenist leanings (Jansenism) and aroused much hostility. His defense of Gallican liberties (Gal…
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Religion Past and Present
Quick Prayer (Arrow Prayer)
(107 words)
[German Version] is a short prayer, generally of petition. The early monks valued quick prayer as a remedy against vice. Before Vatican II such prayers were enriched with indulgences. Technically, such indulgences still exist, albeit in modified form, but they are of little interest in contemporary piety. Quick prayers can be seen as part of the effort to “pray always” (cf. Luke 18:1; Eph 6:18, etc.) and are related to contemporary interest in centering prayer, the Jesus prayer (Heart, Prayer of the), and other spiritual practices aiming toward reflective concentration. Anthony Willi…
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Religion Past and Present
Quiet in the Land, The
(395 words)
[German Version] Quiet in the Land, The, collective term for an extraordinary variety of religious groups and individual ¶ figures in Central Europe, especially at the transition from 18th-century Pietism to the revival movements of the 19th century. The term, which derives from Luther’s translation of Ps 35:20 (“. . . they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land”), has mystical connotations (German mysticism [III, 3.b]; Church song). All the quiet of the land shared a desire to intensify …
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Religion Past and Present