Encyclopedia of Christianity Online

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Since the ninth and tenth centuries the Gk.-Arab. word alchēmeia has denoted the attempt to change base metals into silver and gold. This effort has been more than a mere curiosity in the history of science and technology, however, for in alchemy the smelting, alloying, and tinting of metals have been linked with the belief that one can help what is thought of as living nature achieve its quickest possible development and fulfillment. It was probably in Alexandria in the second century b.c. that popular traditions of this kind became joined with metallurgical techniques that had been practiced from ancient times, especially in Egypt. This connection, along with the viewpoint of Greek natural philosophy (Philosophy of Nature) that processes of transition are qualitative changes in an unchanging substratum, did not at first reduce the work to a pure symbol, in defense of which suspicious religious and philosophical forms were used. From the outset, however, it meant that alchemy had the character both of a manufacturing technique and of a spiritual craf…

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1. Alexander the Great (336–323 b.c.) founded this city in 331 b.c. as a port on the west coast of the Nile Delta. Its position guaranteed its importance as a center of trade and commerce. The Ptolemies (323–30 b.c.) moved the site of government from Memphis to Alexandria. The Egyptian queen Cleopatra (51–30 b.c.) received support first from Caesar (100–44 b.c.) and then from Antony (d. 30 b.c.), in what was Alexandria’s most prominent period politically. During the Roman Empire, Alexandria was the seat of a provincial governor. The Islamic Arabs conquered Alexandria in a.d. 642. There…

1. We can distinguish two phases in the theology of Alexandria. The older phase was one of free experimentation; later, in spite of its basic significance for all theology, it came under the suspicion of heresy and official condemnation. The later phase was one of orthodox maturity; it provided a rigid framework for the legacy of the earlier period, thus ensuring the steady course of dogmatic history.…

The modern state of Algeria forms the central section of Maghreb, the Arabic term for North Africa. It is bordered by Tunisia on the east, Morocco on the west, and the Mediterranean on the north. To the south it borders Libya, Niger, Mali, and Mauritania. With 2.4 million sq. km. (920,000 sq. mi.), Algeria is the second largest country in Africa, after Sudan. Since 1962, when the country achieved its independence, the population has increased by roughly three and a half times. Some 96 percent of the people are Sunn…

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The 380 million African Christians (2000 est.) constitute 46.4 percent of the total population (as compared with only 9.2 percent in 1900). Statistically the southern two-thirds of Africa is predominantly Christian, while the northern third is predominantly Islamic (Islam). The proportion of the population practicing traditional African religion is declining. The rapid growth of Christianity since 1900 rests on the ministry in the 19th century of overseas missionaries (Mission), the work of African Christians as evangelists and missionaries (E…

Allegory is an artistic or linguistic form that expresses something different (Gk. allēgoreō) from what it states directly. In art it represents that which cannot be represented directly, usually in a complex picture that carries individual features (personification). In literature it is a story in which a second complex of meaning may be discerned behind the literal one. In interpretation one decodes the individual elements, which have the character of metaphors, and reconstructs the whole on the level …

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1. The word “altar” derives from Lat. altare or altaria, which come from altus, meaning “high.” Lat. ara (from Gk. airō, “raise”) has the same connotation; it is the Vg word for bōmos (from bainō

Altötting, Bavaria, is an important site of pilgrimage in honor of Mary. The town, which has a chapel going back to the eighth century, has long been a favorite resort of the nobility. After reports of miracles in about 1489, the pilgrimage developed under the patronage of the dukes of Bavaria, attracting travelers from Bohemia, South Tirol, and Italy as well as Bavaria. The Reformation and Enlightenment, however, threatened to end it. P. Canisius (1521–97), M. Eisengrein (1535–78), and, later, J. M. Sailer gave it fresh impetus. Albert V (1550–79) did much to promo…

The word “amen” (Gk. amēn, from Heb. ’ āmēn) means “so it is.” Except in sayings of Jesus, “amen” is a response to something that has just been said. Expressing his supreme authority, Jesus introduces his teachings with “(very) truly [ amēn ( amēn)] I tell you.…” In Rev. 3:14 “Amen” is a self-designation of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20). In both Judaism and Christianity “amen” is one of the most important words in the congregation’s participation in worship. The eucharistic prayer ends with “Amen,” and the believer responds with “Amen” after receiving…

Amnesty International (AI), an international organization that is independent of governments, political parties, ideologies, economic interests, and religions, plays a special role in the worldwide struggle for human rights. It does this particularly in cases of political imprisonment, working for the release of men, women, and children who are detained because of their political convictions, color, sex, race, culture, or religion, or who for these reasons are subjected to other physical restric…

1. Amos, the first of the writing prophets, came from Tekoa in Judah. Although a herdsman and a grower of figs, not a professional prophet, Amos was a man of broad outlook who did not lack means or education. A call from God took him out of his daily round and sent him to do prophetic work in the northern kingdom. He came there about 760 b.c. and in Bethel and Samaria, perhaps also Gilgal, proclaimed the inevitable fall of Israel. Denounced and expelled, he seems to have gone back to Judah after hardly a year of activity. Amos’s coming occurred at the time of Israel’s final prosperity. The w…