Encyclopedic Dictionary of Bible and Theology

Slavs in America The Slavic races have sent large numbers of their people to the United States and Canada, and this immigration is coming every year in increasing numbers. The earliest immigration began before the war of the States, but within the past thirty years it has become so great as quite to overshadow the … Continue reading “Slavs in America”

Slavonic Versions Under this head. we shall have to speak of different versions, all belonging to one and the same family. The oldest of these is 1. The Slavonic Version, which was executed during the 9th century by Cyril (q.v.) and Methodius. (q.v.), the first missionaries to the Slavonians, and who, contrary to the course … Continue reading “Slavonic Versions”

Slavonic language and liturgy Slavonic holds second place, numerically, among the liturgical languages in which the Mass and the Divine Office are said. About 866 Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius translated the liturgy of the Byzantine Church into old Slavonic, written in the Cyrillic alphabet for the benefit of their Slavic converts. Shortly afterwards, the … Continue reading “Slavonic Language and Liturgy”

Slavonians is the general designation of a race of great antiquity, who were found on the Don among the Goths, and afterwards on the Danube among the Huns and the Bulgarians. Their ancient religion was a system of unmixed paganism, their chief god being Perun (thunder), while the other principal deities were Lada (goddess of … Continue reading “Slavonians”

Slavic Mythology This term may cover the religions of the early Poles, Russians, Wends, Bohemians, Moravians, Servians, Masuri, and Silesians. The teaching of these systems is based on the idea of dual principles, a race of good and another of evil deities, with whom are associated numerous inferior gods. The principal divinities may be connected … Continue reading “Slavic Mythology”

Slaves In The Early Christian Church labored under several disabilities as regarded their Church relations and privileges. This did not arise from any hostility or desire to oppress on the part of the Church, but rather from the necessity of respecting the legal rights of the master. 1. They were debarred from the privilege of … Continue reading “Slaves In The Early Christian Church”

Slaves (Déné “Men”). A tribe of the great Déné family of American Indians, so called apparently from the fact that the Crees drove it back to its original northern haunts. Its present habitat is the forests that lie to the west of Great Slave Lake, from Hay River inclusive. The Slaves are divided into five … Continue reading “Slaves”

Slavery, Relation Of, To Christianity This topic has necessarily been touched upon in the preceding articles, but its importance justifies a fuller consideration separately. (In doing this we avail ourselves in part of the treatment in Herzog’s Real Encyklop.) The New Test. teaches that salvation is the common privilege of all mankind, and that all … Continue reading “Slavery, Relation Of, To Christianity”

Slavery, Modern Ancient slavery, especially among the Romans and Greeks, became a system of extreme cruelty. Christianity, though it did not do away with slavery, tended to ameliorate the condition of the slave. SEE SLAVERY, RELATION OF, TO CHRISTIANITY. 1. In Asia and Europe. Justinian did much to promote the eventual extinction of slavery, and … Continue reading “Slavery, Modern”

Slavery, Ethical Aspect of In Greek and Roman civilization slavery on an extensive scale formed an essential element of the social structure; and consequently the ethical speculators, no less than the practical statesmen, regarded it as a just and indispensable institution. The Greek, however, assumed that the slave population should be recruited normally only from … Continue reading “Slavery, Ethical Aspect of”