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Clarendon Code

(Encyclopedia) Clarendon Code, 1661–65, group of English statutes passed after the Restoration of Charles II to strengthen the position of the Church of England. The Corporation Act (1661) required…

The Devil's Dictionary: Rite

by Ambrose Bierce R.I.P.RITUALISMRITE -n. A religious or semi-religious ceremony fixed by law, precept or custom, with the essential oil of sincerity carefully squeezed out of it.

Eastern Rite Churches

These include the Uniate Churches that recognize the authority of the pope but keep their own traditional liturgies and those churches dating back to the fifth century that emancipated…

Eliade, Mircea

(Encyclopedia) Eliade, MirceaEliade, Mirceamûrˈshə āˌlē-ädˈə [key], 1907–86, American philosopher and historian of comparative religion, b. Bucharest. He studied Indian philosophy and Sanskrit at the…

fertility rites

(Encyclopedia) fertility rites, magico-religious ceremonies to insure an abundance of food and the birth of children. The rites, expressed through dances, prayers, incantations, and sacred dramas,…

First Love, Last Rites

Director:Jesse PeretzWriter:David RyanRelease:8/98Cast:Natasha Gregson Wagner, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert John Burke and Eli Marienthal First Love, Last Rites has the components of a hit art…

Penitentes

(Encyclopedia) PenitentesPenitentespĕnĭtĕnˈtēz [key], secret lay order in the U.S. Southwest, particularly New Mexico, noted for flagellating rites during Holy Week. It arose from the third order of…

mysteries

(Encyclopedia) mysteries, in Greek and Roman religion, some important secret cults. The conventional religions of both Greeks and Romans were alike in consisting principally of propitiation and…

Golding, William

(Encyclopedia) Golding, William (Sir William Gerald Golding), 1911–93, English novelist, grad. Oxford (B.A. 1934). Praised for his highly imaginative and original writings, Golding was basically…

month

(Encyclopedia) month, in chronology, the conventional period of a lunation, i.e., passage of the moon through all its phases. It is usually computed at approximately 29 or 30 days. For the…