am ha-eretz n. Hebrew (am hah-ARE-etz) Literally “people of the land.” A derogatory term, which originated during the time of the Second Temple, for the common people who were neither learned in Torah nor religiously pious. The opposite of haver. noun Eisenberg, J., Scolnic, E., & Jewish Publication Society. (2001). The JPS dictionary of Jewish …
American Jewish Congress (AJC) n. English A national volunteer organization, the American Jewish Congress protects fundamental constitutional freedoms by promoting legislation to preserve religious freedom and the separation of church and state. It also litigates cases with significant civil rights or First Amendment issues. noun Eisenberg, J., Scolnic, E., & Jewish Publication Society. (2001). The …
American Jewish Committee (AJC) n. English Established in 1906 in response to hundreds of pogroms in Russia, the American Jewish Committee works to fight anti-Semitism, safeguard principles of democracy, and nurture pluralism and cooperative relationships among diverse ethnic and religious groups. The AJC also publishes Commentary, a journal of political thought. noun Eisenberg, J., Scolnic, …
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) n. English A registered political action committee since the 1940s, AIPAC lobbies the United States government on behalf of the State of Israel. AIPAC’s goal is to protect Israel’s interests on issues such as foreign aid, sales of military items, treaties, and such. noun Eisenberg, J., Scolnic, E., & …
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The churches of old Cairo INTRODUCTION Cairo has been the capital of Egypt for more than one thousand years, but the actual city and history of Cairo are the legacy of many previous capitals of Egypt, of great cultural centers and successive civilizations founded there. The earliest was a predynastic settlement dating from the 4th …
Figures in the Carpet: Macarius the Great, Isaiah of Scetis, Daniel of Scetis, and Monastic Spirituality in the Wadi al-Natrun (Scetis) From the Fourth to the Sixth Century Not many years ago I read a very good scholarly book on Palestinian monasticism in Late Antiquity. In my review of that book I observed, however, that …
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The Importance of Wadi al-Natrun for Coptology First of all, I must say some words about the history of Coptological studies[1] and the definition of Coptology.[2] I start in the 19th century, when the first professorship for Coptic language and literature was appointed at a German university. For the beginning of Coptological studies I point …
The Pilgrimage Center of St. Demiana Monastery (BILQAS) The pilgrimage center of st. Demiana MONASTERY is situated near the town of Bilqas, which lies in the northeast region of the Nile Delta about 45 kilometers from the city of al-Mansura. A Monastery of Jimyana (Demiana) is mentioned by the historian al-Maqrizi (d. 1442), although the …
The Triconch Sanctuaries of Sohag “Le probleme de I’abside treflee, de son origine, de son developpement, I’histoire enfin de ce type de structure, a ete dans ces dernieres annees 1’argument de bien de travaux; mais, malgre cela, je crois que l’etude peut donner encore quelque resultat si on voudra profiter d’une documentation bien precise et …
The Monastery of the Archangel Gabriel (FAYYUM) The saintly bishop AUR OF NAQLUN, the legendary founder of the monastery, was the secret son of a princess and a magician living somewhere in the East. His mother died when he was three years old. When he was eight years old, the king, the father of the …
