Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Paganism. Depiction from 1887 showing two Roman women offering a sacrifice to the goddess Vesta. Paganism (from classical Latin pāgānus "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, [1] or ethnic religions other than Judaism.
Since there is no universal agreement on Europe's regional composition, the placement of individual countries may vary based on criteria being used. For instance, the Balkans is a distinct geographical region within Europe, but individual countries may alternatively be grouped into South-eastern Europe or Southern Europe.
Ethnic groups in Europe. Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, common language, common faith, etc. The total number of national minority populations in Europe is estimated at 105 million people ...
The term comes from the Greek πολύ poly ("many") and θεός theos ("god") and was coined by the Jewish writer Philo of Alexandria to argue with the Greeks. When Christianity spread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, non-Christians were just called Gentiles (a term originally used by Jews to refer to non-Jews) or pagans (locals) or by the clearly pejorative term idolaters ...
Phoenicia ( / fəˈnɪʃə, fəˈniːʃə / ), [4] or Phœnicia, was an ancient Semitic thalassocratic civilization originating in the coastal strip of the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. [5] [6] The territory of the Phoenicians expanded and contracted throughout history, with the core of their ...
Six princes of the Holy Roman Empire and rulers of fourteen Imperial Free Cities, who issued a protest (or dissent) against the edict of the Diet of Speyer (1529), were the first individuals to be called Protestants. [ 18] The edict reversed concessions made to the Lutherans with the approval of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V three years earlier.
[20] [41] Druze believe in theophany and reincarnation. [42] The Druze believe that at the end of the cycle of rebirth, which is achieved through successive reincarnations, the soul is united with the Cosmic Mind (al-ʻaql al-kullī). [43] The Druze have a special reverence for Shuaib, who they believe is the same person as the biblical Jethro ...
Religion has been a major influence on the societies, cultures, traditions, philosophies, artistic expressions and laws within present-day Europe. The largest religion in Europe is Christianity. [1] However, irreligion and practical secularisation are also prominent in some countries. [2] [3] In Southeastern Europe, three countries ( Bosnia and ...