The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2175 page)
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Scillitan Martyrs
.
.
Seven men and five women of Scillium in N. Africa who were put to death in 180 when they refused to renounce Christianity and swear by the ‘genius’ of the Roman emperor.
Scofield, Cyrus I
.
.
(1843–1921)
. American biblical scholar, and editor of the
Scofield Reference Bible
(1909; new edns. 1919, 1967). Its good typography and tacit rejection of all ‘higher criticism’ made it enormously popular in conservative Protestantism, and so secured an audience for its
dispensationalist
teaching.
. American biblical scholar, and editor of the
Scofield Reference Bible
(1909; new edns. 1919, 1967). Its good typography and tacit rejection of all ‘higher criticism’ made it enormously popular in conservative Protestantism, and so secured an audience for its
dispensationalist
teaching.
Scopes trial
(for teaching of Darwinism):
(for teaching of Darwinism):
Scotus
(medieval Christian philosopher):
(medieval Christian philosopher):
Scotus Eriugena
(neoplatonic philosopher):
(neoplatonic philosopher):
Scribe
(Heb.,
sofer
). Copier of Jewish documents, also a recognized transmitter and scholar of Jewish law. In the
rabbinic
period and subsequently, scribes were professional inscribers of
Torah
Scrolls
,
tefillin
, mezuzot, and
gittim
(bills of divorce).
Masseketh
or
Hilkoth Soferim
is one of the Minor Tractates in the
Talmud
dealing with scribal matters. The decrees transmitted by scribes are known as
dibre soferim
(‘words of the scribes’),
tikkune soferim
(‘corrections of the scribes’), and
dikduke soferim
(‘minutiae of the scribes’).
sofer
). Copier of Jewish documents, also a recognized transmitter and scholar of Jewish law. In the
rabbinic
period and subsequently, scribes were professional inscribers of
Torah
Scrolls
,
tefillin
, mezuzot, and
gittim
(bills of divorce).
Masseketh
or
Hilkoth Soferim
is one of the Minor Tractates in the
Talmud
dealing with scribal matters. The decrees transmitted by scribes are known as
dibre soferim
(‘words of the scribes’),
tikkune soferim
(‘corrections of the scribes’), and
dikduke soferim
(‘minutiae of the scribes’).
Scripture
.
.
Texts regarded as sacred (usually revealed: see
REVELATION
), having authority and often collected into an accepted
canon
. Despite the origin of the word
(Lat.,
scripto
, ‘I write’), most religious scriptures began as recited texts, being preserved in orally transmitted forms: the
Vedas
of the Hindus were written down only because the world moved into the degenerate
K
li yuga
;
oral law
(
Torah she be‘al peh
) was as much revealed on
Sinai
as was written Torah; the
Qur’
n
was not written down until after the death of Mu
ammad; and the P
li canon was not committed to writing until (theoretically) the First
Council
, though in fact much later. When scriptures were eventually written down, it often remained a primary religious act to recite (rather than read) scripture. The definition of scripture may be a long (and sometimes contested) process: thus the canons of Jewish and Christian scripture took many centuries to achieve; and in the Christian case, agreement has not yet been reached. The historical embeddedness of scripture (i.e. the fact that however eternal the Word may be, it is manifested in a language in the midst of time) gives a natural bias to at least a species of
fundamentalism
, since it relates present-day life to a supreme moment of revelation.
REVELATION
), having authority and often collected into an accepted
canon
. Despite the origin of the word
(Lat.,
scripto
, ‘I write’), most religious scriptures began as recited texts, being preserved in orally transmitted forms: the
Vedas
of the Hindus were written down only because the world moved into the degenerate
K
li yuga;
oral law
(
Torah she be‘al peh
) was as much revealed on
Sinai
as was written Torah; the
Qur’
nwas not written down until after the death of Mu
ammad; and the Pli canon was not committed to writing until (theoretically) the FirstCouncil
, though in fact much later. When scriptures were eventually written down, it often remained a primary religious act to recite (rather than read) scripture. The definition of scripture may be a long (and sometimes contested) process: thus the canons of Jewish and Christian scripture took many centuries to achieve; and in the Christian case, agreement has not yet been reached. The historical embeddedness of scripture (i.e. the fact that however eternal the Word may be, it is manifested in a language in the midst of time) gives a natural bias to at least a species of
fundamentalism
, since it relates present-day life to a supreme moment of revelation.
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