The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (369 page)

Betsugedatsukai
.

Jap. (‘individually liberating precepts’) for
pr
timok
a
, the precepts for Buddhist monks.

 
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(1519–1605).
French-born successor to
Calvin
in Geneva as the leader of Reformed Protestantism (see
REFORMATION
). Educated for a legal career, he renounced
Roman Catholicism
after a severe illness in 1548. Academically, he devoted himself to biblical study, especially to study of the Greek text. During the wars of religion (1560–98) he provided a theological argument and basis for resistance to usurped political authority. His strong defence of biblical literalism, double predestination and firm church discipline laid deep foundations for Calvinism and initiated what has been called ‘Reformed Scholasticism’. However, the precise connection of Beza with this has been much disputed.

 
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Bezalel
.

Head builder of the
tabernacle
(Exodus 31. 1–11; 36–9).

 
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(Skt., ‘S
tra of the Fortunate Age’).
S
tra
of
Mah
y
na
Buddhism of a type which became extremely popular: it focuses on the legends of the thousand
buddhas
of the fortunate age, of which the Buddha
kyamuni
is the fifth.