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Acts of the Apostles, The ... Adams, Brooks

Acts of the Apostles, The fifth book of the New Testament, a valuable history of the early Christian church. Acts was written in Greek, presumably by the Evangelist Luke, whose gospel concludes where Acts begins, namely, with Christ's Ascension into heaven. Acts was apparently written in Rome, perhaps between AD 70 and 90, though some ... actuary one who calculates insurance risks and premiums. Actuaries compute the probability of the occurrence of various contingencies of human life, such as birth, marriage, sickness, unemployment, accidents, retirement, and death. They also evaluate the hazards of property damage or loss and the legal liability for the safety and well-being of ... Acuff, Roy American vocalist, songwriter, and fiddle player, called the "King of Country Music," who in the mid-1930s reasserted the mournful musical traditions of Southeastern rural whites and became a national radio star on the "Grand Ole Opry" broadcasts. Acuna, Rosario de Spanish playwright, essayist, and short-story writer known for her controversial liberal views. acupressure Alternative-medicine practice in which pressure is applied to points on the body aligned along 12 main meridians (pathways), usually for a short time, to improve the flow of vital force (qi). Though often referred to by its Japanese name, shiatsu, it originated in China thousands of years ago. A single ... acupuncture ancient Chinese medical technique for relieving pain, curing disease, and improving general health. It was devised before 2500 BC in China and by the late 20th century was used in many other areas of the world. Acupuncture consists of the insertion of one or several small metal needles into the ... acyclovir antiviral drug used to control the symptoms of infections involving herpes simplex virus (HSV), which causes herpes simplex, or varicella-zoster virus (VZV; a type of herpesvirus), which causes shingles and chickenpox. Acyclovir was first discovered in the mid-1970s and is effective against active, replicating HSV or VZV. Aczel, Gyorgy politician, communist ideologist, and the preeminent personality in the cultural policy of the Janos Kadar regime (1956-88) in Hungary. ad valorem tax any tax imposed on the basis of the monetary value of the taxed item. Literally the term means "according to value." Traditionally, most customs and excises had "specific" rates; the tax base was defined in terms of physical units such as gallons, pounds, or individual items. Ada city, seat (1907) of Pontotoc county, south-central Oklahoma, U.S. It lies along Clear Boggy Creek, south of the Canadian River, and was named for the daughter of the first postmaster, William J. Reed, who built a log store there in 1889. The railroad arrived in 1900, and the city developed ... Ada group ivory carvings and a group of about 10 illuminated manuscripts, dating from the last quarter of the 8th century, the earliest examples of the art of the Court School of Charlemagne. The group is named after a Gospel book (c. 750; Trier, Cathedral Treasury) commissioned by Ada, supposed half sister ... Adab ancient Sumerian city located south of Nippur (modern Niffer or Nuffar), Iraq. Excavations (1903-04) carried out by the American archaeologist Edgar James Banks revealed buildings dating from as early as the prehistoric period and as late as the reign of Ur-Nammu (reigned 2112-2095 BC). Adab was an important Sumerian centre ... adab Islamic concept that became a literary genre distinguished by its broad humanitarian concerns; it developed during the brilliant height of 'Abbasid culture in the 9th century and continued through the Muslim Middle Ages. Adad weather god of the Babylonian and Assyrian pantheon. The name Adad may have been brought into Mesopotamia toward the end of the 3rd millennium BC by Western (Amorite) Semites. His Sumerian equivalent was Ishkur and the West Semitic was Hadad. adage a saying, often in metaphoric form, that embodies a common observation, such as "If the shoe fits, wear it,'' "Out of the frying pan, into the fire,'' or "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.'' The scholar Erasmus published a well-known collection of adages ... adah (Arabic: "custom"), in Islamic law, a local custom that is given a particular consideration by judicial authorities even when it conflicts with some principle of canon law (Shari'ah); in Indonesia it is known as adat, in North Africa it is 'urf, and in East Africa, dustur. Muslim communities developed their ... Adair v. United States case in which on Jan. 27, 1908, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld "yellow dog" contracts forbidding workers to join labour unions. William Adair of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad fired O.B. Coppage for belonging to a labour union, an action in direct violation of the Erdman Act of 1898, which ... Adair, John Scottish surveyor and cartographer whose maps established a standard of excellence for his time and probably inspired the early 18th-century surveys of Scotland. Between 1680 and 1686 he completed maps of the counties adjoining the River Forth as well as charts of the Firth of Forth, the River Clyde, and ... Adal historic Islamic state of eastern Africa, in the Danakil-Somali region southwest of the Gulf of Aden, with its capital at Harer (now in Ethiopia). Its rivalry with Christian Ethiopia began in the 14th century with minor border raids and skirmishes. In the 16th century, Adal rose briefly to international importance ... Adalbero Of Ardennes archbishop of Reims who, by declaring the Frankish crown to be elective rather than hereditary, paved the way for the accession of Hugh Capet in place of the Carolingian claimant, Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine. Adalbert German archbishop, the most brilliant of the medieval prince bishops of Bremen, and a leading member of the royal administration. Adalbert Lombard king of Italy, who shared the throne for 11 years with his father, Berengar II, and after Berengar's exile continued his father's struggle against the German king and Holy Roman emperor Otto I. Adalbert, Saint first bishop of Prague to be of Czech origin. Adam and Eve in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, the original human couple, parents of the human race. Adam and Eve, Life of pseudepigraphal work (a noncanonical writing that in style and content resembles authentic biblical works), one of many Jewish and Christian stories that embellish the account of Adam and Eve as given in the biblical Genesis. Biography was an extremely popular literary genre during the late Hellenistic period of Judaism (3rd ... Adam Bede novel written by George Eliot, published in three volumes in 1859. The title character, a carpenter, is in love with an unmarried woman who bears a child by another man. Although Bede tries to help her, he eventually loses her but finds happiness with someone else. Adam brothers three French brothers who sculpted many monuments for the French and Prussian royal residences. They were exponents of a style that employed the textures of shells, corals, and perforated rocks. Lambert-Sigisbert Adam (1700-59) created sculptures for King Louis XV of France and Frederick the Great of Prussia. Nicolas-Sebastien Adam (1705-78) ... Adam De La Halle poet, musician, and innovator of the earliest French secular theatre. Adam Of Bremen German historian whose work on the archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen provides valuable information on German politics under the Salian emperors and is also one of the great books of medieval geography. Adam's Bridge chain of shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India. The bridge is 30 miles (48 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry, and nowhere are the ... Adam's Peak mountain in southwestern Sri Lanka (Ceylon), 7,360 feet (2,243 m) high and 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Ratnapura; it is located in the Sri Lanka hill country. Its conical summit terminates in an oblong platform about 74 by 24 feet (22 by 7 m), on which there is a ... Adam's Rib American romantic comedy film, directed by George Cukor and released in 1949, that was a vehicle for the powerhouse pairing of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in a classic battle of the sexes. Adam, Adolphe French composer whose music for the ballet Giselle (1841) is noted for its easy grace and cogency. It has retained its popularity with dancers and audiences to the present day. Adam, Paul French author whose early works exemplify the naturalist and Symbolist schools and who later won a considerable reputation for his historical and sociological novels. Adam, Robert Scottish architect and designer who, with his brother James (1730-94), transformed Palladian Neoclassicism in England into the airy, light, elegant style that bears their name. His major architectural works include public buildings (especially in London), and his designs were used for the interiors of such country mansions as Syon House ... Adamawa state, northeastern Nigeria. It was administratively created in 1991 from the northeastern half of former Gongola state. Adamawa is bordered on the north and northwest by Borno and Gombe states, on the west and southwest by Taraba state, and on the southeast and east by Cameroon. Adamawa traditional emirate centred in what is now Adamawa state, eastern Nigeria. The emirate was founded by Modibbo Adama, who was one of Sheikh Usman dan Fodio's commanders and who began a Fulani jihad (holy war) in 1809 against the non-Muslim peoples of the region. Adama moved the capital of his ... Adamawa Plateau volcanic upland in west-central Africa. Though the plateau is chiefly in north-central Cameroon, the part of it known as the Gotel Mountains is in southeastern Nigeria. The plateau is the source of the Benue River. Its highest elevations are more than 8,700 feet (2,650 metres) above sea level. Many craters ... Adamawa-Ubangi languages branch of the Niger-Congo language family consisting of 120 languages spoken by approximately 12 million people in an area that stretches from northeastern Nigeria across northern Cameroon, southern Chad, the Central African Republic, and northern Democratic Republic of the Congo into western South Sudan. Recent lexicostatistical studies have shown that ... Adamic, Louis novelist and journalist who wrote about the experience of American minorities, especially immigrants, in the early 1900s. Adamkus, Valdas president of Lithuania (1998-2003 and 2004-09). Adamnan, Saint abbot and scholar, particularly noted as the biographer of St. Columba. Adamnan, The Vision of in the Gaelic literature of Ireland, one of the earliest and most outstanding medieval Irish visions. This graceful prose work dates from the 10th century and is preserved in the later The Book of the Dun Cow (c. 1100). Patterned after pagan voyages (immrama) to the otherworld, The Vision of ... Adamov, Arthur avant-garde writer, a founder and major playwright of the Theatre of the Absurd. Adams county, southern Pennsylvania, U.S., mostly consisting of a piedmont region bordered by Maryland to the south and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and north. The principal waterways are Lakes Meade and Heritage and Long Pine Run Reservoir, as well as Conewago, Toms, and Rock creeks. Parklands include parts ... Adams town (township), Berkshire county, northwestern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies at the foot of Mount Greylock (3,491 feet [1,064 metres]), on the Hoosic River, 15 miles (24 km) north of Pittsfield. The town of North Adams is 5 miles north. Founded by Quakers in 1766, it was known as East Hoosuck ... Adams family Massachusetts family with deep roots in American history whose members made major contributions to the nation's political and intellectual life for more than 150 years. Adams, Abigail American first lady (1797-1801), the wife of John Adams, second president of the United States, and mother of John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States. She was a prolific letter writer whose correspondence gives an intimate and vivid portrayal of life in the young republic. Adams, Amy American actress, especially noted for her portrayals of naive and charming characters. Adams, Ansel the most important landscape photographer of the 20th century. He is also perhaps the most widely known and beloved photographer in the history of the United States; the popularity of his work has only increased since his death. Adams's most important work was devoted to what was or appeared to ... Adams, Brooks historian who questioned the success of democracy in the U.S. and who related the march of civilization to the westward movement of trade centres.