Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Israel ĭzˈrēəl, ĭzˈrāəl [key] [as understood by Hebrews,=he strives with God], according to the book of Genesis, name given to Jacob as eponymous ancestor of the Hebrews, the chosen people of ...

(Encyclopedia) Shechem shēˈkəm [key], town, central ancient Palestine, the modern Tell Balatan, between Mts. Gerizim and Ebal, near Nablus. Archaeological excavations indicate a village there c.3500 b.c. Shechem'...

(Encyclopedia) Massena məsēˈnə [key], village (1990 pop. 11,719), St. Lawrence co., extreme N N.Y., on the St. Lawrence River; settled 1792, inc. 1886. Aluminum and aluminum products are the chief manufactures. ...

(Encyclopedia) patriarch pāˈtrēärk [key], in biblical tradition, one of the antediluvian progenitors of the race as given in Genesis (e.g., Seth) or one of the ancestors of the Jews (e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,...

(Encyclopedia) Esau ēˈsô [key] [Heb.,=hairy], in the Bible, son of Isaac, who sold his birthright to his younger twin, Jacob, for lentil stew and who was tricked by Jacob out of his father's blessing. Also known ...

(Encyclopedia) Laurence, Saint: see Lawrence, Saint. ...

(Encyclopedia) Saint Francis, Lake, an expansion of the St. Lawrence River, SE Ont. and S Que., Canada, SW of Montreal, extending between Cornwall and Valleyfield. It is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway. ...

(Encyclopedia) Fugger fo͝ogˈər [key], German family of merchant princes. The foundation of their wealth was laid by Hans Fugger, allegedly a weaver, who moved to Augsburg in 1367. His descendants built up the fam...

(Encyclopedia) Rachel rāˈchəl [key], in the Bible, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She is one of the four Jewish matriarchs. An alternate form is Rahel. ...

(Encyclopedia) Kansas, University of, main campus at Lawrence; coeducational; state supported; chartered 1864, opened 1866 with aid from the philanthropist Amos A. Lawrence. Its schools of medicine and allied health...