The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1824 page)

Philosophy of religion
.

Philosophical thought about religion. The term was first used in Germany in the late 18th cent., for the philosophical investigation of the origin, essence, and content of religion, and for the critique of its value and truth. Modern philosophy of religion is much concerned with assessing the reasons for religious belief, especially arguments for God's existence (see
NATURAL THEOLOGY
), investigating the nature of religious language, and considering the philosophical problems raised by religion. These problems include the coherence of the concept of God, the problem of
evil
,
miracles
,
prayer
, immortality, and the nature of religious truth. For philosophy in Islam, see
FALSAFA
.

 
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N
RO CHOS DRUG
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Phoenix
.

A mythical bird of great splendour, which after a long life was said to burn itself to ashes and then rise to life again. It was regarded by Christian writers, and occasionally by Christian artists, as a symbol of the
resurrection
.

 
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c.
810–
c.
895).
Patriarch of
Constantinople
. A high official at the Byzantine court, Photius succeeded the patriarch Ignatius who was deposed by the emperor in 858. His election, at first endorsed by the legates of Pope Nicholas I, was then (863) annulled by the pope and a schism ensued. Divisions were sharpened by an encyclical of 867 in which Photius attacked the
filioque
in the W. creed, and by the rival claims of Rome and Constantinople to the newly evangelized territory of Bulgaria. The Photian schism anticipated the final East–West schism of the 11th cent., and Photius is remembered in the E. Church as a champion against Rome.
Photius' learning was amazing. His most important work, his
Biblioteca
, describes several hundred books and is a mine of information.

 
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RO CHOS DRUG
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