Acathistus (ἀκάθιστος, not-seated), a hymn of the Greek Church sung on the eve of the fifth Sunday in Lent in honor of the Blessed Virgin; so called because during the singing of it the whole congregation stood, while during the singing of other hymn of the same kind they occasionally sat. Its origin has been assigned more especially to the deliverance of Constantinople from Chosroes, king of the Persians, in the reign of the emperor Heraclius, A.D. 626.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More