Avadontas are a kind of anchorites among the Brahmins who practice great austerity, abandoning their wives and children and denying themselves all the comforts of life. They renounce all earthly possessions, and clothe themselves only with a piece of linen cloth. around the waist. They subsist on the charity of the; devout. Many of them are too indolent even to ask for food, but lay themselves down on the bank of some river, where the country people bring them milk and fruits in abundance.
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