(ἀδελφοί ), one of the common appellations of Christians. It occurs frequently in the N.T., and was current at the date of the apostolical epistles. Subsequently it became a title of respect and affection by which the baptized, or faithful, or complete members of the Church were distinguished from the catechumens. They were accosted or described by other titles, such as "the enlightened," "the initiated," "the perfect," "elect," "beloved," "sons of God," "beloved in Christ," etc. (See BROTHER).
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