solar transit   when the sun reaches the meridian in the sky; approximately the midpoint between sunrise and 

sunset, when the sun is highest in the sky. 

Spring Equinox   see Equinox. Before the Spring Equinox, nighttime is longer than daytime; after the Spring 

Equinox, daytime is longer than nighttime. The reverse is true for the vernal equinox in the autumn. 

stadia   an ancient Greek unit of measure, equal to about 600 feet. 

Standard Time   time according to the modern time zone standard. 

Suetonius    Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus lived in the late first and early second century 

A.D.

 He wrote the 

well known history of the Roman emperors, Lives of the Caesars (also called The Twelve Caesars). 

sun time   time according to the position of the sun in the sky; time according to a sundial. 

Tacitus   Cornelius Tacitus lived from the mid first to early second century 

A.D.

 He was a Roman senator and 

historian. 

Theotokos   literally,  God bearer.  This term refers to the Virgin Mary as she who bore the Son of God in 

her womb. The term is accepted in both the Latin and Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church, but is primarily 

used by all the Eastern Churches. 

tribunician power    authority given to high Roman officials; enabled them to nullify the rulings of other 

officials and to act as judge over any who offended them. The Roman emperors regularly gave themselves 

tribunician power . 

umbra   an area of darkest shadow; used to refer to the dark shadow of the earth on the visible surface of the 

moon during a lunar eclipse. 

umbral eclipse   a lunar eclipse where the darkest area of the earth's shadow covers a portion of the moon's 

visible surface. Such eclipses are easily visible from earth, because the dark shadow contrasts well with the lit 

surface of the moon.  

Universal Time   abbreviated as U.T.; equivalent, within a fraction of a second, to GMT. 

Victorinus   Saint Victorinus, Bishop of Pettau, martyr during the persecution under Diocletian. Victorinus 

wrote commentaries on Sacred Scripture and is mentioned in the writings of Saint Jerome.

1273

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