The Facts on File Dictionary of Allusions - Green Valley High School

love thy neighbor
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love thy neighbor Treat others with charity,
respect, and tolerance. <strong>The</strong> proverb is of biblical
origin, appearing in Leviticus 19:18: “Thou shalt
not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children
of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself: I am the LORD.” It is quoted by
Jesus in Matthew 5:43, 19:19, 22:38 and Mark
12:31 and by Paul in Romans 13:9 and Galatians
5:15. It is also found in James 2:8. Contemporary
extensions of the proverb include “Love
your neighbor, but don’t pull down the fence”
and “Love your neighbor, but leave his wife
alone.” <strong>The</strong> group of youngsters were discussing current
events, and one of them pointed out that loving thy
neighbor seemed to have gone out of style among world
leaders.
love your enemies Forgive your enemies rather
than retaliate against them. <strong>The</strong> sentiment was
expressed by Christ in the course of his Sermon
on the Mount, as recorded in Matthew 5:44–45:
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them that despitefully use you,
and persecute you; That ye may be the children of
your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his
sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth
rain on the just and on the unjust.” “That was love.
‘Love your enemies as yourself!’ was a divine word,
entirely free from any church or creed” (Zane
Grey, Riders of the Purple Sage, 1912).
Lubianka (loobeeankb) A forbidding building,
especially a state prison in which inmates are likely
to be subjected to torture and execution. Lubianka
was the prison in Moscow where important enemies
of the former communist state were confi ned
and interrogated; many were murdered there. It
was notable for its grim architecture. He hated his
job in fi nance and considered the bleak offi ce building in
which he spent his days a Lubianka.
Lucian (looshbn) Personifi cation of the follies
and vices of a given age. Lucian is the central character
in what is usually called <strong>The</strong> Golden Ass, a
satirical romance of the second century a.d. written
by Apuleius. Lucian is a young man who is
accidentally turned into a donkey and in this guise
has a series of adventures, in the course of which
he is much abused before returning to his human
form. In Don Quixote, Cervantes provided his contemporaries
with a Lucian for the age of chivalry.
Lucifer (loosifer) Personifi cation of evil. Lucifer
is identifi ed in the Bible as the leader of the
angels who rose in rebellion against God and consequently
fell, as described in Isaiah 14:12: “How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning!” Lucifer became the dev il of Christian
tradition, also going by the name satan. <strong>The</strong> name
Lucifer means “light- bearer” in Latin and as a result
was for a time adopted as a name for a friction
match in the 19th century. “ ‘O Rebecca, Rebecca,
for shame!’ cried Miss Sedley; for this was the
greatest blasphemy Rebecca had as yet uttered;
and in those days, in En gland, to say, ‘Long live
Bonaparte!’ was as much as to say, ‘Long live Lucifer!’
” (William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair,
1847–48).
Lucrezia Borgia See borgias, the.
Lucullan (lookblbn) Lavish; luxurious; opulent.
Lucius Licinius Lucullus (c. 110–56 b.c.) was a
Roman general and consul who acquired great
wealth as a result of his success on the battlefi eld
in Asia against Mithridates VI, king of Pontus.
Lucullus became famous for his lavish lifestyle,