a1680 T. Goodwin Expos. Revelation , in Wks. (1683) II. i. 48 He will make them come and acknowledg, that God hath loved the Philadelphian.

1725 E. Combe tr. P.-D. Huet Weakness Human Understanding 117 Herodotus, the Tutor of Sextus Chaeronensis, was a Philadelphian.

1904 W. M. Ramsay Lett. to Seven Churches xviii. 249 The writer seems not to have loved the Ephesians as he did the Smyrnaeans and Philadelphians.

1693 T. Beverley True State Gospel Truth Pref. sig. Aij That..none should take their Crown, who are true Philadelphians.

1697 Princ. Philadelphians 1 There has lately appeared in England..a Sect or certain number of People, who attribute to themselves an extraordinary Sanctity... They seem to derive themselves from a Sect long since started up..the Family of Love, now stiling themselves Philadelphians, or the little Virgin Church of Philadelphia.

1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Philadelphians, a new Sect of Enthusiasts, pretenders to Brotherly Love.

1860 J. Gardner Faiths World II. 654/2 A small body of Philadelphians existed for a short time also in Holland.

1892 Dict. National Biogr. at Lead, Mrs. Jane 312/2 An influential body of theosophists calling themselves Philadelphians gathered around Lee and the prophetess in London.

1948 G. E. Björk tr. N. Thune (title) The Behmenists and the Philadelphians. A contribution to the study of English mysticism in the 17th and 18th centuries.

1685 H. More Paralipomena Prophetica 414 That the Time of the New Jerusalem is comprized in, or, at least, incident into, the Philadelphian Succession.

1693 T. Beverley True State Gospel Truth Pref. sig. Aij That Philadelphian State, to which Christ hath opened a Door, which none can shut.

1696 J. Lead (title) A message to the Philadelphian Society, whithersoever dispersed over the whole earth.

1697 State of Philadelphian Society 5 Where are these Pillars of the Philadelphian Temple?

1706 T. D'Urfey Wonders in Sun iv. 59 A Hodg podg Doctrine, Stolen from the Greek, Arrian and Mahometan, mixt with a Relish of your modern Phanatick and Philadelphian.

1764 A. Maclaine tr. J. L. von Mosheim Eccl. Hist. (1844) II. 282/2 A notion that her [sc. Jane Leadley's] Philadelphian society was the true kingdom of Christ.

1819 (title) A copy of the articles of faith, as acknowledged and believed by the children of the faithful, belonging to the House of Faith, or, Philadelphian Church.

1874 J. H. Blunt Dict. Sects (1886) (at cited word) The Philadelphian Society contributed largely to the spread of that mystical piety which is so conspicuous in the works of..William Law, and which affected in no small degree the early stages of Methodism.

1912 Catholic Encycl. XV. 761/1 The sect sprang from a Philadelphian society founded at Elberfeld in 1726 by Elias Eller and the pastor Daniel Schleiermacher.

1997 D. E. Pitzer America's Communal Utopias 20 The Kelpius-led party stayed for six months in England, where they were in intimate contact with the followers of Boehme, known there as the Philadelphian Society.

1720 N. F. Haym Brit. Treasury II. 73 The Philadelphian Games were instituted in Honour of the Union betwixt Caracalla and Geta.

1993 Bibliotheca Sacra 150 71 Ignatius claimed to have supernatural knowledge of the divisions in the Philadelphian community of believers.

1697 State Philadelphian Soc. 5 If You please to read the Charter of Philadelphianism in the Epistle to that Church.

1977 Brit. Jrnl. Sociol. 28 384 He adds to this by remarking that even the mystic is human, and feels the need for the give-and-take of intimate fellowship with other souls. Hence Troeltsch refers to Philadelphianism.

1744 A. Hamilton Itinerarium (1907) 164 I dined with Mr. Fletcher in the company of two Philadelphians.

1789 J. Morse Amer. Geogr. 332 The Philadelphians have exerted their endeavours..to prevent the intemperate use of spirituous liquors.

1803 Lit. Mag. (Philadelphia) Dec. 170 A Philadelphian..told us, he could not, after repeated trials, find a chaise.

1841 J. S. Buckingham Amer. II. 84 The Philadelphians have the reputation of being cold, formal, and difficult of approach.

1891 L. J. Jennings Philadelphian I. i. 11 The reputation of Mr. Snapper for integrity stood deservedly high, and in entrusting his capital to the hands of the Philadelphian, Pendleton incurred no more than the ordinary and legitimate risks of commercial affairs.

1901 Chambers's Jrnl. Jan. 31/2 One enterprising Philadelphian has been trying to form a Snake Trust.

1947 Harper's Mag. Sept. 200/2 The Proper Bostonian is a very well-defined type—more so..than the Proper Baltimorean, the Proper Philadelphian, or the Proper person of any other city.

1994 City Paper (Philadelphia) 18 Mar. 8/5 About 60,000 Philadelphians currently receiving welfare payments will have their payments reduced to the 70-cents-a-day level.

1773 P. Wheatley Poems Var. Subj. 79 The ship arrives before the fav'ring wind, And makes the Philadelphian port assign'd.

1775 Short View of Lord High Admiral's Jurisdiction 35 A Philadelphian ship might be tried with a fairer chance of condemnation at Halifax than at Philadelphia.

1855 H. A. Murray Lands of Slave & Free I. xiv. 360 The only peculiarity in the Philadelphian mint is a frame-work for counting the number of pieces coined.

1930 R. Macaulay Staying with Relations i. 14 She loved her little Philadelphian aunt.

1975 Country Life 2 Jan. 21/3 Rococco mirrors and girandoles attributed to the Philadelphia craftsman James Reynolds... The majority of the other pieces in the house are also Philadelphian.

2002 Philadelphia Oct. 37/1 We've lost sight of what it means to be American and, here, Philadelphian.

1615 N. Byfield Expos. Epist. Colossians i. 10 We must get that philanthropian love of men into our hearts, but especially philadelphian, the love of the brethren.

1868 Sat. Rev. 13 June 778/2 His unfortunate brother must..suffer for the blasphemous philadelphian piety of his profane advocate.

1977 J. Fowles Daniel Martin 335 I was even..commissioned..to try to knock some sense into Jane's recalcitrant head. A shade too much, this philadelphian mood.

1656 T. Blount Glossographia Philadelphia, a womans name, and signifies brotherly or sisterly love. And lovers of Brothers or Sisters, are stiled Philadelphians.

1725 J. Freind Hist. Physick (ed. 2) I. 294 Either it must be some other Apocauchus, or..the title must be forg'd; a practice..as ancient as the erection of the Philadelphian library.

1874 J. W. Draper Hist. Confl. Relig. & Sci. i. 18 The Alexandrian Museum was commenced by Ptolemy Soter, and was completed by his son Ptolemy Philadelphus... Its sculptured apartments contained the Philadelphian library.

1955 Jrnl. Near Eastern Stud. 14 273/1 To return to the Philadelphian papyri,..many of the letters..were written by..Apollonius,..who held the office of dioiketes..during the reign of Ptolemy II.