Ablutions
Ablutions. Bathing The Whole Or Parts Of The Body. As A Religious Practice, Has Been Widely Practised. It Is Well Known That Man In A Primitive State Regards Rivers, Springs, And Wells As Being Often The Abodes Of Deities. Water Seemed To Be A Holy Element. To Bathe Oneself In ...
Absolution
Absolution. To Absolve Is " To Set Free From " Or " To Acquit." Absolution Is The Act Of Pronouncing A Person Free From Sin Or Penalty. According To The Christian Idea Of God, God Himself Is Strictly The Only One Who Can Do This. The Church, However, Has Taught ...
Abyssinian Or Ethiopian Church
Abyssinian Or Ethiopian Church. The Early Church Is Said To Have Been Founded, As A Branch Of The Christian Church, In A.d. 330 By Frumentius Of Egypt Or Phoenicia. In Any Case, A Form Of Christianity (monophysite), In Connection With Alexandria, Was Es Tablished In Abyssinia By The End Of ...
Adapa Legend
Adapa Legend. A Legend In The Babylonian Assyrian Religion. It Was Found On The El-amarna Tablets (nth Cent., B.c.). Adapa, A Fisherman, Son Of Ea, Is Fishing In " The Sea," When A Storm Arises. Though Only A Mortal, Swept Into The Waters By The South Wind, He Subdues The ...
Adoption
Adoption. The Taking Of A Child Into A Family Or Clan To Be Treated As One Of Its Horn Members Often Has A Religious Significance. In Athens And Rome Sons Were Adopted, When Necessary, Not Merely To Perpetuate The Race, But Also To Continue Its Religious Rites. In China The ...
Adultery
Adultery. According To Hebrew Law An Adulterer Must Be Put To Death. In The Ancient Egyptian Religion It Is An Offence Which Excludes The Guilty Persons When They Die From The Kingdom Of Osiris. The Babylonian Code Of Khammurabi Decrees That If The Wife Of A Man Be Found Committing ...
Agape
Agape. This Was A Love- Or Charity-feast Cele Brated Among The Early Christians, In Imitation, It Is Thought Of Common Meals Held Among The Greeks (ervcroiria). It Is Mentioned In The New Testament. In The Epistle Of Jude (vs. 12) It Is Said : " These Are They Who Are ...
Agrapha
Agrapha. A Name Given To Certain Sayings Which Are Supposed To Have Been Uttered By Jesus, But Have Not Been Incorporated In The Canonical Gospels. Ac Cording To Papias, For Instance, Jesus Delivered A Dis Course On The Kingdom Of God, In The Course Of Which He Sald: " The ...
Alascans
Alascans. The Protestant Party In The Reign Of Edward Vi., Which Was Led By The Polish Refugee, John Lasco. Lasco Was Much Interested In The Theology Of Zwingli. Before Coming To England He Was Superin Tendent Of The Reformed Churches At Emden In Fries Land. Cranmer, Who Is Said To ...
Alms
Alms. Relief Given To The Poor Out Of Compassion. There Seems To Be A Connection Between Sacrifice And The Giving Of Alms. The Deity Enjoys Only The Spiritual Part Of The Food Offered; The Poor Receive Often The Substance. Sacrificial Food Is Distributed Among The Poor. The Goddess Artemis (q.v.), ...
Altar
Altar. The Latin Word Is Altare From Altus " High." The Hebrew Word Nzizbeal: Means " A Place Of Slaughter Or Sacrifice." It Is Represented Closely By The Greek Word Thusiasterion. Sometimes, However, The Word Bomos Is Given As The Equivalent, Which Means Literally " Any Raised Place." This Is ...
Amritsar
Amritsar. The Sacred Town Of The Sikhs In India And The Metropolis Of Their Religion. It Was So Called, According To Tradition, From The " Pool Of Immortality" (amritsar) Which Was Said To Have Existed There From A Remote Period, Some Of The Nectar Of Immortality (amrita) Having Been Spilt ...
Amulets
Amulets. Objects Supposed To Possess Magic Power. And Worn By People As A Protection Against Evil. The Wearing Of Amulets Has Been A Common Practice. The Babylonians Seem To Have Used Rings, Seal Cylinders, Clay Figurines, Metallic Statuettes, Inscribed Tablets, Discs, Etc. (morris Jastrow. Rel. Assyria. 1898.) Egyptian Mummies In ...
Anabaptists
Anabaptists. The Term Is Derived From A Greek Word Meaning " To Baptise Again," And Was Applied To A Body Of Anti-sacerdotalists Who Came Into Prominence Early In The Sixteenth Century. They Were So Called Because, Amongst Other Things, They Disapproved Of Infant Baptism, And Required The Members Of Their ...
Ancestor Worship
Ancestor-worship. Though A Person May Be Dead, His Spirit, It Has Been Widely Held, Is Still Active. And Since The Spirits Of The Dead May Be Harmful Or Helpful, It Is Important To Make Sure Of Their Friendship, And If Necessary To Propitiate Them By Offerings, Etc. Moreover, A Proper ...
Angels
Angels. From A Greek Word Meaning " Messenger." The Hebrew Word Martikh Has The Same Meaning. In English The Word Denotes Messengers Of God, Superhuman Beings. Angels Are Mentioned Frequently In The Bible (old And New Testament), But The Idea Of Them Developed Gradually. In The Earliest Portions Of The ...
Anglican Orders
Anglican Orders. Roman Catholics Have Ques Tioned The Validity Of Anglican Orders. " For Us Catholics," Say Addis And Arnold, " The Question Was Decided By The Bull Apostolicce Cara; (sept. 13, 1890), Which Declared Anglican Orders To Be 'absolutely Null And Utterly Void,' On The Ground Of Defect Of ...
Animal Worship
Animal Worship. Ancient Or Primitive Peoples Have Regarded Animals With Awe And Veneration, And Attributed To Them Souls Which Survive Like Those Of Men And Have Power To Bring Good Or Evil. They Have Wor Shipped Them In Fear As Possessing Such Qualities As Strength And Cunning In A High ...
Anointing
Anointing. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, And Other Ancient Peoples Were Accustomed To Anoint The Body Or Parts Of It With Oil As Part Of Their Toilet. Among The Hebrews Anointing With Oil Was Combined With Washing Or Bathing In Water (ruth Iii., 3: Esther Ii., 12; Ezekiel Xvi., 9; Judith ...
Antiburghers
Antiburghers. A Name Taken By One Of The Divi Sions Into Which The Associate Synod Or Secession Church Of Scotland Split Up In 1747. The Trouble Arose Over The Burgess-oath Which Burgesses Were Required To Take In Certain Corporate Towns. One Party Maintained That It Could Not Be Taken By ...
Antichrist
Antichrist. The Word Is First Found In The New Testament (i. John Ii. 18, 22, Iv. 3; Ii. John 7). In I. John Ii. 18 We Read : " Little Children, It Is The Last Hour, And As Ye Heard That Antichrist Cometh, Even Now Have There Arisen Many Antichrists, ...
Antinomianism
Antinomianism. Antinomian Has Been Defined As "one Who Holds That The Law Is Not A Rule Of Life Under The Gospel." The Idea That To One Who Had Become A True Follower Of Christ Conscience Was The Only Law Might Easily Arise. Luke Xvi. 16, " The Law And The ...
Aphrodite
Aphrodite. The Goddess Of Love In Greek Religion. She Appears Under Several Aspects, Some Of Them Oriental. Other Greek Names For Her Are : Aphro-geneia, The " Foam-born " ; Anadytimene, " She Who Rises " From The Sea; Kypris, The Cyprian; Aphrodite Urania, " The Heavenly "; Pandemos, " ...
Apocalyptic Literature
Apocalyptic Literature. A General Term For A Collection Of Jewish Writings Called " Apocalypses," I.e., Prophetic Revelations Of The Future. An Early Example Is Found In The Old Testament In The Book Of Daniel (167 164 B.c.). The Last Book Of The New Testament Bears The Greek Title " Apocalypse ...
Apocrypha Of The Old
Apocrypha Of The Old Testament. The Word Apocrypha Means Literally " Hidden," And, Like The Corresponding Hebrew Word, Denotes Books Which Were Withdrawn From Public Use As Being Unfit For Public Reading. Sometimes There Is Associated Also With The Word The Idea That Certain Books Are Not Suitable For The ...
Apocryphal Books Of The
Apocryphal Books Of The New Testament. A Large Number Of Writings, Purporting To Have Been Written By Apostles And Designed To Supplement The His Tory Contained In The New Testament. They Group Them Selves For The Most Part Under The Headings Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Apocalypses. 1. Gospels. A) Gospel According ...
Apollo
Apollo. A Greek Deity, One Of The Most Ideal Figures In Greek Mythology. According To Legend, He Was The Son Of Zeus By Leto (latona), Had As His Twin-sister Artemis (diana), And Was Born At The Foot Of Mount Cynthus In Delos. He Seems To Have Been Originally A God ...
Apostles
Apostles. The Greek Term Apostolos Means A " Mes Senger " Or A " Delegate." In The Greek Translation Of The Old Testament It Is Given By Aquila (ii. Kings Xiv. 6) And By Symmachus (isaiah Xviii. 2) As The Equivalent Of The Hebrew Word Sholiah. " One Sent." After ...
Apostles Creed
Apostles' Creed. One Of The Principal Creeds Of The Christian Church. It Does Not Belong To The Apostolic Age, But Seems To Have Been Called " The Apostles' Creed " Because It Was Considered To Embody Apostolic Teaching. It Seems To Have Developed Out Of Early Baptismal Formulas; And It ...
Apostolic Canons
Apostolic Canons And Constitutions. The " Cannes Apostolici " Are Eighty-five Canons Or Precepts Which Purport To Have Apostolic Authority And Are Sup Posed To Have Been Communicated To The Church By Clement Of Rome. They Are First Heard Of In A.d. 494, When They Were Declared By Pope Gelasius ...
Apostolic Fathers
Apostolic Fathers. Fathers Of The Christian Church Who Lived In The Period Succeeding That Of The Apostles. Their Writings Are Commonly Called Patristic. The Following Are Some Of Them : (1) The Epistle Of Barnabas. Not Written By Barnabas. Paul's Fellow Traveller, However. It Was Probably Composed Between A.d. 70 ...
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession. In A Sense All Ministers Of The Christian Church Who Carry On The Teaching Of The Apostles Share In The Apostolic Succession. They Are Doing The Same Work On The Same Authority. It May Be Claimed However, With Reason, That The Vitality Of The Christian Church Can Best ...
Archbishop
Archbishop. An Ecclesiastical Title, First Used In The Fourth Century A.d. Athanasius (c. 295-373) Styled Himself Archbishop. Originally Bishops Of The Christian Church In Charge Of A Province And Having Suffragan Bishops Under Them Were Called Metropolitans. When In Course Of Time The Bishops Of The Greater Cities Them Selves ...
Arianism
Arianism. The Doctrines Of Arius, A Native Of Libya, Who Was Borne Soon After The Middle Of The Third Century, And Became A Presbyter In Alexandria In A.d. 313. The Arian Controversy Started From A Criticism By Arius Of A Discourse On The Trinity Delivered By Alexander His Bishop. The ...
Armenian Church
Armenian Church. The Armenian Church Was Firmly Established As A Branch Of The Christian Church In A.d. 300 By Gregory The Illuminator (a.d. 257-325), Who Was Supported By King Tiridates Iii. Gregory Became Its Head Or Catholicos (a.d. 302-318), The Office For Some Centuries Being Made Hereditary, And Fixed The ...
Arminians
Arminians. The Followers Of Jakobus Arminius (1560-1608), Who In 1603 Was Made Professor At Leiden. Having Engaged In A Controversy On Predestination In Which He Championed The Views Of Calvin, Be Became Himself In Course Of Time A Convert To Universalism, And Was Accused Of Pelagianism. He Met With Determined ...
Asceticism
Asceticism. The Cultivation Of The Spiritual Life By Means Of Self-denial And Severe Religious Exercises. Ascetics Think To Please God By Imposing Upon Themselves Suffering. A Common Form Of Such Self-denial And Self-torture Is Abstention From Food (or Fasting). " The Ascetic Element Was Not Strongly Marked In The Hebrew ...
Ashes
Ashes. The Use Of Ashes In Mourning Customs Is Very Familiar. The Hebrews And Greeks, For Instance, Strewed Themselves With Ashes Or Sat In Them, As A Sign Of Humiliation. Out Of This Practice Developed The Simpler One, That Of A Mere Sprinkling. But The Use Of Ashes As A ...
Astrology
Astrology. The Study Of The Stars. Astrology Has Played An Important Part In Religion And Magic As One Of The Occult Sciences. It Had A Strong Hold Over The Babylonians. Babylonian Astrologers Carefully Studied The Stars And Planets, And Were Enabled Thereby —or So It Was Thought—to Answer All Kinds ...
Asylum
Asylum. A Sanctuary Or Sacred Spot. " Within Whose Precincts Those Who Take Refuge May Not Be Harmed Without Sacrilege " (" Encyclopaedia Biblica "). Among The Hebrews The Asylum Was At First The Altar (i. Kings 1. 50-53; 1. Kings Ii. 28-34). The Greeks Fled To Sanc Tuaries. We ...
Athanasian Creed
Athanasian Creed. One Of The Creeds Or Con Fessions Of The Christian Church. It Is Also Called " Quicunque Vult " From Its First Words. It Is Printed In The Roman Catholic Breviary And In The Book Of Common Prayer Of The Church Of England. The Latter Speaks Of It ...
Atoms
Atoms. The Atomic Theory Of The Universe Was Originated By Democritus, The Greek Philosopher, Who Wus Born At Abdera In Thrace About 460 B.c. Demo Critus Was A Disciple Of Leucippus, Whose Teaching He Developed. " According To This Theory There Are In The Universe Two Fundamental Principles, The Full ...
Augsburg Confession Of
Augsburg. Confession Of. The Most Important Confession Of Faith In The Lutheran Church, Called In Latin " C,onfessio Augustan." In Order To Compose Religious Differences, Charles V. Summoned A Diet Of The States Of The German Empire To Meet At Augsburg In 1530. The Elector, John Of Saxony, In View ...
Augustinians
Augustinians. It Has Been Claimed That The Order Of The Canons Regular Of St. Augustine Was Founded By St. Augustine Of Hippo (a.d. 354-430.) It Is Difficult, However, To Prove That He Composed Any Formal Rule. All That Can Be Said Is That Some Of His Writings (e.g., De Moribus ...
Babism
Babism. A Religious Movement In Modern Persia. Biibism Is An Offshoot Of Shiism (q.v.), The Persian State Religion. The Shiites Recognised, After Mohammed, Twelve Imams Or Vicars Of God On Earth. The Last Of These, Imam Mandi, Disappeared Mysteriously A.d. 940. He Communicated With The Faithful, However, Through Privileged Persons, ...
Babylonian Deluge Story
Deluge-story, Babylonian. In The Baby Lonian Gilgame.sh Epic (q.v.) Gilgtunesh Goes In Search Of Par-for Ut-)napishtim To Find Out From Him The Secret Of His Immortality. Parnapishtim Tells Him That No Man Can Escape Death. Thereupon Gilgatnesh Asks How It Is That He (parnapishtim) Has Become Immortal. In Reply Parnapisirtim ...
Bahaism
Bahaism. A Religion Of Persian Origin, A Develop Ment Of Babism (q.v.). At The End Of The Year 1852 Many Of The Babis Were Exiled To Bagdad By The Persian And Ottoman Governments. One Of The Exiles Was Baha'u'llah, An Early Disciple Of The Bab. His Real Name Was Mirza ...
Balaams Ass
Balaam's Ass. Reinach Remarks That One Of The Most Curious Episodes In The Book Of Numbers (see Numbers, Book Of) " Is That Of Balaam The Prophet, Whose Ass Seems To Have Been An Echo Of The Worship Of The Ass, Considered As An Oracular Animal." He Com Pares The ...
Bampton Lectures
Bampton Lectures. A Church Of England Course Of Lectures On Divinity Delivered At Oxford, And Named After Their Founder, The Rev. John Bampton. Bampton Was A Prebendary Of Salisbury Cathedral. He Died In 1751, Leaving A Legacy Of £120 Per Annum For The Endow Ment Of Eight Lectures. The Lectures ...
Baptists
Baptists. A Large Body Of Christians Who Object To Infant Baptism, And Claim That, In The Light Of Scripture And Of The Original Greek Term (baptizein), Baptism Is Efficacious Only When Persons Are Baptized By Immersion At An Age At Which They Are Able Fully To Understand The Meaning Of ...
Basilica
Basilica. A Name Applied To Christian Churches About The Beginning Of The Fourth Century. In Rome Before The Time Of Constantine The Christians Seem To Have Used As Places Of Worship The Private Basilicas Of Roman Palaces And Sepulchral Buildings (sometimes Cata Combs). In The Age Of Constantine They Built ...
Bath Kol
Bath-kol. Literally " Daughter Of A Voice," A Term Occurring In Hebrew Religion. It Is A Divine Or Heavenly Voice, And, Though The Ordinary Word For Voice (kw) Is Sometimes Used Alone In The Same Sense, It Was Called " Daughter Of A Voice" For The Sake Of Distinction. It ...
Baxterians
Baxterians. The Followers Of Richard Baxter (1615-1691). Baxter Was The Son Of A Well-to-do Person, But His Father Being A Gambler, The Early Years Of His Life Were Spent With His Grandfather. He Was Mainly Self-educated. In 1638, After Trying A Court-life, He Was Ordained And Was Appointed Head-master Of ...
Bekhoroth
Bekhoroth. The Name Of One Of The Jewish Treatises Or Tractates Which Reproduce The Oral Tradition Or Unwritten Law As Developed By The Second Century A.d. And Are Included In The Mishnah (q.v.), A Collection And Compilation Completed By Rabbi Judah The Holy, Or The Patriarch, About 200 A.d. The ...
Bells
Bells. Bells Have Been Used In Religious Worship From A Remote Period. They Have Been Found Among Buddhists And Brahmans And In The Shinto() Temples Of The Sun Goddess In Japan. Bells Are Mentioned In The English Translation Of The Bible, But The Words 90 Trans Lated Do Not Seem ...
Benedictines
Benedictines. Orders Of Monks And Nuns Founded By St. Benedict (a.d. 430-543). Starting At Sublaco, Near Rome, In A.d. 529, He Removed His Order To Monte Cassino, Near Naples. While Benedict Was Still Living, His Disciple St. Maur Founded A Benedictine Monastery At Glanfeuil, Near Angers, In France. In Spain ...
Bernardines
Bernardines. The Followers Of Bernard Of Clair Vaux; Another Name For The Cistercians (q.v.). Berretta. A Term Formed From The Latin Birrtts, A Mantle With A Hood, And Applied To A Special Kind Of Headgear Worn By Roman Catholic Priests And Other Ecclesiastics. Its Use Has Been Introduced Into The ...
Bias
Bias. In A Very Helpful Work. Herbert Spencer Has Explained The Influence Of A Number Of Different Kinds Of Bias, Educational, Patriotic, Social, Political, Theologi Cal. It Is A Common Charge Against Theologians That They Are Biased. It Is Not Sufficiently Realized, On The Other Hand, By Their Opponents That ...
Bible
Bible. In Greek Ta Biblia Is A Plural Expression Meaning " The Books," Just As We Speak Of " The Scrip Tures," Meaning The Scriptures Par Excellence. In Low Latin The Word Biblia Came To Be Used As A Singular, And This Usage Has Been Adopted In Modern Languages. The ...
Bible Societies
Bible Societies. Societies Formed For The Pur Pose Of Circulating Copies Of The Old And New Testaments. The First Bible Society Seems To Have Been Founded In Germany In 1712 By Baron Hildebrand Von Canstein (1667-1719), The Friend Of The Pietists P. J. Spener (1635 1705) And A. H. Francke ...
Bidding Prayer
Bidding Prayer. A Form Of Christian Prayer In Which The People Are " Bidden " To Prayer For Certain Persons. It Is No Longer In Common Use; But May Be Heard Sometimes In Cathedrals, Inns Of Court, And The Universities. Canon 55 Of 1603 Orders That " Before All Sermons, ...
Bishop
Bishop. The Word Is Given In The English Version Of The Bible As A Translation Of The Greek Word Episkopos (philippians I. 1; I. Timothy Iii. 2; I. Peter Ii. 25). In Acts I. 20 Episkope Is Translated " Bishopric," But Not, Of Course, In A Technical Sense. It Has ...
Blood
Blood. Robertson Smith (religion, Of The Semites, 1s94, P. 233) Notes That Among The Semites The Sacrificial Use Of Blood " Is Connected With A Series Of Very Important Ritual Ideas, Turning On The Conception That The Blood Is A Special Seat Of The Life. But Primarily, When The Blood ...
Bodhisattvas
Bodhisattvas. Literally " He Whose Essence Is Becoming Enlightenment," A Term Used In Buddhism. A Term Applied To A Buddha At A Certain Stage In His Development. Thus, When Gautama Became Incarnate And Was Born Of Maya, He Was A Bodhisattva. Now " When A Bodhisattva Undertakes The Task Of ...
Bogoiiiles
Bogoiiiles. Literally " Lovers Of God " (from The Slavonic), A Sect Which Appeared In Thrace And Bulgaria In The Twelfth Century. They Are Also Called Bogarmitae, Massilians, And By Orthodox Members Of The Greek Church Phundaites, " Wearers Of The Girdle." The Sect Was Founded By A Monk Named ...
Bohemian Brethren
Bohemian Brethren. The Bohemian Brethren Were Descendants Of The Hussites (q.v.). When The Taborites (q.v.), The Extreme Section Of The Hussites, Were Finally Conquered And Dispersed, A Remnant Of Them Settled At Lititz On The Borders Of Moravia And Silesia. This Remnant United With A Remnant Of The Calixtines (q.v.) ...
Book Of Daniel
Daniel, Book Of. Daniel Is Usually Spoken Of As A Prophet, And It Might Have Been Expected That The Book Of Daniel Would Be Found In The Second Division Of The Hebrew Canon Of The Old Testament (q.v.); But As A Matter Of Fact The Book Is Included Among The ...
Book Of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy, Book Of, The Book Of Deuteronomy, The Fifth Book In The First Division Of The Hebrew Canon Of The Old Testament (q.v.), Derives Its Name From The Septuagint, In Which The Words In Chapter Xvii. Vs. Is, Mishneh Hat-teirah Ha7-zoth, " The Copy Of This Law," Are Translated To ...
Book Of Esther
Esther, Book Of. In The Hebrew Canon Of The Old Testament The Book Of Esther Is One Of The Five Books Described As Megilloth (or " Rolls "). The Book Purports To Be Historical, But It Is Now Widely Regarded As A Jewish Romance. It Narrates That The Persian King ...
Book Of Exodus
Exodus, Book Of. The Book Of Exodus, The Second Book In The First Division Of The Hebrew Canon Of The Old Testament (q.t'.), Bears In The Hebrew Bible The Title Shernoth (these Being The Opening Words Of The Book) Or Simply Shemoth. The English Title Is Derived, Through The Old ...
Book Of Ezekiel
Ezekiel, Book Of. The Book Of Ezekiel Is One Of The Larger Prophetic Books In The Canon Of The Old Testament. Ezekiel, The Author, Was One Of Those Who With Jehoiachin Was Carried Captive To Babylonia In 597 B.c. By Nebuchadrezzar. He Was A Priest As Well As A Prophet, ...
Book Of Ezra Nehemiah
Ezra-nehemiah, Book Of. The Book Of Ezra And Nehemiah Originally Formed One Book In The Jewish Canon. In A Passage Of The Talmud (q.v.) The Book Of Nehemiah Is Evidently Understood To Be Included In The Book Of Ezra (baba Bathra 14, 2; Cp. Melito Of Sardis In Eusebius, He, ...
Book Of Genesis
Genesis, Book Of. The Name Of The First Book Of The First Division Of The Hebrew Canon Of The Old Testa Ment (q.v.) Is In The Hebrew Bible " Bershith." This Is The Opening Word Of The Book, " In-the-beginning." In The Septuagint. The Title Is " Genesis Kosmou " ...
Book Of Habakkuk
Habakkuk, Book Of. Various Dates Have Been Assigned To The Prophecy Of Habakkuk. Betteridge (1903) Favours The Year 701 B.c. Peiser Thinks The Prophecy Was Composed About The Year 609 B.c. By A Jewish Prince Who Was Familiar With Assyro-babylonian Literature. Whitehouse Favours, For The Major Portion Of The Oracles, ...
Book Of Haggai
Haggai, Book Of. The Prophet Haggai Is Referred To In The Book Of Ezra (v. 1, Vi. 14). With A Certain Zechariah He Came Forward In The Second Year Of Darius Hystaspis (520 B.c.) To Arouse The Zeal Of The People And To Urge Them To Undertake Without Delay The ...
Book Of Hosea
Hosea, Book Of. Hosea, The Son Of Beer!, Is Assigned In The Old Testament The First Place Among The Minor Prophets (q.v.). He Was A Prophet Of The Northern Kingdom. The Book Of Hosea Falls Into Two Parts. The First Part (chaps. 1.-111.) Recounts The Unhappiness Of His Domestic Life. ...
Book Of Isaiah
Isaiah, Book Of. The Book Of The Prophet Isaiah Is One Of The Most Remarkable Products Of Hebrew Pro Phetic Genius Found In The Old Testament. The Prophet Himself Describes In The Sixth Chapter Of The Book Named After Him The Powerful Religious Experience That Made Him A Prophet. The ...
Book Of Jeremiah
Jeremiah, Book Of. The Book Of The Prophet Jeremiah Itself Gives An Account Of The Origin Of The Work. This Is Contained In Chapter Xxxvi. In The Fourth Year Of Jehoiakim, Son Of Josiah, King Of Judah (604 B.c.), Jeremiah, After He Had Prophesied Orally For Twenty-three Years, Was Commissioned ...
Book Of Job
Job, Book Of. The Most Remarkable Of The Hebrew Writings Belonging To The Class Called Wisdom-literature (q.v.). It Deals With The Problem Of Suffering, Seeking To Find An Answer To The Question, Why Do The Righteous Suffer? Job, From The Land Of Uz, Is A " Perfect And Upright " ...
Book Of Joel
Joel, Book Of. The Book Of Joel Deals With " The Great And Terrible Day Of The Lord." The Immediate Occasion For The Prophecy Was A Plague Of Drought And Locusts. " Recent Writers Have Vividly Described The Appalling Nature Of This Calamity. In Great Swarms Which Obscure The Sky ...
Book Of Jonah
Jonah, Book Of. The Book Of The Prophet Jonah Is In The Form-of A Historical Narrative, And The History Purports To Be That Of A Prophet Jonah Ben Amittai, Of Gath-hepher In Galilee, Who Lived In The Time Of Jeroboam Ii. It Is Not Possible, However, To Regard The Work ...
Book Of Joshua
Joshua, Book Of. The Hebrew Canon Of The Old Testament (q.v.) Groups The Book Of Joshua. Not With The Books Of The Pentateuch, But With The Prophets. The Book Of Joshua Is The First Of The " Former Prophets." In The Greek Bible It Bears The Title 'iria-ovg Or 'igtotic ...
Book Of Judges
Judges, Book Of. The Book Of Judges In The Hebrew Canon Of The Old Testament (see Canon, I.) Is Grouped With The Books Described As •the " Former Prophets." It Purports To Deal Historically With A Period Embracing More Than Three Centuries. The Judges Were Heroes Who Arose From Time ...
Book Of Lamentations
Lamentations, Book Of. The Book Of Lamenta Tions Is One Of The Books Of The Old Testament Included Among The Five Rolls Or Megilloth. In The Jewish Canon The Book Bears The Title " How! " Because A Lament Usually Begins With This Word. There Are Five Lamenta Tions In ...
Book Of Leviticus
Leviticus, Book Of. The Book Of Leviticus Is The Third Book In The First Division Of The Canon Of The Old Testament (q.v.). In The Hebrew Bible It Bears The Title " And He Called." This Is The First Of The Opening Words Of The Book : " And Jehovah ...
Book Of Malachi
Malachi, Book Of. One Of The Smaller Prophetic Boors Of The Old Testament. The Work Belongs To A Period In Which Judah Is Ruled By A Governor (i. 8), And The Temple Has Been Rebuilt (i. 10; Iii. 1, 10); In Which Also The People Made Defective Offerings (i. 7, ...
Book Of Micah
Micah, Book Of. The Prophet Micah, Whose Book Is One Of The Twelve Minor Prophets, Is Described As The Morashtite, I.e., As A Native Of Moresheth. The Prophet Jeremiah Quotes Micah Iii. 12 And Refers To Him As Pro Phesying " In The Days Of Hezekiah, King Of Judah " ...
Book Of Numbers
Numbers, Book Of. The Fourth Book In The Hebrew Canon Of The Old Testament (q.v.) Is Called Arithmoi, Because It Begins By Giving An Account Of A Numbering Or Census Of The Israelites, Made In The Second Year Of The Exodus. This Title Was Adopted For The Vulgate (numeri), And ...
Book Of Obadiah
Obadiah, Book Of. The Smallest Prophetic Book In The Old Testament. The Book Of The Prophet Obadiah Contains A Denunciation Against Edom For Its Hostility To Israel. It Is Stated That When Aliens Entered Into The Gates Of Jerusalem And Cast Loth Over It, Edom Was As One Of Them. ...
Book Of Proverbs
Proverbs, Book Of. The Book Of Proverbs Belongs To That Class Of Hebrew Literature Known As Wisdom-literature, Of Which There Are Several Examples In The Old Testament (proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes). It Is A Collection Of Sententious Maxims (rneshellim) Which Enforce A Practical Rather Than A Speculative Wisdom. C. H. Toy ...
Book Of Rewards And
Book Of Rewards And Punishments. The " Book Of Rewards And Punishments " Is Said To Be The Most Popular Exposition In Its Modern Form Of The Chinese Religion Or System Of Ethics Known As Taoism (y.v.). It Does Indeed Claim To Be The Production Of The Reputed Founder Of ...
Book Of Rites
Book Of Rites. The Li, "book Of Rites," Or Li King, " Classical Book Of Rites," Is One Of The Ancient Books Accepted By The Chinese As Classics. The Rites Are Those Of The Imperial Dynasty That Was Reigning In The Time Of Confucius (551-479 B.c.), And Was Founded In ...
Book Of Ruth
Ruth, Book Of. One Of The Books Of The Old Testa Ment. The Events With Which It Deals Are Said To Have Belonged To The Period Of The Judges. The Book Might Therefore Be Expected To Follow The Book Of Judges (q.v.). This Is The Place Assigned To It By ...
Book Of Zechariah
Zechariah, Book Of. One Of The Longest Of The Books Of The Old Testament Known As The Minor Prophets. The Book Itself Tells Us (chap. I. 1) That Zechariah Was The Son Of Berechiali, Son Of Iddo. In The Book Of Ezra (chaps. V. 1; Vi. 14) He Is Said ...
Book Of Zephaniah
Zephaniah, Book Of. The Superscription To The Book Of The Prophet Zephaniah States That He Was The Great-grandson Of Hezekiah, And That He Prophesied " In The Days Of Josiah The Son Of Amon King Of Judah." The Hezekiah Would Seem To Have Been The Well-known King Of That Name. ...
Book Of The Covenant
Book Of The Covenant. The Name Of Several Documents Referred To In The Old Testament. (1) We Read : " And Moses Came And Told The People All The Words Of Jehovah, And All The Judgments : And Al] The People Answered With One Voice And Said, All The Words ...
Book Of The Dead
Book Of The Dead. A Book, That Is To Say, Intended For The Dead, The Most Important Of The Religious Writings Of The Ancient Egyptians. Parts Of It May Belong To The Remote Period Of The First Memphite Dynasties. The Book Contains Prayers Or Addresses, Hymns, And Formulae For The ...
Books Of Kings
Kings, Books Of. The Books Called First And Second Kings In The Hebrew Bible Are Described In The Septuagint As The Third And Fourth Books Of Kingdoms (the First And Second Being The Books Called In Hebrew First And Second Samuel). The Contents Of The Books Naturally Divide Themselves Into ...
Books Of Samuel
Samuel, Books Of. The Two Books Of Samuel Originally Formed One Book. The Original Work Was Divided By The Authors Of The Septuagint Into The First And Second Book Of Kingdoms. Afterwards Jerome Gave The Books The Title, The First And Second Book Of Kings. Samuel Gave His Name To ...
As A Religious Ceremony
Jumping, As A Religious Ceremony. J. G. Frazer Mentions A Number Of Instances In Which Some Religious Or Magical Virtue Is Ascribed To Jumping Over A Thing Or Person (cp. Threshold). In Russia On The Eve Of St. John (mid-snmmer Eve) Young Men And Maidens, Carrying A Straw Figure Of ...