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Plain of Dura
[Bible]The plain of Dura is the place where Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, set up a golden image and commanded all his officials to bow down to it. It is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Daniel 3:1.
Ziggurat
[History]A ziggurat is a massive, tower-like structure of ancient Mesopotamia, built of brick in stepped tiers to raise a temple to a lofty height. It is frequently cited as the background to the account of the Tower of Babel in Genesis.
Walk to Canossa
[History]The Walk to Canossa was the event of January 1077 in which the excommunicated German king Henry IV sought forgiveness from Pope Gregory VII at the castle of Canossa in northern Italy and received absolution. It is regarded as an emblematic episode of the Investiture Controversy, the medieval conflict between the papacy and secular rulers.
Seraph
[Bible]The seraphim are six-winged heavenly beings who, in the vision of Isaiah 6, stand above the throne of God and cry "Holy" three times. The singular is seraph; the Hebrew plural form seraphim is also commonly used.
Altar of Burnt Offering
[Bible]The altar of burnt offering stood in the courtyard of the tabernacle and later of the Temple in Jerusalem. Burnt offerings and other animal sacrifices were burned on it. Because it was overlaid with bronze, it is also called the "bronze altar."
Altar of Incense
[Bible]The altar of incense was a small gold-overlaid altar that stood in the Holy Place of the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, in front of the veil of the Most Holy Place, where incense was burned morning and evening. Also called the incense altar or the golden altar, it becomes a symbol of prayer in Scripture.
Elementary Department
[Christian Life]The elementary department is the division of a church school (Sunday school) responsible for children of elementary school age. Also called the children's department, it provides worship and Bible instruction suited to children's level of understanding.
Zeresh
[People]Zeresh is the wife of Haman in the Old Testament Book of Esther. She urged her husband to set up a gallows on which to hang Mordecai, but later told him that he would not prevail against Mordecai.
Isaiah 6:8
[Bible Verses]Isaiah 6:8 is the verse in which the prophet Isaiah, during his vision in the temple, hears the voice of the Lord asking whom He shall send and answers, "Here am I; send me." It is frequently cited as a text on calling, dedication, and the sending of missionaries.
John 19:34–35
[Bible Verses]John 19:34–35 records that after Jesus died on the cross, a soldier pierced his side with a spear and blood and water came out, and it declares that the one who saw this bears true witness. The passage is read as confirmation of Jesus' actual death and is often interpreted symbolically in connection with baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Noah's Ark
[Bible]Noah's ark is the large vessel that God commanded Noah to build in Genesis 6–9. Noah's family of eight and the animals survived the Flood aboard it. The New Testament takes up the ark as an image of faith, salvation, and baptism.
Dura
[Bible]Dura was a plain in the province of Babylon where King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image and commanded all his officials to bow down to it (Daniel 3:1).
Ram
[People]Ram was an Old Testament figure of the tribe of Judah, the son of Hezron and the father of Amminadab. His name appears in the genealogies of David in Ruth and 1 Chronicles and in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew.
Numbers 23
[Bible]Numbers 23 is the chapter in which Balaam, summoned by Balak king of Moab to curse Israel, instead pronounces oracles of blessing on Israel after two rounds of sacrifices.
Esther 3
[Bible]Esther 3 is the chapter in which King Ahasuerus promotes Haman, Mordecai refuses to bow to him, and the enraged Haman casts Pur (the lot) to fix a date and secures a decree ordering the destruction of all the Jews in the Persian Empire.
Job 25
[Bible]Job 25 contains the third and final speech of Job's friend Bildad. It exalts God's power and majesty and asserts that no human being can be righteous or pure before God. At six verses, it is the shortest speech in the dialogues of the Book of Job.
Psalm 59
[Bible]Psalm 59 is a lament traditionally attributed to David. It is a prayer for deliverance from bloodthirsty enemies, and it closes with praise to God as "my defence," or high fortress.
Obadiah 1
[Bible]Obadiah 1 constitutes the entire single-chapter Book of Obadiah. It prophesies judgment on Edom, which stood by and plundered when its brother Jacob (Judah) suffered calamity, and foretells the restoration of Zion on the day of the LORD.
Ambrose
[People]Ambrose (c. 339–397) was a fourth-century bishop of Milan and one of the leading Fathers of the Western Church. He defended the Nicene faith against the Arians and baptized Augustine.
Suneung Prayer Meeting
[Christian Life]A Suneung prayer meeting is a prayer gathering held by churches in South Korea for students preparing to take the College Scholastic Ability Test (Suneung) and for their families. It is also called a senior-year prayer meeting.