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Scribe
[Bible]A scribe was originally a professional who wrote documents and kept records. After the Babylonian exile, the term came to refer to experts who copied and taught the Law. In the New Testament, scribes appear as a group that frequently disputes with Jesus.
Tradition of the Elders
[Bible]The "tradition of the elders" is a New Testament expression for the regulations, handed down from generation to generation outside the Law of Moses, that the Pharisees and scribes observed. It appears in the dispute over handwashing in Matthew 15 and Mark 7.
Parable of the Prodigal Son
[Bible]The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a parable of Jesus recorded in Luke 15:11-32. It tells of a father who welcomes home his younger son after the son has squandered his share of the estate. It is also known as the parable of the "returning prodigal."
Parable of the Lost Sheep
[Bible]The Parable of the Lost Sheep is a parable of Jesus in which a shepherd with a hundred sheep goes in search of the one that has gone astray and rejoices when he finds it. It appears in Luke 15 and Matthew 18.
Mark 7
[Bible]Mark 7 records Jesus' dispute with the Pharisees and scribes over the tradition of the elders, his teaching that what defiles a person comes from the heart, and his healing of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter and of a deaf man with a speech impediment.
Oral Law
[Bible]The Oral Law is the body of Jewish interpretations and regulations believed to have been transmitted by word of mouth alongside the written law of the Pentateuch. In the New Testament it appears under the expression "the tradition of the elders."
Luke 15
[Bible]Luke 15 is the chapter in which Jesus answers the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes that he eats with sinners by telling three parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin (drachma), and the lost son (the prodigal son).
Luke 15:20
[Bible Verses]Luke 15:20 is the verse in the Parable of the Prodigal Son in which the father sees his returning younger son from a distance, runs to him, embraces him, and kisses him. Because the father reaches his son before the son confesses his wrongdoing, the verse is widely cited as an illustration of God's grace and forgiveness.
Drachma
[Bible]The drachma was an ancient Greek silver coin and monetary unit. In the New Testament it appears in the parable of the lost coin in Luke 15, and it is generally understood to have been worth about a laborer's daily wage.
Masoretic Text
[Bible]The Masoretic Text is the standard text of the Hebrew Old Testament, transmitted by medieval Jewish scholars (the Masoretes) who added vowel points and annotations. Most Old Testament translations today use it as their base text.
Sign
[Bible]A sign is a token that God displays to reveal His will and power, or the authority of one He has sent. The Gospel of John calls the miracles of Jesus "signs" and records them as evidence intended to lead people to faith.
Corban
[Bible]Corban is a Hebrew word meaning "an offering given to God." In the New Testament it appears in Mark 7:11, in a passage where Jesus criticizes the practice of using a vow to avoid supporting one's parents.
Masoretes
[Bible]The Masoretes were Jewish scholars, active roughly from the sixth to the tenth century, who copied and transmitted the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, adding vowel points, cantillation marks, and marginal notes that recorded how the text was to be read.
Magi
[People]The Magi were men from the East who, at the time of Jesus' birth, saw a star, came to worship the infant Jesus, and presented him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They appear only in Matthew 2.
Hosanna
[Bible]"Hosanna" is a transliteration of a Hebrew expression meaning "save now." It derives from Psalm 118, and the Gospels record it as the acclamation the crowds shouted when Jesus entered Jerusalem.
Mark 7:18–19
[Bible Verses]In this passage Jesus explains to his disciples that food entering a person from outside cannot defile that person. Its closing clause, often rendered "declaring all foods clean," is frequently debated because translations and interpretations differ over whether it abolishes the Old Testament food laws.
Mark 12
[Bible]Mark 12 is the chapter in which Jesus, teaching in the temple at Jerusalem, tells the parable of the wicked husbandmen; answers questions about tribute, the resurrection, and the greatest commandment; and commends the poor widow's offering.
Mark 14
[Bible]Mark 14 covers the events surrounding Jesus' final Passover: the chief priests' plot, the woman who anointed him with ointment at Bethany, the Last Supper, the prayer in Gethsemane, his arrest and examination before the Council, and Peter's threefold denial.
Matthew 15
[Bible]Matthew 15 recounts the dispute over handwashing and the tradition of the elders, the faith of a Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon, healings beside the Sea of Galilee, and the feeding of the four thousand.
Luke 22
[Bible]Luke 22 records Judas's plot to betray Jesus, the Last Supper and the institution of the Lord's Supper, Jesus' prayer on the Mount of Olives, his arrest, Peter's denial, and the interrogation before the council.