Search the encyclopedia
600 articles found for “Father”
John 20:22
[Bible Verses]John 20:22 records the risen Jesus breathing on His disciples and saying, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." The verse is frequently discussed in pneumatology and ecclesiology, both for its relationship to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2 and for the authority to forgive sins that follows it.
Luke 6:37–42
[Bible Verses]In this passage from the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus teaches his hearers not to judge or condemn others but to forgive and to give. It is widely known for the parable of the mote and the beam, and verse 38 is frequently quoted in sermons on giving.
Matthew 11:29–30
[Bible Verses]In this passage Jesus invites his hearers to take his yoke upon them and learn of him, promising that they will find rest. Together with the preceding verse, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden," it is widely quoted as a passage of comfort and invitation. A recurring question is how the "easy yoke" fits with the weight of discipleship.
Jacob's Ladder
[Bible]Jacob's Ladder is the dream Jacob had in Genesis 28 while traveling to Haran to escape his brother Esau. In the dream, angels ascended and descended on a ladder that reached to heaven, and God gave Jacob a promise.
Seven Last Words of Christ
[Bible]The Seven Last Words of Christ is the traditional name for the seven sayings that Jesus Christ spoke from the cross before his death, as gathered from the four Gospels.
Joshua 24:14-25
[Bible Verses]In this passage Joshua, at Shechem, urges the people of Israel to put away other gods and choose to serve the LORD alone, and then makes a covenant with them. Verse 15, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD," is widely quoted as a pledge of household faith.
Feast of Dedication
[Bible]The Feast of Dedication, also known as Hanukkah, is a Jewish festival commemorating the Jews' recovery and rededication of the Jerusalem Temple after its defilement by the Seleucid dynasty in the second century BC. The Bible mentions it once, in John 10:22.
Great Commission
[Bible]The Great Commission is the command in which the risen Jesus instructed his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them. Its principal text is Matthew 28:18-20.
Baal
[Bible]Baal, a Hebrew word meaning "lord" or "master," is the name of the god whom the Canaanites worshiped as a deity of rain and fertility in the Old Testament. The name appears in Judges, Kings, and the prophetic books as the chief representative of the idolatry into which Israel repeatedly fell.
Abraham's Bosom
[Bible]Abraham's bosom is the expression used for the place to which the beggar Lazarus was carried after his death in Jesus' account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22-23). It is commonly understood to denote the rest and comfort the righteous enjoy after death.
Canaan (Son of Ham)
[People]Canaan was the fourth son of Ham, the son of Noah, and the one cursed by Noah in Genesis 9. His name later came to designate the land his descendants inhabited and the peoples descended from him.
Eliezer
[People]Eliezer was the second son of Moses and Zipporah. His name is understood to mean "my God is help." Several people in the Bible bear the same name, and Eliezer the servant of Abraham is especially well known.
Teraphim
[Bible]Teraphim are household idols mentioned in the Old Testament, generally thought to have been venerated in the home or used for divination. They appear in the accounts of Rachel and Michal and are condemned as a form of idolatry in the prophetic and legal traditions.
Manasseh (son of Joseph)
[People]Manasseh was the firstborn son of Joseph, born in Egypt. Adopted by Jacob as his own son, he became the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel. He is distinct from Manasseh, king of Judah.
Amasa
[People]Amasa was a military commander in the time of David. He commanded Absalom's army during Absalom's rebellion and was later appointed commander by David, but he was killed by his cousin Joab.
Abishai
[People]Abishai was the son of Zeruiah, David's sister, and the brother of Joab and Asahel. One of David's military commanders and mighty men, he took part in the night raid on Saul's camp and in the suppression of rebellions, and he rescued David from a Philistine giant.
Rizpah
[People]Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah and a concubine of King Saul. She is known from 2 Samuel 21 for guarding the bodies of her two executed sons and of Saul's grandsons from the beginning of harvest until rain fell.
Jabez
[People]Jabez is a figure in the genealogy of the tribe of Judah in 1 Chronicles 4. He is known for a brief prayer in which he asked God for blessing and protection.
Jeconiah
[People]Jeconiah, also called Jehoiachin and Coniah, was one of the last kings of Judah. After reigning for three months, he was taken captive to Babylon and was released from prison thirty-seven years later. His name also appears in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.
Cyrene
[Bible]Cyrene was a Greek city on the northeastern coast of present-day Libya in North Africa. In the New Testament it appears as the hometown of Simon, who carried the cross for Jesus, and as the place of origin of early Christian evangelists who preached the gospel to Gentiles in Antioch.