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Mysia
[Bible]Mysia was a region in northwestern Asia Minor (modern Türkiye). In the New Testament it appears in Acts 16 as a region through which Paul and his companions passed on their way to Troas.
Winepress
[Bible]A winepress is an installation in which grapes are trodden by foot to extract their juice. In the Bible it can signify the blessing of harvest, and it also serves as a symbol of God's judgment.
Darius, King of Persia
[People]Darius was a king of Persia who appears in Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah. During his reign the halted rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem resumed and was completed. He is regarded as a different person from "Darius the Median" in the book of Daniel.
Beth-dagon
[Bible]Beth-dagon, meaning "house (temple) of Dagon," is an Old Testament place name. It appears twice in the book of Joshua: once as a town of the tribe of Judah and once as a point on the border of the tribe of Asher.
Ahn Byung-mu
[People]Ahn Byung-mu (1922–1996) was a Korean New Testament scholar and a leading founder of Minjung theology. He is known for interpreting the "crowd" (ochlos) in the Gospel of Mark as the minjung.
Helena
[People]Helena (c. 248 – c. 330) was the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine I. In her later years she made a pilgrimage to Palestine and sponsored the construction of churches. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
Stumbling Block
[Bible]A stumbling block is a stone or obstacle that catches the foot and causes a person to fall. In the Bible, the term refers to anything that causes a person to fall into sin or unbelief. The New Testament also describes Christ as a stone that becomes a stumbling block to those who do not believe.
Nympha
[People]Nympha was an early Christian mentioned only once, in Colossians 4:15, who opened her home in the Laodicea region as a meeting place for the church. Depending on the manuscript, the name can be read as either masculine or feminine.
Papyrus
[Bible]Papyrus is an aquatic plant that grows in the marshes of the Nile Valley, and the name also refers to the ancient writing material made from its stalks. In the Old Testament it appears mainly as a plant, and in the New Testament as "paper." It is also important as the material of early New Testament manuscripts.
Crown
[Doctrine & Theology]In the Bible, a crown is placed on the head of one who has won a victory or endured faithfully. In Protestantism it is used chiefly as a symbol of the honor and reward God has promised to the saints.
Burning Bush
[Bible]The burning bush is the thornbush in Exodus 3 that burned with fire yet was not consumed when Moses first encountered God at Mount Horeb. The scene is read as a sign of God's presence and of Moses' call.
Kyrie Eleison
[Worship & Rites]Kyrie eleison is a Greek prayer meaning "Lord, have mercy." Since early times it has been used in worship as a brief response asking God for mercy.
Shammai
[People]Shammai was a Jewish teacher of the law active from the late first century BC to the early first century AD. Together with his contemporary Hillel, he is regarded as a leading representative of Pharisaic legal interpretation, and he founded the "School of Shammai," known for its strict interpretation of the law.
First Vatican Council
[History]The First Vatican Council was a council of the Catholic Church convened by Pope Pius IX at the Vatican in Rome in 1869–1870. It is best known for defining papal primacy and papal infallibility as dogma.
Land-Treading Prayer
[Christian Life]Land-treading prayer is a devotional practice in which believers walk through a particular area or building and pray for it on site. Practitioners ground it in passages such as Joshua 1:3. Among Korean Protestant churches it is used in preparation for evangelism and mission, but prayer conducted at the sites of other religions has also provoked public controversy in South Korea.
Institutes of the Christian Religion
[Doctrine & Theology]The Institutes of the Christian Religion is a systematic work of Protestant theology by the Reformer John Calvin. First published in 1536, it was revised several times before the final edition was completed in 1559. It is regarded as a foundational text of Reformed and Presbyterian theology.
Ethan
[People]Ethan is the name of several Israelites in the Old Testament. It refers to "Ethan the Ezrahite," the wise man to whom Solomon is compared in 1 Kings; to the figure named as author in the superscription of Psalm 89; and to Ethan the Levite musician of 1 Chronicles.
Church History
[History]Church history is the history of the church, or the academic discipline that studies that history. Eusebius's fourth-century Ecclesiastical History is regarded as the beginning of systematic writing in the field. Today church history is taught in seminaries as a branch of historical theology.
Mesrop Mashtots
[People]Mesrop Mashtots (c. 362–440) was a monk and scholar who created the Armenian alphabet in the early fifth century and led the effort to translate the Bible into Armenian. The Armenian Apostolic Church venerates him as a saint.
Thomas Aquinas
[People]Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and the leading theologian of medieval Scholasticism. He wrote the Summa Theologiae and is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and Doctor of the Church.