Search the encyclopedia
1000 articles found for “the old prophet”
Bichri
[People]Bichri is an Old Testament figure named only as the father of Sheba, the Benjamite who rebelled against King David in 2 Samuel 20.
Creation and Evolution
[Controversies]The debate over how to understand the creation account in Genesis together with the explanations of modern science. The principal positions are young-earth creationism, old-earth creationism, and theistic evolution (evolutionary creation).
Sinai Covenant
[Bible]The Sinai Covenant is the covenant God made at Mount Sinai with the people of Israel after the Exodus, with Moses serving as mediator. Centered on the Ten Commandments and the law, it established Israel as "a kingdom of priests."
Anointing of the Sick
[Worship & Rites]The Anointing of the Sick is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, a rite in which a priest prays over a gravely ill or frail elderly person and anoints him or her with consecrated oil. Protestant churches do not recognize it as a sacrament.
Jairus
[People]Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue named in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. He sought Jesus' help for his dying twelve-year-old daughter, and Jesus raised her to life.
Canaan
[Bible]Canaan is the land lying between the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. It is the "Promised Land" that God pledged to give to Abraham and his descendants, and it is the principal setting of Old Testament Israel's history.
Darius the Mede
[People]Darius the Mede is the king who, according to the book of Daniel, received the kingdom after the death of the Babylonian king Belshazzar. He is known as the king who had Daniel cast into the lions' den. Because he is not attested in sources outside the Bible, his identity is the subject of several competing views.
Tassels
[Bible]Tassels (fringes) were the cords that the people of Israel attached to the four corners of their outer garments in accordance with Old Testament law. They served as a sign reminding the wearer of God's commandments. In the New Testament they are frequently discussed in connection with the account of the woman with the issue of blood who touched the edge of Jesus' garment.
Darius the Mede
[People]Darius the Mede is a king in the Book of Daniel who receives the kingdom after the fall of Babylon. He had Daniel cast into the lions' den and, after seeing Daniel delivered, issued a decree honoring God.
Ezekiel 36:26
[Bible Verses]Ezekiel 36:26 records God's promise to give a new spirit, to take away the stony heart, and to give a heart of flesh. It is a principal Old Testament text on regeneration and the inward transforming work of the Holy Spirit, and it is frequently cited in discussions among denominations about how God's work and the human response relate to each other in conversion.
Sarah
[People]Sarah is the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac in the Book of Genesis. Originally named Sarai, she remained childless into old age and, according to the biblical account, bore Isaac at the age of ninety in fulfillment of God's promise.
Merab
[People]Merab was the elder daughter of Saul, the first king of Israel. An Old Testament figure, she was promised to David as his wife but was instead given in marriage to Adriel the Meholathite. Her younger sister was Michal, who became David's wife.
Seniors' Sunday
[Christian Life]Seniors' Sunday, also called Respect for the Aged Sunday, is a Sunday set apart to honor and bless the older members of a congregation and to reflect on life and faith in old age.
2 Corinthians 5:17
[Bible Verses]2 Corinthians 5:17 declares that if anyone is in Christ, he is "a new creature": "old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." It is cherished as a classic text on conversion and the new birth, though some interpreters read it as speaking of the whole new creation rather than only of individual transformation.
Incense Offering
[Bible]The incense offering was an Old Testament institution of worship in which incense was burned so that its fragrance and smoke ascended to God. In the tabernacle and the temple, only priests descended from Aaron could perform it, and Scripture at times compares it to the prayers of the saints.
Peace Offering
[Bible]The peace offering is an Old Testament sacrifice prescribed in Leviticus 3 and 7. Its fat was burned on the altar, and its meat was shared between the priests and the worshiper. It was offered as an expression of thanksgiving, in fulfillment of a vow, or as a freewill offering.
Avenger of Blood
[Bible]In Old Testament law, the avenger of blood is the near kinsman of a person who has been killed and who holds the killer accountable for the blood that was shed. The term appears together with the regulations concerning the cities of refuge.
Drink Offering
[Bible]The drink offering was an Old Testament offering in which a beverage such as wine was poured out to God, usually alongside the burnt offering or the peace offering. In the New Testament, Paul compared his own devotion and death to a drink offering.
Sabbatical Year
[Bible]The sabbatical year was an institution of Old Testament law under which the land was to rest every seventh year and debts owed by fellow Israelites were to be released. It appears in Leviticus 25, Exodus 23, and Deuteronomy 15.
Feast of Firstfruits
[Bible]The Feast of Firstfruits was an Old Testament rite, prescribed in Leviticus 23:9-14, in which the first sheaf of the spring barley harvest was waved before the LORD. It served as the starting point for counting the date of the Feast of Weeks and is often read in connection with the New Testament description of Christ's resurrection as the "firstfruits."