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Four Living Creatures
[Bible]The four living creatures are four beings who appear beside the throne of God in the visions of Ezekiel and Revelation. They bear the likeness of a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, and the book of Ezekiel calls them cherubim.
Mesha
[People]Mesha was a king of Moab around the ninth century BC. He paid tribute to the northern kingdom of Israel but rebelled after the death of Ahab. He appears in 2 Kings 3, and his name is also preserved on an extrabiblical artifact, the Mesha Stele.
Elah (King of Israel)
[People]Elah was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel and the son of Baasha. According to 1 Kings 16, he reigned for two years and was killed by his servant Zimri while drunk. His death brought the dynasty of Baasha to an end.
Zechariah (King of Israel)
[People]Zechariah was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel and the son of Jeroboam II. He reigned for six months before he was assassinated by Shallum, and his death brought the dynasty of Jehu to an end.
Ashkelon
[Bible]Ashkelon was one of the five principal cities of the Philistines, located on the Mediterranean coast. It appears in the account of Samson and in David's lament, and several prophetic books name it as an object of judgment.
Araunah
[People]Araunah was a Jebusite who lived in Jerusalem in the time of David. David bought his threshing floor and built an altar there, and the books of Chronicles record that Solomon's Temple was later built on that site.
Hezekiah's Tunnel
[Bible]Hezekiah's Tunnel is a rock-cut tunnel that Hezekiah, king of Judah, is believed to have dug to bring the waters of the Gihon Spring into Jerusalem in preparation for an Assyrian invasion. Today it is also called the Siloam Tunnel.
Stephanas
[People]Stephanas was a believer in the church at Corinth, mentioned in 1 Corinthians, and the head of a household baptized by Paul. Paul calls his household "the firstfruits of Achaia" and presents it as an example of devoted service to the saints.
Revised Common Lectionary
[Worship & Rites]The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) is a table of Scripture readings that assigns the biblical texts to be read in worship on each Sunday and festival according to a three-year cycle. It was published in 1992 by an ecumenical consultation of North American denominations.
Salem
[Bible]Salem is the name of the city ruled by Melchizedek in Genesis 14. The Hebrew name shares a root with the word for "peace," and Jewish and Christian tradition generally regards it as an ancient name for Jerusalem.
Cainan
[People]Cainan is a name that appears twice in the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3. One Cainan is an antediluvian figure corresponding to Kenan in Genesis; the other is a son of Arphaxad who does not appear in the Hebrew text of Genesis.
Shalmaneser III
[People]Shalmaneser III was a king of Assyria in the ninth century BC. Because his inscriptions name the Israelite kings Ahab and Jehu, they serve as an important extrabiblical source for the study of the period covered by the books of Kings.
Hippolytus
[People]Hippolytus (c. 170 – c. 235) was a presbyter and theologian of the church in Rome in the early third century. His *Refutation of All Heresies* is an important source for the study of heresies in the early church.
Voluntary Poverty
[Christian Life]Voluntary poverty is the choice to live simply and without desire for wealth, out of purity of heart. In Christianity, it denotes an attitude of faith that is not bound by possessions but relies on God and embraces a modest life.
Zebah and Zalmunna
[People]Zebah and Zalmunna were two kings of Midian who invaded Israel in the time of the judge Gideon. In Judges 8 they are captured and put to death by Gideon, and in Psalm 83 they are cited as an example of the end that befalls the enemies of God.
Gad (Prophet)
[People]Gad was a prophet active during the reign of King David and is called "David's seer" in Scripture. After David's census, he delivered God's judgment and instructed David to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah.
Hezron
[People]Hezron, the son of Perez and grandson of Judah, is an Old Testament figure whose name appears in the genealogies of David and of Jesus Christ. The clan of the Hezronites within the tribe of Judah descended from him.
Deborah, Rebekah's Nurse
[People]Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, is a figure in the Book of Genesis who died while Jacob's household was staying at Bethel. She was buried beneath an oak below Bethel, and the tree was named Allon-bachuth.
Linus
[People]Linus was a Roman Christian whose name appears in the closing greetings of 2 Timothy 4:21. He is mentioned only once in Scripture, and early church tradition identifies him as an early leader of the church in Rome.
Seraiah
[People]Seraiah was a high priest in the final years of the Kingdom of Judah who was executed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after the fall of Jerusalem. He is recorded as the father of Jehozadak (Jozadak) and as an ancestor of Ezra.