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Talmud
[History]The Talmud is a body of Jewish literature that combines the Mishnah, a compilation of the oral law of Judaism, with its commentary, the Gemara. Compiled between the third and sixth centuries, it continues to serve as a standard for Jewish faith and life today.
Alexandrian School
[History]The Alexandrian School was a theological tradition of the early church centered in Alexandria, Egypt, from the second to the fifth century. It is known for allegorical interpretation, which reads Scripture spiritually and symbolically, and for a Christology that emphasized the divinity of Christ.
Desert Fathers
[History]The Desert Fathers were Christian hermits who withdrew into the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria from roughly the third to the fifth century to devote themselves to prayer and ascetic living. They are regarded as the starting point of the Christian monastic tradition.
Man of Lawlessness
[Bible]The man of lawlessness is the figure whom Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2, says will appear before the day of the Lord. He opposes God and exalts himself as God. He is commonly identified with the Antichrist.
Seed of Abraham
[Bible]The seed of Abraham is a biblical term for the descendants God promised to Abraham. In the Old Testament it refers to the people of Israel, descended through Isaac and Jacob. In the New Testament its meaning broadens to include Christ and those who believe in Christ.
Cave of Adullam
[Bible]The Cave of Adullam was a cave in the western foothills of Judah where David hid from King Saul and where people in difficult circumstances gathered to him, as recorded in 1 Samuel 22.
Ruth 4
[Bible]The final chapter of the Book of Ruth, in which Boaz acquires the right of redemption at the gate of Bethlehem and takes Ruth as his wife. Their son Obed, the grandfather of David, is born, and the chapter closes with a genealogy from Perez to David.
Silk Letter of Hwang Sa-yeong
[History]The Silk Letter of Hwang Sa-yeong is a secret letter that the Catholic believer Hwang Sa-yeong wrote on white silk during the Sinyu Persecution of 1801. It describes the course of the persecution and proposes remedies. It was intended for Bishop Gouvea in Beijing but was discovered before delivery, and its discovery intensified the suppression of Catholicism in Joseon Korea.
Daniel 12
[Bible]The final chapter of the Book of Daniel, which speaks of the tribulation and deliverance of the last days and of the awakening of the dead. To the question of when the end will come, it answers with "a time, times, and an half" and with specific numbers of days, and it promises Daniel rest at the end of the days.
Ai
[Bible]Ai was a town in the central hill country of Canaan, east of Bethel. It is best known from Joshua 7–8 as the place where Israel was first defeated because of Achan's sin and then captured the city in a second battle.
Lebanon
[Bible]Lebanon is a mountain range extending north to south, north of Israel. In the Bible it appears as the home of the cedar and as the source of the timber used to build Solomon's temple. It also frequently serves as a symbol of loftiness and glory.
Emet
[Bible]Emet (אֱמֶת) is a Hebrew word meaning "firmness, faithfulness, truthfulness, truth." In the Old Testament it describes the character and word of God as well as human honesty. It is frequently paired with hesed.
Uz
[Bible]Uz is the land where Job lived, a place name first mentioned in Job 1:1. It is thought to have lain east of the Jordan River or in the region of Edom and northern Arabia, but its exact location is unknown.
Exodus 25
[Bible]Exodus 25 is the first chapter of the instructions for building the tabernacle. At Mount Sinai, God commands Moses to receive offerings from those who give willingly and gives directions for making the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat, the table of showbread, and the lampstand.
Transfer of Membership
[Christian Life]Transfer of membership is the procedure by which a church member's record is moved from one church to another when the member leaves one congregation for another. The term also refers to the certificate, or letter of transfer, that the original church issues for this purpose.
James 2:24
[Bible Verses]James 2:24 reads, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." Because it appears to conflict with Paul's teaching of justification by faith alone, it has been a central text in the debate over justification between Protestants and Roman Catholics since the Reformation, as well as within Protestantism itself.
Psalm 139:13–14
[Bible Verses]A hymn of praise attributed to David, declaring that God formed him in his mother's womb. Cherished as a passage on the dignity of human life, it is frequently cited in debates over abortion and bioethics as support for the personhood of the unborn.
Zechariah 4:6
[Bible Verses]Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (KJV), is a word addressed to Zerubbabel, who was charged with rebuilding the temple after the return from exile. It is widely used as a motto for church planting, building projects, and ministry.
1 Corinthians 12:13
[Bible Verses]In this verse Paul tells the church at Corinth that all believers, whatever their ethnic origin or social status, have been baptized by one Spirit into one body. It is frequently cited in interdenominational discussions about the timing and meaning of Spirit baptism.
Lois and Eunice
[People]Lois and Eunice were New Testament women, the grandmother and mother of Timothy, the apostle Paul's coworker. In 2 Timothy 1:5 they are named as the ones in whom Timothy's faith first dwelt.