Don't Know Much About the Bible - Kenneth C. Davis [192]
New Testament: The second part of the Christian Bible. It bears witness to the covenant (*testament) between God and humanity in the person, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The New Testament is said by Christians to represent God’s final and supreme covenant with the world, supplementing and at the same time superseding the covenant of the Old Testament.
Old Testament: The first part of the Christian Bible, which in Christian belief bears witness to the covenant (*testament) made between God and humanity before the coming of Jesus. The Old Testament is different in some Christian traditions depending on the inclusion of the *Apocrypha.
Pagan: Although widely thought today to describe a heathen or nonbeliever, this was an early Christian word, from the Latin word for a “civilian,” and used to describe non-Christians other than Jews.
Palestine: The region bounded roughly by the Jordan River (west), the Negeb Desert (South), and the Golan Heights of Syria (north). The name means land of the Philistines and was originally given by the Greeks to the coastal area occupied by the Philistines. “Palestine” is used in this book without modern political connotation.
Pentateuch: The first five books of the *Bible. Also called the *Torah, the Books of Moses, the Book of the Law, the Five Books of Moses, the Book of the of Moses.
post-Exilic: Relating to the period of Return to Jerusalem after the Captivity in Babylon.
rabbi: A First-century CE term meaning “master,” for a religious teacher. The rabbi served as interpreter of the *Torah and as a judge. In later times, rabbis were thought to have magical powers.
Satan: The Hebrew word is somewhat obscure but many scholars believe it meant “adversary” or “accuser.” In the *New Testament, “Devil” and “Satan” are used interchangeably.
Septuagint: The Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures begun by Alexandrian Jews in Egypt around 250 BCE.
seraphim: Flying supernatural creatures who appear beside God in Isaiah. They had three sets of wings; for flying, for shielding their eyes so as not to look at God, and for covering their feet (a euphemism for genitals). Some have described them as fiery dragons or serpents. In later traditions, they are associated with choirs of *angels.
synoptic Gospels: The collective name given to the *Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, from the Greek for “seen” or “viewed together.”
Talmud: (Hebrew for “study” or “learning”) The classical rabbinic discussions of the ancient code of Jewish Law. There are two Talmuds; one produced in the land of Israel around 400 CE and the other one in Babylon around 550 CE.
testament: Originally meaning the last will of a person, or an agreement, this word was applied to the Scriptures to describe the agreement, or “covenant,” made between God and his people.
Torah: (Hebrew for “Law”) The first five books of the *Bible, the *Pentateuch; also the entire body of Jewish Law and teaching.
Yahweh: Occurring 6,828 times in Hebrew scriptures, this was one of the Hebrew names for God (also called the Tetragrammaton, Greek for “four letters”). The name itself was considered too sacred to be uttered, and wherever it appeared in the text, it was read as “Adonai” (Lord). Its source is uncertain, although some scholars trace its roots to the Hebrew verb “to be.” In later Christian times, the vowels from “Adonai” were joined to the consonants in YHWH to produce the incorrect translation of “Jehovah.”
Zion: An obscure word for the hill of Jerusalem upon which the city of David stands. By extension, Zion can also mean Jerusalem.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
This bibliography includes general references as well as books about very specific areas of Bible study. The emphasis is on recent works that reflect the latest scholarship and archaeological or scientific discoveries, although many older classics are also included. I have also tried to single out those books that are intended for use by the general reader, as opposed to highly scholarly texts. In this bibliography,