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Daily Feed Glossary on the Old TestamentThe meaning of some terms found in the Old TestamentGlossary useful for Catholic bible studyacrostic - a poetic form in which the first letter of each new line or series of lines within a larger group follows the order of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The supreme example in the Bible is Psalm 119 and, outside the psalter, the Book of Lamentations.anawim - the Hebrew word for "the poor," the "afflicted," "the meek or humble." Often used in the Psalms for the group to which the Psalmist belongs. aphorism - a short memorable saying. Many of the Proverbs are aphorisms, and so are many of Jesus' statements. Aphorisms are easy to remember. apocalypse - the Greek word for "revelation." It is also used as the name for a type of literature that contains mysterious revelations, usually veiled in symbolic language and interpreted by an angel. The subject matter of an apocalypse deals with the heavenly world and with the future, especially the final judgment. Biblical examples are found in Daniel 7-12 and in the Book of Revelation. apocrypha - a Greek word meaning "hidden." Pious literature, related to Scriptures but not included in the canon. Protestants regard several books of the Catholic Old Testament as apocryphal because they are not found in the Hebrew Bible (Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith). Canaan - the land infiltrated by the Israelites after the Exodus. It was more extensive than biblical Israel. Canaanite: an inhabitant of that land. chronicler - scholarly name for the author, or group of authors, of the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. circumcision - the ritual removal of the foreskin of the penis in male infants. It symbolized, for Jews, the membership of the infant in the people of God (Genesis 17,9-14). It came to have spiritual significance, an image of repentance (Jeremiah 4,4). In Paul's writings (see in particular Galatians 5,2-6), it means the reliance upon one's own good deeds, rather than on God's mercy, for salvation. covenant - an agreement between two parties. There are several important covenants in the Old Testament. After the Flood, God made a covenant with Noah not to destroy the earth again. The covenants with Abraham and David have the character of unconditional promises by God. The most central covenant is that made with Moses on Mt. Sinai, and described in the Books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. That covenant has specific requirements (the commandments) and resembles the international treaties of the ancient Near East. decalogue - Greek, "ten words." The traditional name for the list of commandments given in Exodus 20,1-17 and Deuteronomy 5,6-21. deuterocanonical - Greek, "second canon." The name for those books in the Catholic Old Testament that are not in the Hebrew canon, but were added in the Greek translation, the Septuagint, and taken over into the Latin versions. The deuterocanonical books (and additions) are: Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, and additions to Esther and Daniel. deuteronomic history - the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings, giving a history of Israel from the conquest of the land to the exile. The Book of Deuteronomy serves as a sort of preface to this work. deuteronomic reform - the religious reform and revival that took place under King Josiah beginning in 621 B.C. Scholars generally assume that the book from which the religious instructions were read to the people was the newly discovered Book of Deuteronomy (see Kings 22,8-23,25). During this reform the Temple worship was purged of many pagan influences that had crept in under the political overlordship of the Assyrian Empire. deuteronomist - the scholarly name for the author or authors of the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings, which form a continuous history of Israel from the conquest of the land to the exile in Babylon. elohist - the scholarly name for the author of one of the source documents for the Pentateuch (the Torah). The Elohist's writing is marked by the use of Hebrew 'elohim (God) rather than the proper name yahweh (Lord) in the period before Moses. Ephraim - the most important tribe of the Northern Kingdom. etiology - an account or story that gives the cause of something. Many stories in the Bible may have originated in this way; for instance, the story of Lot's wife (Genesis 19,26) may have been told to explain the existence of a pillar of salt. exile - removal from one's own country. In the context of the Old Testament, "the Exile" refers to the period between 586 and 539 B.C. when the upper classes of Judah were exiles in Babylon. A previous exile, from the northern kingdom of Israel, had been enforced in 722-721 B.C. Exilic: taking place during the Exile, or dealing with it. former prophets - the name in the Hebrew Scriptures for the first part of the larger section called the Prophets. The former Prophets consist of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. holocaust - a sacrifice entirely consumed by fire, a whole burnt offering. This sacrifice was one of adoration of God. Hyksos - Egyptian dynasty (1850-1500 B.C.) that may have been of Semitic origin, and therefore have provided the historical basis for the stories of the Israelite patriarchs in Egypt (Genesis 37-50). Israel - the name for both the kingdom of twelve tribal groups, of which David and Solomon were kings, and for the northern section of this kingdom, which split off after the death of Solomon and began a separate political existence under Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12). Jahvist - the author of one of the source documents of the Pentateuch (German spelling). Also Yahwist. Judah - the major tribal group of the Southern Kingdom. kosher - according to specific regulations; fit or proper. Food that is kosher does not fall into any of the forbidden food groups and has been prepared according to the cleanliness regulations. lament - a Hebrew verse form that is used for poetic elegies, psalms of suffering or anguish, and other treatments of painful parts of the human condition. The Book of Lamentations and many psalms are in the form of laments. latter prophets - the name given in Jewish tradition to the second part of the section of the Hebrew Scriptures called the Prophets. The Latter Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of Twelve (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi). law - the usual English translation of the Hebrew word Torah, which means "guidance" or "teaching." The Torah in the narrower sense of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) is the first of the three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures (followed by the Prophets and the Writings). It is often called the "Law of Moses" although it contains much else besides legal material. Levite - member of the tribe charged with responsibility for Israel's worship. The Levites owned no land of their own, but rather lived on the offerings of the Temple sacrifices. megillah - (plural, megilloth) Hebrew, "scroll," a long strip of parchment or papyrus on which the text of a book was written. The festal megilloth are the books of Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Esther, and Lamentations, each of which is read in the synagogue at a specific special feast. myth - a story that expresses a spiritual truth or basic conviction of a culture through narrative. In particular, myths give explanations of origins, often through the struggles of divine beings or superhuman creatures. Because the Bible firmly believes in only one God, in biblical myths the presence of multiple deities has faded out, but the titanic struggle between good and evil is still maintained, as in the story of Paradise in Genesis 2-3, or the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11,1-9. (For an alternate form of the Paradise myth, see Ezekiel 28,11-19.) Such stories, for example, express the impossibility of human efforts to attain the level of God. Nazirite - one who takes a religious vow of strict observance to dedicate himself or herself to the Lord, as explained in Numbers 6,1-21. The vow involves keeping purity laws very strictly, abstaining from alcoholic drink, and refraining from cutting one's hair. Samson, whose story is told in Judges 13-16, was a Nazirite, though his observance was marked by a number of relapses. Paul took the Nazirite vow (Acts 18,18; 21,23-24). northern kingdom - the political assembly of tribal groups that split off from the kingdom of Israel after Solomon's death (1 Kings 12). This newly formed kingdom was itself called Israel, and in some of the prophets (for instance, Hosea 8,11), Ephraim, after its most important tribe. oracle - a message from God to a priest or prophet, and by the prophet to others, often in response to an inquiry. The content and style vary, from a call to prophesy to a message of salvation or a statement of threat and condemnation. Prophetic books are often made up of a series of oracles, usually in poetical form, which were collected and written down later, not necessarily in the order in which the prophet originally spoke them. passover - the Jewish feast commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. Pentateuch - the Torah; a Greek word meaning "five scrolls" that is used to designate the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). Modern scholars now hold that the first four of these books are a later compilation (perhaps assembled during or after the Exile) of earlier independent sources, which are distinguished by various literary characteristics. The oldest of these, the "J" source (from the German name for it, Jahvist), uses the Hebrew word Yahweh as the name of God from the beginning, and may be connected to the court of King David. Another source, "E", uses 'elohim instead of Yahweh before the time of Moses, and reflects traditions (about sites of worship, for instance) that probably derive from the northern tribes of the kingdom of Israel rather than from the southern sources of the kingdom of Judah that are contained in "J". A third source, "P," is a compilation of laws and Temple practices that the priests developed. The fourth source, "D," is found almost exclusively in the book of Deuteronomy. pre-exilic - before the Exile of the Jewish people, that is, either before 721 B.C., when the Northern Kingdom (Israel) went into exile, or before 587-86 B.C., when the Southern Kingdom (Judah) was exiled by the Babylonians. Priestly source - the source that scholars assume was put together by the remains of the Israelite priesthood in Exile, containing the rules and regulations for worship in the Temple and other genealogical and legal information. This source, usually abbreviated "P," is one of the documents assumed to make up the Pentateuch or Torah. primeval history - the term for the first ten chapters and part of the eleventh chapter of Genesis, dealing with events before the time of Abraham, who was regarded as the direct ancestor of the Israelites. "Primeval" designates the long stretch of time before literary documents enable us to reconstruct historical data. prophet - Greek, "one who speaks out." A prophet, called by God to speak the truth no matter what the cost, was one of the main participants in classical Israelite religion. The prophet was charged with the role of delivering God's message to the rulers, whether religious or political, and, as a result, many prophets were unpopular with the kings and priests. Prophets did not specialize in predicting the future, but rather in analyzing the present and announcing the consequences of current behavior. Most prophets spoke in a very memorable poetic form, delivering their statements orally in the streets or sanctuaries; only later were these written down, and still later put in some sort of order. prophets - the second of the three divisions of the classical Hebrew scriptures (the other two divisions are the Law and the Writings). The Prophets, in turn are divided into the Former Prophets - Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings - and the Latter Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets. proverb - a statement of traditional wisdom, supported by long experience and expressed in memorable form. Generally the second line repeats or develops, sometimes by contrast, the thought of the first line. This feature is called parallelism, and is common in Hebrew poetry. Proverbs are quoted in many books of the Bible, but the major collection is in Proverbs. There are also proverbs in Wisdom and, in a longer "essay" form, in Sirach. psalm - from the Greek, a song accompanied by musical instruments. In the Bible these songs cover a wide variety of style and content; psalms appear in many places, but the principal collection of them is found in the Book of Psalms. The Hebrew name for this book is Tehillim, meaning "praises," even though the majority of the psalms are not hymns of praise but spread over many other categories such as laments, prayers of thanksgiving and confidence, wisdom, and psalms or royalty. Qoheleth - the Hebrew name, meaning "one who leads the assembly," of Ecclesiastes. saga - a popular account of the prehistory or early heroic period of a people. Sagas are usually tales about the ancestors of a particular group, or the founders of a country. Many of the stories in the early chapters of Genesis are sagas. second Temple - the reconstruction of Solomon's Temple, after the return from Exile, under the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah and the direction of Ezra and Nehemiah. The Second Temple period began at the end of the sixth century B.C. and lasted through the extensive reconstruction of the Temple under Herod the Great's initiative until the fiery destruction by the Romans in 70 A.D. simile - a comparison between two things, using "like" or "as." Malachi speaks of the Lord as "like the refiner's fire" (3,2) and the Psalms say the soul longs for God "as the hind longs for the running waters" (42,1). source criticism - the isolation and study of the different sources that go to make a text. The most famous hypotheses of source criticism include the theory that the Books of Genesis through Numbers are made up of three sources: "J," or Yahwist, "E," or Elohist, "P," or Priestly) that were combined by later editors or redactors. Another source hypothesis is that Matthew and Luke used the gospel of Mark and another source (called "Q") when they wrote gospels. southern Kingdom - the remaining part of the undivided kingdom of Israel, after the northern tribes withdrew from Israel at Solomon's death (1 Kings 12). It is also called Judah. temple - a place of worship. The Temple in Hebrew religion was a permanent structure in Jerusalem, built by Solomon as a substitute for the tent of worship that the Israelites had used in the wilderness and continued to use through David's reign. This Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587-86 B.C. A Second Temple was constructed under Ezra and Nehemiah in the fifth century, after the return from Exile. theodicy - the theological effort to "justify God," that is, to explain the existence of evil while maintaining the goodness and power of God. The Book of Job is a long argument in theodicy. TORAH - a Hebrew word meaning "guide" or "teaching". The Torah consists of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) and is the most important part of the Hebrew Scriptures for the Jewish religion. wisdom - the tradition of human learning, handed down from teacher to pupil and from parent to child. Wisdom relied on seeing recurring patterns in human behavior and in moral consequences of action, and in presenting these in a memorable form, usually a proverb. Wisdom Literature: the collection of wisdom writings in the Bible, consisting of the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, and Sirach, and including parts of Job and Psalms as well. Writing - the third part of the Hebrew Scripture, after the law (Torah) and Prophets. The Writings consisted of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, The Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Yahweh - the Hebrew name for God. It is usually explained as based on the Hebrew verb for "to be or become," but is not easy to translate. "The one who is" or "who causes to be" are possibilities. The New American Bible, following a tradition of English-language translations, uses the word Lord (or occasionally God) to indicate when the word Yahweh appears in the text. Yahweh is given as God's name to Moses in Exodus 3, 14. Yahwist - the name for the author of one of the source documents of the Pentateuch, the Torah. The Yahwist, from the beginning of his work (Genesis 2,4), habitually uses the name Yahweh for God (as opposed to the author of another of the documents, the Elohist, who uses the Hebrew word, 'elohim, or God). It is generally agreed among scholars that the Yahwist's account is the oldest of the documents. Zion - original meaning uncertain. It is sometimes spelled according to its Greek form, Sion. The name refers to the fortification within ancient Jerusalem conquered by David or to the entire city (2 Samuel 5,6-10). Still later Zion designated the area immediately north of this original city where Solomon built the Temple (Psalms 2,6; 48,2), and in some prophetical writings it stood for the heavenly Jerusalem (Isaiah 0,14; see Hebrews 12,22). From the fourth century A.D. the name has been attached to the southwest part of Jerusalem, where the tomb of David was relocated and the upper room of the Last Supper is pointed out. At the present time it is outside the medieval walls of Jerusalem. (glossary comes from unpublished booklet written by the late Herman Hendrickx, cicm, professor of Maryhill School of Theology, Manila, July 23, 1991) Dennis Emmanuel Cabrera
May 5, 2005
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