Priests — Zephaniah 21 BIBLE DICTIONARY Priests. Sacred ministers, whose duty Satan. God’s great adversary who it was to offer sacrifice. Their dress com - seeks to destroy men. This devil or prince prised a long linen tunic, ornamented sash of demons is a spirit completely given up to and turban. evil. Christ crushed his power through His Prophets. Men chosen by God to death. speak in His name. They were the teachers Scribes. Jews devoted to the study of and guardians of the religion of Israel, at the Law. times advisers to kings, defenders of the Scroll. A roll of parchment or papyrus poor and oppressed, heralds of the future on which it was the custom to write. Messiah and His Kingdom. Son of Man. A Messianic title found in Proselytes. Converts from the Gen- the Prophet Daniel and used by Jesus, tiles to the Jewish faith Who by means of it progressively revealed Rabbi. Signifies “My Master.” Himself as the Messiah to the Jews. Redemption. Deliverance procured by Soul. A spirit having understanding payment of a ransom. Refers to the deliver - and free will and destined to live forever. It ance of the human race from sin, its effects is created by God to His image and like - and punishments, by Jesus Christ, Who by ness, and is the seat of grace and glory. It shedding His Blood on the Cross paid the also refers to a person under his/her supe - price of our salvation. Prefigured by the rior and God-like aspect. deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt Tabernacle. This signifies “tent” and and Babylonia. See Captivity. was originally a portable construction which served as a sanctuary for the Right Hand (Sit at). To hold the place Israelites and contained the Ark of the of honor. Covenant. Sadducees. A religious party of the Temple. House of worship which was Jews who were the nationalists of their day. built by Solomon, destroyed and then They believed in God but rejected the oral rebuilt after the Babylonian Captivi- traditions of their forefathers and denied the ty, and finally destroyed in 70 A.D. , by resurrection of human beings and the exis - the Romans. The Body of Christ is the new tence of angels. temple built at His Resurrection. The Saints. A common term in the Old Church is the spiritual temple made up Testament to designate those who belong of living bricks who are the baptized to God, it was applied in the New Christians. Testament to those who believed in Christ. Word of God. (1) A decree, command - It occurs first in Acts 9:13, and is frequent ment or utterance of God; (2) divine revela - in the writings of St. Paul. Those are saints tion, especially that contained in the who are separated from non-Christians, Gospel; (3) Second Person of the Blessed are attached to the glorious Christ, and are Trinity. sanctified by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Yahweh. The proper personal name of the God of Israel, signifying, “I am who am” (Ex 3:14-15). It is commonly explained in reference to God as the absolute and nec - essary Being. It may be understood of God as the Source of all created beings. Out of reverence for this name, the term Adonai, “my Lord,” was later used as a substitute. The word Lord in the present version repre - sents this traditional usage. The word Sandals. Shoes strapped to the foot “Jehovah” arose from a false reading for with leather thongs. this name as it is written in the current Sanhedrin. Civil and religious Council Hebrew text. of the Jews composed of 71 members and Zephaniah. One of the 12 Minor presided over by the High Priest. Prophets. THE BOOK OF GENESIS Genesis is the first book of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), the first section of the Jewish and the Christian Scriptures. Its title in English, “Genesis,” comes from the Greek of Gn 2:4, literally, “the book of the generation (genesis) of the heavens and earth.” Its title in the Jewish Scriptures is the opening Hebrew word, Bereshit, “in the beginning.” The book has two major sections—the creation and expansion of the human race (2:4—11:9), and the story of Abraham and his descen - dants (11:10—50:26). The first section deals with God and the nations, and the second deals with God and a particular nation, Israel. The opening creation account (1:1—2:3) lifts up two themes that play major roles in each section—the divine command to the first couple (standing for the whole race) to produce offspring and to possess land (1:28). In the first section, progeny and land appear in the form of births and genealogies (chaps. 2—9) and allotment of land (chaps. 10— 11), and in the second, progeny and land appear in the form of prom - ises of descendants and land to the ancestors. Another indication of editing is the formulaic introduction, “this is the story; these are the descendants” (Hebrew to¯ledôt ), which occurs five times in Section I (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 10:31) and five times in Section II (11:10; 25:12, 19; 36:1 [v. 9 is an addition]; 37:2). The Composition of the Book. For the literary sources of Genesis, see Introduction to the Pentateuch. As far as the sources of Genesis are concerned, contemporary readers can reasonably assume that ancient traditions (J and E) were edited in the sixth or fifth century B.C. for a Jewish audience that had suffered the effects of the exile and was now largely living outside of Palestine. The editor highlighted themes of vital concern to this audience: God intends that every nation have posterity and land; the ancestors of Israel are models for their descendants who also live in hope rather than in full possession of what has been promised; the ancient covenant with God is eternal, remaining valid even when the human party has been unfaithful. By highlighting such concerns, the editor addressed the worries of exiled Israel and indeed of contemporary Jews and Christians. Genesis 1—11. The seven-day creation account in Gn 1:1—2:3 tells of a God whose mere word creates a beautiful universe in which human beings are an integral and important part. Though Gn 2:4—3:24 is often regarded as “the second creation story,” the text suggests that the 30 GENESIS 21 56 Birth of Isaac 6 * God answered him in the Sarah he said: “I hereby give your dream: Yes, I know you did it with brother a thousand shekels of sil - a pure heart. In fact, it was I who ver. This will preserve your honor kept you from sinning against me; before all who are with you and that is why I did not let you touch will exonerate you before every - her. 7 So now, return the man’s one.” 17 Abraham then interceded wife so that he may intercede for with God, and God restored health you, since he is a prophet, * that to Abimelech, to his wife, and his you may live. If you do not return maidservants, so that they bore her, you can be sure that you and children; 18 for the LORD had closed all who are yours will die. every womb in Abimelech’s 8 Early the next morning Abim- household on account of Abra- elech called all his servants and ham’s wife Sarah. informed them of everything that had happened, and the men were CHAPTER 21 filled with fear. 9 Then Abimelech Birth of Isaac. * 1 The LORD took summoned Abraham and said to note of Sarah as he had said he him: “What have you done to us! would; the LORD did for her as he What wrong did I do to you that had promised. 2 Sarah became you would have brought such pregnant and bore Abraham a son great guilt on me and my king - in his old age, at the set time that dom? You have treated me in an God had stated. 3 Abraham gave intolerable way. 10 What did you the name Isaac to this son of his have in mind,” Abimelech asked whom Sarah bore him. 4 When his him, “that you would do such a son Isaac was eight days old, thing?” 11 Abraham answered, “I Abraham circumcised him, as God thought there would be no fear of had commanded. 5 Abraham was a God * in this place, and so they hundred years old when his son would kill me on account of my Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah wife. 12 Besides, she really is my then said, “God has given me cause sister, * but only my father’s to laugh, * and all who hear of it daughter, not my mother’s; and so will laugh with me. 7 Who would she became my wife. 13 When God ever have told Abraham,” she sent me wandering from my added, “that Sarah would nurse father’s house, I asked her: ‘Would children! Yet I have borne him a you do me this favor? In whatever son in his old age.” 8 The child grew place we come to, say: He is my and was weaned, and Abraham brother.’ ” held a great banquet on the day of 14 Then Abimelech took flocks the child’s weaning. and herds and male and female 9 Sarah noticed the son whom slaves and gave them to Abraham; Hagar the Egyptian had borne to and he restored his wife Sarah to Abraham playing with her son him.