Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Martha

(Encyclopedia)Martha, in the New Testament, friend of Jesus, sister of Mary and Lazarus of Bethany. In Christian literature, Martha has been a symbol of the active, as opposed to the contemplative, life. Feast: Jul...

Linus, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Linus, in the New Testament, Roman Christian. He is often identified with St. Linus. ...

Tyrannus

(Encyclopedia)Tyrannus tīrănˈəs [key], in the New Testament, teacher of Ephesus at whose school Paul preached. ...

Aenon

(Encyclopedia)Aenon ēˈnŏn [key], in the New Testament, unidentified place, where John the Baptist baptized people. ...

Sergius Paulus

(Encyclopedia)Sergius Paulus sûrˈjəs [key], in the New Testament, proconsul in Cyprus, friendly to Paul. ...

Phebe

(Encyclopedia)Phebe or Phoebe both: fēˈbē [key], in the New Testament, deaconess at Cenchrea. ...

Deuteronomy

(Encyclopedia)Deuteronomy do͞otərŏnˈəmē [key], book of the Bible, literally meaning “second law,” last of the five books (the Pentateuch or Torah) ascribed by tradition to Moses. Deuteronomy purports to b...

Wisdom of Solomon

(Encyclopedia)Wisdom of Solomon or Wisdom, early Jewish book included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate but not in the Hebrew Bible. The book opens with an exhortation to seek wisdom, followed by a statement on wor...

Valentinus

(Encyclopedia)Valentinus văləntēˈnəs [key], fl. c.135–c.160, founder of the Valentinians, the most celebrated of the Gnostic sects (see Gnosticism) of the 2d cent. The little that is known of his life is fou...

Tobit

(Encyclopedia)Tobit tōˈbĭt [key] [Gr. from Heb. Tobijah=God is my good], book of the Old Testament Apocrypha, not included in the Hebrew Bible. It is the account of Tobit, a devout Jew in exile, and of his son T...