• Hebrew for "lots" (as in casting lots). A joyful feast commemorating the deliverance of the Jews from Haman's plot to destroy them, as recorded in the book of Esther. Celebrated with feasting, gift-giving, and reading the Megillah (scroll of Esther).
  • Easter or Ishtar, also known by her biblical name Semiramis and later called the “Queen of heaven” was the widow of Nimrod and mother of Tammuz. Easter is the bare breasted pagan fertility goddess of the east. Legend has it that she came out of heaven in a giant egg, landing in the Euphrates(...)
  • Hebrew word meaning “great” or “revered,” usually referring to a Jewish man who is a teacher of the Torah. Not an occupation but a title.
  • Greek term for the Word of God made alive by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
  • Hebrew for “head of the year.” First day of the Jewish calendar and a ten-day period of reflection and repentance leading to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
  • Hebrew for "the Holy Spirit" — literally "the Holy Wind" or "Holy Breath." Ruach means spirit, wind, and breath. The active presence and power of Yahweh at work in the world and in believers. (Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10)
  • Shabbat in Hebrew, a day of rest on the seventh day beginning at sundown every Friday.
  • A first-century Jewish sect drawn largely from the priestly aristocracy. They accepted only the written Torah, rejected the resurrection, angels, and spirits, and wielded significant political power under Roman rule. (Acts 23:8)
  • The supreme Jewish council and court in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period — seventy-one elders led by the high priest, handling religious, civil, and criminal matters.
  • Hebrew word for “order” or “arrangement,” but also referring to the meal and ceremony on the first and second nights of Passover.
  • From the Latin for "seventy" (abbreviated LXX). The ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, made in Alexandria around the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. The Bible most New Testament writers quoted from.
  • "Shabbat" in Hebrew, a day of rest on the seventh day, beginning at sundown every Friday and ending at sundown Saturday. A sign of the covenant between Yahweh and His people (Exodus 31:13-17), set apart for rest, worship, and reflection.
  • Hebrew for "peace," but far richer than the absence of conflict. Shalom means wholeness, completeness, well-being, harmony — nothing missing, nothing broken. The root also gives us "shalem" (whole/complete) and is related to the idea of being made perfect.
  • Hebrew for “weeks.” Denotes the Feast of Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, celebrating when God gave Moses the first five books of the Old Testament on Mount Sinai.
  • Hebrew word for “hear.” First word of the daily Jewish prayer that says, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.” (See Deuteronomy 6:4.)