One of the Twelve Prophets; a sixth century Judean prophet who sought to understand God's purpose in sending the Babylonians to punish Judah. See Chapter 13.
(sometimes spelled 'Apiru) An Akkadian term denoting persons or groups who were social and political outlaws from established society; existing in the ancient Middle East in the second and first millennia B.C.E. they appear as slaves, merchants, mercenary soldiers, bandits, and outlaws; some scholars link the term to the word Hebrew. See Chapter 3, Chapter 6.
(adj. haggadic; Hebrew for "telling, narration"; sometimes spelled aggadah) Jewish term for non-halakic (nonlegal) matter, especially in Talmud and Midrash; it includes folklore, legend, theology, scriptural interpretations, biography, etc.; in a general sense, in classical Jewish literature and discussion, what is not halaka (legal subject matter) is haggada; technically, "the Haggadah" is a liturgical manual about the exodus from Egypt in the time of Moses used in the Jewish Passover Seder.
(adj. halakic; Hebrew for "going," i.e. how we go about our daily lives) Deals with practical guidance, rules, and expectations in Judaism; any normative Jewish law, custom, practice, or rite-or the entire complex; halaka is law established or custom ratified by authoritative rabbinic jurists and teachers; colloquially, if something is deemed halakic, it is considered proper and normative behavior.
(Hebrew for "dedication") The Jewish festival of lights that commemorates the rededication of the Jerusalem temple to more traditional modes of Jewish worship by Judah the Maccabee around 164 B.C.E. after its desecration in the time of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
(pl. hasidim; Hebrew for "pious one") The term may refer to Jews in various periods: (1) a group that resisted the policies of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the second century B.C.E. at the start of the Maccabean revolt; (2) pietists in the thirteenth century C.E.; (3) followers of the movement of Hasidism founded in the eighteenth century C.E. by Baal Shem Tov. See Chapter 17.
Hasmon is the family name of the Maccabees, so the Maccabaean rulers are often referred to as Hasmonaean; the Hasmoneans included the Maccabees and the high priests and kings who ruled Judea from 142 to 63 B.C.E.
The collection of 24 books constituting the Old Testament according to the arrangement of the Jewish canon; it can also be referred to as the Tanak; originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, it is the written canon of Judaism and the first half of the canon of Christianity. See Introduction.
The language of the Old Testament Israelites and the language in which most of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible was written. See Introduction, Chapter 3.
(adj. hellenistic; Greek for "Greekish") The civilization that spread from Greece through much of the ancient world from 333 (Alexander the Great) to 63 (dominance of Rome) B.C.E.; as a result, many elements of Greek culture (names, language, philosophy, athletics, architecture, etc.) penetrated the ancient Middle East. See Biblical Story, Chapter 17.
(from Greek for "to interpret, translate"; hence, "science of interpretation") It denotes the strategy of interpreting texts to enable them to be applied to circumstances contemporary with the interpreter; the term is often used with reference to the study of Jewish and Christian scriptures.
(715-687) A king of Judah; he restored the temple, reinstituted proper worship and received God's help against the Assyrians. See Chapter 9, Chapter 10.
Often called by the title "the Elder"; probably a Babylonian, Hillel was an important sage of the early Jewish period in Palestine around the turn of the era; his teachings convey the Pharisaic ideal, through many epigrams on humility and peace (found in Sayings of the Fathers 1-2); and were fundamental in shaping the Pharisaic traditions and modes of interpretation; in rabbinic lore, Hillel is famous for a negative formulation of the "golden rule" (recited to a non-Jew): "What is hateful to you do not do to your fellow man. That is the whole Torah, the rest is commentary. Go and learn it"; his style of legal reasoning is continued by his disciples, known as Beit Hillel ("House/School of Hillel"), and is typically contrasted with that of Shammai (a contemporary) and his school.
(sometimes termed the "holy ghost") In Judaism, the presence of God as evidenced in the speech of the prophets and other divine manifestations; in Christianity, understood more generally as the active, guiding presence of God in the church and its members.
War authorized by God and led by him; Old Testament holy war called for the complete slaughter of the enemy and the dedication of all spoils to God. See Divine warrior. See Chapter 6.
The term used in the Elohist and Deuteronomist sources to designate the location where God delivered the commandments and covenant to the Israelites through Moses, apparently the equivalent of Mount Sinai. See Chapter 3.
Derived from Egyptian for "rulers of foreign countries," these Semitic rulers of Egypt from 1750-1550 B.C.E. were probably the people in control of Egypt during the sojourn of Joseph and Jacob's descendants. See Chapter 3.