That the World May Know

ShephelahThe Hebrew Bible mentions the Shephelah several times. This word, meaning "low," is usually translated "lowlands" or "foothills." The term refers to a 12- to 15-mile-wide region in Judea. Though the Israelite...

Sons of Light

Sons of LightIn Jesus' time, there were four major religious groups (or "philosophies," as Josephus, the Jewish historian of the time, called them). They were the Zealots, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. It is impossible t...

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Encyclopedia

Roman Statue

The second commandment forbade making images. Hellenistic culture glorified the human form. These two world views clashed in the days of Herod as he tried (and largely succeeded) to mold his kingdom into a Hellenistic one. He imported great number...

Sardis Definition

- Sardis stood in the middle of the Hermus River Valley, just over fifty miles east of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now the country of Turkey. The main east-west trade route came through this valley.- On a spur of Mount Tmolus, on the north si...

Science/Technology

When we say the words "science" or "technology," we don't usually picture the ancient world. But in biblical times, new advances and discoveries were always being made.In the field of metalworking, the world gradually shifted f...

Scripture Word Pictures

The early writers and readers of the Scriptures viewed their world in concrete, rather than abstract, terms. Because of this, they used word pictures and symbolic actions rather than formal definitions to describe God and his relationship with his...

Seating Beth Shean

This closeup shows the somewhat decayed and broken seating stone on the left. The fine craftsmanship of the tekton (i.e., carpenter) who carved it is seen along the bottom.The care with which thousands of these stones were cut for this structure h...

Sepphoris

Just three miles from the small town of Nazareth where Jesus grew up, archeologists are unearthing the sophisticated city of Sepphoris, the city Herod Antipas constructed as his administrative capital.Crowned by Herod's elaborate palace, Sepphoris...

Shepherd Lifestyle

Adult Bedouin males usually delegated the care of flocks to young boys and girls. This responsibility was learned early in childhood. The possibility that young boys and girls were in the fields tending flocks forms a startling' contrast to the t...

Shofar

The Ram's HornUsed to intimidate the enemy, to declare war, and to call people to assembly, the shofar is one of the oldest wind instruments in the world.' The army of Israel marched around Jericho to the signal of the shofar (Josh. 6). Jewish t...

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Glossary

Robinson's Arch Definition

One of the largest masonry arches (75 feet tall, more than 45 feet across) in the ancient world; supported a massive staircase that ran from the Tyropean Valley and the Lower City to the Royal Stoa (the place of buying and selling, the location of...

Secular Humanism Definition

' Modern worldview based on an evolutionary model that considers human beings the ultimate life form and denies the existence or relevance of God. Right and wrong are determined by human standards, not God's.'

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