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Decapolis Area
Decapolis means "10 cities." Though the number of cities changed from time to time, the Decapolis was a group of independent city-states that were thoroughly pagan and Hellenistic. Veterans of Alexander the Great's army founded several o...
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Demeter: The Goddess of Groceries
Believed to be the goddess of grain who provided food, Demeter was popular among common people because acquiring enough food was a dominant concern for them. The secretive cult worshiped in a temple (twenty-two by forty feet) and eight-hundred-sea...
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Edom
Israel and Edom: Nations in ConflictJacob and Esau, the grandsons of Abraham, were to be fathers of nations in conflict. Esau (the older) ultimately would serve Jacob, and Jacob's people would be stronger than Esau?s people. Esau's descendents wer...
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En Gedi
Barely one hundred feet from the desolate wilderness, the oasis of En Gedi supports lush green growth. Nearby, a spring of water runs from a rock, flowing down a cliff and creating the beautiful waterfall of En Gedi.Surrounding En Gedi, the Judea ...
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Ephesus
The port city of Ephesus, located on what is now the western coast of Turkey, was the crown jewel of Asia Minor. It had the population of nearly 250,000 people and was home to more than twenty pagan temples. Artistic beauty, cultural learning, ero...
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Dead Sea Definition
An inland lake in the Great Rift Valley known as the Salt Sea; 50 miles long and 10 miles wide, the salt content is five times more concentrated than the ocean and is uninhabitable by marine life. The Essene community lived in the wilderness along...
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Dead Sea Scrolls Definition
Commentaries or instruction manuals for the Essene community discovered in 1947 by the Dead Sea in caves near the ruins of Khirbet Qumran. They provide valuable insights into the beliefs of one religious community from the time of Jesus; and conta...
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Decapolis Definition
Ten Hellenistic cities established at the time of Alexander the Great east of the Sea of Galilee and north of Perea. Later, the Roman emperor Pompey organized the cities into a league named the Decapolis, largely populated by Roman army troops. In...
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Edomites Definition
Esau's descendants. Edom means "red" and the Edomites lived in the mountains to the east and south of the Dead Sea. Because of Edom's attacks on Judah, God promised to take revenge on the Edomites.
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En Gedi Definition
Means "place of the spring goat." A canyon and surrounding hills filled with springs that enabled a lush oasis to flourish on the Dead Sea's barren, western shore. Here David hid from Saul and possibly wrote several psalms.
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Essenes Definition
A highly organized religious group that renounced the priestly establishment and saw themselves as God's soldiers. They strengthened their bodies, minds, and spirits for the battle they believed would usher in the new age. The Dead Sea Scrolls fou...
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Exedra Definition
Semicircular recess usually with seats, found in Greek and Byzantine buildings.
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