Tuesday, 23 April 2024, 12:28 AM
Site: Becker Bible Teacher Resources
Course: Becker Bible Teacher Resources (Scholar)
Glossary: Main Glossary
ARCHAEOLOGY (CULTURES)

Ghassanid

Monophysite Christians, originally from the southern Arabian peninsula that carved out an important kingdom in the desert east of the River Jordan, in what is now modern-day Syria, Palestine and Jordan. They were significant in Middle Eastern politics, however, their ruling phylarch governed only by permission of the Byzantine emperor (Hill, 102).

Bibliography

Hill, Jonathan. "Early Christianity: A World Religion." Handbook to the History of Christianity. Zondervan, 2006.

Gymnosophists

Members of an ancient indian sect that were known for both their nakedness and their wisdom, given to asceticism and contemplation.

 

Hapax Legomenon

Words that only appear once in the Bible, without any certain meaning or translation

Haruspex

A ancient Roman religious official who examined the entrails of sacrificial animals to pronounce and interpret omens.

Hellenist

Person who spoke Greek and conducted life in a Greek way, but were without Greek ancestry

Herodians

A Jewish sect and political party, who embraced the worldly life and social customs of Roman occupation in Israel, supported the Herodian rulers in their government. Orthodox Jews thought them to be compromisers because they recognized the rights of Rome and cooperated with Roman authorities, a stance shared with the Sadducees.

Iconclasm

The deliberate destruction of religious icons within a culture by the culture often as a result of major domestic, political, or religious changes.

Inscriptions

Past written remains of words uncovered by archaeological activity

King Omri (885-874 B.C.)

1 Kings 16:21-28 makes passing reference to the wicked King Omri which built up Samaria and made it the capital of the Northern Kingdom. He was one of the most important historically confirmed rulers of his period, yet the Word of God makes only passing reference. Archaeology provides a great deal of background info about him which includes extra-biblical accounts of his exploits as recorded by his enemies.

Martyria

Shrines to the martyrs were often built upon the site of old pagan temples, the church encouraged people to shift their allegiances from the old gods to the martyrs. The architecture was normally rounded in the style of pagan temples; later on, attempts to combine the long basilica and the round baptistery or martyrion would produce the attributes of Byzantine architecture.