Scriptures, JOB-PET
Sacred scriptures of all religions, viewed as the word of God or inspired by God, have influenced the moral and ethical standards of countries, peoples, and religious groups. Their interpretation has long been a subject of discussion and, at times, controversy.
Scriptures Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Job, The Book of
The Book of Job, book of Hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. It......
Joel, Book of
Book of Joel, second of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets. The Jewish canon lumps......
John 3:16
John 3:16, verse from the Gospel According to John, among the best-known and most frequently quoted passages in......
John, Acts of
Acts of John, an apocryphal (noncanonical and unauthentic) Christian writing, composed about ad 180, purporting......
John, Gospel According to
Gospel According to John, fourth of the four New Testament narratives recounting the life and death of Jesus Christ.......
John, Letters of
Letters of John, three New Testament writings, all composed sometime around 100 ce and traditionally attributed......
Jonah, Book of
Book of Jonah, the fifth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, embraced in a single......
Joshua, Book of
Book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible, which, along with Deuteronomy, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2......
Jubilees, Book of
Book of Jubilees, pseudepigraphal work (not included in any canon of scripture), most notable for its chronological......
Judaism
Judaism, monotheistic religion developed among the ancient Hebrews. Judaism is characterized by a belief in one......
- Introduction
- Torah, Monotheism, Covenant
- Monotheism, Torah, Covenant
- Davidic Monarchy, Covenant, Torah
- Prophecy, Cult, Reform
- Babylonian Exile, Diaspora, Torah
- Hellenistic, 4th-2nd Century
- Religious rites and customs in Palestine: the Temple and the synagogues
- Roman Period, 63 BCE-135 CE
- Talmud, Halakhah, Kabbalah
- Babylonian, Talmud, Torah
- Rabbinic, Ashkenazic, Sephardic
- Marginalization, Expulsion, Diaspora
- Reform, Zionism, Diaspora
- Reform, Modernization, Renewal
- Interfaith Dialogue, Theology, History
- Monotheism, Torah, Covenant
- Monotheism, Torah, Covenant
- Israel, Jewish Faith, People
- Monotheism, Torah, Covenant
- Ethics, Society, Rituals
- Monotheism, Covenant, Torah
- Rituals, Beliefs, Torah
- Israel, Jerusalem, Holy Places
- Holidays, Shabbat, Torah
- Sabbath, Shabbat, Holiness
- High Holidays, Repentance, Atonement
- Art, Iconography, Rituals
- Torah, Talmud, Mysticism
- Poet, Philosopher, Spain
- Monotheism, Maimonides, Torah
- Hasdai Crescas, Philosophy, Spain
- Spinoza, Philosophy, Ethics
- Rabbi, Reform, Hirsch
- Kabbalah, Hasidism, Mysticism
- Creation, Mysticism, Kabbalah
- Gerona, Catalonia, Kabbalah
- Lurianic Kabbala, Mysticism, Mysticism
- Kabbalah, Hasidism, Mysticism
- Myths, Rituals, Beliefs
- Hellenistic, Mythology, Legends
- Midrash, Talmud, Kabbalah
- Modern Legends, Rituals, Practices
- Monotheism, Torah, Diaspora
- Religion, Monotheism, Culture
Judas, Gospel of
Gospel of Judas, apocryphal Christian scripture from the 2nd century ad attributed to the apostle Judas Iscariot.......
Jude, Letter of
Letter of Jude, brief New Testament letter written to a general Christian audience. Although the epistle claims......
Judges, Book of
Book of Judges, a book of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) that, along with Deuteronomy, Joshua, I and II Samuel,......
Judith, Book of
Book of Judith, apocryphal work excluded from the Hebrew and Protestant biblical canons but included in the Septuagint......
Kalakacaryakatha
Kalakacaryakatha, a noncanonical work of the Shvetambara (“White-robed”) sect of Jainism, a religion of India.......
Kalpa-sutra
Kalpa-sutra, manual of Hindu religious practice, a number of which emerged within the different schools of the......
Kalpa-sūtra
Kalpa-sūtra, a text held in great honour by the Śvetāmbara sect of Jainism, a religion of India. It deals with......
Ketuvim
Ketuvim, the third division of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. Divided into four sections, the Ketuvim include:......
Khuddaka Nikaya
Khuddaka Nikaya, diverse group of separate Buddhist texts constituting the fifth and last section of the Pali Sutta......
King James Version
King James Version (KJV), English translation of the Bible, published in 1611 under the auspices of King James......
Kings, books of
books of Kings, two books of the Hebrew Bible or the Protestant Old Testament that, together with Deuteronomy,......
King’s Highway
King’s Highway, ancient thoroughfare that connected Syria and the Gulf of Aqaba by way of what is now Jordan. Mentioned......
Lalitavistara
Lalitavistara, legendary life of the Gautama Buddha, written in a combination of Sanskrit and a vernacular. The......
Lamashtu
Lamashtu, in Mesopotamian religion, the most terrible of all female demons, daughter of the sky god Anu (Sumerian:......
Lamentations of Jeremiah, The
The Lamentations of Jeremiah, Old Testament book belonging to the third section of the biblical canon, known as......
Lankavatara-sutra
Lankavatara-sutra, distinctive and influential philosophical discourse in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition that......
Last Supper
Last Supper, in the New Testament, the final meal shared by Jesus and his disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem,......
Leviathan
Leviathan, in Jewish mythology, a primordial sea serpent. Its source is in prebiblical Mesopotamian myth, especially......
Leviticus
Leviticus, third book of the Hebrew Bible. Its name indicates its contents as a manual primarily concerned with......
Liji
Liji, one of the Five Classics (Wujing) of Chinese Confucian literature, the original text of which is said to......
Lilith
Lilith, female demonic figure of Jewish folklore. Her name and personality are thought to be derived from the class......
list of books of the New Testament
This is a list of the 27 books of the New Testament, ordered canonically according to most Christian traditions.......
literal interpretation
literal interpretation, in hermeneutics, the assertion that a biblical text is to be interpreted according to the......
Liturgical Movement
Liturgical Movement, a 19th- and 20th-century effort in Christian churches to restore the active and intelligent......
liturgical music
liturgical music, music written for performance in a religious rite of worship. The term is most commonly associated......
logia
logia, (Greek: “sayings,” “words,” or “discourses”), hypothetical collection, either written or oral, of the sayings......
Lotus Sutra
Lotus Sutra, (“Lotus of the Good Law [or True Doctrine] Sutra”), one of the earlier Mahāyāna Buddhist texts venerated......
Lot’s wife
Lot’s wife, biblical character, a disobedient woman who was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back to see......
Ludlul bel nemeqi
Ludlul bel nemeqi, in ancient Mesopotamian religious literature, a philosophical composition concerned with a man......
Luke, Gospel According to
Gospel According to Luke, third of the four New Testament Gospels (narratives recounting the life and death of......
Lunyu
Lunyu, one of four texts of Confucianism that, when published together in 1190 by the Neo-Confucian philosopher......
Maccabees, The Books of the
The Books of the Maccabees, four books, none of which is in the Hebrew Bible but all of which appear in some manuscripts......
Magi
Magi, in Christian tradition, the noble pilgrims “from the East” who followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem,......
Mahabharata
Mahabharata, one of the two Sanskrit epic poems of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana). The Mahabharata......
Mahayana-shraddhotpada-shastra
Mahayana-shraddhotpada-shastra, relatively brief but influential exposition of the fundamentals of Mahayana Buddhism.......
Mahāvairocana-sūtra
Mahāvairocana-sūtra, text of late Tantric Buddhism and a principal scripture of the large Japanese Buddhist sect......
Mahāvastu
Mahāvastu, (Sanskrit: “Great Story”), important legendary life of the Buddha, produced as a late canonical work......
Malachi, The Book of
The Book of Malachi, the last of 12 books of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) that bear the names of the Minor......
mammon
mammon, biblical term for riches, often used to describe the debasing influence of material wealth. The term was......
Manasseh, Prayer of
Prayer of Manasseh, apocryphal work (noncanonical for Jews and Protestants), one of a collection of songs appended......
mangal-kavya
mangal-kavya, a type of eulogistic verse in honour of a popular god or goddess in Bengal (India). The poems are......
Manual of Discipline
Manual of Discipline, one of the most important documents produced by the Essene community of Jews, who settled......
Mark, Gospel According to
Gospel According to Mark, second of the four New Testament Gospels (narratives recounting the life and death of......
Martyrdom of Polycarp
Martyrdom of Polycarp, early Christian letter that describes the death by burning of St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna......
Masoretic text
Masoretic text, (from Hebrew masoreth, “tradition”), traditional Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible, meticulously......
Matthew, Gospel According to
Gospel According to Matthew, first of the four New Testament Gospels (narratives recounting the life and death......
Megillah
Megillah, in the Hebrew Bible, any of the five sacred books of the Ketuvim (the third division of the Old Testament),......
Mencius
Mencius, Confucian text, named for its author, that earned for the 4th-century-bce philosopher the title ya sheng......
Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles, familiar spirit of the Devil in late settings of the legend of Faust. It is probable that the name......
Metatron
Metatron, the greatest of angels in Jewish myths and legends. Metatron is not a figure of the Hebrew Bible, but......
Micah, Book of
Book of Micah, the sixth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, grouped together......
Michael
Michael, in the Bible and in the Qurʾān (as Mīkāl), one of the archangels. He is repeatedly depicted as the “great......
Middot
Middot, (Hebrew: “measure,” or “norms”), in Jewish hermeneutics or biblical interpretation, methods or principles......
Midrash
Midrash, a mode of biblical interpretation prominent in the Talmudic literature. The term is also used to refer......
Milinda-panha
Milinda-panha, lively dialogue on Buddhist doctrine with questions and dilemmas posed by King Milinda—i.e., Menander,......
Mishna
Mishna, the oldest authoritative postbiblical collection and codification of Jewish oral laws, systematically compiled......
Mishne Torah
Mishne Torah, extensive commentary on the Talmud, composed in the 12th century by the renowned Jewish philosopher......
missal
missal, type of book containing the prayers, important chants, responses, and necessary instructions for the celebration......
Mormon, Book of
Book of Mormon, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the Bible, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day......
Moroni
Moroni, according to the teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an angel or resurrected being......
Moses, Assumption of
Assumption of Moses, a pseudepigraphal work (not in any biblical canon), a prophecy of the future relating to Israel,......
Moʿed
Moʿed, (Hebrew: “Festival”), second of the six major divisions, or orders (sedarim), of the Mishna (codification......
Munkar and Nakīr
Munkar and Nakīr, in Islāmic eschatology, two angels who test the faith of the dead in their tombs. After death,......
Muratorian Fragment
Muratorian Fragment, a late 2nd-century-ce fragment of a Latin list of New Testament writings then regarded by......
Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood, religiopolitical organization founded in 1928 at Ismailia, Egypt, by Hassan al-Banna. Islamist......
Māra
Māra, the Buddhist “Lord of the Senses,” who was the Buddha’s temptor on several occasions. When the bodhisattva......
Mīkāl
Mīkāl, in Islam, archangel said to effectuate God’s rizq (providence) as well as natural phenomena, such as rain,......
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, (Sanskrit: “Fundamentals of the Middle Way”), Buddhist text by Nāgārjuna, the exponent of......
Nahum, Book of
Book of Nahum, the seventh of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets (grouped together......
Nashim
Nashim, (Hebrew: “Women”), the third of the six major divisions, or orders (sedarim), of the Mishna (codification......
Neviʾim
Neviʾim, the second division of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, the other two being the Torah (the Law) and......
New Testament
New Testament, second, later, and smaller of the two major divisions of the Christian Bible, and the portion that......
New-England Primer, The
The New-England Primer, the principal textbook for millions of colonists and early Americans. First compiled and......
Neziqin
Neziqin, (Hebrew: “Damages”), the fourth of the six major divisions, or orders (sedarim), of the Mishna (codification......
Nicene Creed
Nicene Creed, a Christian statement of faith that is the only ecumenical creed because it is accepted as authoritative......
Noah
Noah, the hero of the biblical Flood story in the Old Testament book of Genesis, the originator of vineyard cultivation,......
number of the beast
number of the beast, well-known instance of biblical numerology appearing in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Revelation......
Numbers
Numbers, the fourth book of the Bible. The English title is a translation of the Septuagint (Greek) title referring......
Obadiah, Book of
Book of Obadiah, the fourth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, in the Jewish......
Old Testament
Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible as interpreted among the various branches of Christianity. In Judaism the Hebrew......
Olives, Mount of
Mount of Olives, multi-summit limestone ridge just east of the Old City of Jerusalem and separated from it by the......
Pali canon
Pali canon, the complete canon, first recorded in Pali, of the Theravada (“Way of the Elders”) branch of Buddhism.......
patristic literature
patristic literature, body of literature that comprises those works, excluding the New Testament, written by Christians......
Paul, Acts of
Acts of Paul, one of the earliest of a series of pseudepigraphal (noncanonical) New Testament writings known collectively......
Pazuzu
Pazuzu, in Mesopotamian religion, the king of wind demons, son of Hanpa and brother of Humbaba (Huwawa). Adherents......
Peshaṭ
Peshaṭ, (Hebrew: “spread out”), in Jewish hermeneutics, the simple, obvious, literal meaning of a biblical text.......
Peshitta
Peshitta, Syriac version of the Bible, the accepted Bible of Syrian Christian churches from the end of the 3rd......
Peter, Apocalypse of
Apocalypse of Peter, pseudepigraphal (noncanonical and unauthentic) Christian writing dating from the first half......
Peter, Gospel of
Gospel of Peter, pseudepigraphal (noncanonical and unauthentic) Christian writing of the mid-2nd century ad, the......
Peter, Letters of
Letters of Peter, two New Testament writings attributed to St. Peter the Apostle but perhaps written during the......