That the World May Know

Fertility Cults of CanaanOnly recently have scholars begun to unravel the complex religious rituals of Israel's Canaanite neighbors. Much of our knowledge of the origins and character of these fertility cults remains tentative and widely debated. ...

First Fruits

The City of JerichoAs one of the few gateways into the Judean Mountains, Jericho was a natural place for the Israelites to begin conquering the Promised Land.Jericho has a fascinating location and history. It is the lowest city in the world (more ...

VIEW ALL ARTICLES

Encyclopedia

Cultural Images in Jesus Teaching

Jesus used various word pictures and ideas that were familiar to the people of his time in order to communicate effectively with both religious Jews and pagans.The Bridegroom ImageFor example, Jesus described his deep love for his followers in ter...

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...

Emperor Worship

The Demands of Emperor WorshipThe demands of Emporer WorshipEvery person in Ephesus and other cities that worshiped the emperor was expected to:- Participate in festivals honoring the emperor(s). This included offering incense on altars carried by...

Entrance to the Gate at Dan

These massive fortifications date to the time of the divided kingdom of Israel. The gate complex was probably constructed by Jeroboam and strengthened by Ahab. The gate entrance is parallel to the city wall on the right. The city itself is buried ...

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...

Five Candidates for Satan's Throne

There are many opinions as to exactly what John referred to when he wrote these phrases in Revelation 2:13: "where Satan has his throne" and "where Satan lives." No one knows whether he had in mind a specific temple or pagan pr...

VIEW ALL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Glossary

Dan Definition

One of the twelve Hebrew tribes originally placed between the Philistines and Judah. They migrated north and established the city of Dan as the northern border of Israel.

David's City Definition

The Jerusalem of David's time, located on a narrow strip of land (Mount Moriah), was about ten acres in size and populated by approximately 1,500 people. The city was naturally defended by the Kidron Valley to the east and the Tyropean Valley to t...

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...

Ekron Definition

One of the five Philistine city-states, it is the one closest to the Judea Mountains.

VIEW ALL GLOSSARY

Login