Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Obadiah, book of the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Obadiah, short prophetic book of the Bible. The prophet is otherwise unknown. The oracle which comprises this book dates from after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 b.c. The prop...

Bene Israel

(Encyclopedia)Bene Israel or Beni Israel both: bāˈnē [key] [Heb.,=sons of Israel], Jewish community of India, living mostly in and near Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Many thousands of others have settled in Israel s...

Adam, town, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Adam, in the Bible, town on the upper Jordan.

Kings, books of the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Kings, books of the Bible, originally a single work in the Hebrew canon. They are called First and Second Kings in modern Bibles, and Third and Fourth Kingdoms in the Greek versions, where the books o...

Zechariah, book of the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Zechariah zĕkˌərīˈə [key], prophetic book of the Bible, which dates from 520 b.c.–518 b.c. at Jerusalem. The prophet was associated with Haggai in a movement to restore the Temple. The book, a...

Michael, persons in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Michael, in the Bible. 1 Father of Sethur the spy. 2 Chief of Issachar. 3 One of David's captains at Ziklag. 4 Jehoshaphat's murdered son. ...

Sharon, plain, Israel

(Encyclopedia)Sharon shāˈrən, shârˈən [key], plain between the Samarian Hills of central Israel and the Mediterranean Sea, extending c.50 mi (80 km) from Jaffa to Caesarea, and mentioned several times in the ...

Abel, places in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Abel, in the Bible. 1 Ostensibly a place name. The RSV text does not give the name. 2 See Abel-beth-maachah. ...

Ezra, persons in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Ezra, in the Bible. 1 Central figure of the book of Ezra. 2 Priest who returned with Zerubbabel. ...

Kish, persons in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Kish kĭsh [key], in the Bible. 1 Father of Saul. An alternate form is Cis. 2 Uncle of Saul. 3 Ancestor of Mordecai. ...