I reviewed this book February 14, 2007.
I personally recommend each Bible Student to have the following books in their library: Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words by W. E. Vine, The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D. and The New Compact Bible Dictionary by Zondervan Publishing House.
A.D. - Abbreviation for the Latin Anno Domini.
Adonai - The Jews used Adonai as a substitute for God's name, which they fervently believed should be reverened by not being spoken aloud.
apostle - From Greek apostolos, meaning "commissioned one" or "the one sent." The orginal twelve (Matthew 10:2 - 4; Mark 3:16 - 19; Luke 6:12 - 16).
After Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, Matthias replaced him as the twelfth apostle (Acts 1: 21-26). Paul of Tarsus, once known as Saul, later became an apostle through special commission from Jesus (I Cor. 15:9 - 10; Gal. 1:1).
Aramaic - was one of the languages Jesus spoke (Mark 5:41).
B.C. - Abbreviation for "Before Christ" - a calendar designation intended to represent the years before the birth of Jesus.
Bible - There are sixty-six books, writing that provide believers with an awe-inspiring record of God's nature and character. The Bible has withstood the most overwhelming scrutiny. The Old Testament authors allude to a new "covenant" (agreement or contract) that was later revealed through Jesus Christ (Jer. 31:31- 34); the New Testament confirms the full authenticity and dependability of the Old (John 10:35; 2 Tim. 3:14-16) and asserts its own authority (I Tim 5:18 - Luke 10:7 as Scripture; see also 2 Peter 3:15 - 16).
Christ - From Greek Christos, "anointed one."
Cross - The New Testament accounts say that Jesus was crucified on a stauros (Greek: "cross" or execution stake).
disciple - English translation of the Greek mathetes, "learner" or "follower." Jesus defined a disciple's calling in this way: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
Elohim - Hebrew title for God. Plural.
Eve - First female in creation (Gen. 1 - 3); "the mother of all living."
Jehovah - Because they viewed YHWH, God's personal name, as too holy to be spoken, the Jewish people substitued Adonai ("Lord") for it, even using the vowels from Adonai when writing YHWH.
Jesus as Son of God - Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is "the Son of God" (Matthew 4:3 - 6; 14:33; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 4:41; 22:70; John 1:34; 20:31), referring to Jesus divine origin and messianic identity (Luke 1:35).
The Last Supper - The Passover Meal that Jesus shared with his disciples prior to his arrest and crucifixion (Mark 14:12 - 25, Matthew 26:17 - 29, and Luke 22: 7 - 23).
The second description of the Passover Meal is found in John's gospel (13:21 - 30).
Mary, Mother of Jesus - The angel Gabriel refers to Mary as "highly favored" (Luke 1:29); she was present when Jesus was crucified (John 19:25), and she was with the disciples (Acts 1:14) after the ascension, following the resurrection.
Pentateuch - Refers to the Old Testament's first five books - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Likewise known as the Torah.
Sabbath - From Hebrew shabbot, "rest" seventh day of the week (Gen 2:1 - 3; Ex. 20:8 - 11). Christians worship on "the Lord's Day," referring to the week's first day, the day of the Lord's resurrection (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1).
Torah - Hebrew "Instruction" or "Law," the first five books of the Old Testament. Also known as the Pentateuch.
YHWH - Hebrew; personal name of God; also known as the Tetragrammaton. Israel viewed this name as too holy, to be spoken, so when reading the Scriptures, they substituted Adonai for YHWH.
If Jesus is not divine, then he could not have paid for our sins and our faith is in vain.... D. James Kennedy, Ph D., Senior Minister, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
The Authors:
Dr. Jim Garlow, has Master's degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Asbury Theological Seminary and a PhD in historical theology from Drew University.
Timothy Paul Jones, has a doctorate in educational leadership from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
April Williams, holds a Master's in theological studies from the Divinity School of Duke University. She is currently working on her PhD in early modern European history at the University of Mississippi.
