4771172252 | Adam and Eve | Adam and Eve the first man and woman. They live in bliss in the Garden of Eden until Eve is persuaded by a Serpent into eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, which she then offers to Adam. After they eat, they realize they're naked and become ashamed. God expels them from Eden as punishment; often referred to as the "fall from grace," or "loss of innocence." | 0 | |
4771181035 | Cain and Abel | Cain and Abel the two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was older and a farmer; Abel was a shepherd. They made offerings to God, who liked Abel's lamb better than Cain's wheat. Cain was jealous and killed Abel, for which he was forced to roam as an outcast, with a horrible mark on his forehead that showed that he killed his brother. He said, "Am I my brother's keeper?" | 1 | |
4771190432 | Noah's Ark | Noah built an ark, on which all the animals on the earth went, two by two, to escape drowning in the great flood, which lasted 40 days and 40 nights. | 2 | |
4771191957 | David and Goliath | David, a young boy who had the courage to fight the huge enemy, Goliath, whom he killed with a slingshot. He became king and was quite good, except for lusting after a married woman (Bathsheba), whose husband he then sent to the front lines to get conveniently killed so David could marry her. They became the parents of Absalom and Solomon. Goliath, a huge warrior of the Philistines who was killed by a boy (David) with a slingshot; a symbol of great power that can be overpowered. | 3 | |
4771200369 | Moses | The Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites from Egypt across the Red sea on a journey known as the Exodus. He received the Ten Commandments from Jehovah on Mt. Sinai. Following the pattern of the archetypal hero's life, Moses was a foundling child rescued by Pharaoh's daughter and raised to be a prince of Egypt. As an adult, he led his own people, the children of Israel, out of bondage in Egypt, through the Red Sea on dry land, and on a 40-year journey searching for the Promised Land. Because he committed one arrogant sin--striking a rock to bring forth needed water--he himself was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. | 4 | |
4771289174 | The Ten Commandments | The rules God gave to Moses, written on stone tablets, for the Israelites to follow as they lived their lives. | 5 | |
4771294853 | Exodus | Exodus is the second book of the Bible. It recounts the journey of Moses and the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The word "exodus" comes from the Greek, meaning departure. | 6 | |
4771300521 | Abraham and Isaac | Father and son. God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to kill his son, Isaac, which Abraham was willing to do. Both Jews and Arabs trace their lineage to "Father Abraham" : Jews descend from Isaac, Arabs from Abraham's other son, Ishmael. | 7 | |
4771335524 | Jacob and Esau | Jacob, son of Isaac and brother of Esau, whose birthright and blessing he stole when Isaac was on his deathbed. Later, he dreamt of a ladder that one could climb to get to heaven, with each rung being a good deed. He decided to apologize to Esau and then went on to have twelve sons, who became the twelve tribes of Israel. | 8 | |
4771339856 | The Tower of Babel | The Tower of Babel, originally intended to reach into heaven, was built by the descendants of Noah, who were unified in speech in the city of Babel. Because of their arrogance, God confused their speech, making the people unable to understand one another, thus creating the different languages of Earth. | 9 | |
4771345838 | Jonah and the Whale | Jonah, a Hebrew whom God commanded to go to Nineveh to tell the people there to stop sinning. He didn't want to and tried to escape by boat, but God made a great storm. When the others on board realized that Jonah was the person God was mad at, they threw him overboard. He was then swallowed by a whale. He lived inside it for several days, repented, and was regurgitated on the beach. He then went quickly to Nineveh and followed God's orders. A symbol of learning the hard way. | 10 | |
4771350651 | Samson and Delilah | Samson, a man of the Old Testament who had incredible strength. Samson was betrayed by his lover, Delilah, who found out that his hair was the source of his strength and cut it. Samson and Delilah He had great strength because he had never cut his hair (he was a Nazarite, his life consecrated to the Lord). She was from the enemy tribe (the Philistines) and became his mistress and then betrayed him by cutting his hair while he slept. The Philistines captured and blinded him, but Samson eventually found enough strength to destroy his enemies by pulling down the pillars of the temple they were all in, even though doing so meant that he would die too. | 11 | |
4771387733 | Solomon | Solomon king of the Hebrews known for his wisdom. When two women appeared before him, both claiming that the same baby belonged to both of them, he ordered it cut in half, so each woman could have half. The woman who screamed not to cut the baby was given it, since Solomon determined that she must really love it, since she didn't want it to die. | 12 | |
4771399898 | Job | Job a symbol of loyalty and faith in God. God and Satan made a bet as to whether or not Job would curse God, no matter what bad things occurred. God gave Satan free rein to test Job; everything bad happened that could possibly and still Job didn't curse God. Eventually, god won the bet and gave Job back all the things he had lost. | 13 | |
4771409318 | Ruth | Naomi was a Hebrew whose son married Ruth, a Moabite (foreigner). After the son died, Ruth chose to stay with Naomi rather than returning to her own people. She is the first convert to Judaism and a symbol of loyalty. | 14 | |
4771417840 | Jacob and the Ladder | Jacob Son of Isaac and brother of Esau, whose birthright and blessing he stole when Isaac was on his deathbed. Later, he dreamt of a ladder that one could climb to get to heaven, with each rung being a good deed. He decided to apologize to Esau and then went on to have twelve sons, who became the twelve tribes of Israel. | 15 | |
4771427390 | Joseph and the Coat | Joseph firstborn son of Rachel and Jacob, who loved him more than all his other sons because he loved the mother (Rachel) more than the mother of his other children (Leah). Joseph flaunted his father's favor, especially by showing off his many-colored coat that was a gift from Dad. Other brothers were very jealous and planned to murder him; instead, they sold him into slavery and he was taken to Egypt, where his ability to interpret dreams led him to become the pharaoh's right-hand man. | 16 | |
4771438345 | Elijah | A prophet, especially one who foresees coming disaster. The biblical prophet, Elijah, opposed the worship of idols and incurred the wrath of Jezebel, the queen of Israel, who tried to kill him. He was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire | 17 | |
4771456550 | Jezebel | Jezebel was an immoral queen of Israel who tried to kill the prophet Elijah. The wife of Ahab (a king of Israel), notorious for her evil and vicious actions. | 18 | |
4771460547 | The Creation Birth of Jesus (Virgin Birth) | The virgin birth of Jesus is the belief that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother Mary through the Holy Spirit without the agency of a human father and born while Mary was yet a virgin. | 19 | |
4771468484 | Parable of the Prodigal Son | Tells of a son who squandered his inheritance but eventually realized his errors and returned home to beg his father's forgiveness. His father welcomed his son back with open arms. His brother, who had remained home to serve their father, is angry and jealous of the wastrel's warm reception. Symbolizes the benevolence and generosity of God's (or anyone's) forgiveness; unconditional love. | 20 | |
4771485158 | Lazarus | A man who Jesus raised from the dead, even though he'd been buried for three days. A symbol of Jesus's power and of possibilities. | 21 | |
4771487388 | The Temptation of Christ | Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judaean Desert. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and tried to tempt him. Jesus having refused each temptation, the devil then departed and Jesus returned to Galilee. | 22 | |
4771511148 | Jesus in the Desert | Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judaean Desert after being baptized by John the Baptist. | 23 | |
4771517098 | Sermon on the Mount | The Sermon on the Mount was the first sermon of Jesus. Among the many teachings of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount contains the Beatitudes, the lord's Prayer, and the Golden Rule. | 24 | |
4771522729 | John the Baptist | Born before Jesus and announced his coming. Baptized Jesus and was one of his followers. After Jesus's death, he was captured by Herod for preaching Jesus's word. Salome danced for Herod, who offered her any gift in payment for her wonderful dancing. She requested the head of John the Baptist, which was delivered to her on a sliver platter. | 25 | |
4771552271 | Jordan River | In biblical tradition, the Jordan River serves as an important geophysical and symbolic boundary as well as a place for demonstrations of the Lord's power and for ritual immersion, or baptism. | 26 | |
4771561046 | The Last Supper | The Last Supper refers to the final meal that Jesus shared with his disciples before being betrayed and sentenced to death. | 27 | |
4771562027 | Judas (The Kiss) | One of the twelve original disciples of Jesus. He sold out to the Romans for thirty pieces of silver. He kissed Jesus in public so the Romans would know which man was Jesus and could arrest him. The "kiss of Judas" is an act of betrayal, especially one that looks like a loving action. | 28 | |
4771563166 | Peter | Peter, originally called Simon, was one of the Twelve Apostles. He was the one who denied Jesus three times and upon whom Jesus built his church; that is, Peter became the leader of Christ's new church. It was said that Peter was entrusted with the keys to heaven. | 29 | |
4771567431 | Nazareth | Nazareth is the hometown of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, thus the name "Jesus of Nazareth." | 30 | |
4771568535 | Bethlehem | Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus; it's a village near Jerusalem. | 31 | |
4771572325 | Crucifixion | The execution of a person by nailing or binding them to a cross. | 32 | |
4771573753 | Resurrection | Resurrection is the concept of a living being coming back to life after death. In a number of ancient religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and resurrects. The death and resurrection of Jesus, an example of resurrection, is the central focus of Christianity. | 33 | |
4771576178 | Ascension | The act of rising to an important position or a higher level. The ascent of Christ into heaven on the fortieth day after the Resurrection. | 34 | |
4771578429 | Doubting Thomas | Doubting Thomas Refers to the apostle Thomas, who was not present with the others when they saw the risen Jesus Christ. He demanded to see for himself and touch Jesus' wounds before he would believe that Christ had risen from the dead. Those with little faith are often referred to as doubting Thomases. | 35 | |
4771579231 | Armageddon | The battle of Armageddon refers to the final war between human governments and God. These governments and their supporters oppose God even now by refusing to submit to his rulership. The battle of Armageddon will bring human rulership to an end | 36 | |
4771585707 | The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation. | 37 | |
4771587859 | Trinity | The Christian Godhead as one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. | 38 | |
4771591726 | Lot, Sodom, and Gomorrah | Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and in the deuterocanonical Book of Wisdom, as well as in the Qur'an and hadith. | 39 | |
4772785383 | Prometheus | In Greek and Roman Mythology, Prometheus was a Titan; stole fire from heaven for man. Zeus punished him by chaining him to rock in Caucasus where vultures devoured his liver daily. | 40 | |
4772790119 | River Styx | A river in Greek mythology which formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld (often called Hades which is also the name of this domain's ruler). | 41 | |
4772794926 | Hercules | Son of Zeus (Roman equivalent Jupiter). Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. | 42 | |
4772803768 | Persephone and Demeter | Sister of Zeus. Demeter was in charge of the harvest. If Demeter did not do her job, the crops could die, and everyone would starve. It was important to keep Demeter happy. Persephone was her daughter. Hades fell in love with Persephone. He captured her and took her to the Underworld. | 43 | |
4772820994 | Theseus | Greek hero, especially national hero of Athens; slayer of the Minotaur. It was by lifting a boulder that Theseus, grandson of the king of Troezen, first proved himself a hero. Theseus was sixteen at the time. He had been raised by his grandfather and his mother, Princess Aethra. | 44 | |
4772834047 | Eurydice and Orpheus | Eurydice and Orpheus were young and in love. These young lovers were very happy and spent their time frolicking through the meadows. One day Eurydice was running through a meadow with Orpheus when she was bitten by a serpent. The poison of the sting killed her and she descended to Hades immediately. Orpheus was son of the great Olympian god Apollo. In many ways Apollo was the god of music and Orpheus was blessed with musical talents. Orpheus was so sad about the loss of his love that he composed music to express the emptiness. He was so desperate and found so little else meaningful, that he decided address Hades. As the overseer of the underworld, Hades heart had to be hard as steel, and so it was. But Orpheus' music was so sweet and so moving that it softened the steel hearted heart of Hades himself. Hades gave permission to Orpheus to bring Eurydice back to the surface of the earth to enjoy the light of day. There was only one condition--Orpheus was not to look back as he ascended. He was to trust that Eurydice was immediately behind him. It was a long way back up and just as Orpheus had almost finished that last part of the trek, he looked behind him to make sure Eurydice was still with him. At that very moment, she was snatched back because he did not trust that she was there. | 45 | |
4772865190 | Jason | Heroic leader of the Argonauts, a team of heroes who journeyed from Greece to distant Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. | 46 | |
4772881475 | The Journey of the Hero | Common template of a broad category of tales that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, and then comes home changed or transformed | 47 | |
4772915534 | Daedalus and Icarus | Icarus was the son of Daedalus one of King Minos' servants. Daedalus was way too smart and inventive, thus, he started thinking how he and Icarus would escape the Labyrinth. Knowing that his architectural creation was too complicated, he figured out that they could not come out on foot. He also knew that the shores of Crete were perfectly guarded, thus, they would not be able to escape by sea either. The only way left was the air. Daedalus managed to create gigantic wings. He taught Icarus how to fly, but told him to keep away from the sun because the heat would make the wax melt, destroying the wings. Daedalus and Icarus managed to escape the Labyrinth and flew to the sky. Although he was warned, Icarus was too young and too enthusiastic about flying. He got carried away and started flying high to salute the sun, diving low to the sea, and then up high again. Icarus fell into the sea and drowned. | 48 |
AP Literature Biblical References Flashcards
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