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| 14377678280 | Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac | Abraham is the first patriarch of Judaism, with whom God established his covenant (that Abraham would be the father of many nations who would live in the Promised Land). Sarah is his wife. Despite God's promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations, they were married for a long time and had no children. Sarah insisted that Abraham mate with her maid-servant, Hagar, so that he would have an heir, but after a child (Ishmael) was born, Sarah became pregnant and forced Abraham to throw out the maid (Hagar) and her son (Ishmael), because she was jealous. Their son is Isaac. Abraham is a model of faithfulness to God, particularly illustrated by the incident in which God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice Isaac on a mountain. They went up to the mountain, with Isaac just a bit suspicious that there was no animal to sacrifice (Abraham said that God would provide). Just as Abraham was about to slit Isaac's throat, an angel stayed his hand and he then saw a ram caught in nearby bushes, which he sacrificed instead. Isaac married Rebekah and fathered two children—Jacob and Esau. | 0 | |
| 14377682506 | Adam and Eve | the first man and woman; she's created from a rib taken from him. They live in bliss (and without sin) in the Garden of Eden until Eve is persuaded by a serpent (Satan) into eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge (the one tree in the garden which God instructed them not to eat from), which she then offers to Adam. After they eat, they realize they're naked and become ashamed. God (with some help from the Archangel Gabriel and his flaming sword) expels them from Eden as punishment; this incident is often referred to as the "fall from grace," or "loss of innocence." | 1 | |
| 14377683320 | Antichrist/Armageddon | the Antichrist is the antagonist of Christ who will appear before the Second Coming, claiming to be Christ, and make serious trouble until Christ actually appears and defeats him, probably at the battle of Armageddon, a great battle between the forces of good and evil that is to occur at the end of the world. | 2 | |
| 14377683850 | Babylon | an ancient city of Mesopotamia known for its wealth, luxury, and vice. | 3 | |
| 14377683851 | 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 (because Abel gave the first and best of his flock, while Cain did not). Cain was jealous and slew 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. When questioned by God about Abel's whereabouts, Cain said, "Am I my brother's keeper?" | 4 | |
| 14377686149 | Daniel | a young Hebrew prophet who prayed even when the king had ordered that no one pray. For this, he was thrown into a lion's den, where he should have been killed. Instead, God saved him and he came out of the lion's den unhurt, making him a symbol of God's protection and the rewards of faith. | 5 | |
| 14377686150 | The Divine Comedy | written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321, it is widely considered the central epic poem of Italian literature, and one of the greatest of world literature. Its influence is so great that it affects the Christian view of the afterlife to this day. The Divine Comedy is composed of three canticas: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise). In the Inferno, Dante is led by the poet Virgil into the underworld, where he experiences and describes each of the nine circles of hell. The sign at the entrance to Hell reads: "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." | 6 | |
| 14377688185 | 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. David was a musician who wrote most of the Psalms; Jesus is a descendant of David's line and, while far from perfect, David is seen as a forerunner of Jesus (in terms of being a great king). | 7 | |
| 14377688627 | Eden | earthly paradise for Adam and Eve | 8 | |
| 14377691507 | Gideon | an Israelite judge who, when massively outnumbered in a major battle, fooled the opposition by blasting trumpets to make the enemy believe the Hebrew forces were much larger than they really were. | 9 | |
| 14377692821 | Goliath | a huge warrior of the Philistines who was killed by a boy (David) with a slingshot; a symbol of a great power or obstacle that can be overcome. | 10 | |
| 14377694681 | Good Samaritan | a famous New Testament parable, that appears only in the Gospel of Luke (10:25-37). The parable is told by Jesus to show that the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself" requires compassion for all people (not just one's "own" people or literal neighbors) and that fulfilling the spirit of the Law is more important than fulfilling the letter of the Law. Jesus tells a parable about a traveler who was attacked, robbed, stripped, and left for dead by the side of a road. Later, a priest saw the stricken figure and avoided him, presumably in order to maintain ritual purity. Similarly, a Levite saw the man and ignored him as well. Then a Samaritan passed by, and, despite the mutual antipathy between his and the Jewish populations, immediately rendered assistance by giving him first aid and taking him to an inn to recover while promising to cover the expenses. By extension, a Good Samaritan is a generous person who is ready to provide aid to people in distress without hesitation. | 11 | |
| 14377700511 | Gospels | first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), also known as the "Good News," which tell the life of Jesus, but from four different perspectives. | 12 | |
| 14377700512 | Herod | the king of the Hebrews who ordered John the Baptist beheaded and who ordered all Jewish males under age two killed to prevent the "King of the Jews" (Jesus) from overthrowing him. | 13 | |
| 14377701213 | Holy Grail | the dish, plate, cup or vessel used by Jesus at the Last Supper (the meal he shared with his disciples the night before he was arrested - leading to his crucifixion and resurrection), said by some to possess miraculous powers. It has long been the object of fruitless quests (primarily in medieval literature). By extension, the "Holy Grail" has become the term for the object of an extended or difficult quest. | 14 | |
| 14377701214 | Jacob | son of Isaac and brother of Esau, whose birthright and blessing he stole when Isaac was on his deathbed (Jacob was the younger brother, so Esau should have inherited the blessing). Later, he dreamed of a ladder that served as a pathway between earth and heaven (symbolizing the ability of man to have a relationship with God through Jesus' life on earth and death on the cross). Jacob decided to apologize to Esau and then went on to have twelve sons, who became the twelve tribes of Israel. | 15 | |
| 14377701826 | Jesus Christ | Jesus Christ is a figure of martyrdom, sacrifice, and loving forgiveness. He is often symbolized as either a carpenter (which he had actually been, along with Joseph) or a lamb (a common sacrificial animal, particularly because it is associated with purity). Jesus is the Son of God, and was born in a manger in Bethlehem to a virgin (Mary). During his time on earth, he performed a number of miracles (raising people from the dead, turning water into wine, feeding the multitudes with only a few fish and loaves of bread), gave sermons (including his famous parables), and gathered disciples, despite being constantly challenged by lawyers and religious leaders. He was crucified (died on a cross) by the Romans, despite the fact that there was no legal reason for them to do so (Pontius Pilate was the governor who allowed the crucifixion to take place), but rose from the dead on the third day (his undeserved death paid the price for the sins of those who believe in him, so that they might enjoy eternity in heaven with God). Shortly after, he ascended to heaven where he sits alongside God, awaiting the Second Coming. | 16 | |
| 14377703581 | Jezebel | the wife of Ahab (a king of Israel), notorious for her evil and vicious actions that lead the Israelites into sin and subjected them to tyranny; she caused the death of many Jewish prophets; she is eventually thrown out the window and eaten by dogs. Her name is often associated with sexual immorality and prostitution, not because she was an actual prostitute, but because she led many men into sexual immorality and because she put on makeup before she was thrown to the dogs. | 17 | |
| 14377704169 | Job | a symbol of loyalty and faith in God. Satan suggested that Job, "a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil," would curse God if his blessing were taken away and bad things occurred. God gave Satan free rein to test Job; everything bad happened that could possibly happen and still Job didn't curse God. Eventually, God proved that Job was a faithful servant and that Satan was wrong, and God gave back all the things Job had lost. | 18 | |
| 14377704697 | John the Baptist | born before Jesus and announced his coming; baptized Jesus and was one of his followers. After Jesus' death, he was captured by Herod for preaching Jesus' 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 silver platter. | 19 | |
| 14377705493 | Jonah | a Hebrew whom God commanded to go to Nineveh to tell the people there to stop sinning. Jonah 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 "great fish" (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; he now serves as a symbol of learning the hard way. | 20 | |
| 14377705496 | 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). The other eleven brothers (all twelve of them made up the twelve tribes of Israel) were very jealous (especially when Joseph received a fancy, many-colored coat) 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. (Note: This is NOT the same Joseph who was married to Mary, Jesus' mother - this Joseph lived many hundreds of years before Jesus was born.) | 21 | |
| 14377705984 | Judas Iscariot | one of the twelve original disciples of Jesus; he sold Jesus out to the Romans who wanted to crucify him for thirty pieces of silver, agreeing to kiss Jesus (on the cheek, as a sign of friendship) 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. | 22 | |
| 14377707238 | Lazarus | a man whom Jesus raised from the dead, even though he'd been buried for three days. | 23 | |
| 14377707239 | Lucifer/Satan/Beelzebub | Lucifer was originally the top angel and sat at God's right hands until he got jealous and attempted a coup, which failed. He was sent to Hell, where he is more commonly called the Devil or Satan. He is jealous of God's love for humans and does everything possible to keep man from believing in and following God. Beelzebub was originally a Philistine deity worshiped as the Lord of the Flies; that name (and image) was transferred to Christianity; in Paradise Lost, Beelzebub ranks next to Satan. | 24 | |
| 14377708170 | The Magi | the Wise Men who followed the star to Bethlehem to see baby Jesus the night he was born and brought him gifts to honor his birth. | 25 | |
| 14377708812 | Mary and Joseph | Mary is the virgin mother of Jesus and Joseph is her husband, who served as Jesus' adoptive, earthly father. Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that she would bear the son of God; Joseph was a carpenter (again, not the same Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers in the Old Testament) | 26 | |
| 14377710132 | Mary Magdalene | a prostitute who came to hear Jesus preach and was accepted by him; she became a devout follower and was rewarded for her faithfulness (she was the first person to discover Jesus' empty tomb). Initially, his other followers were shocked, but he said, "Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone," so they shut up. She is a symbol of the absolute possibility of repentance and acceptance by God. | 27 | |
| 14377710133 | Moses and Aaron | brothers who led the Israelites (Jews) out of slavery in Egypt (they were still there from Joseph's time). Moses was the leader and God spoke to him (Moses probably had the closest direct relationship with God of anyone in the Bible), but he stuttered, so Aaron actually spoke to the people and told them what God told Moses. Moses led them across the Red Sea, which parted, and into the desert, where they roamed for many years. He went up to Mount Sinai, where God gave him the Ten Commandments. He was gone a long time and the people started to get nervous, so they built an idol to worship: a golden calf. When Moses came and found them worshiping an idol, he was so upset that he broke the tablets the commandments were on. After they destroyed the calf, he went back and got another copy of the commandments. Aaron became the first High Priest when the temple was built. | 28 | |
| 14377710670 | Noah | at God's request, 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 and was sent by God to destroy a world that had become completely corrupted by sin. After the flood, God sent a rainbow as a symbol of his covenant with Noah that He would never destroy the earth with a flood again. | 29 | |
| 14377711920 | Paradise Lost (1167) | an epic poem by the 17th century English poet John Milton. The poem tells the story of Satan's fall from heaven and subsequent temptation of Adam and Eve, as well as the creation of the world (including Adam and Eve), and Adam and Eve's fall and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. | 30 | |
| 14377711921 | Paul | largely the developer of Christianity as an organized system of beliefs; he took his information on the road and went preaching in towns all over the Greek and Roman empires, just ahead of Romans out to kill him for being a rabble-rouser. After he left a town where he had preached, he often wrote numerous letters to his followers there, to keep them with the faith. The most famous are the Epistles (letters) to the Corinthians. | 31 | |
| 14377712874 | Peter | the first "pope" of the Christian church. His name means "rock" in Latin and he provided the foundation for building the church itself, figuratively. He was also one of Jesus' closest disciples, although he denied Jesus three times on the night that He was crucified (as Jesus had predicted he would). | 32 | |
| 14377712875 | Prodigal Son | a wastrel who returns home and is welcomed with open arms. His brother, who had remained home to serve their father, is angry and jealous of the wastrel's warm reception. The parable of the Prodigal Son (told by Jesus) symbolizes the benevolence and generosity of God's (or anyone's) forgiveness and unconditional love. | 33 | |
| 14377713737 | Rachel and Leah | wives of Jacob; sisters of one another. Jacob fell in love with Rachel, the younger. Her father (Laban) said Jacob could marry her if he worked for him for seven years. Jacob did so. After the wedding, when he lifted the veil, he found that he'd married Leah, who had to marry first since she was older. Jacob still wanted Rachel, so Laban said Jacob could have her after another seven years of labor, which he did. Meanwhile, he and Leah turned out kids like crazy; however, the sons he finally has with Rachel (particularly Joseph) are his favorites. | 34 | |
| 14377714569 | Samson and Delilah | Samson had great strength because he had never cut his hair (he was a Nazarite, his life consecrated to the Lord). Delilah was from the enemy tribe (the Philistines), 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. | 35 | |
| 14377714570 | Sinai | the desert where the Jews roamed for many years, before getting to the Promised Land. | 36 | |
| 14377715287 | Sodom and Gomorrah | According to the Bible, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God for being incredibly full of sin and corruption (particularly sexual immorality). Before it was destroyed, a virtuous couple, Lot and his wife, were advised by God to leave the city immediately and not look back. Lot's wife submitted to temptation and, as she looked back on the city, she was turned into a pillar of salt. | 37 | |
| 14377715288 | 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 the baby cut in half (part for each woman). Solomon gave the baby to the woman who screamed not to cut it, since he determined that she must really love it if she didn't want it to die. | 38 | |
| 14377715953 | Thomas | disciple who was not present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples after his resurrection; refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he had physically seen and touched Jesus' wounds; Jesus appears to Thomas and accepts his worship, while commending those who believe without seeing (where the term "Doubting Thomas" comes from). | 39 |
