Glossary Al Aksa Mosque Built by the Moslems on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in 711 AD. Al Nakba Arabic for "the disaster" – a term used by Moslems to describe the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Aliyah Hebrew word meaning "to go up." Describes Jewish immigration to Israel. Anti-Semitism The term […]

God's deliverance There is a plant that grows in arid areas of Israel that the Bible uses as a prophetic picture of what is to happen in the future. The plant is the "galgal" (Hebrew: gimel lamed gimel lamed). It is mentioned twice in the Old Testament – once in Psalm 83 and again in […]

“Who was Flavius Josephus?”……Answer: Since their release in the first century A.D., the writings of Flavius Josephus have become a primary source of Judeo-Christian history. According to The Life of Flavius Josephus, Josephus ÔÇÿwas born to Matthias in the first year of the reign of Caius Caesar' (1:5), being 37 A.D. At ÔÇÿfourteen years of […]

“Who was Philo of Alexandria?”……Answer: Philo of Alexandria, sometimes known as Philo Judaeus, was a first century philosopher who was born sometime between 15-30 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. A member of the Jewish Diaspora, he was raised with a Jewish and Greek education, giving him an impressive status in a non-Jewish city like Egypt. Biblical […]

Magi (Plural of Latin magus; Greek magoi). The”wise men from the East”who came to adore Jesus in Bethlehem (Mat.2). …Rationalists regard the Gospel account as fiction; Catholics insist that it is a narrative of fact, supporting their interpretation with the evidence of all manuscripts and versions, and patristic citations. All this evidence rationalists pronounce irrelevant; […]

“What was the tabernacle of Moses?”……Answer: The tabernacle of Moses was the temporary place of worship that the Israelites built while wandering the desert and used until King Solomon built a temple. The word "tabernacle" comes from the English for the Hebrew miskan, which means "dwelling place." The Feast of Tabernacles commemorates this time of […]

“What was the significance of the temple veil being torn in two when Jesus died?”……Answer: During the lifetime of Jesus, the holy temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life. The temple was the place where animal sacrifices were carried out and worship according to the Law of Moses was followed faithfully. Hebrews […]