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Genesis
the first book of the Old Testament: tells of Creation; Adam and Eve; the Fall of Man; Cain and Abel; Noah and the flood; God's covenant with Abraham; Abraham and Isaac; Jacob and Esau; Joseph and his brothers
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Exodus
the second book of the Old Testament: tells of the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt led by Moses; God gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of Mosaic law on Mount Sinai during the Exodus
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Leviticus
the third book of the Old Testament; contains Levitical law and ritual precedents
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Numbers
the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt
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Deuteronomy
the fifth book of the Old Testament; contains a second statement of Mosaic law
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Joshua
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
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Judges
a book of the Old Testament that tells the history of Israel under the leaders known as judges
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Ruth
the great-grandmother of king David whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament
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Samuel
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
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chronicle
a record or narrative description of past events
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Ezra
a Jewish priest and scribe sent by the Persian king to restore Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem
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Nehemiah
an Old Testament book telling how a Jewish official at the court of Artaxerxes I in 444 BC became a leader in rebuilding Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity
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Esther
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
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Job
a Jewish hero in the Old Testament who maintained his faith in God in spite of afflictions that tested him
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Psalm
one of the 150 lyrical poems and prayers that comprise the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament; said to have been written by David
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Proverbs
an Old Testament book consisting of proverbs from various Israeli sages (including Solomon)
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Ecclesiastes
an Old Testament book consisting of reflections on the vanity of human life; is traditionally attributed to Solomon but probably was written about 250 BC
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Solomon
(Old Testament) son of David and king of Israel noted for his wisdom (10th century BC)
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Isaiah
(Old Testament) the first of the major Hebrew prophets (8th century BC)
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Jeremiah
(Old Testament) an Israelite prophet who is remembered for his angry lamentations (jeremiads) about the wickedness of his people (circa 626-587 BC)
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Lamentations
an Old Testament book lamenting the desolation of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC; traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah
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Ezekiel
a Hebrew prophet of the 6th century BC who was exiled to Babylon in 587 BC
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Daniel
an Old Testament book that tells of the apocalyptic visions and the experiences of Daniel in the court of Nebuchadnezzar
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Hosea
a minor Hebrew prophet (8th century BC)
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Joel
a Hebrew minor prophet
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Amos
a Hebrew shepherd and minor prophet
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Obadiah
a Hebrew minor prophet
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Jonah
(Old Testament) Jonah did not wish to become a prophet so God caused a great storm to throw him overboard from a ship; he was saved by being swallowed by a whale that vomited him out onto dry land
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Micah
a minor Hebrew prophet (8th century BC)
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Nahum
a Hebrew minor prophet of the 7th century BC
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Habakkuk
a Hebrew minor prophet
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Zephaniah
a Hebrew minor prophet of the late 7th century BC
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Haggai
a Hebrew minor prophet
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Zechariah
a Hebrew minor prophet of the late 6th century BC
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Malachi
a Hebrew minor prophet of the 5th century BC
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Matthew
one of the Gospels in the New Testament; includes the Sermon on the Mount
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Mark
the shortest of the four Gospels in the New Testament
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Luke
(New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel
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John
youngest son of Henry II; King of England from 1199 to 1216; succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Richard I; lost his French possessions; in 1215 John was compelled by the barons to sign the Magna Carta (1167-1216)
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Acts
a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
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Roman
relating to or characteristic of people of Rome
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Corinthian
a resident of Corinth
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Galatians
a New Testament book containing the epistle from Saint Paul to the Galatians
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Philippians
a New Testament book containing an epistle from Saint Paul to the church at Philippi in Macedonia
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Colossians
a New Testament book containing an epistle from Saint Paul to the Colossians in ancient Phrygia
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Thessalonian
a native or inhabitant of Thessalonica
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Timothy
a disciple of Saint Paul who became the leader of the Christian community at Ephesus
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Titus
a Greek disciple and helper of Saint Paul
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Philemon
a New Testament book containing an epistle from Saint Paul to Philemon asking Philemon to forgive the slave for escaping
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Hebrews
the ethnic group claiming descent from Abraham and Isaac (especially from Isaac's son Jacob); the nation whom God chose to receive his revelation and with whom God chose to make a covenant (Exodus 19)
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James
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of John; author of the Epistle of James in the New Testament
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Peter
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
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Jude
(New Testament) supposed brother of St. James; one of the Apostles who is invoked in prayer when a situation seems hopeless
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Revelation
the last book of the New Testament; contains visionary descriptions of heaven and of conflicts between good and evil and of the end of the world; attributed to Saint John the Apostle