In Greek mythology, Cocytus, meaning river of wailing (Greek κωκυτός, "lamentation") was the river in the underworld on the banks of which the dead who could not pay Charon wandered, according to most accounts, for one hundred years. It flowed into the river Acheron, across which lay Hades, the mythological abode of the dead. In The Divine Comedy (Inferno), Cocytus is the ninth and lowest circle of Hell and is frozen by the flapping wings of Lucifer, or Satan. In the Inferno Cocytus is referred to as ...

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Ammon or Ammonites (עַמּוֹן "People", Standard Hebrew ʻAmmon, Tiberian Hebrew ʻAmmôn), also referred to in the Bible as the "children of Ammon," were a people living east of the Jordan river, who along with the Moabites traced their origin to Lot, the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, and who were regarded as close relatives of the Israelites and Edomites. Ammon - Territory. The borders of the Ammonite territory are not clearly defined in the Bible. In Judges xi. 13, the ...

Including:

Ammon - Territory Ammon - In the Torah Joshua and Judges
Ammon - Descent Ammon - Role in the Israelite Exodus Ammon - In the time of the Judges
Ammon - During the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah Ammon - Subsequent History Ammon - Language Ammon - Religion Ammon - Economy Ammon - In Jewish law Ammon - Resources

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Circumcision is the removal of some or all of the foreskin (prepuce) from the penis. The frenulum may also be removed at the same time, in a procedure called frenectomy. The word circumcision comes from Latin circum (meaning "around") and caedere (meaning "to cut"). Female circumcision is a term applied to a variety of procedures performed on the female genitalia. Except where specified, "circumcision" in this article should be taken as "male circumcision". Some opponents of this practice ...

Including:

Circumcision - Reasons for circumcision
Circumcision - Religious and cultural circumcision Circumcision - Medical circumcision Circumcision - Circumcision and body modification
Circumcision - Risks of circumcision Circumcision - History of circumcision
Circumcision - Circumcision in the Ancient World Circumcision - Circumcision in the Greco-Roman World Circumcision - Medical circumcision in the 19th century and early 20th century Circumcision - Circumcision since 1950
Circumcision - Emotional impact of circumcision and non-circumcision
Circumcision - Support groups
Circumcision - Consent
Circumcision - Religious circumcision of minors
Circumcision - Prevalence of circumcision worldwide
Circumcision - United States

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Anti-Semitism - Anti-Judaism in the New Testament. The New Testament is a collection of 'books' written by various authors. Most of this collection was written by the end of the first century. The majority of the New Testament was written by Jews who became followers of Jesus, and all but two books (Luke and Acts) are traditionally attributed to such Jewish followers. Nevertheless, there are a number of passages in the New Testament that some see as anti-Semitic, or have been used for anti-Semitic purposes, most ...

See also:

Anti-Semitism, Anti-Semitism - Etymology and usage, Anti-Semitism - Definitions of the term, Anti-Semitism - Earliest Antisemitism, Anti-Semitism - Religious Antisemitism, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Judaism in the New Testament, Anti-Semitism - Early Christianity, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages, Anti-Semitism - Disabilities and Restrictions, Anti-Semitism - The Crusades, Anti-Semitism - The expulsions from England France Germany and Spain, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Judaism and the Reformation, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Semitism in 19th and 20th century Catholicism, Anti-Semitism - Passion plays, Anti-Semitism - Racial anti-Semitism, Anti-Semitism - Nationalism and Anti-Semitism, Anti-Semitism - The rise of racial anti-Semitism, Anti-Semitism - Elites and the use of Anti-semitism, Anti-Semitism - Dreyfus Affair, Anti-Semitism - Pogroms, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Jewish Legislation, Anti-Semitism - The Holocaust and Holocaust Denial, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Semitism and the Muslim world, Anti-Semitism - Anti-semitism and specific countries, Anti-Semitism - United States, Anti-Semitism - Europe, Anti-Semitism - Asia, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, Anti-Semitism - New anti-Semitism, Anti-Semitism - Anti-Semitism in the 21st century

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Main article: History of male circumcision It has been variously proposed that circumcision began as a religious sacrifice, as a rite of passage marking a boy's entrance into adulthood, as a form of sympathetic magic to ensure virility, as a means of suppressing (or enhancing) sexual pleasure, as an aid to hygiene where regular bathing was impractical, as a means of marking those of lower (or higher) social status, as a means of differentiating a circumcising group from their non-circumcising neighbors, as a means of discouragi ...

See also:

Circumcision, Circumcision - Reasons for circumcision, Circumcision - Religious and cultural circumcision, Circumcision - Medical circumcision, Circumcision - Circumcision and body modification, Circumcision - Risks of circumcision, Circumcision - History of circumcision, Circumcision - Circumcision in the Ancient World, Circumcision - Circumcision in the Greco-Roman World, Circumcision - Medical circumcision in the 19th century and early 20th century, Circumcision - Circumcision since 1950, Circumcision - Emotional impact of circumcision and non-circumcision, Circumcision - Support groups, Circumcision - Consent, Circumcision - Religious circumcision of minors, Circumcision - Prevalence of circumcision worldwide, Circumcision - United States

Read more here: » Circumcision: Encyclopedia II - Circumcision - History of circumcision

The borders of the Ammonite territory are not clearly defined in the Bible. In Judges xi. 13, the claim of the king of Ammon, who demands of the Israelites the restoration of the land "from Arnon even unto Jabbok and unto Jordan," is mentioned only as an unjust claim (xi. 15), inasmuch as the Israelite part of this tract had been conquered from the Amorite king Sihon who had, in tern, displaced the Moabites; in Judges xi. 22 it is stated that the Israelites had possession "from the wilderness even unto Jordan," and that they laid a claim to ...

See also:

Ammon, Ammon - Territory, Ammon - In the Torah Joshua and Judges, Ammon - Descent, Ammon - Role in the Israelite Exodus, Ammon - In the time of the Judges, Ammon - During the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, Ammon - Subsequent History, Ammon - Language, Ammon - Religion, Ammon - Economy, Ammon - In Jewish law, Ammon - Resources

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As with 1 Esdras, there is some confusion about the numbering of this book. Some early Latin manuscripts call it 3 Esdras, and Jerome denoted it 4 Esdras. Once Jerome's 1 and 2 Esdras were denoted Ezra and Nehemiah in more recent times, the designation 2 Esdras became the most common. The Russian Orthodox Church, which accords this book canonical status in the Slavonic Bible, calls it 3 Esdras, with Ezra ...

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2 Esdras, 2 Esdras - Naming numbering and language, 2 Esdras - Author and criticism, 2 Esdras - Usage, 2 Esdras - External link

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In the Gospels, Jesus has many titles besides "Messiah": Prophet, Lord, Son of man, Son of God, Son of David, King of the Jews and Emmanuel. The Gospels record the disciple Thomas addressing Jesus as "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28), and record Jesus stating: "I and the Father [God] are One" (John 10:30), "before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58), and similarly: "Now, Father, glorify me... with the glory which I had with you before the world existed" (John 17:5). Most Christian theologians view such statements as references to Christ's divinity. The following sections examine the various titles given to ...

See also:

Names and titles of Jesus, Names and titles of Jesus - Personal name, Names and titles of Jesus - Christ, Names and titles of Jesus - Other titles in the Gospels, Names and titles of Jesus - Prophet, Names and titles of Jesus - Lord, Names and titles of Jesus - Son of Man, Names and titles of Jesus - Son of God, Names and titles of Jesus - King of the Jews, Names and titles of Jesus - Lamb of God, Names and titles of Jesus - Titles not used in the Gospels, Names and titles of Jesus - Christ the King, Names and titles of Jesus - King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Names and titles of Jesus - King of Heaven, Names and titles of Jesus - HO ON, Names and titles of Jesus - Abbreviations, Names and titles of Jesus - Other titles in the Qur'an

Read more here: » Names and titles of Jesus: Encyclopedia II - Names and titles of Jesus - Other titles in the Gospels

According to Hodges, ancient Greek aesthetics of the human form considered circumcision a mutilation of a previously perfectly shaped organ. Greek artwork of the period portrayed penises as covered by the foreskin (sometimes in exquisite detail), except in the portrayal of satyrs, lechers, and barbarians.[1] This dislike of the appearance of the circumcised penis led to a decline in the incidence of circumcision among many peoples that had previously practiced it throughout Hellenistic times. In Egypt, only the priestly caste retained ...

See also:

History of male circumcision, History of male circumcision - Circumcision in the Ancient World, History of male circumcision - Male Circumcision in the Greco-Roman World, History of male circumcision - Male Circumcision in the Renaissance, History of male circumcision - Male Circumcision in the 18th Century, History of male circumcision - Male Circumcision in the 19th Century and beyond, History of male circumcision - Male circumcision to prevent masturbation, History of male circumcision - Medical circumcision from 1870 to 1950 in English-speaking countries, History of male circumcision - Circumcision since 1950, History of male circumcision - Circumcision in the 21st century, History of male circumcision - Reference

Read more here: » History of male circumcision: Encyclopedia II - History of male circumcision - Male Circumcision in the Greco-Roman World

Jonathan was one of the sons of Mattathias Maccabaeus. His father was a Kohen credited as the founding figure of the rebellion of the Maccabees against Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire. However Mattathias died in 167 BC while the rebellion was only begining. He was survived by Jonathan and his brothers Eleazar, Johanan, Judas Maccabeus, Simon Maccabaeus. They were sworn to continue the rebellion of their father. Judas soon became thei ...

See also:

Jonathan Maccabaeus, Jonathan Maccabaeus - Leader of the Jews, Jonathan Maccabaeus - Turn of fate, Jonathan Maccabaeus - High Priest., Jonathan Maccabaeus - Victory over Apollonius., Jonathan Maccabaeus - Under Demetrius II., Jonathan Maccabaeus - Friendship with Rome and Sparta., Jonathan Maccabaeus - Diodotus Tryphon

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Jaffa - Name sources. Jaffa (or Yaffo) is one of the most ancient port cities in the world. Some claim that Jaffa was named after Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah, who built it after the Great Flood. A Hebrew etymology indicates that the city is called Jaffa because of its beauty (yofi in Hebrew). The Hellenist tradition links the name to "Iopeia", which is Cassiopeia, the mother of Andromeda. However the Hellenist accounting for the name dates from hundreds of years after the original naming. < ...

See also:

Jaffa, Jaffa - History, Jaffa - Name sources, Jaffa - Ancient period, Jaffa - Christian Jaffa, Jaffa - The Ottoman period, Jaffa - Under the British mandate, Jaffa - The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Jaffa - Displacement of the Arab Population, Jaffa - Modern Jaffa, Jaffa - Restoration of the Old City, Jaffa - Jaffa Beyond the Old City, Jaffa - Places to see

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Greeks - Classical and Roman. Herodotus states that the Athenians declared, before the battle of Plataea, that they would not go over to Mardonius, because in the first place, they were bound to avenge the burning of the Acropolis; and, secondly, they would not betray their fellow Greeks, to whom they were bound by: A common language1 (the use of one of the dialects of the Greek language) Common blood2 (descent from Hellen, son of Deucalion) Common shrines, statues and sacrifices (practice of the ancient Greek religion)3 and ...

See also:

Greeks, Greeks - Identity of the Greek people, Greeks - Classical and Roman, Greeks - Byzantine and Ottoman, Greeks - Modern independence, Greeks - Names used for the Greek people, Greeks - History of the Greeks, Greeks - Greeks around the world, Greeks - Timeline of Greek migrations, Greeks - Footnotes, Greeks - Miscellaneous topics

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While the authorship of Judges has traditionally been ascribed to Samuel, the great majority of modern scholars have come to a much more complex conclusion, regarding the work as having hardly any literary unity at all. Many suspect the brief Book of Ruth to have originally been part of the Appendices of Judges, owing to its style, linguistic features and the time period in which its contents are set, it somehow becomin ...

See also:

Book of Judges, Book of Judges - Structure and content, Book of Judges - Authorship, Book of Judges - The introduction, Book of Judges - The main text, Book of Judges - The appendices

Read more here: » Book of Judges: Encyclopedia II - Book of Judges - Authorship

Hanukkah has relatively simple religious rituals that are performed during the eight nights and days of the holiday. Some aspects are practiced at home by the family, other aspects are communal. There are additions to the regular daily prayer services in the Siddur, the Jewish prayer book. Jewish law does not require one to refrain from activities on Hanukkah that would fit the Jewish definition of "work." So, children do not get out of going to school to celebrate the holiday, and parents do not get a week's vacation from employment, either. Ha ...

See also:

Hanukkah, Hanukkah - Commemoration, Hanukkah - Historical sources, Hanukkah - In the Talmud, Hanukkah - In the Septuagint, Hanukkah - The story, Hanukkah - Hanukkah rituals, Hanukkah - Kindling the Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah - When to light the lights, Hanukkah - Blessings over the candles, Hanukkah - Additions to the daily prayers, Hanukkah - Traditional Hanukkah foods, Hanukkah - Hanukkah games: Dreidel and Gelt, Hanukkah - Dreidel, Hanukkah - Chanukkah Gelt, Hanukkah - Interaction with other traditions, Hanukkah - Alternative spellings based on transliterating Hebrew letters, Hanukkah - Background, Hanukkah - Chronology, Hanukkah - Battles of the Maccabean revolt, Hanukkah - When Hanukkah occurs, Hanukkah - Hanukkah's dates in the Gregorian calendar

Read more here: » Hanukkah: Encyclopedia II - Hanukkah - Hanukkah rituals

The practice of a Nazarite vow is part of the obscurity of the Greek term "Nazarene" that appears in the New Testament; the sacrifice of a lamb and the offering of bread does suggest a relationship with Christian symbolism. However, a saying (Matthew 11:18f; Luke 7:33ff) attributed to Jesus makes it doubtful that he might have been a Nazarite, as does the ritual consumption of wine as part of the Eucharist. Luke clearly was aware that wine was forbidden in ascetic practice, for the angel (Luke 1:15) that announces the birth of John th ...

See also:

Nazirite, Nazirite - Nazirite Vows in the Old Testament, Nazirite - Nazirite Vows in History, Nazirite - Nazarites and the New Testament, Nazirite - Nazarite and Rastafari

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Dagon was a major northwest Semitic god, the god of grain and agriculture according to the few sources to speak of the matter, worshipped by the early Amorites, by the people of Ebla, by the people of Ugarit and a chief god (perhaps the chief god) of the Biblical Philistines. His name appears in Hebrew as דגון (in modern transcription Dagon, Tiberian Hebrew Dāḡôn), in Ugaritic as dgn (probably vocalized as Dagnu), and in Akkadian as Dagana, Daguna usually rendered in English translations as Dagan.< ...

See also:

Dagon, Dagon - The ancient god Dagon, Dagon - Etymology, Dagon - Non-Biblical sources, Dagon - Dagon in Biblical texts and commentaries, Dagon - Marnas, Dagon - Fish-god tradition, Dagon - References and external links, Dagon - Dagon in fiction, Dagon - References

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The leadership of the Hasmoneans was founded by a resolution, adopted in 141 BCE, at a large assembly "of the priests and the people and of the elders of the land, to the effect that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until there should arise a faithful prophet" (I Macc. xiv. 41). Ironically, the election was performed in hellenistic fashion. Recognition of the new dynasty by the Romans was accorded by the Senate a ...

See also:

Hasmonean, Hasmonean - Recorded history, Hasmonean - Hanukkah and the origins of the Hasmonean Dynasty, Hasmonean - Etymology of Hasmonea, Hasmonean - Leadership and succession, Hasmonean - Reputation of the dynasty

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The Hebrew Bible (also known as the Jewish Bible, or תנ"ך, Tanakh in Hebrew) consists of 24 books. Tanakh is an acronym for the three parts of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. Bible - Torah. The Torah, or "Teaching," is also known as the five books of Moses, thus Chumash or Pentateuch (Hebrew and Greek for "five," respectively). The five books are: I Genesis (Bereishit בראשית), II Exodus (Shemot שמות), III Leviticus (Vayikra ויקרא), IV Numbers (Bemidbar במדבר), and V Deut ...

See also:

Bible, Bible - The Hebrew Bible, Bible - Torah, Bible - Nevi'im, Bible - Ketuvim, Bible - Translations and editions, Bible - The Christian Bible, Bible - The Old Testament, Bible - The New Testament, Bible - The canonization of Scripture, Bible - Bible versions and translations, Bible - The Introduction of chapters and verses

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Septuagint - Jewish use. Jewish attitudes toward translations of their scriptures developed with time. By the 2nd century BC, it was often necessary for the readings in the synagogues to be interpreted in Babylonian Aramaic, producing the need for the targumim, though one Talmud writer forbids their use except for foreigners. A later Talmudic injunction by Rabbi Simon ben Gamaliel said that Greek was the only language into which the Torah could be accurately translated. The Septuagint found widespread use in the ...

See also:

Septuagint, Septuagint - Naming and designation, Septuagint - Dating and critical scholarship, Septuagint - Use of the Septuagint, Septuagint - Jewish use, Septuagint - Christian use, Septuagint - Language of the Septuagint, Septuagint - Books of the Septuagint, Septuagint - Translations of the Septuagint

Read more here: » Septuagint: Encyclopedia II - Septuagint - Use of the Septuagint

Hanukkah has relatively simple religious rituals that are performed during the eight nights and days of the holiday. Some aspects are practiced at home by the family, other aspects are communal. There are additions to the regular daily prayer services in the Siddur, the Jewish prayer book. Jewish law does not require one to refrain from activities on Hanukkah that would fit the Jewish definition of "work." So, children do not get out of going to school to celebrate the holiday, and parents do not get a week's v ...

See also:

Hanukkah, Hanukkah - Commemoration, Hanukkah - Historical sources, Hanukkah - In the Talmud, Hanukkah - In the Septuagint, Hanukkah - The story, Hanukkah - Hanukkah rituals, Hanukkah - Kindling the Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah - When to light the lights, Hanukkah - Blessings over the candles, Hanukkah - Additions to the daily prayers, Hanukkah - Traditional Hanukkah foods, Hanukkah - Hanukkah games: Dreidel and Gelt, Hanukkah - Dreidel, Hanukkah - Chanukkah Gelt, Hanukkah - Interaction with other traditions, Hanukkah - Alternative spellings based on transliterating Hebrew letters, Hanukkah - Background, Hanukkah - Chronology, Hanukkah - Battles of the Maccabean revolt, Hanukkah - When Hanukkah occurs, Hanukkah - Hanukkah's dates in the Gregorian calendar

Read more here: » Hanukkah: Encyclopedia II - Hanukkah - Hanukkah rituals

The author of 2 Maccabees is not identified, but he claims to be abridging a 5-volume work by Jason of Cyrene. This longer work is not preserved, and it is uncertain how much of the present text of 2 Maccabees is simply copied from that work. The author wrote in Greek, apparently, as there is no particular evidence of an earlier Hebrew version. A few sections of the book, such as the Preface, Epilogue, and some reflections on morality are generally assumed to come from the author, not from Jason. Jason's work was apparently written sometime around 160 BC and most likely ended with the defeat of Nicanor, as ...

See also:

2 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees - Author, 2 Maccabees - Doctrine

Read more here: » 2 Maccabees: Encyclopedia II - 2 Maccabees - Author