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CAESAR [se´-zur] — a title given to several emperors of the Roman Empire. The first one was Augustus (Matt. 22:17).
CAESAREA [ses-a-re´-ah] (pertaining to Caesar) — an important seaport city. Herod the Great spent a lot of money to build the city between 25 and 13 B.C. He named it in honor of Caesar Augustus. This is the place where Paul spent two years in prison (Acts 23:33).
CAESAREA PHILIPPI [ses-a-re´-ah fil´a-pi] (Caesar’s city of Philip) — a city on the hills of Mount Hermon and a place where Jesus ministered (Matt. 16:13; Mark 8:27).
It was near Caesarea Philippi that Jesus asked His disciples who He was and God told Simon Peter to give this answer: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).
CAIAPHAS [cah´-ya-fus] — Caiaphas became a high priest about A.D. 18 when John the Baptist began preaching (Matt. 26:3, 57; Luke 3:2). He was a member of the Sadducees.
After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Jewish leaders were worried about Jesus becoming very popular. They called a meeting to decide what to do about Jesus. During the meeting Caiaphas said Jesus should be killed. Because he was a high priest, the people listened to him and did what he said (John 11:49–53). He also helped plan the arrest of Jesus (Matt. 26:3–4) and took part in the illegal trial of Jesus (Matt. 26:57–68).
Ruins of the palaces of the Caesars, emperors of the Roman Empire, in the capital city of Rome.
These man-made breakwaters built by the Romans turned Caesarea into a major Mediterranean port city.
CAIN (metalworker) — the oldest son of Adam and Eve and the brother of Abel (Gen. 4:1–25).
Cain was a farmer and brought some of his crops as a sacrifice to God. His brother Abel was a shepherd and brought a lamb as a sacrifice. Abel had a good attitude about what he gave to God and his sacrifice was accepted. Cain had a bad attitude about his gift to God, so God did not accept his sacrifice (Gen. 4:7). Cain was jealous and committed the first murder by killing his brother, Abel.
CALDRON — a ceramic or metal container used for boiling meat and for ceremonies (2 Chron. 35:13, NKJV; Mic. 3:3, NKJV).
CALEB [ca´-leb] (dog) — one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to learn about the Promised Land of Canaan (Num. 13:6, 30; 14:6, 24, 30, 38).
Joshua and Caleb had faith in God that He would help them get the land. They weren’t afraid at all. They told Moses and Aaron and the Israelites to attack Canaan immediately (Num. 13:30).
The other ten spies were afraid to try to take the land. The Israelites listened to them instead of Joshua and Caleb. The Lord was very disappointed in the Israelites because of their lack of faith. Of all the adults alive at that time, only Caleb and Joshua were allowed to enter the Promised Land (Josh. 14:6–15).
CALENDAR — a system to keep track of time, usually based on a natural cycle like the seasons or the phases of the moon. A calendar usually covered a period of one year and included days of each month and the days of the week.
Calendars of biblical times, much like the calendars of today, were used to keep records and predict the time for the changing of the seasons. Calendars were also used to help people plan their work and to remember the religious festivals and when they were supposed to be celebrated.
CALL, CALLING — an important religious term used several different ways in the Bible.
Sometimes it referred to God’s calling of people to salvation (Rom. 8:28–30; 1 Thess. 2:12). Other times it was used when talking about asking God for help, like prayer (Ps. 55:16–17). It is also the speaking of a person’s name, for example, to call by name (Gen. 17:5, NKJV; Luke 1:13, NKJV).
The Jews used two kinds of calendars:
Civil Calendar—official calendar of kings, childbirth, and contracts.
Sacred Calendar—from which festivals were computed.
NAMES OF MONTHS
CORRESPONDS WITH
NO. OF DAYS
MONTH OF CIVIL YEAR
MONTH OF SACRED YEAR
TISHRI
Sept.-Oct.
30 days
1st
7th
HESHVAN
Oct.-Nov.
29 or 30
2nd
8th
CHISLEV
Nov.-Dec.
29 or 30
3rd
9th
TEBETH
Dec.-Jan.
29
4th
10th
SHEBAT
Jan.-Feb.
30
5th
11th
ADAR
Feb.-Mar.
29 or 30
6th
12th
NISAN
Mar.-Apr.
30
7th
1st
IYAR
Apr.-May
29
8th
2nd
SIVAN
May-June
30
9th
3rd
TAMMUZ
June-July
29
10th
4th
AB
July-Aug.
30
11th
5th
*
Aug.-Sept.
29
12th
6th
The Jewish day was from sunset to sunset, in 8 equal parts:
FIRST WATCH
SUNSET TO 9 P.M.
SECOND WATCH
9 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT
THIRD WATCH
MIDNIGHT TO 3 A.M.
FOURTH WATCH
3 A.M. TO SUNRISE
FIRST HOUR
SUNRISE TO 9 A.M.
THIRD HOUR
9 A.M. TO NOON
SIXTH HOUR
NOON TO 3 P.M.
NINTH HOUR
3 P.M. TO SUNSET
* Hebrew months were alternately 30 and 29 days long. Their year, shorter than ours, had 354 days. Therefore, about every three years (7 times in 19 years) an extra 29-day month, VEADAR, was added between ADAR and NISAN.
CALVARY [cal´-va-ry] (from the Latin word calvaria, “the skull”) — the name used in the KJV and NKJV for the place outside Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified (Luke 23:33).
CANA [ca´-nah] (place of reeds) — a small town in Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine (John 2:1), eight miles northeast of Nazareth.
CANAAN [ca´-na-an] (land of purple) —an area by the Mediterranean Sea where the Canaanites lived before the land was taken by the Israelites (Gen. 11:31; Josh. 5:12). Canaan is also the name of the fourth son of Ham. He was the grandson of Noah (Gen. 9:18–27; 10: 6, 15).
CANAANITES [ca´-na-an-ites] — an ancient tribe that lived in the land of Canaan before the Israelites took over.
CANON — a rule, standard, or a guide. Although this word is not used in the Bible, it does refer to the books of the Bible, which are inspired by God.
CANOPY — a high covering. The word is used twice in the Bible as a symbol, once when Elihu was declaring God’s majesty by saying “the thunder from his canopy” (Job 36:29, NKJV) and another when David was talking about God the sovereign Creator, and said, “His canopy around him was dark waters” (Ps. 18:11, NKJV).
CAPERNAUM [ca-pur´-na-um] (village of Nahum) — a very important city located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum was the center of much of Jesus’ ministry (Matt. 4:13–15).
Cana of Galilee, the village where Jesus performed His first miracle.
CAPTIVE — a person taken and held as a prisoner, especially by an enemy in war (2 Sam. 8:2, NKJV; 1 Kings 20:32, NKJV; 2 Kings 25:7, NKJV).
CAPTIVITY — being held as a prisoner or slave by an enemy, especially if it involves being taken to a foreign land. The term “captivity” is used to describe two periods when the nations of Israel (722 B.C.) and Judah (605 B.C. and later) were removed from their homelands.
CAREFUL — being worried, nervous, or afraid (Luke 10:41, NKJV). In today’s language, the word means being cautious, caring, concerned, and paying attention to detail (Phil. 4:10; Titus 3:8).
CARMEL [car´-mel] (garden/orchard of God) — a town in the country of Judah (Josh. 15:55; 1 Sam. 25:2, 5, 7, 40). Carmel was the home of a very rich and very foolish man named Nabal.
Carmel is also a mountain range that is about thirteen miles long. A part of the mountain range sticks out into the Mediterranean Sea. That part is named Mount Carmel. It is nearly 470 feet high.
CARNAL — of the world, not spiritual. The apostle Paul compares spiritual people (those who listen to and obey the Holy Spirit) with carnal people (those who do whatever they want because it feels good or makes them happy) (1 Cor. 3:1–4, NKJV; Rom. 8:5–7, NKJV).
CENSER — a container used to carry burning hot coals. They were also used for burning incense (Num. 16:6, 17–18, 37–39, 46, NKJV). The censers in the tabernacle were made of bronze (Exod. 27:3, NKJV; Lev. 16:12, NKJV). The censers in the temple were made of “pure gold” (1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chron. 4:22).
Aerial view of the ruins of ancient Capernaum, a city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
CENSUS — to count and write down the people who live in a town. It was also a way to learn what property people owned so the government would know how much taxes to charge them (Luke 2:1–5, NKJV).
CENTURION — a leader in the Roman army who was in charge of one hundred soldiers (Matt. 8:5–10).
CEPHAS [se´-fas] (rock) — the Aramaic name Jesus gave to Simon, the son of Jonah (John 1:42).
CEREAL OFFERING — an offering given to God to show thanks for His blessings. Also called a grain offering (Lev. 2; Num. 15:1–9).
CHAFF — dry material-like husks (seed coverings) and other debris that is separated from the seeds of grain. In the Bible, chaff symbolizes evil or wicked people (or things) that are about to be destroyed (Ps. 1:4; Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17).
CHARITY — a word for love (Col. 3:14, KJV).
CHASTE — having pure thoughts and actions (1 Pet. 3:2, NKJV).
CHASTEN — correcting a person with the purpose of teaching, not just pointing out that they did something wrong (1 Cor. 11:32, NKJV).
CHASTISEMENT — the action of a harsh punishment. In the Bible the word “chastisement” usually refers to a punishment by God for the purpose of teaching (Job 4:3, NKJV), guiding (2 Tim. 2:25, NKJV), and discipline. Sometimes this can be a physical punishment (Prov. 22:15, NKJV; Heb. 12:5–11, NKJV; Rev. 3:19, NKJV).
CHEBAR [ke´-bar] (great) — a “river” of Chaldea. The prophet Ezekiel lived along the banks of this river (Ezek. 1:1, 3; 3:15, 23). It was here that he had many of his amazing visions (Ezek. 10:15, 20, 22; 43:3, NKJV; Kebar, ICB).
In prehistoric times, families lived in some of these caves in the vicinity of Mount Carmel.
Chebar was probably not really a river. It was most likely the famous Grand Canal of Nebuchadnezzar that connected the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
CHERUB [chair´-ub] — a place in Babylonia where some Jewish citizens lived during the Captivity. When they returned to Judah, they could not prove that they were really Israelites (Ezra 2:59; Neh. 7:61, NKJV; Kerub, ICB).
CHERUBIM [chair´-oo-bim] — angel-like creatures with wings that were usually associated with the worship and praising of God. Cherubim are first mentioned in the Bible when God sent Adam and Eve away from the Garden of Eden. He placed cherubim at the east of the garden, “and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24, NKJV).
CHINNERETH, CHINNEROTH, CINNEROTH [kin´-ne-reth, kin´-ne-roth, sin´e-roth] (lute, harp) — used to be the name of the Sea of Galilee (Num. 34:11, NKJV; Josh. 12:3, NKJV) and “Lake Tiberias” (John 6:1). The lake is shaped like the outline of a harp.
CHOOSE, CHOSEN — to appoint; to select; to call; one who is appointed, selected, or called out (Deut. 7:6–11).
CHOSEN PEOPLE — a name for the people of Israel. They were called this because God chose them for a special purpose. They were to be a holy people chosen to worship God and tell people all over the world about Him (Exod. 19:4–6; Deut. 7:6–8; Ps. 105:43).
CHRIST (anointed one) — a special name for Jesus. He was the one people had been waiting for to save them. For hundreds of years, the Jewish people had been telling about and looking for a Messiah. This Messiah would be someone who would save them and turn the world into a place of peace and prosperity. Jesus was identified as this Messiah when Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).
CHRISTIAN — a person who believes in Jesus and what He did and lives a Christlike life. You can find the word three times in the New Testament:
“In Antioch the followers were called Christians for the first time” (Acts 11:26).
Agrippa said to Paul,“Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian in such a short time?” (Acts 26:28).
Peter exhorted,“But if you suffer because you are a Christian then do not be ashamed” (1 Pet. 4:16).
CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF FIRST AND SECOND — two books in the Old Testament. A lot of the material written in First and Second Chronicles is also written in the books of First and Second Samuel and First and Second Kings. The difference is that the writer of First and Second Chronicles wanted to give hope to the Israelites after they survived seventy years of captivity in Babylon. He wrote to remind them of the good times and give them hope for the future while they thought about what God had promised them.
CHURCH — a local group of believers (Matt. 16:18). Church is also a word that includes all believers from the past, the present, and the future who follow Jesus (1 Cor. 10:32).
CIRCUMCISION — the surgical removal of the foreskin of the male sex organ. Jewish boys were circumcised as a sign of keeping God’s Covenant.
Moses and the prophets used the term “circumcised” as a symbol for purity of heart and readiness to hear and obey God (John 7:22; Acts 7:8).
CISTERN — a man-made place for storing liquids (especially water). It is usually an underground tank for catching and storing rainwater.
In the Bible, the word cistern is mostly used as a symbol (Prov. 5:15, NKJV; Jer. 2:13, NKJV).
CITIES OF REFUGE — cities where people who had accidentally killed someone could go to live without worrying about someone trying to punish them or get revenge (Num. 35:6–7, NKJV; Josh. 20:7–8, NKJV; Cities of Safety, ICB).
CITY — a place where people live. A city is bigger and has more people than a town or a village, or it is more important because it is a popular place for business or entertainment. In biblical times, a city had walls for defending itself, a town or village did not (Lev. 25:29–31; Ezek. 38:11).
CITY OF DAVID — a strong city belonging to the Jebusites that was later known as Jerusalem. King David and his men captured it (2 Sam. 5:7, 9). Jesus was born there (Luke 2:4, 11; John 7:42).
CLEAVE — hang on to tightly; stay married to your spouse (Gen. 2:24–25, NKJV); keep your relationship with God strong (Deut. 11:22, NKJV).
CLOVEN — divided; split; like an animal’s hoof (Deut. 14:7, NKJV; divided, ICB).
COLLECTION — In the Old Testament, the word “collection” refers to a religious tax taken from the people of Israel by the Levites (2 Chron. 24:6, 9, NKJV). The people were not allowed to decide if they wanted to give, it was a mandatory tax. In the New Testament, “collection” refers to a voluntary offering from the churches to help needy Christians in Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1–4).
COLOSSE — a city in the Roman province of Asia (western Turkey), located in the Lycus River Valley about one hundred miles east of Ephesus. The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church at Colosse (Col. 1:2).
COLOSSIANS, EPISTLE TO THE — one of four shorter epistles (letters) written by Paul while he was in prison. The other three were to the Philippians, the Ephesians, and Philemon. In this letter, Paul told the Colossians to really think about Jesus and his work and live a proper Christian life.
COMELINESS — beauty (Isa. 53:2, NKJV).
COMMEND — to praise (Luke 16:8, NKJV); to give with trust (Luke 23:46, NKJV).
COMMUNION — sharing with a feeling of closeness (1 Cor. 10:16, NKJV). (See Lord’s Supper).
The mound of ancient Colosse, a city in Asia Minor where a church was established during the days of the apostle Paul.
COMPASSION — feel along with another (Lam. 3:22, NKJV).
CONCUBINE [con´-cue-bine] — in the Old Testament, a female slave that a man could have children with even though she was not his wife (Gen. 25:6, NKJV).
CONDEMN, CONDEMNATION — to say a person is guilty of doing wrong and that they should be punished (Matt. 12:37; Rom. 5:16, 18).
CONFESS, CONFESSION — to admit (1 John 1:9); to say; to tell (Phil. 2:11); a strong, proud statement of what you believe. The apostle Paul wrote: “If you use your mouth to say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from death, then you will be saved. We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we use our mouths to say that we believe, and so we are saved” (Rom. 10:9–10).
CONFOUND — confuse (Gen.11:7, 9, NKJV).
CONGREGATION — a group or assembly of people who gather together for worship and religious teaching; a religious community, like the people of Israel or the Christian church (Acts 13:43, NKJV).
CONGREGATION, MOUNT OF — the place where God meets with His people, whether in heaven or on earth (Exod. 5:22, NKJV; 29:42–43, NKJV). Mount of Congregation is also used to describe a place where the Babylonians thought their gods lived (Isa. 14:13, NKJV).
CONSCIENCE — a person’s inner thoughts about doing right (God’s will) and feeling good about it (God’s approval), or doing wrong (our own will) and feeling bad about it (condemnation) (Rom. 2:14–15, NKJV).
CONSECRATE — to set something or someone aside (apart), especially for God’s use (2 Chron. 29:31–33, NKJV).
CONSECRATION — the act of setting aside (apart), or dedicating something or someone for God’s use. In the Old Testament, the temple and the things inside it were the most important objects consecrated to God (2 Chron. 7:5–9, NKJV; Ezra 6:16–17, NKJV). Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priesthood (Exod. 29, NKJV; Lev. 8, NKJV), but other things could be consecrated also (Josh. 6:19, NKJV; Mic. 4:13, NKJV; Lev. 27:28, NKJV).
CONTENTMENT — freedom from anxiety or worry (1 Tim. 6:6, NKJV). Contentment is being happy with what you have and what is happening in your life.
CONTRITE — the kind of spirit (attitude) that is pleasing and acceptable to God (Ps. 34:18, NKJV). People who have a contrite spirit are truly sorry for their sins.
CONVERSATION — one person talking to another. The word is used only twice in the NKJV (Jer. 38:27; Luke 24:17). In the King James Version, the word is used to describe a person’s conduct, behavior, or way of life. An example of this is when the writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote, “Let your conversation be without covetousness” (Heb. 13:5, KJV).
CONVERSION, CONVERT — the change in a person’s attitude that brings them into a right relationship with God.
The best description of conversion is talked about by Saul of Tarsus (Paul) at his own conversion: “I send you to open their eyes that they may turn away from darkness to the light. I send you that they may turn away from the power of Satan and turn to God. That their sins can be forgiven and they can have a place with those people who have been made holy by believing in me” (Acts 26:18).
CONVICT OF SIN, CONVICTION —the process of being condemned by your own conscience because you understand what God expects of you but you aren’t doing those things.
The idea of conviction is found all through Scripture, but the word is hardly used (Ps. 32; 51; Acts 2:37; Rom. 7:7–25). The Holy Spirit is responsible for the act of conviction (John 16:7–11). Conviction usually happens because a person learns the Word of God (Acts 2:37) or God reveals what He wants through a person’s conscience (Rom. 1:18–20; 2:15). God doesn’t like for people to feel horrible, but he allows conviction so people will repent of their sins (Acts 2:37–38; Rom. 2:1–4) and turn to Him for salvation and eternal life.
CORBAN [cor´-ban] (an offering brought near) — a gift or offering in the temple that was dedicated to God in a special way (Mark 7:11, NKJV).
CORINTH [cor´-inth] — ancient Greece’s most important city (Acts 18:1; 19:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 4:20). Because of its location, Corinth was the connecting link between Rome and the East. The apostle Paul established a strong, growing church at Corinth.
CORINTHIANS, EPISTLES TO THE —two letters the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. The first letter was written in Ephesus (1 Cor. 16:8) during Paul’s third missionary journey, around A.D. 56. The second letter was written about twelve to fifteen months later from Macedonia (2 Cor. 2:12–17).
First Corinthians was written to help the church solve the problems they were having and to answer their questions. Second Corinthians was written to tell the Christians at Corinth that Paul understood the struggles they were having and he wanted to encourage them to stay faithful and not give up. Both letters show how much Paul cared about the people. He felt bad with them when they hurt and he celebrated with them when they were happy.
CORRUPTIBLE, CORRUPTION — perishable (Rom. 1:23, NKJV), decay of the body (Acts 2:27, 31, NKJV), and the decline of human life through the power of sin (2 Pet. 1:4, NKJV). But because of the resurrection of Christ, our bodies, sown in corruption (subject to the decay and dissolution of organic matter), will be raised in incorruption (1 Cor. 15:42, 50–54, NKJV).
COUNCIL — a group of people who meet to discuss important matters and make decisions (Acts 25:12, NKJV). Council can also be the place where the group meets.
COUNSEL — when used as a verb it means to give advice (John 18:14, NKJV); when used as a noun it means advice (Dan. 4:27, NKJV).
COUNSELOR — a person who gives counsel or advice (Prov. 11:14, NKJV), like the king’s adviser (2 Sam. 15:12, NKJV; 1 Chron. 27:33, NKJV), or a person who works for the government (Isa. 1:26). The Holy Spirit is also called “the Counselor” in the NRSV and NIV (John 14:16, 26, NKJV; 15:26, NKJV; 16:7, NKJV).
The ruins of Corinth, one of the wealthiest and most immoral of ancient cities (1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9–11).
COUNTENANCE — look or appearance (1 Sam. 16:7, NKJV); honor (Exod. 23:3, NKJV).
COURAGE — the strength and ability to stand against your fears or get through a difficult situation. Courage comes when a person trusts God and does whatever God asks them to do whenever He asks them to do it (2 Chron. 19:11).
COVENANT — an agreement between two people or two groups that involves promises. The idea of a covenant between God and His people is one of the most important truths in the Bible. Because of this, the word “covenant” is often used to talk about the two main sections of the Bible: Old Covenant (Old Testament) and New Covenant (New Testament).
COVERING THE HEAD — women used to wear a head covering in early Christian church services because the apostle Paul said that a woman participating in the services should have her head covered as a symbol of authority (1 Cor. 11:5–16).
COVETOUSNESS — a strong desire to possess (have or own) something (or someone) that belongs to another person. The Ten Commandments say this attitude is wrong (Exod. 20:17, NKJV; Deut. 5:21, NKJV). This is a greedy, self-centered, and disrespectful attitude that ignores God’s law. The Bible says we should be careful to avoid this sin (Josh. 7:21, NKJV; Rom. 7:7, NKJV; 2 Pet. 2:10, NKJV).
CREATE, CREATION — the action God used in making the universe come into existence.
CREATURE — any created being, including humans, created as a result of God’s power and authority. The Bible says that God is the sovereign Creator of all things. Through His might and power He brought the universe into existence (Gen. 1:3–24, NKJV; Ps. 33:6, NKJV; Heb. 11:3, NKJV). This means that all beings, even angels, are His creatures (John 1:3, NKJV; 1 Cor. 8:6, NKJV).
CRIMSON — a deep red color. The word “crimson” is also used as a symbol for sin (Isa. 1:18, NKJV).
CROSS — an upright wooden stake or post used in the execution (killing) of condemned people (John 19:17). After Jesus died on the cross, it became a symbol for the Christian faith.
CROWN OF THORNS — a rude, fake symbol of authority made by the Roman soldiers and placed on Jesus’ head shortly before His crucifixion (Matt. 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2, 5). Crowns were symbols of honor and authority in the Greek and Roman worlds but Jesus’ crown of thorns was meant to make people laugh at Him and tease Him. With hate in their hearts, people yelled,“Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matt. 27:29; Mark 15:18; John 19:3). But Jesus’ love was so strong that He patiently suffered through their teasing to accomplish God’s will.
God the Creator, from a painting by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
Gold cups discovered by archaeologists in tombs at the ancient city of Mycene on the island of Crete.
CRUCIFIXION — a method of torture and killing (execution) used by the Romans on Christ and others. At a crucifixion, the victim was usually nailed or tied to a wooden stake and left to die.
CUBIT — a unit of measurement; the distance from the elbow to the fingertip of an adult—about eighteen inches (Gen. 6:15, NKJV).
CUMMIN — a plant used for seasoning (Isa. 28:25, 27).
CUP — a small container used for drinking water (Matt. 10:42), wine (Jer. 35:5), and other liquids.