舊約詞匯 - P

P

The acronym for the Priestly source of the Torah/Pentateuch.

Palestine

(Greek form of "Philistine," for the seacoast population encountered by early geographers) An ancient designation for the area between Syria (to the north) and Egypt (to the south), between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan; Canaan; roughly, modern Israel. See Introduction.

Palestinian Judaism

The postbiblical form of Judaism that developed in Palestine, in distinction from Hellenistic Judaism.

Paraenesis

(adj. paraenetic) A sermon or exhortation; Deuteronomy has a paraenetic style.

Parallelism

The literary form pervasive in biblical poetry whereby the first line (the A-line) of a couplet is in some way mirrored or doubled in the second line (the B-line). See Part 3.

Parity treaty

A treaty between equals.

Passover

(Hebrew pesah) The major Jewish spring holiday (with agricultural aspects) also known as hag hamatzot, "festival of unleavened bread," commemorating the exodus or deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt (see Exodus 12-13); the festival lasts eight days, during which Jews refrain from eating all leavened foods and products; a special ritual meal (called the Seder) is prepared, and a traditional narrative (called the Haggadah), supplemented by hymns and songs, marks the event. See Chapter 3.

Patriarch

(from Latin for "first father") The father and ruler of a family; the head of a tribe.

Patriarchs

A common designation for the early founding figures of ancient Semitic tradition (before Moses) such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve tribal figureheads of Israel (Judah, Benjamin, etc.); the patriarchs and matriarchs together are called the forbears or ancestors of Israel.

Pekah

King of Israel during the Syrian-Israelite war against Judah.

Pentateuch

(from Greek for "five scroll jars" it comes to mean "five books/scrolls"; adj. Pentateuchal) Refers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible traditionally attributed to Moses that together comprise the Torah (the t of Tanak): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; known in Jewish tradition as Torat Mosheh, the teaching of Moses. See Part 1.

Pentecost

(Greek for "fiftieth [day]") A Jewish feast celebrated fifty days after Passover marking the first fruits of the agricultural year. See Shavuot.

Personification

The literary device of portraying an idea or non-human object as a human being. Chapter 14.

Perushim

(Hebrew for "Pharisees") See Pharisees.

Pesach

(Hebrew for "passover") The festival recalling the escape from Egypt in the exodus. See Passover

Petition

A speech form used especially in biblical psalms whereby the psalmist pleads with God for help, deliverance, or forgiveness. See Chapter 14.

Pharaoh

Egyptian term for "great house" that became the generic term for a king of Egypt. See Chapter 2, Chapter 3.

Pharisees

(from Hebrew perushim, "separatists"; adj. pharisaic). The name given to a group or movement in early Judaism, the origin and nature of which is unclear; many scholars identify them with the later sages and rabbis who taught the oral and written torah; according to Josephus and the New Testament, the Pharisees believed in the immortality of souls and resurrection of the dead, in a balance between predestination and free will, in angels as active divine agents, and in authoritative oral law; in the early Christian materials, Pharisees are often depicted as leading opponents of Jesus/Joshua and his followers, and are often linked with "scribes" but distinguished from the Sadducees.

Philistia

Beginning in the twelfth century B.C.E., the territory on the southern Canaanite coastal plain where the Philistines lived.

Philistine(s)

An inhabitant of Philistia; the Philistines were the most significant external threat to the Israelites during the time of the Judges and the early monarchy. See Chapter 7, Chapter 8.

Philo Judeus

"The Jew" of Alexandria; Greek speaking (and writing) prolific Jewish author in the first century C.E., he provides extensive evidence for Jewish thought in the Greco-Roman ("hellenistic") world outside of Palestine.

Phineas

(1) The grandson of Aaron who violently defended the covenant; he was granted the "covenant of priesthood" by which the line of Aaron was given the privelege of the priestly office forever. See Numbers 25:10-13 and Chapter 4. (2) Another Phineas was the son of Eli, the high priest at Shiloh during the time of Samuel. See Hophni.

Phylactery

(pl. phylacteries; Greek for "protector") See Tefillin.

Plagues

The series of divine disasters described in Exodus 5-11 that were designed to secure the release of the Hebrews out of Egypt. See Chapter 3.

Praise

(Hebrew hallelujah means "Praise Yahweh!") A speech form used extensively in the psalms whereby the psalmist extols the greatness of God. See Chapter 14.

Priest

(Hebrew kohen) A functionary usually associated, in antiquity, with temples and their rites; a priest offered sacrifices and prayers to God on behalf of the people; in Israel, only Aaronic Levites could be legitimate priests; in classical Christianity, the office of priest was developed in connection with celebration of the mass and eucharist, and with celibacy as an important qualification especially in Roman Catholicism.

Priestly code

The body of legislation in the Pentateuch that comes from the Priestly source. See Chapter 4.

Priestly document

(abbreviated P) A literary source used in the composition of the Torah/Pentateuch; it probably was composed in Babylonia in the sixth century B.C.E. See Part 1.

Primary history

The foundation story of Israel consisting of the Pentateuch and Former Prophets. See Part 2.

Primeval story

The account of earliest events found in Genesis 1-11. See Chapter 1.

Primogeniture

The state of being the first-born or eldest child of the same parents; the right of the eldest child, especially the eldest son, to inherit the entire estate of one or both parents; this is an important theme in the Torah/Pentateuch relating to Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, and Joseph and his brothers.

Profane

To make a holy thing impure by treating it with disrespect or irreverence.

Promised Land

Phrase used with a religious and covenantal connotation that designates the territory west of the Jordan River, for the most part coextensive with Canaan. See Chapter 6.

Prophecy

A message from God that a prophet delivers to the people. See Part 2.

Prophesy

The act of delivering a prophetic message of God to the people.

Prophet

(from Greek for "to speak for, to speak forth") Designation given to accepted spokespersons of God (or their opposites, "false prophets"); a person who speaks in the name of God.

Prophetic eschatology

The perspective on the goal and end of history held by Old Testament prophets.

Prophets

A designation for the second main section of the Hebrew Bible, called the Nevi'im; the n of Tanak. See Tanak.

Prostitute

A person who allowed the use of his or her body for sexual relations in exchange for compensation; Israel was metaphorically compared to a prostitute when it worshiped Baal gods.

Proto-Judaism

See Early Judaism.

Proverb

A short, pithy saying in frequent and widespread use that expresses a basic truth or practical precept; the book of Proverbs is one of the Writings and is classified as wisdom literature. See Chapter 15.

Psalter

The book of the writings that contains 150 psalms. See Chapter 14.

Pseudepigrapha

(adj. pseudepigraphical; from Greek pseudos, "deceit, untruth," and epigraphe, "writing, inscription") Intertestamental apocryphal writings purporting to be by somebody (usually a famous historical or legendary figure) who is not the author, such as Adam/Eve, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Ezra, etc.; the term is sometimes used generically for deutero-canonical writings not in the Apocrypha. See Conclusion.

Pseudonymity

The practice of ascribing a work to someone, often a notable from the past, who was not the actual author.

Purim

(from Hebrew for "lots") A Jewish festival commemorating the deliverance of Jews in Persia who were threated with genocide, as described in the book of Esther; held in late winter (between Hannukah and Passover), on the 14th of Adar. See Megillah. See Chapter 16.