Bible Dictionary
BISHOP
BISHOP
(gr. “episkopos”, “supervisor”).
In the LXX this term designates an official supervisor, civil or religious, such as the priest Eleazar (Num. 4:16) and army officers (Num. 31:14).
In the NT, this term first appears in Paul’s exhortation to the elders or presbyters of the church at Ephesus: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (or overseers). ; Acts 20:17, 28).
In this passage and in others, Paul uses these words “elder” and “bishop” to designate the same people (cf. Tit. 1:5-7). The first term designates the dignity of age, while the second denotes the dignity of the function performed.
Instead, a clear distinction is made between the bishop and the deacon (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-8). Using the term “episkopeõ,” Peter exhorts the elders as follows: “Feed the flock of God that is among you, taking care of it…” (1 Pet. 5:2).
The name bishop is applied to Christ: “You have returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:25).
Already during the life of the apostles there were numerous tendencies, within Christianity, that departed from obedience to the instructions given by the Lord through them, both in doctrines and in practice (cf. Galatians, 1 Corinthians, Colossians , etc.).
The same thing happened after the death of the apostles. Soon a distinction, non-existent in the Scriptures, began to be made between the elders or presbyters and the bishops. In the second century this difference is mentioned in the epistles of Ignatius, who died in the year 107 (or 116).
Jerome has left us an eloquent testimony of the state of things that led to the ascension of the episcopal regime: “In the ancients, bishops and presbyters are the same, because the first is the name of dignity, and the last of age” ( Epistle to Oceano, Vall. 69, 416).
And in his epistle to Evangel he quotes Phil. 1:1; Acts. twenty; Tit. 1:5, etc.; 1 Ti. 4:14; 1 P. 5; 2 John and 3 John, using very strong language, and says verbatim: “that afterwards one was chosen who was above (lat.: “praeponeretur”) of the others, was done as a remedy for schisms, lest at the same time going each one to attract to themselves the church of Christ would divide it.
In this and other writings, Jerome amplifies the testimony that the election of a presiding bishop among the elders was a provision not taken from the Scriptures, but made for convenience, due to the clericalism that had already fallen into at that time, and that would go growing in the subsequent development of the history of the Church, culminating in the Catholic papacy.
At the Council of Trent in the 16th century, the Roman church proclaimed that “bishops, successors of the apostles, are established by the Holy Spirit to govern the Church of God, and are superior to its presbyters or priests.”
The position of the church of Rome is that the elders, who had been established in the ministry, led the regional assemblies. The church of Rome also assumes that, as the number of communities had increased, the apostles, in need of helpers, appointed district supervisors, who were designated as their successors. This, according to Rome, would have been the case of the angels of the seven churches.
According to the Anglican Church, James the brother of Jesus, in Jerusalem, the angels of the seven churches, Timothy and Titus, were those who exercised these functions. However, it must be noted that, while the apostles sent personal delegates with their authority, there is no indication in the Scriptures that this authority could be given to successors.
The alleged motive of the episcopal office is to maintain the care of the church. However, the following observations must be made:
(a) The apostles established the elders and deacons with their own authority, either directly exercised or delegated to people who had this charge formally.
It is evident that the churches had no power to make such appointments, from the very fact that Timothy and Titus were charged with such a mission in the churches to which they were sent (1 Tim. 1:2; 3:1-15; Tit. 1:5 ff.).
It is evident that the disappearance of the apostles in their singular character also gave rise to the disappearance of the elders and deacons as positions that had been established in the nascent church by the irreplaceable apostolic authority.
(b) The arrangement of the episcopal regime did not have its origin in obedience to the Scriptures, but in a human attempt to curb schismatic tendencies; It arose, therefore, as a consequence of the strong tendencies towards clericalism. Ultimately, and seen from a historical perspective, the cure was worse than the disease.
(c) The Scriptures do not commend the church to bishops or elders as a remedy for the evils that would come, but rather point to them as future causes of those evils.
Indeed, Paul, in his moving farewell to the Ephesian elders, tells them: “For I know that after my departure ravenous wolves will enter among you, not sparing the flock.
And of yourselves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them… And now, brothers, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those who are sanctified. » (Acts 20:29-30, 32, etc.).
This is the resource that God has given to his people, a full and effective resource. Himself, and the Word of grace from Him. The apostles, and everything they entailed, fulfilled their historical mission, establishing the foundations of the Church, and giving believers the Word of God and the living hope of the return of Jesus Christ.
Bible Dictionary
BETHEL
BETHEL
is the name of a Canaanite city in the ancient region of Samaria, located in the center of the land of Canaan, northwest of Ai on the road to Shechem, 30 kilometers south of Shiloh and about 16 kilometers north of Jerusalem.
Bethel is the second most mentioned city in the Bible. Some identify it with the Palestinian village of Beitin and others with the Israeli settlement of Beit El.
Bethel was the place where Abraham built his altar when he first arrived in Canaan (Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3). And at Bethel Jacob saw a vision of a ladder whose top touched heaven and the angels ascended and descended (Genesis 28:10-19).
For this reason Jacob was afraid, and said, “How terrible is this place! It is nothing other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven »and he called Bethel the place that was known as «Light» (Genesis 35-15).
Bethel was also a sanctuary in the days of the prophet Samuel, who judged the people there (1 Samuel 7:16; 1 Samuel 10:3). And it was the place where Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, was buried.
Bethel was the birthplace of Hiel, who sought to rebuild the city of Jericho (1 Kings 16:34).
When Bethel did not yet belong to the people of Israel, Joshua had to battle against the king of Bethel and other kings and defeated them (Joshua 12-16).
When the people of Israel had taken possession of the promised land, in the division by tribes it was assigned to the Tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18-22), but in later times it belonged to the Tribe of Judah (2 Chronicles 13:19).
It was one of the places where the Ark of the Covenant remained, a symbol of the presence of God.
In Bethel the prophet Samuel judged the people.
Then the prophet Elisha went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some boys came out of the city and mocked him, and said to him: “Go up, bald man; Come up, bald! When he looked back and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the forest and tore to pieces forty-two boys” (2 Kings 2:23).
After the division of the kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam I, king of Israel, had a golden calf raised at Bethel (1 Kings 21:29) which was destroyed by Josiah, king of Judah, many years later (2 Kings 23:15). .
Bethel was also a place where some of the Babylonian exiles who returned to Israel in 537 BC gathered. (Ezra 2:28).
The prophet Hosea, a century before Jeremiah, refers to Bethel by another name: “Bet-Aven” (Hosea 4:15; Hosea 5:8; Hosea 10:5-8), which means ‘House of Iniquity’, ‘House of Nothingness’, ‘House of Vanity’, ‘House of Nullity’, that is, of idols.
In Amos 7: 12-13 the priest Amaziah tells the prophet Amos that he flee to Judah and no longer prophesy in Bethel because it is the king’s sanctuary, and the head of the kingdom.
The prophet Jeremiah states that “the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel” (Jeremiah 48:13), because of their idolatry and, specifically, the worship of the golden calf.
Bible Dictionary
PUTEOLI
PUTEOLI
(lat.: “small fountains”).
Two days after arriving in Rhegium, the ship carrying Paul arrived at Puteoli, which was then an important maritime city.
The apostle found Christians there, and enjoyed their hospitality (Acts 28:13).
It was located on the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples, near the site of present-day Pouzzoles.
The entire surrounding region is volcanic, and the Solfatare crater rises behind the city.
Bible Dictionary
PUT (Nation)
PUT
Name of a nation related to the Egyptians and neighbors of their country (Gen. 10:6).
Put is mentioned with Egypt and other African countries, especially Libya (Nah. 3:9) and Lud (Ez. 27:10; Is. 66:19 in the LXX. Put appears between Cush and Lud in Jer. 46:9; Ez. 30:5).
In the LXX he is translated as Libyans in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Josephus also identifies it with Libya (Ant. 1:6, 2), but in Nah. 3.9 is distinguished from the Libyans.
Current opinion is divided between Somalia, Eastern Arabia and Southern Arabia (Perfume Coast).
Bible Dictionary
PURPLE
PURPLE
A coloring substance that is extracted from various species of mollusks. The ancient Tyrians used two types of them: the “Murex trunculus”, from which the bluish purple was extracted, and the “Murex brandaris”, which gave the red.
The ink of its coloring matter varies in color depending on the region in which it is fished.
Piles of murex shells, artificially opened, have been discovered in Minet el-Beida, port of ancient Ugarit (Ras Shamra), which gives evidence of the great antiquity of the use of this purple dye (see UGARIT).
Due to its high price, only the rich and magistrates wore purple (Est. 8:15, cf. the exaltation of Mordecai, v. 2, Pr. 31:22; Dan. 5:7; 1 Mac. 10 :20, 62, 64; 2 Mac. 4:38; cf. v 31; Luke 16:19; Rev. 17:4).
The rulers adorned themselves in purple, even those of Midian (Judg. 8:26). Jesus was mocked with a purple robe (Mark 15:17).
Great use had been made of purple-dyed fabrics for the Tabernacle (Ex. 25:4; 26:1, 31, 36) and for the high priest’s vestments (Ex. 28:5, 6, 15, 33; 39: 29). The Jews gave symbolic value to purple (Wars 5:5, 4).
Bible Dictionary
PURIM
PURIM
(Heb., plural of “luck”).
Haman cast lots to determine a day of good omen for the destruction of the Jews.
As Haman’s designs were undone, the liberation of the Jews was marked by an annual festival (Est. 3:7; 9:24-32) on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar.
This festival is not mentioned by name in the NT, although there are exegetes who assume that it is the one referred to in Jn. 5:1.
This festival continues to be celebrated within Judaism: the book of Esther is read, and curses are pronounced on Haman and his wife, blessings are pronounced on Mordecai and the eunuch Harbonah (Est. 1:10; 7: 9).
Bible Dictionary
PURIFICATION, PURITY
PURIFICATION, PURITY
In the Mosaic Law four ways to purify oneself from contamination were indicated:
(a) Purification of contamination contracted by touching a dead person (Num. 19; cf. Num. 5:2, 3),
(b) Purification from impurity due to bodily emissions (Lev. 15; cf. Num. 5:2, 3).
(c) Purification of the woman in labor (Lev. 12:1-8; Luke 2:21-24).
(d) Purification of the leper (Lev. 14).
To this, the scribes and Pharisees added many other purifications, such as washing hands before eating, washing vessels and dishes, showing great zeal in these things, while inside they were full of extortion and iniquity (Mark 7: 2-8).
In Christianity the necessary purification extends:
to the heart (Acts 15:9; James 4:8),
to the soul (1 Pet. 1:22), and
to the conscience through the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14).
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