Glossary
Review the lesson glossary terms below. Glossary terms may be included in quiz questions.
Fig
Fig trees usually grow to about 15 feet in height, but can attain a maximum height of 25 feet. The fig tree of Palestine (Ficus carica) produces two and sometimes three crops in a year: (1) the early-ripe fig, which is ripe about the end of June; (2) the summer fig then begins to be formed and is ripe about August; and (3) the winter fig, which ripens in sheltered spots in spring.
Hillel
(Hebrew “he greatly praised”) – Hillel “the Elder” (c. 60 B.C.-A.D. 20) was an eminent Jewish scholar and rabbinic leader in Jerusalem in the early Herodian period. It seems he was a native of Babylonia, but came to Jerusalem to study biblical exegesis. Shemaiah and Abtalion, two of the great “expositors,” became his teachers. Hillel became leader of the rabbinic council after giving three arguments for the priority of the paschal sacrifice over the Sabbath.
Jericho
The city was located about five miles west of the Jordan River. It was an important city as the fortress that guarded the entrance to all the land of Canaan.
Kidron Valley
A valley east of Jerusalem, separating it from the Mount of Olives. The valley results from the confluence of several valleys northeast of Jerusalem, probably the most important of which is Wadi ej-Joz, with which it is sometimes identified. It ends, strictly speaking, where it joins the Hinnom Valley. The Kidron is a seasonal watercourse.
Olives, Mount of
This ridge is a spur of the central mountain range about two miles in length, which is divided from the principal range by Wadi ej-Joz, the Kidron Valley, and Wadi en-Nar.
Shammai
The most conservative of the two Pharisaic schools. Hillel was very liberal in situations in which divorce might be permitted and Shammai very strict. Jesus seems to side with Shammai in Mark 10, as He replies that only in the case of adultery or marital unfaithfulness is divorce permitted; but in one sense He is even stricter than Shammai.
Tribulation
External circumstances that cause an individual a great deal of internal stress. The “Great Tribulation,” taken by some to be a specific period of suffering at the end of earthly history, is hinted at in the Old Testament (Dt 4:30), developed by Jesus (Mt 24:15-31), and prophesied in the book of Revelation (Rev 7:14).
Zacchaeus
A wealthy “chief tax collector” at whose house in Jericho Jesus stayed (Lk 19:1-10).