Bible Dictionary
ELDER
ELDER
(a) Old Testament:
In the Old Testament, a magistrate, both civil and religious, who, as far as we can know, was appointed by virtue of his right of age, at the head of a patriarchal house, of a family of the tribe, or of the same tribe (1 Kings 8:1-3; Judges 8:14,16).
By having the position of head of a tribe or of the largest families, the elder had the authority of a prince. Ordinarily, only men of mature age accessed these functions.
Other peoples, such as the Midianites and Moabites (Num. 22:4, 7), organized into tribes, had elders. This title generally designates high officials (Gen. 50:7) who: Ruled the people (Deut. 27:1; Ezra 10:8); they represented the nation in transactions involving it (Ex. 3:18; Judges 11:5-11; 1 Sam. 8:4); when a guest had to be honored (Ex. 18:12); celebrate an alliance (2 Sam. 5:3), or celebrate religious acts (Lev. 4:13-15; Josh. 7:6).
A body of 70 elders helped Moses govern the Israelites (Num. 11:16-24). Each city had its elders, who were probably the heads of the local families, and who exercised civil and religious authority (Deut. 19:12; 21:2; Rt. 4:2-11; 1 Sam. 11: 3; Ezra 10:14).
The elders continued to perform these functions in Judea during the Roman occupation (Matt. 15:2; 21:23; 26:3, 47). (See SYNAGOGUE and SANHEDRIN)
(b) New Testament:
In the New Testament the terms “elder” and “episcopos” (meaning overseer or bishop) were interchangeable (cf. Acts 20:17, 28; Tit. 1:5, 7), but they were not completely synonymous.
The term “elder” (presbyter) denotes the dignity of his function, while “episcope” denotes those duties that he exercised. The distinction that establishes two categories of ministry (that of elder and that of bishop) dates back to the second century.
In the year 44 AD. We already find elders in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 11:30). During his first missionary journey, Paul appointed elders in each church (Acts 14:23).
In fact, the elders in the churches of the Gentiles, as far as the NT shows us, were always appointed by the irreplaceable apostolic authority, whether exercised personally, or expressly delegated to certain people (cp. 1 Tim. 3: 1-15; Tit. 1:5).
The instructions for its official establishment are given to us in epistles addressed to apostolic collaborators, in the so-called Pastoral Epistles.
They also fulfilled their functions in the communities of Christians of Jewish origin (James 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1). It is evident that the dignity of an elder in the Christian church corresponded to that of an elder among the Jews.
Both positions were vested with the same authority. The elders were associated with the apostles in the government of the Church (Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; cp. Acts 21:18). They were the bishops or overseers of the local churches (Acts 20:17, 28; Tit. 1:5), and their function was to take care of the spiritual state of the congregation, exercising discipline, teaching (1 Tim. 3:5; 5:17; Tit. 1:9; Jas. 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; cp. Heb. 13:17). There were several bishops or overseers in the local church (Phil. 1:1), also called elders (Acts 11:30).
No allusion is made to a distinction of functions between them. Within the Christian church of apostolic times, as in the synagogue, preaching was not an essential function of the elders; It was not exclusively reserved for them.
As shepherds of the flock, the elders were to instruct well and be qualified to teach (1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:9). But anyone who possessed the gift of prophecy or teaching had the right to give exhortations (1 Cor. 12:28-30; 14:24, 31).
In relation to this it is important to note the distinction between “gift” and “position.” The first comes directly from the Lord; the second, by the exercise of human authority.
The gift therefore did not require human authority to be exercised, and was exercised in immediate subjection to the Head. The authority of the elders, as offices, derived from their official establishment by the apostles, and had its sphere within the undivided local assembly. Nothing is said in the Scriptures about a succession.
(c) The elders in heaven:
The twenty-four elders seen by John in heaven are mentioned frequently in Revelation. They are seen around the throne, sitting on thrones, dressed in white and wearing crowns of gold, worshiping God (Rev. 4:4, 10).
In the OT, when everything was in order there were twenty-four priestly groups, each of these groups having an elder as its head or leader (1 Chron. 24:7-18); It may be that the number twenty-four for the elders in Revelation is an allusion to these twenty-four types of priesthood.
The elders in heaven have golden harps filled with perfume “which are the prayers of the saints,” evidencing that they act as priests (Rev. 5:8), celebrating redemption in a song (Rev. 5:9).
It is undoubtedly the Church seen already in heaven in its character as a “royal priesthood” (cp. 1 Pet. 2:9). (See BISHOP and PASTOR)
A title of God used by Daniel, alluding to his eternity. He cannot be separated from Christ, because in Dan.
7 The Lord receives both names, the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man, and yet the Son of Man appears before the Ancient of Days to receive dominion, glory, and the kingdom (Dan. 7:9, 13 , 22). He is both God and man (cf. Rev. 1 and Rev. 5).
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.
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.
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).
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).
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).
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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BETHEL
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