Bible Dictionary
IDOL
IDOL
Representation by means of an image, sculpture, or other means, of a person or animal or thing, in order to make it an object of worship, or the dwelling place of a divinity (Ex. 20:4, 5, 23; Judges. 17:3; 1 Sam. 5:3, 4; Rom. 1:23). Idols were made of silver, gold (Ps. 115:4; 135:15), wood or other materials (Is. 44:13-17).
Metal idols were made by pouring molten metal into a mold, which in this case were called cast statues or images. Other types of idols were made by carving wood, which was then gilded, silvered or polychrome. Made of stone or wood, these representations, worked with cutting instruments, are called carved or sculpted images.
Isaiah and Jeremiah describe its making (Is. 40:19, 20; 44:9-20; Jer. 10:9). The statuettes represented, among others, the domestic gods, called “terafim” (Gen. 31:34; 35:1-4). There were idols that had the dimensions of a human being (1 Sam. 19:16). Others, like the one Nebuchadnezzar built in the valley of Dura, were of colossal dimensions (Dan. 3:1).
In the 4th century AD, when the pagans were introduced en masse into the church, images entered with them into some Christian buildings, but only, it was said, for ornamentation and for the instruction of the people. In the year 736, the Emperor of Byzantium Leo III, the Isauric, promulgated the edicts against images. In the year 780, the Empress Irene reintroduced them into the Eastern Church, which was ratified in the year 787 by the Second Council of Nicaea.
The church of Rome also encourages the cult of statues and representations of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints. This is justified by stating that the latter are venerated, while only God and his divine son are worshiped. However, the law of Moses totally prohibited doing any
representation that could be used to worship him, whether of a man, a woman, or whatever (Deut. 4:15-18, 23-24). The second commandment of the Decalogue is one of the longest and most solemn (Deut. 5:7-10), and insists on the prohibition of serving images and prostrating before them.
Thus, it is prohibited to raise them on altars, kneel before them, place candles on them, direct prayers to them, and carry them in procession. These practices come from ancient paganism, being totally foreign to Christianity. On the other hand, the Lord is a jealous God, who demands our adoration and worship in an exclusive way.
In God’s government, punishment is announced to the fourth generation for those who disobey this formal order. The Israelites fell into the sin of burning incense before the bronze serpent made by Moses in the desert (Num. 21:4-9), so King Hezekiah broke it into pieces to put an end to this idolatry (2 Kings 18 :4). The NT indicates the spiritual reasons for similar prohibitions.
Above all, Christ is our only almighty mediator and intercessor, and it is an offense to him and a folly to turn to creatures as much or more than to Him (Acts 4:12; Rom. 8:31-34; 1 Tim. 2 :5 Heb 7:24-25; 9:24). On the other hand, although it is evident that a statue is nothing more than a bit of marble, metal or plaster, Paul indicates that the worship offered to the idol is actually offered to demons (1 Cor. 10:19- 22).
This word may seem very harsh, but it is clear that a prohibited religious act can only benefit the enemy. An enemy that pushes idolatrous worship so that men lose sight of the one true God, and to attract them into the networks of the demonic powers that lurk behind idols.
The fact remains that both the Virgin and the “saints” represented by images are dead, not yet resurrected (John 6:40; 1 Cor. 15:22, 23). The OT prohibited, under penalty of anathema and even death, seeking contact with the deceased, even if they had been believers (Lev. 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10-14; 1 Sam. 28:3- 19; 1 Chr. 10:13-14; Is. 8:1920).
On a spiritual level, it is evident that one can have other types of true idols. Everything that takes the place due to God in our hearts, whether people or things, are idols. The love of money, covetousness, greed, gluttony, all these are forms of idolatry (Mt. 6:24; Luke 16:13; Rom. 16:18; Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5 ; Phil. 3:19; 2 Tim. 3:4).
The men of the 20th century have the concept of themselves that they are much more refined than those of antiquity, but they are no less idolatrous for that reason. The gods they serve are Mammon, Venus, Sport, State, Power, Self, who put the creature, with its pride and insatiable appetites for pleasure, in the place of the Creator (Rom. 1:25 ).
Let us flee, therefore, from idols and from all idolatry, both external and internal (1 Cor. 10:7; Rom. 2:22; 1 Jn. 5:21). The only way to achieve this will be by giving our wholehearted adherence to the wonderful God, our Creator, who loved us to the point of giving his only begotten Son for us, and who seeks our worship in Spirit and in truth (John 4). : 23-24).
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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