1. the collection of sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments.
2. Also called Hebrew Scriptures. the collection of sacred writings of the Jewish religion: known to Christians as the Old Testament.
3. (often l.c.) the sacred writings of any religion.
4. (l.c.) a reference publication esteemed for its usefulness and authority: a bird-watchers' bible.
[1300–50; Middle English < Old French < Medieval Latin biblia (feminine singular) < Greek, in tà biblía tà hagía the holy books; biblíon, byblíon papyrus roll, derivative of býblos papyrus, after Býblos, a Phoenician port from where papyrus was exported]
apocrypha
1. religious writings of disputed origin, regarded by many author-ities as uncanonical.
2. (capitalized) a group of 15 books, not part of the canonical Hebrew Bible, but present in the Septuagint and Vulgate and hence accepted by some as biblical. — apocryphal, adj.
biblicism
a strict following of the teachings of the Bible.
biblicist
1. an expert in biblical text and exegesis.
2. a person who strictly follows the teachings of the Bible.
biblioclasm
the destruction of books, especially the Bible. — biblioclast, n.
bibliolater, bibliolatrist
a person who respects the Bible excessively and interprets it literally.
bibliomancy
a form of divination using books, especially the Bible, in which passages are chosen at random and the future foretold from them.
dittology
a doublé reading or interpretation, especially of a Bible passage.
eisegesis
the introduction by an interpreter of his own ideas into a text under explication.
Elohist
the author of part of the first six books in the Old Testament, so named because of references to God as Elohim. Cf. Yahwist.
exegesis
critical explication or interpretation of Scripture.
exegetics
the branch of theology that specializes in interpretation, or exegesis, of Biblical literature. Historically, exegetes have recognized four levels of meaning in the Bible: the historical or literal, the allegorical, the moral, and the anagogical or mystical, putting emphasis on the necessity of a foundation for the latter three in the literal sense. — exegete, n.
exegetist, exegist
an exegete; one skilled in exegesis.
fundamentalism
the rationale of conservative American Protestants who regard the Bible as free of errors or contradictions and emphasize its literal interpretation, usually without reference to modern scholarship. Also called literalism. — fundamentalist, n., adj.
hermeneutics
the science of interpretation and explanation, especially the branch of theology that deals with the general principles of Biblical interpretation. — hermeneut, hermeneutist, n.
Higher Criticism
the analysis of Biblical materials that aims to ascertain, from internal evidence, authorship, date, and intent. Cf. Lower Criticism.
Hutchinsonianism
1. the theories of John Hutchinson, an 18th-century Yorkshireman, who disputed Newton’s theory of gravitation and maintained that a system of natural science was to be found in the Old Testament.
2. the tenets of the followers of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, an antinomian who lived in the early days of the Massachusetts Colony. — Hutchinsonian, adj.
inspirationism
the belief in inspiration arising from the Scriptures. — inspirationist, n. — inspirative, adj.
isagogics
a branch of theology that is introductory to actual exegesis, empha-sizing the literary and cultural history of Biblical writings. — isagogic, adj.
lection
a reading from a text, especially a reading from the Bible as part of a church service.
lectionary
a list of the lections, or texts, to be read in church services through-out the canonical year.
literalism
1. fundamentalism.
2. Scripturalism. — literalist, n., adj.
Lower Criticism
the study of Biblical materials that intends to reconstruct their original texts in preparation for the tasks of Higher Criticism. Cf. Higher Criticism.
pseudepigrapha
the spurious writings (other than the canonical books and the Apocrypha) professing to be biblical in character, as the Books of Enoch. — pseudepigraphic, pseudepigraphical, pseudepigraphous, adj.
Scripturalism
a strict compliance with the literal interpretation of the Bible. Also called literalism.
synoptist
a Biblical scholar who arranges side-by-side excerpts from the first three Gospels to show their resemblances in event, chronology, and language. — synoptic, adj.
Targumist
1. the writer of a Targum, a translation or paraphrase into Aramaic of a portion of the Old Testament.
2. an authority on Targumic literature. — Targumic, Targumistic, adj.
textualism
the practice of adhering strictly to the Scriptures. — textualist, textuary, n.
textuary
a textualist.
tropist
a person who explains the Scriptures in terms of tropes, or figures of speech.
tropology
a method of interpreting biblical literature emphasizing the moral implications of the tropes, or figures of speech, used in its composition. — tropological, adj.
typology
the analysis of symbolism, especially of the meaning of Scripture types. — typologist, n. — typological, adj.
Yahwist
the author of part of the first six books in the Old Testament, so named because of numerous references therein to God as Yahweh (Jehovah). Cf. Elohist.
See also books; catholicism; christianity; god and gods; hell; heresy; judaism; protestantism; religion; theology.
Online Bible Dictionaries
Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. Bible - the sacred writings of the Christian religions; "he went to carry the Word to the heathen"
Christian Bible, Good Book, Holy Scripture, Holy Writ, Scripture, Word of God, Book, Word
religious text, religious writing, sacred text, sacred writing - writing that is venerated for the worship of a deity
family Bible - a large Bible with pages to record marriages and births
Old Testament - the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible
Testament - either of the two main parts of the Christian Bible
New Testament - the collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ's death; the second half of the Christian Bible
covenant - (Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return
eisegesis - personal interpretation of a text (especially of the Bible) using your own ideas
exegesis - an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible)
text - a passage from the Bible that is used as the subject of a sermon; "the preacher chose a text from Psalms to introduce his sermon"
Gabriel - (Bible) the archangel who was the messenger of God
Noachian deluge, Noah and the Flood, Noah's flood, the Flood - (Biblical) the great deluge that is said in the Book of Genesis to have occurred in the time of Noah; it was brought by God upon the earth because of the wickedness of human beings
demythologise, demythologize - remove the mythical element from (writings); "the Bible should be demythologized and examined for its historical value"
2. bible - a book regarded as authoritative in its field
enchiridion, handbook, vade mecum - a concise reference book providing specific information about a subject or location
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