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Definition
Jacob
Jacob is one of the patriarchs of ancient Judaism and the father of who became the twelve tribes of Israel. His story is told in Genesis 25-50. His Hebrew name is derived from Ya-aqob ("to supplant" or "circumvent") and is constructed from...
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Battle of Marj Ayyun
The Battle of Marj Ayyun (10 June 1179, also given as the Battle on the Litani) was a military engagement between Baldwin IV, King of Jerusalem (r. 1174-1185) and Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria (r. 1174-1193). Saladin decisively won the...
Article
The Twelve Tribes of Israel
The Twelve Tribes of Israel refer to the sons of the Jewish Patriarch Jacob and are important for the tribal lineages of those who constituted the nation of Israel. In the ancient world, all ethnic groups developed stories of their ancestors...
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Valhalla by Max Brückner
Artist imagination of Valhalla, Odin's hall of fallen warriors (Einherjar). Unlike Hel that was a rather gloomy and dark place, Valhalla was a blissful after-life location. Here souls were looked after by Valkyries who served them mead...
Definition
The Vedas
The Vedas are the religious texts which inform the religion of Hinduism (also known as Sanatan Dharma meaning “Eternal Order” or “Eternal Path”). The term veda means “knowledge” in that they are thought to contain the fundamental knowledge...
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Esau & Jacob by Ghiberti
Esau & Jacob on Lorenzo Ghiberti's Doors of Paradise for the Baptistry, made between 1420 and 1447 with assistance from Lucca della Robbia, Donatello, Michelozzo, Benozzo Gozzoli, Bernardo Cennini, and two of Ghiberti's sons. Museo...
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Jacob's Dream at Bethel by Raphael
Jacob's Dream at Bethel, fresco by Raphael (1483-1520).
Vatican Palace.
Definition
Book of Job
The book of Job in the Hebrew Bible is found among the books designated Ketuvim ("writings"), along with Ecclesiastes and the Book of Proverbs. All three belong to a genre known as wisdom literature. The books share a common ancient cultural...
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Fall of Robespierre in the National Convention, 27 July 1794
Fall of Maximilien Robespierre on the floor of the National Convention, 27 July 1794 (9 Thermidor Year II). Oil on canvas by Max Adamo, 1870.
Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin.
Definition
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of the state god of the ancient Kingdom of Israel and, later, the Kingdom of Judah. His name is composed of four Hebrew consonants (YHWH, known as the Tetragrammaton) which the prophet Moses is said to have revealed to...