Books Jesus Read

218

Books Jesus Read

Midianites (Mid-ee-an-ites). The historical enemies of God’s people (Gen 25; Judg 6–8) mentioned in 1 Maccabees. Modein (Modeen). An ancient village twenty miles northwest of Jerusalem, where Mattathias and his sons settled at the beginning of the oppressive rule of Antiochus Epiphanes. Nebuchadnezzar (Neb-you-kad-nezzar). The king of Babylonia who ruled from 605–562 BC, whimsically identified as king of the Assyrians in the opening of the story of Judith. Negeb (Neh-gev). The desert region to the south of the hill country of Jerusalem. Nicanor (Nick-an-or). In 1 Maccabees, Nicanor is the commander of the elephant forces who is appointed governor of Judea by Demetrius. Nineveh (Nin-eh-vah). The city to which Israel, the northern kingdom, was exiled at the time of the Assyrian Captivity in 740 BC. In Tobit, Nineveh is the city of exile of Tobit’s family. Nineveh also is mentioned in the story of Judith as the city from which the armies of Nebuchadnezzar march to conquer Judea. Persecution (Pur-see-cue-shun). Acts of violence or oppression imposed on a person or persons solely because of their identity. In the Apocrypha, the Jews are persecuted by Gentiles in general and by the Seleucid kingdom led by Antiochus Epiphanes in particular. Persia, Persian (Pur-sha, Pur-shun). The ancient kingdom which, under Cyrus the Great, conquered much of the known world from Greece to India and held it from 550