This volume bridges the gap between scholars and those pastors, teachers, students and interested readers who want thorough treatments of key topics in an accessible and summary format. Articles cover each Gospel, major themes in the Gospels, key episodes in the life of Jesus, significant background topics, as well as issues and methods of interpretation.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• How to Use This Dictionary
• Abbreviations
• Transliterations
• Contributors
• A
• ABIDING
• ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB
• ADULTERY
• AFRICAN AMERICAN CRITICISM
• AMEN
• ANCESTORS
• ANGELS
• ANOINTING
• ANTI-JUDAISM
• ANTIPAS
• ANTI-SEMITISM
• APHORISM
• APOCALYPTIC ESCHATOLOGY
• APOCALYPTICISM AND APOCALYPTIC TEACHING
• APOSTLE
• ARAMAIC LANGUAGE
• ARCHANGELS
• ARCHELAUS
• ARCHEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY
• ASCENSION OF JESUS
• ATONEMENT
• AUTHENTICITY OF SAYINGS/ACTIONS OF JESUS
• AUTHORITY AND POWER
• B
• BANQUETING
• BAPTISM
• BAPTIST, JOHN THE
• BEATITUDES
• BELIEF
• BELOVED DISCIPLE
• BENEDICTUS
• BENEFACTION, BENEFACTOR
• BETHANY
• BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN
• BETHESDA
• BETHLEHEM
• BETHPHAGE
• BETHSAIDA
• BIOGRAPHY, ANCIENT
• BIRTH AND INFANCY GOSPELS
• BIRTH OF JESUS
• BLASPHEMY
• BLESSING AND WOE
• BLINDNESS AND DEAFNESS
• BORN AGAIN/FROM ABOVE
• BREAD
• BRIDE, BRIDEGROOM
• BRIDEGROOM
• BURIAL OF JESUS
• C
• CAESAREA PHILIPPI
• CALL OF DISCIPLES
• CANA
• CANON
• CANONICAL CRITICISM
• CAPERNAUM
• CHILD, CHILDREN
• CHORAZIN
• CHREIA/APHORISM
• CHRIST
• CHRISTOLOGY
• CHRONOLOGY
• CHURCH
• CIRCUMCISION
• CLEAN AND UNCLEAN
• CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE
• COMMANDMENT
• COMMISSIONING OF DISCIPLES
• COMMUNITY
• CREATOR
• CRITERIA OF AUTHENTICITY
• CROSS
• CROWD
• CRUCIFIXION
• CYNICS AND CYNICISM
• D
• DARKNESS
• DAVID, DAVIDIC MESSIANISM
• DEAD SEA SCROLLS
• DEAFNESS
• DEATH OF JESUS
• DECAPOLIS
• DEITY OF CHRIST
• DEMON, DEVIL, SATAN
• DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
• DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
• DEVIL
• DIALOGUES OF THE RISEN JESUS
• DIONYSUS
• DISCIPLES AND DISCIPLESHIP
• DISEASE
• DIVINE MAN
• DIVINE SONSHIP
• DIVORCE
• DOUBLE DISSIMILARITY, CRITERIA OF
• DOUBLE SIMILARITY
• DOUBLE TRADITION
• DREAMS AND VISIONS
• E
• ECONOMICS
• ELDERS
• ELIJAH AND ELISHA
• ELISHA
• EMBARRASSMENT, CRITERIA OF
• EMMAUS
• EMPIRE, ROMAN
• ESCHATOLOGY
• ESSENES
• ETERNAL LIFE
• ETHICS OF JESUS
• EXILE AND RESTORATION
• EXORCISM
• EYEWITNESS
• F
• FAITH
• FAMILY
• FAREWELL DISCOURSE
• FASTING
• FATHER, GOD AS
• FEASTS
• FEMINIST AND WOMANIST CRITICISMS
• FESTIVALS, JEWISH
• FINAL DISCOURSE
• FOOD LAWS
• FOOTWASHING
• FORGIVENESS OF SINS
• FORM CRITICISM
• FOURFOLD GOSPEL
• FOURTH GOSPEL
• FRAGMENTARY HYPOTHESIS
• FREEDOM
• FULFILLMENT
• G
• GALILEAN MISSION
• GALILEE
• GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
• GENEALOGY
• GENNESARET, SEA OF
• GENTILES
• GEOGRAPHY
• GETHSEMANE
• GLORY
• GOD
• GODS, GREEK AND ROMAN
• GOLGOTHA
• GOSPEL: GENRE
• GOSPEL: GOOD NEWS
• GOSPEL OF JUDAS
• GOSPEL OF PETER
• GOSPEL OF THE EBIONITES
• GOSPEL OF THE HEBREWS
• GOSPEL OF THE NAZAREANS
• GOSPEL OF THOMAS
• GOSPELS: APOCRYPHAL
• GOSPELS: HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION
• GRACE
• “GREAT COMMISSION.”
• GREATEST COMMANDMENT
• GREEK CULTURE
• GREEK LANGUAGE
• GRIESBACH HYPOTHESIS
• H
• HAGGADAH
• HALAKAH
• HARDNESS OF HEART
• HEALING
• HEAVEN AND HELL
• HEBREW LANGUAGE
• HELLENISM
• HEROD
• HERODIAN DYNASTY
• HERODIANS
• HERODIAS
• HISTORICAL JESUS
• HISTORICISMS AND HISTORIOGRAPHY
• HISTORIOGRAPHY
• HOLINESS
• HOLY SPIRIT
• HOSPITALITY
• HOUSEHOLD
• HYMNS
• HYPOCRITE
• I
• “I AM” SAYINGS
• ILLNESS
• IMMINENT ESCHATOLOGY
• INAUGURATED ESCHATOLOGY
• INCARNATION
• INFANCY GOSPEL OF THOMAS
• ISAAC
• ISRAEL
• J
• JACOB
• JERICHO
• JERUSALEM
• JESUS IN NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
• JEWISH QUEST FOR JESUS
• JEWISH REVOLT
• JOHANNINE THEOLOGY
• JOHN AND THE SYNOPTICS
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF
• JOHN THE BAPTIST
• JONAH, SIGN OF
• JOSEPHUS
• JOY
• JUBILEE
• JUDAISM, COMMON
• JUDGMENT
• JUSTICE, RIGHTEOUSNESS
• K
• KINGDOM OF GOD/HEAVEN
• L
• LAMB OF GOD
• LANGUAGES OF JESUS
• LANGUAGES OF PALESTINE
• LAST SUPPER
• LATINO/LATINA CRITICISM
• LAW
• LAZARUS
• LEPROSY
• LIBERTY
• LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE
• LIGHT AND DARKNESS
• LITERARY CRITICISM
• LITURGY, LITURGICAL FEATURES
• LOGOS
• LORD
• LORD'S PRAYER
• LORD'S SUPPER
• LOVE, LOVE COMMAND
• LUKE, GOSPEL OF
• M
• MAGDALA
• MAGIC
• MAGNIFICAT
• MARK, GOSPEL OF
• MARKAN PRIORITY
• MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS
• MATTHEW, GOSPEL OF
• MEALS
• MERCY
• MESSIAH, MESSIANIC EXPECTATION
• MIDRASH
• MIRACLES AND MIRACLE STORIES
• MISHNAH
• MISSION
• MORALITY
• MOSES
• MOTHER OF JESUS
• MOUNT OF OLIVES
• MOUNTAIN AND WILDERNESS
• MULTIPLE ATTESTATION, CRITERIA OF
• N
• NAIN
• NARRATIVE CRITICISM
• NAZARENE
• NAZARETH
• NEW BIRTH
• NEW EXODUS
• NEW QUEST
• NUNC DIMITTIS
• O
• OATHS AND SWEARING
• OLD TESTAMENT IN THE GOSPELS
• OLIVET DISCOURSE
• ORAL TRADITION
• ORALITY AND ORAL TRANSMISSION
• OSSUARIES
• P
• PARABLES
• PARACLETE
• PASSION NARRATIVE
• PASSOVER, PASSOVER LAMB
• PATRISTIC INTERPRETATION
• PATTERNS AND THEMES, OLD TESTAMENT
• PEACE
• PEOPLE, CROWD
• PHARISEES
• PHILIP THE TETRARCH
• PILATE
• PONTIUS PILATE
• POOR
• POST-COLONIAL CRITICISM
• PRAETORIUM
• PRAYER
• PREDICTIONS OF JESUS’ PASSION AND RESURRECTION
• PRIESTS AND PRIESTHOOD
• PROPHETS, PROPHECY
• PROTEVANGELIUM OF JAMES
• PURITY AND IMPURITY
• Q
• Q
• QORBAN
• QUEST OF THE HISTORICAL JESUS
• QUOTATIONS OF OLD TESTAMENT
• QURAN
• R
• RABBINIC TRADITIONS AND WRITINGS
• RANSOM SAYING
• REALIZED ESCHATOLOGY
• REDACTION CRITICISM
• REIGN OF GOD
• REPENTANCE
• RESTORATION OF ISRAEL
• RESURRECTION
• REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS
• REWARDS
• RICH AND POOR
• ROME
• S
• SABBATH
• SADDUCEES
• SALOME
• SALVATION
• SAMARIA
• SAMARITANS
• SANHEDRIN
• SATAN
• SCANDINAVIAN SCHOOL
• SCRIBES
• SECRET GOSPEL OF MARK
• SECTARIANISM
• SECTS, JEWISH
• SEMITICISMS
• SERMON ON THE MOUNT/PLAIN
• SERVANT OF YAHWEH
• SEVENTY, MISSION OF THE
• SHEPHERD, SHEEP
• SICKNESS
• SIGN OF JONAH
• SIGNS
• SILOAM
• SIN, SINNER
• SINAI
• SLAVE, SERVANT
• SOCIAL-SCIENTIFIC CRITICISMS
• SON OF DAVID
• SON OF GOD
• SON OF MAN
• SONGS AND HYMNS
• SOURCE CRITICISM
• SPIRIT OF GOD
• SUFFERING SERVANT
• SWEARING
• SYCHAR
• SYNAGOGUE
• SYNOPTIC PROBLEM
• SYNOPTICS AND JOHN
• T, U, V
• TABLE FELLOWSHIP
• TALMUD
• TARGUMS
• TAXES
• TEACHER
• TEMPLE
• TEMPLE ACT
• TEMPLE TAX
• TEMPTATION OF JESUS
• TESTIMONY
• TEXTUAL CRITICISM
• THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS
• THIRD QUEST
• THREE-SOURCE HYPOTHESIS
• TIBERIAS
• TITHES
• TOMB OF JESUS
• TORAH
• TRADITION
• TRANSFIGURATION
• TRIAL OF JESUS
• TRIPLE TRADITION
• TRIUMPHAL ENTRY
• TRUST
• TWELVE, MISSION OF THE
• TWELVE, THE
• TWO-SOURCE HYPOTHESIS
• TYPOLOGY
• UNCLEAN
• UNPARDONABLE SIN
• UR-GOSPEL
• VINE, FRUIT OF THE
• VIRGIN MARY
• VIRGINAL CONCEPTION
• VISIONS
• W, X, Y, Z
• WATER
• WAY, THE
• WILDERNESS
• WINE
• WISDOM
• WITNESS
• WOE
• WOMANIST CRITICISM
• WOMEN
• WONDERS
• WORD
• WORLD
• WORSHIP
• YEAR OF JUBILEE
• ZEALOTS
• ZION