Theoctistus, Saint: The Ascetic Companion of the Great Euthymius
Saint Theoctistus (d. 451) was a great ascetic who withdrew from the world and took refuge six miles outside of Jerusalem at the Lavra Pharan monastery. There he enclosed himself in a cell and devoted himself to the strictest ascetic struggles. During this time, the eminent Euthymius also came to reside in a neighboring cell […]
Desolate in the Bible | ἔρημος (erēmos) | Adjective
Etymology and Semantic Analysis The word ‘desolate’ in English, conveying a sense of abandonment or emptiness, is often translated from the Greek word ‘ἔρημος’ (erēmos), an adjective found frequently in the New Testament. This Greek term carries connotations of solitude, barrenness, and isolation, painting pictures of uninhabited and desolate places or the emotional state of […]
Biblical Desert | ἔρημος (Greek), מדבר (Hebrew)
Etymology and Semantic Analysis The term ‘desert’ in the Bible is translated from the Greek word ‘ἔρημος’ (erēmos) and the Hebrew word ‘מדבר’ (midbar). In Greek, ‘ἔρημος’ primarily conveys the notion of a solitary, uninhabited, or desolate place. In Hebrew, ‘מדבר’ also suggests a wilderness or an uninhabited land. These words are often found in […]
Exodus
Exodus 1:1 Here are the names of the sons of Israel who journeyed to Egypt, each with his family, accompanying Jacob: 1:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 1:3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 1:4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 1:5 The total of Jacob’s descendants was seventy souls; Joseph was already in Egypt. 1:6 Eventually, Joseph, […]