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Persecution

Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the most advanced Bible dictionary.

Mistreatment of a person or group on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, or beliefs. During the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial periods, Jews and Christians experienced harsh treatment from Greeks, Romans, and sometimes even each other because of their beliefs and practices.

Lexham Bible Dictionary

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The Lexham Bible Dictionary

Persecution

Persecution Mistreatment of a person or group on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, or beliefs. During the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial periods, Jews and Christians experienced harsh treatment from Greeks, Romans, and sometimes even each other because of their beliefs and practices.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible

Persecution

Persecution. Infliction of suffering, injury, or death on another. The Bible begins with the persecution of the righteous by the unrighteous (Gn 4:3–7 “regard for Abel”; Mt 23:35; Heb 11:4). The Wisdom of Solomon (2:12–20) dramatically illustrates the envy and guilt that prompt such persecution. Lot’s

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised

Persecute; Persecution

Persecute; Persecution [Heb. rāḏap̱—‘pursue,’ śāṭam—‘bear a grudge against’ (Job 30:21); Gk. diṓkō—‘pursue,’ diōgmós—‘pursuit,’ diṓktēs—‘pursuer’ (1 Tim. 1:13), thlípsis—‘affliction’ (Acts 11:19)]; AV also OPPOSE FOLLOW; NEB also PURSUE, HUNT, HOUND. In Ps. 49:5 (MT 6) the RSV (“persecutors”)

Tyndale Bible Dictionary

Persecution

PERSECUTION Infliction of suffering, injury, or death on others because of their identity or beliefs. The Bible begins with an account of the persecution of the righteous by the unrighteous (Gn 4:3–7, “regard for Abel”; Mt 23:35; Heb 11:4). The Wisdom of Solomon (Wisd of Sol 2:12–20) dramatically illustrates

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)

Persecution

persecution, applied broadly, a virtual synonym for oppression, hostility, or opposition. Thus, in the Bible, the Israelites were “persecuted and oppressed” by their enemies in the land of Canaan (Judg. 2:18), and the psalmist complains that “the wicked persecute the poor” (Ps. 10:2). This is probably

The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia

Persecution

PERSECUTION. K. S. Latourette has described the movement of the church in history, beginning with the Acts of the Apostles, as “advance through storm.” No sooner had the Christian enterprise been launched at Pentecost than the apostolic leaders Peter and John were summoned before the Sanhedrin (Acts

The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition

Persecution

PERSECUTION. As encountered by Christians, this was nothing new. It was part of their Jewish heritage. The association of witness and suffering, begun as early as the second part of Isaiah, was crystallized in the Seleucid struggle. A theory of martyrdom rewarded by personal immortality grew up till

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible

Persecution

PersecutionSuffering imposed on persons or groups, a common theme throughout the Bible (e.g., Esth. 3:6). God’s servants frequently faced opposition and hostility (1 Kgs. 18:13; Matt. 23:34–37; 1 Thess. 2:14–15). The psalmists struggled with hostile pursuers and sought divine deliverance (Ps. 7:1, 5

Eerdmans Bible Dictionary

Persecution

Persecution (Gk. diṓkō). The use of forcible means to inhibit the spread or practice of a religious faith. In the Old Testament, Haman is the premier persecutor of Jews, as his ill feelings toward Mordecai prompt him to plot the destruction of all Jews (Esth. 3:6).A different approach was taken

Dictionary of New Testament Background

Persecution

PERSECUTIONThe experience of persecution, suffering for one’s religious beliefs or behavior, is widely attested in the pages of the NT. Jews suffered because of their fidelity to their ancestral religion (Heb 11:35–38), Christians were persecuted by Jews (Acts 5:17–42; 6:8–8:1; 17:1–14; 18:12–17; 21:27–36;

Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments

Persecution

PersecutionThe NT and church history in general highlight various episodes of persecution against the followers of Jesus and typically treat them as defining moments in the life of the church. For the purposes of this article, persecution is the violation of anyone’s property or physical person because

Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Persecution

Persecution—The first great persecution for religious opinion of which we have any record was that which broke out against the worshippers of God among the Jews in the days of Ahab, when that king, at the instigation of his wife Jezebel, “a woman in whom, with the reckless and licentious habits of an

Key passages

Mt 5:10–11

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you, lying on account of me.

Jn 15:18–20

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. Remember the …

Ac 8:1

And Saul was agreeing with his murder. Now there happened on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

2 Ti 3:12

And indeed, all those who want to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

1 Pe 4:13–14

But to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and be glad. If you are reviled on account of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

See also

Ge 3:1–4:15; Ge 19:1–11; Ge 37:1–11; Ex 1:1–22; 1 Sa 18:17–19:24; 1 Sa 22:6–23; 1 Ki 18:1–19; 1 Ki 19:1–18; 2 Ki 1:1–18; 2 Ch 16:7–10; 2 Ch 24:15–22; Ezr 4:6–5:17; Ne 4:1–23; Ne 6:1–14; Es 3:1–15; Job 13:1–19; Job 17:1–16; Job 30:1–31; Ps 2:1–12; Ps 3:1–8; Ps 5:1–12; Ps 7:1–17; Ps 9:1–10:18; Ps 11:1–7; Ps 13:1–6; Ps 17:1–15; Ps 18:1–24; Ps 22:1–31; Ps 25:1–22; Ps 27:1–14; Ps 31:1–24; Ps 35:1–28; Ps 38:1–22; Ps 40:1–17; Ps 42:1–43:5; Ps 44:1–26; Ps 54:1–7; Ps 55:1–23; Ps 56:1–13; Ps 57:1–11; Ps 59:1–17; Ps 63:1–11; Ps 64:1–10; Ps 69:1–36; Ps 70:1–71:24; Ps 74:1–23; Ps 83:1–18; Ps 86:1–17; Ps 89:38–52; Ps 102:1–28; Ps 109:1–31; Ps 119:49–64; Ps 119:81–96; Ps 119:105–112; Ps 119:121–136; Ps 119:145–168; Ps 129:1–8; Ps 137:1–9; Ps 140:1–13; Ps 141:1–10; Ps 142:1–7; Ps 143:1–12; Is 50:1–11; Is 52:13–53:12; Je 11:18–23; Je 15:10–18; Je 17:14–18; Je 18:18–23; Je 20:1–18; Je 26:1–24; Je 32:1–15; Je 36:20–26; Je 37:11–38:13; La 3:43–5:22; Da 3:8–25; Da 6:1–17; Da 11:29–39; Da 12:1–13; Am 1:3–2:3; Am 7:10–17; Mic 7:8–13; Na 1:2–15; Zec 2:6–13; Mt 2:13–15; Mt 4:12–17; Mt 5:1–12; Mt 5:43–48; Mt 10:16–39; Mt 12:14–21; Mt 13:1–23; Mt 14:3–12; Mt 16:24–26; Mt 21:33–22:14; Mt 23:13–39; Mt 24:4–31; Mt 26:1–5; Mt 26:14–16; Mt 26:47–68; Mt 27:26–34; Mk 1:14–15; Mk 3:6–12; Mk 3:20–21; Mk 4:1–20; Mk 6:14–29; Mk 8:27–33; Mk 10:28–31; Mk 12:1–12; Mk 13:5–27; Mk 14:1–2; Mk 15:15–41; Lk 3:1–20; Lk 4:16–30; Lk 6:20–38; Lk 8:4–15; Lk 9:18–22; Lk 11:45–12:12; Lk 18:31–34; Lk 20:9–18; Lk 21:8–19; Lk 22:1–6; Jn 5:10–18; Jn 7:1–9; Jn 7:14–24; Jn 7:32–36; Jn 8:31–59; Jn 9:13–10:42; Jn 11:45–12:11; Jn 12:37–43; Jn 15:18–16:15; Jn 17:6–19; Jn 18:39–19:16; Jn 21:15–23; Ac 4:1–4; Ac 4:13–31; Ac 5:17–21; Ac 5:33–42; Ac 6:8–15; Ac 7:17–36; Ac 7:51–8:3; Ac 9:1–9; Ac 9:23–30; Ac 11:19–26; Ac 12:1–4; Ac 13:42–14:7; Ac 14:19–28; Ac 16:16–24; Ac 16:35–40; Ac 17:5–9; Ac 18:1–17; Ac 19:21–20:6; Ac 20:17–21:14; Ac 21:26–22:21; Ac 24:1–9; Ac 26:1–23; Ro 8:31–39; Ro 11:1–10; Ro 12:9–21; 1 Co 4:6–13; 1 Co 15:1–11; 1 Co 15:29–34; 2 Co 1:8–11; 2 Co 4:7–15; 2 Co 6:1–10; 2 Co 11:22–33; 2 Co 12:7–10; Ga 1:11–24; Ga 4:21–31; Ga 5:7–15; Ga 6:11–18; Eph 6:10–20; Php 1:12–18; Php 1:27–30; Php 3:1–11; Col 1:24–29; 1 Th 2:13–16; 1 Th 3:1–10; 2 Th 1:3–12; 2 Th 3:1–5; 1 Ti 1:12–17; 2 Ti 1:8–12; 2 Ti 2:1–13; 2 Ti 3:10–17; 2 Ti 4:9–16; Phm 8–16; Heb 10:26–39; Heb 11:30–40; Heb 13:7–17; 1 Pe 1:3–12; 1 Pe 2:11–12; 1 Pe 2:18–25; 1 Pe 3:13–17; 1 Pe 4:12–19; 1 Jn 2:28–3:3; 1 Jn 3:10–15; Re 1:9–20; Re 2:8–17; Re 3:7–13; Re 6:9–11; Re 7:9–17; Re 11:7–10; Re 12:7–18; Re 13:11–18; Re 16:4–7; Re 17:1–6; Re 18:21–19:10; Re 20:4–6;

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