Smith's Bible Dictionary

(Frankie) #1

•A high priest in (Acts 23:2-5; 24:1) He was the son of Nebedaeus. He was nominated to the office
by Herod king of Chalcis in A.D. 48; was deposed shortly before Felix left the province and
assassinated by the Sicarii at the beginning of the last Jewish war.
•A disciple at Jerusalem, husband of Sapphira. (Acts 5:1-11) having sold his goods for the benefit
of the church he kept back a part of the price, bringing to the apostles the remainder as if it was
the whole, his wife being privy to the scheme. St. Peter denounced the fraud, and Ananias fell
down and expired.
•A Jewish disciple at Damascus, (Acts 9:10-17) of high repute, (Acts 22:12) who sought out Saul
during the period of blindness which followed his conversion, and announced to him his future
commission as a preacher of the gospel. Tradition makes him to have been afterwarded bishop of
Damascus, and to have died by martyrdom.
Anath
(answer), father of Shamgar. (Judges 3:31; 5:6)
Anathema
which literally means a thing suspended, is the equivalent of the Hebrew word signifying a
thing or person voted. Any object so devoted to Jehovah was irredeemable. If an inanimate object,
it was to be given to the priests, (Numbers 18:14) if a living creature or even a man, it was to be
slain. (Leviticus 27:28,29) The word anathema frequently occurs in St. Paul’s writings, and is
generally translated accused. An examination of the passages in which it occurs shows that it had
acquired a more general sense as expressive either of strong feeling, (Romans 9:3) or of dislike
and condemnation. (1 Corinthians 12:3; 16:22; Galatians 1:9)
Anathoth
a priests’ city belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, with “suburbs.” (Joshua 21:18; 1 Chronicles
6:60) Anathoth lay about three miles from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 10:30) The cultivation of the priests
survives in tilled fields of grain, with figs and olives. There are the remains of walls and strong
foundations, and the quarries still supply Jerusalem with building stones.
(answers to prayer).
•Son of Becher, a son of Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 7:8)
•One of the “heads of the people” who signed the covenant in the time of Nehemiah. (Nehemiah
10:19) (B.C. 410.)
Anchor
(Acts 27:29)
Andrew
(manly), one of the apostles of our Lord, (John 1:40; Matthew 4:18) brother of Simon Peter.
He was of Bethsaida, and had been a disciple of John the Baptist, leaving him to follow our Lord.
By his means his brother Simon was brought to Jesus. (John 1:41) His place among the apostles
seems to have been fourth, next after the three Peter, James and John, and in company with Philip.
(Mark 3:18; Acts 1:13) The traditions about him are various. He is said to have preached in Scythia,
in Greece, in Asia Minor and Thrace, and to have been crucified at Patrae in Achaia.
Andronicus
(man-conqueror).
•An officer left as viceroy, 2 Macc. 4:31, in Antioch by Antiochus Epiphanes during his absence.
2 Macc. 4:31-38. (B.C. 171.)
•Another officer of Antiochus Epiphanes who was left by him on Garizem. 2 Macc. 5:23.

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