People, Places, and Things

The people and places index will help introduce you to the people, places, and things you encounter when reading the Bible each week. You’ll also find links to them within the weekly passage of scripture for each lesson.

Anna

Person
Luke

nna, a devout and elderly prophetess in the Gospel of Luke, faithfully worshiped in the temple and joyfully proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah upon recognizing Him at His presentation.

Annas and Caiaphas

Person
Luke

Annas and Caiaphas, a powerful father-in-law and son-in-law duo who dominated the high priesthood in first-century Judea, embody how Rome’s occupation turned a sacred office into a tool of political control, with their influence culminating in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus.

Bethlehem

Place
Luke

Bethlehem in the first century was a small, humble town in Judea known as the city of David, historically and prophetically significant as the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah, which Luke highlights to show Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament promises through His birth in this modest setting.

Caesar Augustus

Person
Luke

In Luke’s Gospel, Caesar Augustus, Rome’s first emperor and bringer of the Pax Romana, is mentioned in connection with the census that brings Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, highlighting how the emperor’s decree unknowingly fulfills God’s plan and contrasting Augustus’s claim to peace with the true peace brought by Jesus.

Capernaum

Place
Luke

Capernaum was a working-class Jewish village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee that served as Jesus’ primary base for ministry, featuring a significant synagogue where He taught and performed miracles amid a community facing spiritual conflict and social challenges.

Days of Perification

Thing
Luke

In Luke 2, the days of purification reflect the First Century Jewish law requiring a mother’s ritual purification and the presentation of the firstborn male at the temple, demonstrating faithful observance of Mosaic customs.

Elizabeth

Person
Luke

Elizabeth, the righteous and faithful wife of Zechariah, is the mother of John the Baptist, whose miraculous late-in-life pregnancy testifies to God’s power and faithfulness in preparing the way for Jesus.

Fishing Boats

Thing
Luke

Fishing boats in first century Galilee were small, wooden vessels designed for nearshore fishing on the Sea of Galilee, primarily using oars and occasionally sails to support the fishermen’s work with nets.

Gabriel

Person
Luke

Gabriel in Luke 1 is the angelic messenger who stands in God’s presence, sent by God to announce and fulfill the divine plan of salvation through the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

Galilee

Place
Luke

Galilee in the first century was a diverse, politically marginal region in northern Israel under Herod Antipas, known for its rural Jewish communities, mixed populations, and as the primary area of Jesus’ ministry emphasizing compassion and inclusion.

Herod Antipas

Person
Luke

Herod Antipas was the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea in the First Century, known for his political rule under Roman authority, his role in the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist, and his involvement in the trial of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament.

Herod Philip

Person
Luke

Herod Philip the Tetrarch (4 BC–AD 34), son of Herod the Great, ruled peacefully over Ituraea and Trachonitis, is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke for historical context, and must be distinguished from his half-brother Philip I, the first husband of Herodias and father of Salome.