Ridgeway Methodist Church, Plympton | The Christian Faith

Ridgeway Methodist Church, Plympton, Plymouth, England, UK

Bible People

This page gives a brief introduction to many of the major figures in the Bible, and a few minor ones as well! Use the links below to skip down to a particular letter.

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AARON	Brother of Moses. First High Priest of Israel.
ABEL	Second son of Adam and Eve, murdered by his brother Cain.
ABRAHAM	First of the patriarchs, with whom God made a covenant promise.
ADAM	The first man created by God, whose disobedience made all humans inherently sinful.
AHAZ	One of the worst kings of Judah, his idolatry almost brought the kingdom to an end.
AMOS	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament. Actually from Judah but preached to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
ANDREW	One of Jesus' twelve disciples, originally a fisherman on Lake Galilee. Brother of Simon Peter.
APOLLOS	Talented public speaker who preached to the church at Corinth and is thought by some to have written the Letter to the Hebrews.
AQUILA	Member, alongside his wife Priscilla, of the church at Corinth, one of the earliest Christian evangelists.
ASHER	Son of Jacob and Zilpah, one of twelve sons of Jacob whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

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BARNABAS	Influential preacher in the early church, travelled with Paul on his first missionary journey and later travelled with Mark.
BARTHOLOMEW	One of Jesus' twelve disciples, also known as Nathaniel.
BENJAMIN	Son of Jacob and Rachel, youngest son of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

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CAIAPHAS	Jewish High Priest at the time of Jesus' arrest and trial.
CAIN	Eldest son of Adam and Eve, murdererer of his brother Abel.
CALEB	One of the twelve spies sent into Canaan by Moses, only he and Joshua recommended entering the land.

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DAN	Son of Jacob and Bilhah, one of twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
DANIEL	Old Testament prophet who interpreted dreams in the Babylonian court.
DAVID	Israel's greatest king, second king of the united kingdom of Israel who defeated Goliath in battle. Wrote many of the Psalms.
DEBORAH	Old Testament prophet and the only female Judge of Israel.
DELILAH	Philistine woman who was sent to discover the secret of Samson's strength.
DINAH	Daughter of Jacob and Leah, Jacob's only daughter.

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ELI	Priest and Judge of Israel, teacher and mentor of Samuel.
ELIJAH	One of the greatest of the prophets, who appeared at the Transfiguration of Jesus.
ELISHA	Old Testament prophet, successor to Elijah.
ELIZABETH	Mother of John the Baptist, wife of Zechariah and a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
EPHRAIM	Son of Joseph, ancestor of the half-tribe of Ephraim.
ESAU	Son of Isaac and Rebekah, who sold his birthright to twin brother Jacob.
ESTHER	Jewish exile who became the queen of Persia.
EVE	The first woman created by God, out of the rib of Adam, who encouraged Adam to disobey God.
EZEKIEL	Old Testament prophet who preached during the time of the Israelite exile in Babylon.
EZRA	Jewish priest who led many of the exiles back to Jerusalem from Babylon.

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FELIX	Governor of Judea, before whom Paul appeared following his arrest.
FESTUS	Succeeded Felix as Governor of Judea, before whom Paul also appeared.

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GABRIEL	Archangel who appeared to the prophet Daniel and announced the forthcoming births of John the Baptist and Jesus.
GAD	Son of Jacob and Zilpah, one of twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
GIDEON	One of the Judges of Israel, who defeated the Midianites with an army of only three hundred men.
GOLIATH	Philistine warrior who was defeated in battle by David.

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HABAKKUK	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, who addressed the problems of evil and suffering in the world.
HAGGAI	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, who encouraged to Israelites to rebuild the temple after their return from exile.
HAM	Son of Noah, also saved from the great flood.
HANNAH	Mother of Samuel.
HEROD (THE GREAT)	King of the Roman client kingdom of Palestine from 40BC until his death in about 4BC. King at the time of Jesus' birth.
HEZEKIAH	King of Judah, who did much to remove the idolatry introduced by his father Ahaz.
HOSEA	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, who preached to the northern kingdom of Israel.

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ISAAC	One of the patriarchs, the son born to Abraham and Sarah in old age.
ISAIAH	One of greatest Old Testament prophets, who preached mainly to the southern kingdom of Judah.
ISHMAEL	Half-brother of Isaac, son of Abraham and Hagar.
ISSACHAR	Son of Jacob and Leah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

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JACOB	One of the patriarchs, second son of Isaac and Rebekah who became his father's heir ahead of brother Esau. Also known as Israel.
JAMES (APOSTLE)	One of Jesus' twelve disciples, originally a fisherman on Lake Galilee. Also known as James the Great, and brother of John.
JAMES (BROTHER OF JESUS)	Son of Mary and Joseph, half-brother of Jesus Christ. Writer of the New Testament letter of James.
JAMES (SON OF ALPHAEUS)	One of Jesus' twelve disciples. Also known as James the Lesser.
JAPHETH	Son of Noah, also saved from the great flood.
JEREMIAH	Major prophet in the Old Testament, who preached in Judah at the time of the Babylonian conquest.
JESSE	Father of King David, grandson of Ruth.
JESUS CHRIST	The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity who came to earth in human form to save mankind.
JOEL	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament.
JOHN (APOSTLE)	One of Jesus' twelve disciples, originally a fisherman on Lake Galilee. Brother of James the Great, writer of one of the Gospels.
JOHN THE BAPTIST	New Testament prophet who carried out baptisms in the River Jordan and prepared the way for Jesus' ministry.
JONAH	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, who tried to resist God's command to preach in Nineveh.
JOSEPH (HUSBAND OF MARY)	Husband of Mary the mother of Jesus, who stood by her when she became pregnant before their marriage.
JOSEPH (PATRIARCH)	One of the patriarchs, son of Jacob and Rachel. One of twelve sons of Jacob whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Sold into slavery in Egypt before becoming a key figure in the Egyptian court.
JOSHUA	Moses' successor as leader of the Israelites, who led his people into the promised land.
JUDAH	Son of Jacob and Leah, one of twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
JUDAS ISCARIOT	One of Jesus' twelve disciples. Betrayed Jesus to the Jewish authorities for thirty pieces of silver, before later committing suicide.
JUDE	Son of Mary and Joseph, half-brother of Jesus Christ.

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LABAN	Brother of Rebekah and father of Leah and Rachel, uncle of Jacob. Tricked Jacob into marrying Leah before Rachel.
LAZARUS	Brother of Mary and Martha, who was raised from the dead by Jesus.
LEAH	One of Jacob's wives, sister of Rachel and mother of six of Jacob's twelve sons.
LEVI	Son of Jacob and Leah, one of twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
LOT	Nephew of Abraham who travelled with him to Egypt and then to Canaan.
LUKE	Writer of one of the Gospels, possibly the only Gentile author in the New Testament. Also wrote the book of Acts.

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MALACHI	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament.
MANASSEH	Son of Joseph, ancestor of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
MARK	Writer of one of the Gospels, travelling companion of Peter. Also known as John Mark.
MARTHA	Sister of Mary and Lazarus.
MARY (MOTHER OF JESUS)	Wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus Christ. Became pregnant while still a virgin.
MARY MAGDALENE	Follower of Jesus, who freed her from demons. First to see Jesus after the resurrection.
MATTHEW	One of Jesus' twelve disciples, originally a tax collector. Writer of one of the Gospels. Also known as Levi.
MICAH	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, contemporary of Isaiah. Preached to the southern kingdom of Judah.
MIRIAM	Sister of Moses and Aaron.
MOSES	Led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Law from God on Mount Sinai.

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NAHUM	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament. Prophesied about the fall of the Assyrian capital Nineveh.
NAOMI	Mother-in-law of Ruth.
NAPHTALI	Son of Jacob and Bilhah, one of twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR	Babylonian king at the time of the conquest of Judah.
NEHEMIAH	Returned to Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon and led the rebuilding of the city walls.
NOAH	"Righteous man" who was saved by God from the great flood, along with his wife, three sons and three daughters-in-law.

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OBADIAH

One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, prophesied the downfall of the Edomites.

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PAUL	Formerly Saul of Tarsus, persecuted the early Christian church before his conversion on the road to Damascus. Travelled extensively around the eastern Mediterranean on missionary journeys and wrote many letters to churches in the area.
PETER	One of Jesus' twelve disciples, originally a fisherman on Lake Galilee. Brother of Andrew, chosen by Jesus to be the first leader of the Christian Church. Also known as Simon Peter.
PHILEMON	Member of the church in Colosse, a close friend of Paul, one of whose letters is addressed to him.
PHILIP	One of Jesus' twelve disciples.
PILATE	Governor of the Roman province of Judea at the time of Jesus' ministry, allowed the crucifixion of Jesus to take place.
PRISCILLA	Member, alongside her husband Aquila, of the church at Corinth, one of the earliest Christian evangelists.

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RACHEL	One of Jacob's wives, sister of Leah and mother of two of Jacob's twelve sons.
REBEKAH	Wife of Isaac, mother of Esau and Jacob.
REHOBOAM	Son of Solomon, under whose reign the kingdom was divided into Israel and Judah. First King of Judah.
REUBEN	Son of Jacob and Leah, eldest of the twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
RUTH	Daughter-in-law of Naomi, Moabite woman who married Boaz. Grandmother of Jesse and great-grandmother of King David.

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SAMSON	One of the Judges of Israel, famous for his legendary strength.
SAMUEL	Son of Hannah, Old Testament prophet and the last of the Judges of Israel.
SARAH	Wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac.
SAUL	First king of the united Kingdom of Israel, anointed by Samuel.
SETH	Son of Adam and Eve, ancestor of Noah.
SHEM	One of the three sons of Noah, also saved from the great flood.
SILAS	Travelling companion of Paul on his missionary journeys, who also acted as a secretary for Paul and Peter.
SIMEON	Son of Jacob and Leah, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
SIMON PETER	One of Jesus' twelve disciples, originally a fisherman on Lake Galilee. Brother of Andrew, chosen by Jesus to be the first leader of the Christian Church. Also known as Peter.
SIMON THE ZEALOT	One of Jesus' twelve disciples.
SOLOMON	Last king of the united Kingdom of Israel, famed for his wisdom and credited with writing much of the Old Testament wisdom literature.
STEPHEN	Became the first Christian martyr when he was stoned to death in c.35AD.

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THADDAEUS	One of Jesus' twelve disciples, also known as Jude.
TIMOTHY	Travelling companion of Paul on his missionary journeys, sent two letters by Paul advising him on how to lead the church.
TITUS	Travelling companion of Paul, later went to Crete to oversee the early churches there.

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UZZIAH

King of the southern Kingdom of Judah, died in the year Isaiah's ministry began.

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ZEBULUN	Son of Jacob and Leah, eldest of the twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
ZECHARIAH	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament.
ZEPHANIAH	One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament.
ZERUBBABEL	Led the first group of Israelites back to Jerusalem after exile in Babylon, also led the work of rebuilding the Temple.
ZIPPORAH	Wife of Moses.

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