Get Affordable VMs - excellent virtual server hosting


browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
ananias

more about ananias

ananias

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  Ananias 
  n  :  a  habitual  liar  (after  a  New  Testament  character  who  was 
  struck  dead  for  lying)  [syn:  {Ananias}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Ananias 
  a  common  Jewish  name  the  same  as  Hananiah.  (1.)  One  of  the 
  members  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  who  conspired  with  his  wife 
  Sapphira  to  deceive  the  brethren,  and  who  fell  down  and 
  immediately  expired  after  he  had  uttered  the  falsehood  (Acts 
  5:5).  By  common  agreement  the  members  of  the  early  Christian 
  community  devoted  their  property  to  the  work  of  furthering  the 
  gospel  and  of  assisting  the  poor  and  needy.  The  proceeds  of  the 
  possessions  they  sold  were  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
  apostles  (Acts  4:36,  37).  Ananias  might  have  kept  his  property 
  had  he  so  chosen;  but  he  professed  agreement  with  the  brethren 
  in  the  common  purpose,  and  had  of  his  own  accord  devoted  it  all 
  as  he  said  to  these  sacred  ends  Yet  he  retained  a  part  of  it 
  for  his  own  ends  and  thus  lied  in  declaring  that  he  had  given 
  it  all  "The  offence  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira  showed  contempt  of 
  God,  vanity  and  ambition  in  the  offenders,  and  utter  disregard 
  of  the  corruption  which  they  were  bringing  into  the  society. 
  Such  sin,  committed  in  despite  of  the  light  which  they 
  possessed,  called  for  a  special  mark  of  divine  indignation." 
 
  (2.)  A  Christian  at  Damascus  (Acts  9:10).  He  became  Paul's 
  instructor;  but  when  or  by  what  means  he  himself  became  a 
  Christian  we  have  no  information.  He  was  "a  devout  man  according 
  to  the  law,  having  a  good  report  of  all  the  Jews  which  dwelt"  at 
  Damascus  (22:12). 
 
  (3.)  The  high  priest  before  whom  Paul  was  brought  in  the 
  procuratorship  of  Felix  (Acts  23:2,  5,  24).  He  was  so  enraged  at 
  Paul's  noble  declaration,  "I  have  lived  in  all  good  conscience 
  before  God  until  this  day,"  that  he  commanded  one  of  his 
  attendants  to  smite  him  on  the  mouth.  Smarting  under  this 
  unprovoked  insult,  Paul  quickly  replied,  "God  shall  smite  thee, 
  thou  whited  wall."  Being  reminded  that  Ananias  was  the  high 
  priest,  to  whose  office  all  respect  was  to  be  paid,  he  answered, 
  "I  wist  not  brethren,  that  he  was  the  high  priest"  (Acts  23:5). 
  This  expression  has  occasioned  some  difficulty,  as  it  is 
  scarcely  probable  that  Paul  should  have  been  ignorant  of  so 
  public  a  fact  The  expression  may  mean  a  that  Paul  had  at  the 
  moment  overlooked  the  honour  due  to  the  high  priest;  or  (b),  as 
  others  think,  that  Paul  spoke  ironically,  as  if  he  had  said 
  "The  high  priest  breaking  the  law!  God's  high  priest  a  tyrant 
  and  a  lawbreaker!  I  see  a  man  in  white  robes,  and  have  heard  his 
  voice,  but  surely  it  cannot  it  ought  not  to  be  the  voice  of 
  the  high  priest."  (See  Dr  Lindsay  on  Acts  _in  loco_.)  c 
  Others  think  that  from  defect  of  sight  Paul  could  not  observe 
  that  the  speaker  was  the  high  priest.  In  all  this  however,  it 
  may  be  explained,  Paul,  with  all  his  excellency,  comes  short  of 
  the  example  of  his  divine  Master,  who  when  he  was  reviled, 
  reviled  not  again 
 
 
  From  Hitchcock's  Bible  Names  Dictionary  (late  1800's)  [hitchcock]: 
 
  Ananias,  or  Ananiah,  the  cloud  of  the  Lord




more about ananias