| Caesar | The name or title given to the emperor (ruler) of Rome. |
| Cain | The son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel. Read Gen. 4:1-16. |
| Canaan | The land where the Canaanites lived. In the time of Joshua the Israelites fought for this land and eventually controlled most of it. It was generally the same area that was later called Palestine and included what are now Israel and Lebanon. |
| Capernaum | A town on the northern shore of Lake Galilee where Jesus often spent time and taught. |
| capital | A decorated cap made of stone or wood and placed on top of each of the columns that support the roof of a building. |
| captive | One of those who have been defeated in battle and are taken away as prisoners. |
| caravan | A group of traders with their animals that carried products from one place to another. |
| Carmel | A famous mountain (or high hill) in northern Israel that had good soil and plenty of rain. The name means “God’s vineyard.” See Isa. 33:9; 35:2. |
| cassia | The fragrant dried flowers of the ancient cinnamon tree that were used in anointing oil and as perfume. |
| chaff | The seed coverings and stems separated from the seeds of plants like wheat or barley. Farmers saved the seeds but let the wind blow the useless chaff away. |
| Chaldeans | An important tribe in Babylon. Sometimes this name means simply “people from Babylonia.” King Nebuchadnezzar was from this tribe, as were other kings of Babylon. Well educated people, they studied science, history, languages, and astronomy, but they also believed they could do magic and look at the stars to learn what would happen in the future. |
| chariot | A small, two-wheeled cart pulled by horses and used in war. |
| Chemosh | The national god of the country of Moab. |
| Cherub angels | Winged beings like angels that serve God, usually as guards around his throne or other holy places. Two statues of these beings were on the cover of the Box of the Agreement that represented God’s presence. See Ex. 25:10-22. |
| Cherub | See Cherub angels. |
| Chorazin | A town by Lake Galilee that Jesus visited during his teaching ministry and where he performed many miracles. |
| Christ | Literally, “Anointed,” a title that comes from the Old Testament ceremony in which perfumed oil was poured or rubbed on someone being appointed to a high office, especially that of prophet, priest, or king, to show that this person was chosen by God for that role. The Hebrew word is “Messiah,” a title used for Old Testament kings and for the one God would send as prophet, priest, and king to bring people back to a good relationship with him. |
| church | Literally, “assembly” or “community,” the people who have been brought together as God’s family through their common faith in Jesus Christ. The word often refers to a group of believers who meet together or who live in the same area, but it is also used to mean the worldwide community of all believers in Christ. |
| circumcise, circumcision | Cutting off the foreskin of the male sex organ. This was done to every Jewish baby boy as a mark of the agreement God made with Abraham. Read Gen. 17:9-14. Sometimes “circumcision” is used with “heart” in the figurative sense of true devotion to God. (See Jer. 9:26; Rom. 2:28.) In the New Testament “circumcision” is also used in a spiritual sense to refer to the changed life of believers who have come to share in the new agreement God gave his people through Jesus. (See Php. 3:3; Col. 2:11.) |
| City of David | Jerusalem, especially the southeastern and oldest part of the city. |
| Claudius | The emperor (ruler) of Rome, 41-54 a.d. |
| clean | Pure or acceptable. When it refers to animals, it means fit to be eaten. When it refers to things, it means fit to be used. When it refers to people, it means fit to participate in the worship of God at the Holy Tent (Tabernacle) or Temple. See Lev. 11-15 for the Old Testament rules about clean and unclean things. |
| coral | A hard, stone-like substance, usually pink, red, or black, that is formed from the skeletons of tiny sea animals and covers the ocean floor in certain areas. |
| cornerstone | The first and most important stone of a building. |
| courtyard | The large open area around a king’s palace or outside the Temple. |
| cross | The wooden post that Romans used to execute criminals. It is a symbol of shame, suffering and death. Just as Jesus was willing to suffer death on a cross for all people, so he asks his followers to be willing to give up their lives for him. |
| crown | Literally, “wreath,” a ring of leaves or branches that was placed on the head of the winners of athletic contests to honor them. It is a symbol of victory and reward. |
| cud | The food that is brought up from the stomach of some animals (like cattle) and chewed again. See Lev. 11. |
| curse | To ask for bad things to happen to a person or thing. As a noun it is a request for or warning about bad things to come. |
| curtain | The curtain that separated the inner sanctuary (Most Holy Place) from the front room in the Tabernacle (see “Holy Tent”) and in the Jerusalem Temple. It represented the spiritual barrier that kept people from entering God’s presence. When Jesus died, the curtain was torn open (Mt. 27:51), which was a symbol to show that in the heavenly temple the way into God’s presence had been opened. See Heb. 10:19, 20. |
| cymbals | A pair of circular metal plates that are hit against each other to make a loud sound. |
| Cyprus | Literally, “the land of Kittim.” This could be either Cyprus or Crete. |
| Cyrus | A king of Persia who ruled about 550-530 b.c. |
