The Bible is one of the most important and impressive works of literature of all time. There are many characters in it, but which are the most important ones you should know? Even if it is only in name.
Adam and Eve
According to the Bible, Adam and Eve are the first two people on earth. From them came all the people who ever lived. Adam and Eve live in paradise until Eve eats a fruit from the tree of insight into good and evil. This action makes them (and us) sinful and therefore they are expelled from Paradise.
Noah
Because Noah and his family were the most righteous of his generation, God chooses them to survive the flood by having Noah build an ark. Many animal species travel with this ark (one male and female each), so that they too survive the flood and can reproduce.
Abraham
The Bible has many stories about people who disobey God. An exception to this is Abraham, who follows God’s command and leaves his home for an unknown promised land. God rewards him for this that his descendants will become a great nation. This promise comes true when Isaac’s son Jacob (Isaac is the son of Abraham and Jacob is therefore a grandson) produces 12 sons, each of whom also establishes 12 tribes. These tribes later form the nation that is Israel.
Today there are three world religions that descend from Abraham, namely:
- Judaism
- Christianity
- The Islam
Moses
The Tanakh describes Moses as the greatest prophet who ever lived. Moses (an Israelite) is born into a time of slavery and a rapidly growing population. This makes the Egyptians feel threatened and the king therefore orders that all Israelite boys be drowned in the Nile. Moses’ mother is very scared and decides to put Moses in a wicker basket and leave it on the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter finds Moses and raises him. However, when he is an adult, he does not forget his Israelite origins and kills an Egyptian for beating an Israelite slave. Moses flees from Egypt. There comes a time when God appears to Moses in a burning bush and tells Moses that he must return to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery. With the help of God, Moses frees the Israelites and takes them to Mount Sinai where Moses receives the 10 Commandments from God.
Mary
Mary is the most venerated woman in the Bible. Due to mysterious circumstances, she becomes pregnant at an old age and gives birth to Jesus. Maria is a concerned but loving mother who may not always understand her son, but who supports him until the end.
Jesus
Jesus is born as the son of Joseph and Mary, but actually as the son of God. Jesus grows up in the Roman Empire and eventually starts a movement that will overthrow that same empire. According to the New Testament, Jesus is the Messiah, the announced savior of Israel, whose death on the cross brings remission of sins. Jesus’ message to care for the oppressed, be kind to strangers, and love your enemies is still matched by its profound insight and piercing simplicity.
Paul
In the beginning of the biblical narratives, Paul was still called Saul, until Jesus gave him his new name. In the beginning, Paul believed that the Christian message was consistent with the teachings of Tanakh, until Jesus appeared to him and told him that he was God’s promised Messiah. Paul then spent the rest of his life spreading the good news about Jesus’ teachings and life in the Roman world. For this reason he is now known as the person who spread Christianity in the Mediterranean region of that time.