The Facts on File Dictionary of Allusions - Green Valley High School

jeremiad
250
11:29–40, Jephthah was a judge of Israel who
vowed to sacrifi ce the fi rst living thing he met on
returning home should he be victorious in battle
against the Ammonites. He won the battle but on
returning home was aghast to be greeted by his
own unmarried daughter. <strong>The</strong> girl was allowed
two months in which to go into the mountains
and lament the fact that she would die a virgin
and was duly sacrifi ced at the end of that time. It
appeared she had vowed to retain her virginity to the
end of her days, like some reincarnated Jephthah’s
daughter.
jeremiad ( jerbmibd) A lengthy lamentation about
life or a gloom- laden prophecy of disaster. <strong>The</strong>
word is derived via French from the name of the
Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, who is remembered
for his stern warnings to Judah of God’s
judgment against idolatry, immorality, and false
prophets (as in chapters 10, 14, and 16). Jeremiah
became very unpop u lar (being thrown into prison
and into a cistern) and was known as the Prophet
of Doom. “Jeremiah also spoke about a fresh hope.
He promised a new and lasting covenant which
God would write on his people’s hearts, characterized
by the inwardness of genuine faith. . . . He
also spoke of the restoration of Jerusalem, which
Jeremiah symbolized by buying a plot of land as
the Babylonians besieged the city . . . and of a
new king in David’s line to replace the corrupt
monarchy of his own day” (Selman and Manser,
Hearthside Bible Dictionary, p. 122). Even today any
person who complains at length about the state of
the world or who voices gloomy predictions about
the future may be labeled a Jeremiah. “Since the
world began there have been two Jeremys. <strong>The</strong>
one wrote a Jeremiah about usury, and was called
Jeremy Bentham” (Edgar Allan Poe, Diddling,
1850).
Jericho See walls of jericho.
jeroboam ( jerbbobm) A very large wine bottle,
with a capacity of three liters. Jeroboam (c. 931–
910 b.c.) was a king of Israel who in 1 Kings 11:28
is described as “a mighty man of valour,” hence the
humorous adoption of his name as that of a large
bottle in the 19th century. He promoted idol worship
and “did sin, and . . . made Israel to sin.” By
the end of the night the tables were laden with
jeroboams.
Jerry See tom and jerry.
Jerusalem See new jerusalem.
Jesse James (jesee jaymz) A dashing, romantic
rogue. <strong>The</strong> real Jesse James (1847–82) was a bank
and train robber of Wild West fame, whose
career was much glamorized in Hollywood fi lms
loosely based on his life. In reality, he was a vicious
murderer, whose life ended when he was shot
dead by a fellow gang member motivated by the
reward on James’s head. With his mixture of charm
and unprincipled ruthlessness, he earned himself the
reputation of a latter- day Jesse James.
Jesuitical ( jezooitikbl) Using subtle, devious, or
hairsplitting arguments. <strong>The</strong> Jesuits, members of
the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus founded by
Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1534, acquired a reputation
for secretiveness as well as for strict discipline
and intellectual rigor. <strong>The</strong>ir involvement in
po liti cal affairs over the centuries means that the
order is distrusted by many people outside the
church. “<strong>The</strong> artist looked over Vincent’s recent
work and his comments were honest and constructive,
not in the least ‘Jesuitical’ ” (Philip Callow,
Van Gogh: A Life, 1990).