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

meek as Moses
310
offending the goddess Athena by consorting with
Poseidon in the temple of Athena. Medusa was
fi nally slain by Perseus when he cut off her head. It
rapidly emerged that the affair was more complicated
than fi rst imagined, with as many tentacles as a medusa.
meek as Moses (moziz) Long suffering; uncomplaining;
quietly accepting. In the Bible meekness is
interpreted not as weakness but rather in terms of
humility or gentleness of spirit. It is because of the
devoutness and restraint of the biblical prophet
Moses under the taunts of Aaron and Miriam that
God actively defends him from his enemies and
helps him to deliver his people from slavery (Numbers
12:3). By the same token, Christ is also
described as “meek” (Matthew 11:29; 21:5). In
modern usage meekness is more likely to be understood
to signify an inclination to accept one’s lot and
may just as readily be interpreted as a sign of weakness
as praiseworthy restraint. “He wasn’t the able
seaman you see now. He was meek as Moses” (Lucy
Maud Montgomery, Anne’s House of Dreams, 1915).
meek shall inherit the earth, the Those who are
humble in heart will receive their just reward in the
end. <strong>The</strong> proverb comes from the Bible, appearing
in Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek: for they
shall inherit the earth.” Modern variants on the
theme have included J. Paul Getty’s quip “<strong>The</strong> meek
shall inherit the earth, but not its mineral rights.”
“Blessed are the meek, blessed are the failures,
blessed are the stupid, for they, unknown to themselves,
have a grace which is denied to the haughty,
the successful, and the wise” (Arnold Bennett, Anna
of the Five Towns, 1902). See also beatitude.
meet one’s Waterloo See waterloo.
Megaera See furies.
Mein Kampf (min kampf) An autobiography,
especially one that contains highly controversial
po liti cal views. Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”) was
written by Adolf hitler while he was serving a
prison sentence following the Munich putsch of
1923 and published in two parts, in 1925 and
1927. It summarized the deranged po liti cal theories
that led to the formation of the Nazi movement
and became the “bible” of Hitler’s followers.
Publication of the book has been officially suppressed
since World War II, although occasional
editions have been released from time to
time. He found this lengthy po liti cal statement of
intent about as readable as Mein Kampf, and about
as forgivable.
Mekon See dan dare
Melchior See magi.
Melchizedek (melkizbdek) A person without
parents; a priest whose ser vice to God is without
end. Melchizedek is identifi ed in Genesis 14:18–
20 and elsewhere as a high priest of Salem who
was “without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end
of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abiding
a priest continually.” Melchizedek, whose name
means “king of righ teousness,” blessed Abraham
and is depicted as an Old Testament precursor of
Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7). “He would hold his
secret knowledge and secret power, being as sinless
as the innocent; and he would be a priest forever
according to the order of Melchisedec” (James
Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 1915).
Meleager See calydonian boar hunt.
Mellors, Oliver See lady chatterley.