This modern reference publication will greatly facilitate reading and understanding of the Holy Scriptures and will be of interest to both the common believer and the Bible student at the academic level. Until now, the Russian-speaking reader, who wants to better understand the Bible, had to be content with either reprints of pre-revolutionary works, mostly hopelessly outdated, or translated encyclopedias that do not take into account the realities of Russian culture and are designed for a different mentality, believers of other traditions, primarily Protestants and Catholics.