Biblical Characters

The Christian Bible is composed of two collections of books. The Old Testament contains the legends, histories, laws and prophecies of the ancient Hebrews, and was written between the 12th and 2nd centuries BC. The language of the Old Testament is Hebrew, and the majority of its names are derived from that tongue. Common elements in these names are el (Michael, Elijah) and jeho-, jo-, -jah, -iah (Joseph, Isaiah), which all refer to the Hebrew God.

The New Testament relates the ministry of Jesus and his early followers, and also includes several epistles (letters) written by Saint Paul and others. It was written in Greek. It includes a variety of Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Roman names.

There are many different English translations of the Bible. The list of names presented here is based on the Revised English Bible, which drew from the "best available texts of both Testaments", as well as on two great reference works, Nave's Topical Bible and Easton's Bible Dictionary. Though the majority of the list is composed of personal names, a select few personal titles have been included, especially ones which have come into currency as personal names in modern times. Names from the Apocrypha have been excluded.