Pentateuch

Name derived from the Greek word Pentateuchos (Πεντάτευχος), meaning ‘Five Books’ and referring to the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament, i.e. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Petros (Πέτρος)

Greek name for Peter, a leader of the early Christian church, who was one of Twelve Apostles, chosen by Christ from his first disciples. He was a Galilean fisherman and was with Jesus during events witnessed by only a few apostles, such as the Transfiguration. Roman Catholic tradition claims that he was the first Bishop of Rome and hence the first Pope. He is the author of two canonical epistles and a martyr, who was crucified upside down during the reign of Nero, and buried in Rome. In art, he is habitually depicted holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Pilgrim's Progress

A Christian allegorical story written by John Bunyan in two parts, of which the first one was published in 1678. It describes the journey of a man named Christian, from ‘this world to that which is to come’, i.e. from his hometown, metaphorically called the ‘City of Destruction’, to heaven or the ‘Celestial City’. The narrative is delivered under the similitude of a dream and the protagonist finds himself weighed down by a great burden, i.e. his sins, which would cause him to sink into hell. He then meets Evangelist, who shows him the way to salvation through the ‘Wicket Gate’, where he is directed by ‘Good Will’ (Christ) to the ‘Place of Deliverance’, i.e. the Cross, to be relieved  from his burden. Though, before that and on his way over to the ‘Wicket Gate’, Christian is diverted and obstructed by all sorts of abstractions and people, including members of his own family, who try to keep him from leaving his hometown or from reaching his goal. As Christian passes through different stages of his journey, he meets places and personages with allegorical names, revealing their intent or nature. Characters in the story bear names such as ‘Mr. Worldly Wiseman’, ‘Obstinate’, ‘Pliable’ and the ‘Giant Despair’, while places include names like the ‘Slough Of Despond’, the ‘Hill of Difficulty’, ‘Doubting Castle’, the ‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’, etc. The story is steeped in Biblical paraphrases and became so popular that it is the most read book after the Bible.

Pishon (פישון)

Name of one of four rivers mentioned in Genesis 2:11, along with the Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates. It is described as a mountain stream arising within the Garden of Eden and encircling ‘the entire land of Havilah’. The Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus identified the Pishon with the river Ganges. Also transcribed Pison. See also Gihon.