Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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RUTH, BOOK OF

One of the protocanonical writings of the Old Testament, narrating the story of a Bethlehem family in the time of the Judges. Its heroine is Ruth, daughter-in-law of Naomi. Although Ruth is a Moabite, she marries Boaz, a Jew, and becomes the great-grandmother of King David, of whose family Christ was born. The purpose of the book was twofold: to preserve the edifying story of David's ancestry, and to witness to the practice of extraordinary filial piety, rewarded by God.