Profane (חָנִŠ, chandph, Jer 23:11; βέβηλος, Heb 12:16). To profane is to put holy things to vile or common uses; as the money- changers did the Temple, by converting a part of it into a place of business (Mt 21:12), and as those do who allow secular occupations to engross any part of the Sabbath under the old, or of the Lord's day under the new dispensation (Ex 20:8-10). Esau, for despising his birthright and its privileges, is styled by the apostle "a profane person" (Heb 12:16). The term is also used in opposition to holy. Thus the general history of ancient nations is styled profane, as distinguished from that contained in the Bible; profane writings are such as have been composed by heathens, in contradistinction from the sacred books of Scripture, and the writings of Christian authors on sacred subjects.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More