[9]The accounts of exemplary people were often used to motivate people, either to imitate noble attitudes or to avoid the pattern of ignoble behaviors, such as Ben Sira (teacher of wisdom form Jerusalem in 2nd century BC) uses a long hymn to praise notable Jewish ancestors (Sirach 44–51), or the author of 4 Macabee in 4 Macabee 16:16-23, and Seneca with similar list as in Hebrews 11 (Ben.

[11]The list of examples starts appropriately with the creation, indicating that "faith" produces "understanding".

[7] The first manifestation of "trust" is connected to how a person of "faith" understands the visible creation as 'strictly secondary' to "things unseen".

[7] Abel's choice of superior quality of offering compared to Cain's second rate one (Philo, Sacr.

AC 52, 57, 88) is related to the presence of "faith", which attests Abel to be "righteous" or "just" (Matthew 23:35; 1 John 3:12; Josephus, Antiq.

[16] Abraham is a foremost example of faith in Jewish and early Christian literature (cf.

[14] Moses is known as a faithful servant of God in both Jewish and Christian writings (cf.

[21] This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Gill, John.