Thrice in three days I encountered wild beasts ... in the pages of Scripture.

Last Thursday, it was in my (premillennial dispensational) study of Revelation, chapter 6, verse 8, the plague of the rider on the pale horse included wild beasts.

On Friday, it was during the Pauline Stations of the Cross: in 1 Cor. 15:32, Paul fought wild beasts in Ephesus.

At Mass on Saturday night, it was in the Gospel reading, according to St. Mark, Jesus' forty days in the desert among wild beasts, to kick off our observance of Lent. ("wild beasts" are unique to Mark; the other synoptics lack "wild beasts" in their wilderness temptation narratives).

I wondered about it. Lo and behold, Fr. Mike's sermon dealt exclusively with the expression "wild beasts" as in the gospel. It would seem that the expression leapt out at him too, as wild beasts will. He made it relevant by naming our beasts: poverty, crime, illiteracy, apathy.

I find that the word in Mark is used also of Revelation's beast(s). And of the snake that Paul shakes off into the fire in Acts 28:5. Digging a little deeper takes me into Jewish and Babylonian mythology, with the behemoth.

Lexicon results for "behemah" (strong 0929).

Lexicon results for "therion" (strong 2342).

Some biblical occurrences of the English expression "wild beasts" in the ESV.

There's just so much that gets by me when I hear the Scriptures. This expression "wild beasts" is so loaded. Maybe after having my eyes opened to seeing them in Scripture, I will be able to recogize them in my life. Now that I know what to be on the watch for. I'm just not used to taking a defensive position against evil.

St. Blaise is the patron saint against wild beasts.