Unit 1 Sacred Scripture Vocab

Arian Heresy

Definition: A 4th-century heresy claiming Jesus was created by God the Father and thus was not co-eternal or fully God. Significance: Triggered the Council of Nicaea, leading to the definition of Homoousious to affirm Jesus' full divinity.

Incarnation

Definition: The mystery of the Son of God taking on a human nature and becoming man in Jesus Christ. Significance: The central event of Christian salvation history, showing God's ultimate entry into human reality to redeem humanity.

Deposit of Faith

Definition: The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, handed on by the Apostles to the Church. Significance: Represents the complete revelation of God in Christ; the Church cannot add to or subtract from this core truth.

Sacred Tradition

Definition: The living transmission of the Gospel in the Church, handed down orally from Jesus to the Apostles and preserved through Apostolic Succession. Significance: Works together with Sacred Scripture to communicate Divine Revelation across generations.

Magisterium

Definition: The living teaching authority of the Catholic Church, exercised by the Pope and the bishops in communion with him. Significance: Responsibly interprets Scripture and Tradition, keeping the Church unified in sound doctrine without error.

Sacrament

Definition: An efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. Significance: Sacraments do not just symbolize God's grace; they actually bring about the spiritual reality they represent.

Transcendence

Definition: The quality of God being completely beyond, above, and independent of the physical universe and human comprehension. Significance: Prevents idolatry by reminding believers that God is greater than creation and cannot be reduced to human limits.

Immanence

Definition: God's intimate presence and active involvement within the created world and human history. Significance: Balances Transcendence, showing that while God is infinitely above us, God is also closer to us than we are to ourselves.