RS Christianity + Judaism + Theme A&B key terms

Bible

The Christian holy book, used during worship and ceremonies. It is believed to be the word of God, and different Christian denominations interpret the it in different ways.

Catholic

a branch of Christianity based in Rome and led by the Pope

Orthodox christians

a branch of Christianity mainly practised in eastern europe

Protestant

a branch of Christianity that protested against some of the practises of Catholics and believe that the Bible is the only authority for Christians

Christ

God's presence on earth in human form - fully god and fully human. The second part of the trinity (the son). Christ means 'anointed one’

Denomination

a branch/group of a religion with its own organisation and traditions

Creation

the act by which God brought the universe into being

God

the Supreme being

Holy

‘other’, different from anything else, separate & sacred

Omnipotent

all-powerful, everything consistent with god nature is possible

Omniscient

all-knowing, of past, present & future

Omnibenevolent

all-good, all-loving

Omnipresent

present everywhere

Monotheism

the belief that there is only one God

Evil

Immoral or wicked actions.

The problem of evil

why is god allowing people to suffer if he is loving, powerful etc?

The inconsistent triad

God has to either not be all powerful or not be all loving for evil to exist

Theodicy

a justification/explanation of god in response to the problem of evil

The trinity

three persons in one god (father, son & holy spirit), they are separate but all one being. Each person is fully god

Holy Spirit

the third person of the trinity, the inspiring presence of god in the world

The Father

the creator and sustainer of all things, the first part of the trinity

The big bang

a huge explosion that might have been how the universe began. It started as a single point but expanded to create the whole universe, and is still expanding today (scientists think)

Old earth creationists

accept scientific evidence for the age of the earth and the universe, and they also believe that God was behind the big bang. They reject evolution, though.

Young earth creationists

believe that earth is 10,000 years old, and don’t believe in the big bang and evolution

Incarnation

the presence of God through Jesus - God becoming human. Incarnation literally means the taking on of flesh (god literally became flesh)

The annunciation

when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was going to bear the son of God

Crucifixion

a roman punishment for non-romans involving nailing the criminal to a wooden cross

Ascension

Jesus being taken up to heaven on the 40th day of easter

Resurrection belief

the belief that when you die you are asleep until the day of judgement, when Jesus will judge our actions in our life. Then you'll be sent to heaven/hell

Immortality of soul belief

the belief that when you die your soul is immediately judged and is sent to heaven/hell

Heaven

a state of eternal happiness in the presence of God, the place of eternal peace ruled over by God

Hell

the place of eternal suffering, or the state of being without God

Purgatory

the intermediate state where the soul is cleansed in order to enter heaven

Satan

name for the devil, the power and source of evil

Afterlife

what religious people believe follows life on earth

Day of judgement

a time when the world will end and every soul will be judged by god and rewarded/punished

Sin

an immoral act that goes against God's word and the bible

Original Sin

the first sin, where Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit

Salvation

being saved from your sins and getting eternal life through Jesus' sacrifice

Atonement

the bridging of the gap (reconciliation) between god and mankind

Grace

the unconditional love that God has for everyone

Worship

an act of love & devotion e.g. prayer, reading the bible, going to church, taking part in ceremonies

Prayer

communication with god, either silently or through words of praise, confession, or thanksgiving, or requests for god's help/guidance

Liturgical worship

a type of worship that is structured and communal

Non-liturgical worship

a type of worship that is unstructured, personal, and more informal

Private worship

praying by yourself - individual prayer

Adoration

praising God for his greatness

Confession

owning up to sins and asking for forgiveness

Thanksgiving

thanking God for blessings e.g. health

Petition

asking God for something e.g. courage

Intercession

asking God to help others who need it

Extempore prayer

a free form prayer without text

Set prayer

prayer that is written down, read, and memorised

Informal prayer

prayer that is made up by an individual using their own words

Lord's Prayer

the prayer taught to the disciples by jesus

Baptism

a sacrament (ceremony) which initiates someone into the church and brings them closer to God, it involves the use of water as a symbol of the washing away of sin

Believers' baptism

initiation into the church (by immersion in water) of people old enough to understand the ceremony/rite and willing to live a christian life

Infant baptism

the ritual through which babies/young children become members of the church. Promises are made on their behalf by adults, the infant is freed from sin and introduced to the saving love of God and the support of the christian community

Sacrament

a sacred ceremony performed in christian denominations, involves outward signs of an inward spiritual grace

Eucharist/Holy Communion

a service of thanksgiving in which the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus is celebrated using bread and wine

Pilgrimage

a journey by a believer to a holy site for religious resons, and act of worship and devotion

Festival

a day/time of celebration for Christians

Advent

the first season of the Church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays - the time which looks forward to the ‘Coming of Jesus’

Christmas

the day which celebrates the birth of Jesus (Incarnation) on December 25th in most denominations, it is also the next 12 days ending with the Epiphany (visit of the Magi/Wise Men)

Epiphany

the celebration of the visit of the Magi (the three wise men) on January 6th

Lent

the period before Easter which is devoted to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ's fasting in the wilderness, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, also includes forty weekdays

Easter

the religious season celebrating the resurrection of Jesus

Pentecost

The Christian festival celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his Ascension, held on the seventh Sunday after Easter

Church

1: the holy people of God, also called the body of Christ, among whom Christ is present and active 2: a building in which Christians worship

Food banks

organised collections of essential items which have been donated to help those in need

Purposes of the church

place of worship, place of refuge, place to pray/be with God, place to connect with community, community/charity centre, prayer meetings

Ekklesia

a gathering/assembly of people in ancient Greek

Agape

Greek word for love

Persecution

hostility or ill treatment because of race, political or religious beliefs

Reconciliation

the restoring of harmony after relationships have broken down - the process of bringing together people who are opposed to one another

Poverty

having a lack of economic means to support yourself with the basic necessities

Evangelism

spreading the christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness

Mission

the calling of a religious organisation or individual to go out into the world to spread their faith. A type of evangalism

Torah

the five books of moses, the first five books of the bible (the tanakh), the Jewish written law

Tanakh

the whole of the Hebrew bible (24 books) including the writings of the prophets, proverbs, Isaiah etc

Talmud

a commentary by rabbis on the Torah, the Mishnah and the Gemara

the compilation of the oral torah that was passed down through generations, discussed, debated, and eventually written down. It tries to explain the torah in a more detailed way

Orthodox jews

jews who emphasise the importance of following the laws & guidance of the Torah, and that it was given directly to Moses so should be followed as closely as possible

Ultra-Orthodox jews

Jews who are more committed than orthodox jews to strictly following the laws and guidance in the Torah. They try to adhere to all of the Mitzvot, don’t believe in modernisation, and are often more segregated communities.

Reform jews

jews who believe that the laws & guidance in the Torah was inspired by God but written by men, so can be interpreted according to the times

Creator

the one who makes things and brings things about

Mezuzah

small metal containers put on every doorpost of the house with sections of the Torah written inside. They touch it every time they pass through a door & then kiss the fingers that touched it to show respect.

Tefillin

2 small leather boxes fastened by straps to the forehead and the arm that contain 4 Torah texts written on parchment. They are worn by some Jewish men for morning prayers

Moral evil

actions done by humans causing suffering e.g. murder

Natural evil

things which cause suffering but are not caused by humans e.g. earthquakes

Mitzvot

Jewish rules or commandments, there are 613 in total (singular mitzvah)

Merciful

the quality of God that shows compassion or forgiveness to humans, even though he has the power to punish them

Shekinah

the divine presence of God

Temple

the centre of Jewish worship at the time of Jesus, the meeting place between God and the priest

Ten commandments

the ten laws given by God to Moses over 3000 years ago

Messiah

the ‘anointed one’, a leader of the Jews who is expected to live on earth at some time in the future

Tanakh

acronym of Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings).
the whole of the Hebrew bible (24 books) including the writings of the prophets, proverbs, Isaiah etc. The written Torah, the three sections of the Jewish Bible, what some call the Old Testament.

Torah

the five books of Moses, the first part of the Tanakh

Resurrection

the belief that after death the body remains in the grave until the end of the world, before rising again when God will come to judge. Many Reform Jews reject this

Reform

Jews who believe the laws and guidance in the Torah can be adapted for modern times & that the Torah was inspired by God but written by humans, so can be interpreted according to the times.

Rambam

Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, one of the greatest medieval Jewish scholars. “Rambam” is an acronym (RMBM). Better known to the secular world as Maimonides.