judaism christianity and islam

biblical judaism

judaism before the destruction of the second temple

rabbinical judaism

judaism that developed after the destruction of the Second Temple

reform

rabbi’s

jewish teachers

midrash

interpretation

three sections of the hebrew bible

• torah: the teaching

• Nevim: the prophet

• Ketuvim: the writings

• the hebrew bible as a whole: Tanak

theophanies

passover

a joyful spring festival that recalls the hebrews exodus from egypt and freedom from oppression

prophets

humans who spoke in God’s name

sabbath

Hannukah

Saduccees

• members of the priestly families, living primarily in Jerusalem and were in charge of the temple and its activities

• traditional

pharisees

• second faction that arose

• focus was preserving Hebrew Piety through careful observation of religious laws and traditions

zealots

• third faction

• opposed to foreign influences and bitterly opposed the roman rule of Israel

Essenes

• lived a communal celibate life, primarily in the desert area

• skilled in medicine

• dressed in white

• used a solar calendar different from the lunar calendar used in temple

Messiah

the long-awaited savior sent by god to the jews

diaspora

dispersion of jews beyond israel

talmud

study

kabbalah

the whole body of mystical jewish literature

zionism

a movement that has encouraged the creation and support of the nation of israel

Rosh Hannash

Jewish New Year

yom kippur

• day of atonement/ day of covering

• ends 10 day new year period

• most solemn day of the year

• day of fasting, reflection,and prayer to cleanse for the new year

sukkot

a festival in the late autumn that recalls the Jews period of wandering in the desert after their exodus from Egypt

purim

a jewish festival that recalls the divine protection given to the jews at the time of esther and her uncle mordecai.

Seder

• special meal for passover including several traditional foods

kosher

ritually correct way to eat food

ashkenazim

jews who came or lived in central europe

canaan

an ancient name for the land of israel

conservative judaism

a branch of judaism that attempts to blend the best of old and new judaism

covenant

a contract; the contract btween the hebrews and their god yahweh

orthodox judaism

the most traditional branch of judaism

reconstructionism

a modern liberal branch of judaism that emphasizes the cultural aspects of judaism

reform

a movement beginning in the nineteenth century that questioned and modernized judaism; a liberal branch of judaism

sabbath

rest; the seventh day of the work week (saturday) a day of prayer and rest from work

sephardim

Jews of spain, morocco, and the mediteranean area

tallit

a prayer shawl worn by devout males during morning prayer

talmud

an encyclopedic commentary on the hebrew scriptures

tefillin

phylacteries; two small boxes containing biblical passages which are worn by orthodox males on the head and left arm at morning prayer during the week

theophany

a revelation or appearance of god

torah

“teaching”; the first five books of the hebrew scriptures also the additional instructions of god, believed by many to have been transmitted orally from moses through a succession of teachers and rabbis

western wall

the foundation stones of the western wall of the last temple of jerusalem, today a place of prayer

yarmulke

the skull cap worn by devout males

apocalyptism

the belief that the world will soon come to an end; this belief usually includes the notion of a great battle, final judgment and reward of the good

apostle

one of jesus’ 12 disciples; also any early preacher of Christianity

baptism

the christian rite of initiation, involving immersion in water or sprinkling with water

bishop

overseer; a priest and church leader who us in charge of a large geographical area called a diocese

canon

measure/rule; a list of authoritative books or documents

ecumenism

dialogue btwn christian denominations

eucharist

the lords supper

evangelical

emphasizing the authority of scripture; an adjective used to identify certain protestant groups

evangelist

one of the four “authors” of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

filioque

states that the holy spirit proceeds from both father and son. Not accepted by orthodox christianity, contributed to the separation btwn western and eastern churches

gospel

an account of the life of jesus

icon

religious painting on wood, as used in the Orthodox church

incarnation

a belief that god became visible in Jesus

indulgence

remission of the period spent in purgatory. part of the catholic belief and practice

lent

the prepatory period before Easter lasting forty days

original sin

an inclination toward evil, inherited by human beings as a result of Adams disobedience

orthodox

straight opinion; correct belief

Orthodoxy

the major eastern branch of christianity

patriarch

the bishop of one of the major early sites of christianity (jerusalem, rome, alexandria, antioch, constantinople and Moscow)

pope

the bishop of rome and head of the roman catholic church; the term is also used for the Coptic patriarch of Alexandria

protestant principle

the right of each believer to radically rethink and interpret the ideas and values of christianity, apart from any church authority

redemption

the belief that the death of jesus has paid the price of justice for all human wrongdoing

righteousness

being sinless in the sight of God; also called justification

sacrament

one of the essential rituals of christianity

sin

wrongdoing seen as disobedience to God

testament

the old testament and new testamnet constitute the christian scriptures

trinity

the three persons in God. Father, son, and Holy Spirit

caliph

a religious and political leader

dhikr

a devotional remembrance of Allah through recitation of his 99 names and through other devotional practices

fana

the sense of loss of self in mystical experience

hadith

a rememberance of an act or saying of Muhammad

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Hijra

muhammad’s escape from Mecca to Yathrib

Id Al adha

the day of sacrifice during the month of Hajj when an animal is sacrificed to recall the submission of Abraham

Id al Fitr

the festival at the end of the month of Ramadan during which ppl feast and visit friends and often the graves of ancestors

Imam

when capitialized, the word refers ti one of the hereditary successors of Muhammed who are venerated in Shiite Islam. when uncapitalized it refers ti a religious leader or to a leader of prayer

Islam

Submission; the muslim religio and community of believers who have submitted themselves to Allah

jihad

the ideals of spreading Islamic belief and heroic self-sacrifice

Kaaba

the square shrine at the center of the Grand Mosque of Mecca

Khadijah

first wife of Muhammad

Mihrab

the decorated niche inside a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca

Minaret

a tower used by a chanter to call people to prayer

Mosque

a muslim place of worship

muezzin

a chanter who calls people to prayer

muslim

a person who submits to allah

qiblah

the direction toward Mecca; the direction toward which Muslims Pray

Qur’an

God’s words as revealed to and recited by Muhammed.

Ramadan

the month of fasting; the ninth month of the muslim calendar

sharia

the whole body of Islamic laws that guides a Muslims life

shiite

a minority branch of Islam, which holds that Muhammads genuine successors descended from his son-in-law Ali

sufism

a group of devotional movements in islam

sunni

a majority branch of islam, it holds that genuine sucession from muhammad didnt depend on hereditary descent from son-in-law Ali

sura

a chapter of the quran