NT I-Q

Immanence

the nearness or involvement of God in the world

Incarnation

becoming flesh; the embodiment of God in Christ

Isis

Egyptian goddess worshipped in Roman mystery cults

Judas Maccabeus

Jewish patriot who led the family responsible for spearheading the Maccabean revolt

Justification

the act by which God brings people into proper or right relationship with himself; in Paul the justification or righteousness of God is to be received by faith, not works

Kerygma (literally proclamation)

the early Christian preaching about Jesus as the Christ intended to elicit the decision of faith

Kingdom of God

or rule of God, Gods lordship over humankind and the world the kingdom is the central theme of Jesus message in the Synoptic Gospels

Koine

(common in Greek) the everyday Greek speech used throughout the Hellenistic world during the period of early Christianity. the New Testament books are written in koine Greek

Law

in the New Testament generally the revelations of God through Moses so the people of Israel embodied in the cultic, ritual, and moral commandments of the Old Testament

Literary Criticism

method that seeks to determine the literary character of development of the books of the Bible

Lord’s Supper

the church’s continuing reenactment of the last supper of Jesus with His disciples

Maccabees

the name given the priestly family who successfully led a revolt against Hellenistic Syrian rule beginning in 167 B.C they ruled over Palestine from 142 B.C. to 63 B.C.

Manuscripts

handwritten documents especially the ancient New Testament documents from which our present text is determined. the earliest complete New Testament manuscripts come from the fourth century although there are sizable fragments of earlier date

Marcion

a second-century Christian scholar and evangelist later labeled a heretic for his docetic Christology and his belief in two Gods- the harsh legalistic God of the Jews and the merciful loving God of Jesus

Markan Priority

the view that mark was the first of the synoptic gospels to be written and was used by Matthew and Luke

Messiah

Hebrew term meaning “anointed one” used of Davidic king, whose restoration was expected in Jesus’ day. Greek equivalent is Christos

Midrash

the form, activity, or product of biblical interpretation particularly as carried out in rabbinic Judaism

Miracle

an extraordinary event, contrary to normal expectations, a manifestation of the activity of God

Mishnah

the authoritative Jewish legal or halakic traditions ascribed ultimately to moses that developed on rabbinic and pharisaic Judaism and were codified in the early third century. the Mishnah and the learned commentary upon it (Germara) constitute the Talmud

Mithras

a Persian deity worshipped in a mystery cult spread throughout the Roman world

Mystery Cults

a group of Greco-Roman religions that focused on the devotees’ individual needs both in this life and in life after death, so named because their initiation rituals and cultic practices were to be kept secret from outsiders

Myth

the result of efforts to communicate faith in transcendent reality by means of story and symbol. technical use of the term should be distinguished from the popular meaning of a fantastic of untrue story

Nag Hammadi

village in the upper southern Egypt near the place where a collection of gnostic writings including the gospel of Thomas were discovered in 1945

Oracle

a sacred place where the gods answered questions brought by their worshippers to the resident holy person

Oral Tradition

teaching transmitted from person to person or generation to generation by word of mouth rather than by writing

Orthodoxy

from the Greek literally meaning the right opinion a term used to designate a set of beliefs acknowledged to be true by the majority of those in power

Paganism

any of the polytheistic religions of the Greco-Roman world an umbrella term for ancient Mediterranean religions other than Judaism and Christianity

Parable

a brief story that makes its point by the unusual development or imagery of the narrative. the various details do not function as allegory but are significant for the story itself

Paraclete

helper, comforter, or mediator the term is used in the fourth gospel of the holy spirit as the Christian community’s helper after the death of Jesus

Paraenesis

a Greek term meaning moral exhortation

Parousia

literally presence or coming, the early Christian belief in the appearance or second coming of Christ

Passion

suffering particularly tile suffering of Jesus during the last week of his life in Jerusalem

Passover

the annual Jewish celebration of the deliverance from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Jesus was crucified at the time of the Passover

Pastoral Epistles

1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. These letters give advice to the church leader or pastor concerning the matters of church government and discipline

Pauline Corpus

all of the letters of the NT claimed to be written by paul

Pentecost

the Jewish Feast of Weeks, beginning on the fiftieth day after Passover. according to the book of acts it was the occasion of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus and thus it is looked upon as the beginning of the church

Pericope

a “cutting around” or section. Term is used of the individual, complete units of tradition about Jesus that circulated separately in the early church later joined together to form the Gospels

Pharisees

a prominent Jewish religious group at the time of Jesus, who practiced strict observance of both written and oral law.

Preexistence

the term used to designate the NT belief that Jesus of Nazareth existed with God before his earthly advent

Prescript

the formal beginning of an epistle normally including the names of the sender and addresses a greeting and often a prayer or wish for good health

Priest

a holy person authorized to perform ritual and cultic acts mediating between human beings and God

Procurator

official of the Roman Empire exercising administrative authority over a province or district

Propitiation

a placating or pacifying of the deity; a sacrifice the induces God to be favorable or beneficent to the sacrificer

Pseudepigrapha

literally false writings particularly a group of late Jewish writings claiming the Old Testament figures as their authors

Pseudonymity

the practice of writing under a fictitious name, evident in a large number of pagan, Jewish, and Christian writings from antiquity

Q Source

the hypothetical source, consisting of sayings of Jesus, used by both Mathew and Luke in writing their Gospels

Qumran

the site on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea where a Jewish sect lived in strict obedience to the law of its covenant community until approximately A.D. 70. the dead sea scrolls were discovered near this site