humanities

Jesus

Founder of Christianity

Paul

Missionary to the Gentiles; epistles are attributed to him

Constantine

First Roman emperor to support Christianity

Martin Luther

Father of the Reformation

Messiah

Jesus is believed to be this

Pope

Head of the Catholic Church

Jerusalem Church

Differentiates between early and later phases of Christianity

Edict of Milan

Allowed Christianity to be legal in the 4th century

Council of Nicaea

First council of the Church held by Constantine; addressed problems the Church was facing

Great Schism

Split between churches

Reformation

Split between Catholic and Protestant churches

Anglican Reformation

England splits away from the Catholic Church

Vatican II

Church council in the 1960s that sought to modernize the Catholic Church

Gospel

Narratives of Jesus in the Bible

Epistle

Section of the New Testament comprised of letters on how to be Christian

New Testament

Portion of the Bible that contains teachings about Jesus

Sin

Breaking God’s rules

Repentance

How you repair your relationship with God

Elect

Those that are chosen by God to be saved

Sacraments

Rituals that work because of the presence of the Holy Spirit

Baptism

Central Christian sacrament in which original sin is removed

Eucharist

Membership into Christianity; eating bread and drinking wine

Apostolic Succession

Doctrine that apostles can carry on Jesus’ will

Grace

God’s favor; allows salvation

Trinity

God’s three persons

Salvation

To be saved from sin

Atonement

To make up for your sin; to reconcile

Original Sin

The debt of sin that occurred from Adam and Eve

Logos

Jesus is the Word of God

Priesthood of Believers

Faith and scripture are enough for salvation; no one stands between God and the believer

Allegorical Method

A Catholic doctrine stating clergy can interpret and update the word

Fundamentalism

The idea that you need to return to the basics of religion

Church

Place of worship

Orthodox

One of the major branches of Christianity; broke away during the Great Schism

Catholic

Teaching of Jesus is for all people

Protestant

Name given to groups that split away from the Catholic Church during the Reformation

Christmas

Birth of Jesus

Easter

Resurrection of Jesus

Monotheism

Belief in one God

God’s Characteristics

All

Ethical Monotheism

A system of belief that emphasizes one God and following moral rules

Covenant

Agreement between God and the people

Abraham

Patriarch of monotheism; agreed to have no other gods

Moses

Lawgiver; guided the Israelites out of Egypt

David

Established Jerusalem

Solomon

Ruled over Jerusalem during its Golden Age

Exodus

To leave

Jerusalem

Capital of the nation; founded by David

Synagogue

A place of gathering, studying, and worship

Maccabees

Freedom fighters who fought against the Greeks and reclaimed Jerusalem; name means “hammer”

Sadducees

One of the groups in Jewish society; more Hellenized

Pharisees

Traditionalists in Jewish society who emphasized tradition over change

Torah

First five books of the Hebrew Bible

Tanakh

Hebrew Bible

Talmud

Collection of oral law

Midrash

Rabbinic commentaries on the Torah

Bris

A required commandment for males in Israel

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Son or daughter of the commandment

Shiva

Mourning period in Judaism

Kippah

Skullcap worn by observant men

Mezuzah

Marks an observant home or business

Yom Kippur

One of the two High Holy Days of Judaism

Rosh Hashanah

One of the two High Holy Days of Judaism

Pesach

Named in reference to the final plague

Ashkenazim

Group of Jews who migrated to Central and Eastern Europe

Sephardim

Group of Jews who migrated to Spain and Portugal

Zionism

Support for Israel

Antisemitism

Hostility directed toward Jews