ALL VOCAB

Apostolic Succession

the handing on of apostolic preaching and authority from the Apostles to their successors the bishops through the laying on of hands, as a permanent office in the Church

Ascension

Forty days after his Resurrection, the entry of Christ's humanity into divine glory.

Circumcision

The ritual excision of the foreskin designated as the visible sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Circumcision set the People of God apart from other nations.

Council

Synod. A fromal meeting of Bishops (sometimes with other ecclesiastics) convened for regulation or discipline in the Church.

Deposit of Faith

The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition

Hierarchy

Greek for the "sacred rule." The Apostles and their successors, the bishops, to whom Christ gave the authority to teach, sanctify, and rule in his name.

Keys of the Kingdom

The power to bind and loose given by Christ to St. Peter. the badge of office of the prime ministers of the Davidic kingdom.

Magisterium

The name given to the teaching authority of the Church, entrusted to the Pope and the bishops in communion with him.

Missionary

One who goes out to preach the Gospel to those who do not yet follow it

Old Covenant

The Mosaic Law, encapsulated as the Ten Commandments, and its stipulation from God to the Israelites that "I will be your God, and you will be my people."

Prime Minister

A servant of the king who oversees all the affairs of the kingdom; the king's most trusted advisor.

Sacrament

An efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed through the work of the Holy Spirit. There are seven sacraments.

Scripture,sacred

Bible; the books that contain the truth of God's Revelation and were composed by human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Synagogue

Jewish house of worship

Tradition, Sacred

From the latin for "handed down," this refers to a teaching, whether written or oral, entrusted by Christ to the apostles and their successors, and which has been transmitted to each generation of Christians through Apostolic Succession.

Apostasy

Total denial of the Christian Faith. Involves a choice to leave Christianity

Christian

A baptized person

Code of Canon Law

An updated and systematic compilation of the laws of the church

Ecclesial communities

A name given to those Christian groups that do not enjoy apostolic succession and, therefore, have no valid Sacraments other than Baptism and Matrimony

Eucharistic communion

Being in union with Christ and other Catholics through the reception of the Eucharist

Form

The necessary ritual words and signs that accompany a sacrament

Full communion

The state of being completely and mystically united to Christ's Body

Hersey

The obstinate denial or doubt, after Baptism, of a truth that must be believed by the Catholic faith. Involves a choice to deny the catholic truth

Imperfect communion

Describes Christian churches and ecclesial communities which have valid Baptism but are lacking in one or more of the essential aspects of full communion

Laying on of hands

The ritual act, whereby men were consecrated or ordained for sacred duties

Marks of the church

One, holy, catholic, apostolic

Matter

The part of a sacrament with which or to which something is done in order to confer grace

Nicene Constantinopolitan Creed

Statement of foundational Christian beliefs composed at the First Council of Nicaea

Profession of Faith

A summary of the Faith professed by Christians. Know as "Symbols of Faith" or "Creeds"

Real Presence

the presence of Jesus Christ in the consecrated species of bread and wine

Reformation

Movement of the 16th century that resulted in the schism of the Protestant and Anglican ecclesial communities form the Catholic Church

Holy Orders

Sacrament of Apostolic Ministry by which the mission entrusted by Christ to his Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church through the laying on of hands

Sacrament of unity

Name given to the Eucharist to highlight its power to unite disparate peoples

Schism

the refusal to submit to the Pope or be united with the Church in communion with him

Second Vatican Council

An ecumenical council called by Pope BI. John XXIII held from 1962-1965

Separated brethren

Term often used by catholics and the church to refer to those Christians who are not fully members of the Catholic Church. Represents that they are truly brothers and sisters but are currently outside of full communion

Trinitarian Formula

"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"

Arianism

3rd/4th century heresy formulated by Arius; denied Christ's divinity, claiming he was not equal to the Father; rather, he was an exceptional creature raised to the level of "Son of God" because of his heroic fidelity to the Father's will and great holiness

Assumption

the dogma that recognizes the Blessed Virgin Mary's singular participation in her Son's Resurrection by which she was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory when the course of her earthly life was finished

Autocephalous

"self-headed"; describes an independently governed Orthodox Church

Celibacy

the state of one who has chosen to remain unmarried for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven in order to give himself entirely to God and to the service of his people

Christology

the theology of Christ; debates and questions over it relate to whether or not Christ's Death and Resurrection are able to save us from our sins

Christotokos

Greek for "Christ-bearer" or "Mother of Christ"; title the bishop Nestorius wanted to give to Mary, in order to avoid calling her "Mother of God"; allows one to reject that Christ is a divine person, which ultimately rejects that he is the second person of the blessed trinity

consubstantial

"one and the same essence"; the three persons of the trinity share the same divine nature

crusades

Latin for "cross"; series of eight defensive military expeditions between 1096 and 1270 undertaken by Christians to liberate the Holy Land from Muslims and to stop the expansion of Islam

divine liturgy

eucharistic liturgy of the Eastern Christian and Oriental Christian churches

ecumenical patriarch

title adopted by the Patriarch of Constantinople at a council in Constantinople in 587

excommunication

a censure by means of which a person is excluded from the communion of the faithful in response to a grave, habitual, public sin; person is forbidden to have a ministerial role in the celebration of the Sacraments and other public ceremonies, receive it, or to exercise church offices

filioque

latin for "and the Son"; expresses the double procession of God the Holy Spirit as from God the Father and God the Son

hypostatic union

revealed truth that Christ is one divine Person with both a divine nature and a human nature

iconoclast

greek for "image breaker"; person who sees icons as occasions of idolatry and seeks to destroy them in a misguided attempt to purify Christian practice; position was condemned at the Nicae Ecumenical Council

indult

special permission or privilege granted by a Church authority

infallibility

immunity from error; pope enjoys this charism by virtue of his office

leavened bread

bread made with yeast; type of bread used for the Eucharist in Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches

monophysitism

greek for "single" and "nature"; heresy claims there is only one nature in Christ; any human nature he may have had was incorporated into his divine nature

nestorianism

formulated by Nestorious; heresy rightly claimed Christ was born human and divine but wrongly claimed he was neither fully human nor fully divine

patriarch (orthodox)

rank of bishop who rules an entire Orthodox Church; bishop of the primary city within a Church's jurisdiction and has authority over the liturgy and other aspects of the life of that Church

patriarchate

one of the recognized jurisdictions of the early Church, comprising Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria, with Rome having Primacy;

pontifex maximus

title meaning "high priest" of the Roman pagan religion that was taken by Emperor Augustus; title was later applied by the Catholic Church to the Pope

rite

formal act of public religious worship or other solemn observance

sign of the cross

the act of tracing the Cross with the hand from the forehead to the breast and then from shoulder to shoulder

theotokos

greek for "god-bearer"; title of Mary

universal jurisdiction

having authority over all peoples; pope has it over all dioceses and parishes in the world; orthodox rejects this

unleavened bread

bread made without yeast; used for the Eucharist in the Catholic Church's Roman Rite

abortion

destruction of a child after conception but before birth

annulment

more properly called a "decree of nullity," a declaration by an ecclesiastical court that a presumed marriage was never valid

antipope

any of a number of false claimants to the papacy over the course of church history who were elected by a renegade minority of papal electors

black death

also known as the black plague, this deadly epidemic broke out in europe around the year 1347, decimating the population.

common priesthood of the faithful

participation in the priesthood of christ, which all of the faithful share thru baptism

consubstantiation

term describing christ's substantial coexistence in the eucharistic bread and wine

contraception

use of mechanical, chemical, or medical procedures to prevent conception from taking place as a result; grave disorder against the openness to life required of marriage and the inner truth of conjugal love

counter reformation

reformation from within the catholic church that occurred in the 16th century. The council of trent was a pivotal event in this effort

denomination

group of protestant christians that share a common belief system and tradition.

ecclesiology

branch of theology that studies nature and constitution of the church; concerned with who has authority in the church and how much authority they have, and what the origin of authority is; expresses how a church is organized and structured throughout the world

great western schism

1378-1417, during which multiple men claimed to be Pope at the same time.

high church

type of denomination or ecclesial community that embraces a formalized ritual liturgy

incarnation

from the latin to make flesh; mystery of the hypostatic union of the divine and human natures in the one divine person, the word, Jesus Christ. To bring about man's salvation the son of god was made flesh and truly became man

indulgence

remission of the temporal punishment due to sin that has already been forgiven

inerrancy

making no mistakes or errors; always teaches truth, never falsehood

inspiration

gift of the holy spirit that assisted human authors to write the books of the bible

intercession

prayers and works of the saints that are offered for the salvation of souls on earth

justification

being made right (righteous) w God. It is a free and undeserved gift of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

Lectionary

book that organizes specific biblical readings for specific days of the year

liturgy of the word

first part of the mass; synaxis. Within this, the scriptures are read and interpreted by the deacon or priest.

middle ages

period between the end of the roman empire and the beginning of the renaissance in the west. Church was frequently the only force that preserved order during this time

ministerial priesthood

priesthood of men who are called to the sacrament of holy orders so as to serve the faithful of the common priesthood and call forth their baptismal graces

nepotism

from the latin for grandson or nephew. The appointment to positions of authority based on family relation rather than qualification

perspicuity

quality of being clear and easy to understand.

purgatory

state of final purification after death but before entrance into heaven; this is for those who died in god's friendship but were only imperfectly purified

sacramental economy

life of the sacraments in which every catholic participants. In God's plan of salvation, he chose specific physical objects to be means by which we receive grace and achieve salvation

septuagint

third-century BC greek translation of the scriptures (OT) made by 70 jewish scholars. This translation was accepted by the early christians as authoritative and inspired, and the writers of the NT quoted from it

sola fide

latin for faith alone; this is the teaching that it is only by faith

sola scriptura

"scripture alone" This heretical idea makes the bible the sole rule of faith, ignoring history and tradition; this is a tenet of most of protestantism

systematic theology

discipline of christian theology that seeks to create an organized system of faith and beliefs

transubstantiation

scholastic term used to designate the unique change in a true, real, and substantial manner, of the entire substance of the eucharistic bread and wine into the body and blood of christ with his soul and divinity, leaving intact the forms of bread and wine

works

any actions, other than an act of faith, which a believer does in response to gods grace and to draw closer to him.

Almsgiving

The practice of Christian charity through the selfless donation of time, money, and other resources. This together with prayer and fasting, are traditionally recommended to foster interior penance.

Angel

From the Greek angelos, a translation of the Hebrew malak, meaning "messenger." A spiritual, personal, and immortal creature, possessing intelligence and free will, who glorifies God without ceasing and serves God as protector of and messenger to man. Demons are fallen angels, who exercised their free will rebel against God for the glory of themselves. They actively seek to turn men away from God.

Anti Semitism

Discrimination, hatred, or persecution against Jews because of their Jewish heritage. The term comes from the word "Semite," which refers to the peoples of the Middle East, but in this case is restricted to Jews. This has a long history in the world and persists to this day.

Apologist

One who defends and explains the Christian Faith. A group of Church Fathers who wrote during the second and third centuries in the Roman Empire frequently bear this title.