Religion Vocabulary Section 2

hermit

A person who lives a solitary life in order to commit himself or herself more fully to prayer and in some cases to be completely free for service to others.

Abbot/Abbess

The superior and spiritual leader of a monastery (masculine: abbot; feminine: abbess).

illuminated manuscript

A manuscript in which the text is supplemented with artwork such as decorated initials, borders, and illustrations, often using gold and silver. During the Middle Ages, manuscripts were copied and illuminated by hand, work often done by monks.

Feudalism

A system that evolved in Western Europe in the eighth and ninth centuries in which society was ordered around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service and protection.

Franks

A Germanic tribe that inhabited the Roman provinces of Gaul (roughly coinciding with modern-day France) starting in the sixth century

Papal States

An independent country ruled by the Pope until 1870, covering a wide strip of land in the middle of the Italian Peninsula. The Papal States were awarded to the papacy in 756 in a formal deed called the Donation of Pepin.

Christendom

The Church's sphere of power and authority, both politically and spiritually, during the Middle Ages

Vikings

The Scandinavian explorers, merchants, and warriors who invaded and settled in Europe from the late eighth to the eleventh centuries.

Simony

Buying or selling something spiritual, such as a grace, a Sacrament, or a relic

Papal Bull

An official letter or charter issued by the Pope, named for the bulla, or wax seal, that was used to authenticate it

Antipope

A person claiming to be Pope in opposition to the Pope chosen in accordance with Church law

Patriarch (Eastern)

In the Old Testament, a patriarch is the father of a group or tribe. In the Eastern (or Greek) Church, a patriarch is a spiritual father. The title is given to the highest-ranking bishops in the Church

Iconoclasm

The deliberate destruction of religious icons and symbols

Filioque

Latin for "and from the Son," this phrase was added to the Nicene Creed in the Roman Church to express that the Holy Spirit descended from the Father and the Son, rather than from the Father and through the Son, as the Byzantine Church expressed.

Indulgence

The means by which the Church takes away the punishment that a person would receive in Purgatory.

Mystic

a person who regularly has an intense experience of the presence and power of God, resulting in a deep sense of union with him

Great Western Schism

A split within the Church that lasted from 1378 to 1417, when there were two or three claimants to the papacy at once. Also called the Papal Schism

Conciliar Movement

A reform movement that emerged in the Church in the fourteenth century held that final authority in spiritual matters rested with church councils, not with the Pope. Conciliarism emerged in response to the Avignon Papacy.

Mendicants

Members of religious orders that rely on charity for support

Friars

Members of religious orders of men who serve the Church through teaching or preaching

Nave

the main body of a church or cathedral, where the assembly gathers

Chancel

The part of a cathedral that contains the high altar

Divine Office

Also known as the Liturgy of the Hours, the official public, daily prayer of the Catholic Church. The Divine Office provides standard prayers, Scripture readings, and reflections at regular hours throughout the day

Scholasticism

The method of thinking, teaching, and writing devised in, and characteristic of, the medieval universities of Europe from about 1100 to 1500. Although concerned with all of scientific learning, scholasticism is most closely identified with knowledge about God

Medieval Inquisition

An inquisition established by the Church in the thirteenth century aimed at rooting out heresies. Sometimes called the Papal Inquisition.

Spanish Inquisition

An inquisition process established in the late 15th century by the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in Spain