New Testament Ch 1-4 quizlet reveiw

Acts of the Apostles

the 5th book of the NT, narrates the spread of Christianity through Rome - world by Jesus apostles after death

Apocrypha

greek for "hidden things," referring to books the fringe of the Jewish or Christian canons of Scriptures

apocalypse

literary genre in which an author, usually reports symbolic dreams or visions, given or interpreted through an angelic mediator, which reveals the heavenly mysteries

apostolic

collection of noncanonical writings penned by photo-orthodox Christians of the 2nd century who were thought to be followers of the apostles- some parts of the early church

Athanasius

powerful bishop of Alexandria in the 4th century CE, among other things, he was the first to maintain that only the 27 books in the NT- considered to be considered canonical Scripture in his 39th Festal Letter

B.C.E

Before Common Era

C.E

Common Era

B.C

Before Christ

A.D

Anno Domini (in the year of our lord)

Canon

greek for "ruler" "measure"

episles

another name for "letters" sent in the ancient postal service

gospel

the translation of a greek word means "good news" used of the first four books of the NT

Hebrew Bible

The Jewish Scriptures, also known as the Christian Old Testament

heretical

a belief or idea that goes against the established doctrines of the Christian faith

Jewish Scriptures

Hebrew bible

Nag Hammadi

Village in upper (southern) Egypt, near the place where a collection of Gnostic writings, including the Gospel of Thomas, were discovered in 1945.

old testament

The 46 books that make up the first part of the Bible and record salvation history before the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

scribes

people trained to write using the earliest forms of writing before literacy was widespread

Alexander the Great

The great military leader of Macedonia (356-323 B.C.E.) whose armies conquered much of the eastern Mediterranean and who was responsible for the spread of Greek culture (Hellenism) throughout the lands he conquered.

Apollonius of Tyana

A pagan philosopher and holy man of the first century C.E., reported to do miracles and to deliver divinely inspired teachings, a man believed by some of his followers to be a son of God.

augurs

A group of pagan priests in Rome who could interpret the will of the gods by "taking the auspices"

cult

the shortened form of cultus deorum, a Latin pharse that means "care of the gods"

cultus deorum

care of the gods/ cult

daimonia

a category of divine beings in the Greco-Roman world; less powerful than the gods but more powerful than humans, and thought to be able to influence human lives.

divination

any practice used to ascertain the will of the gods

gentile

A Jewish designation for a non-Jew

extispicy

A form of divination in Greek and Roman religions in which a specially appointed priest (haruspex) would examine the entrails of a sacrificed animal to determine whether it had been accepted by the gods.

Greco-roman world

The lands (and culture) around the Mediterranean from the time of Alexander the Great to the Emperor Constantine, roughly 300 B.C.E. to 300 C.E.

Hellenistic world

Term used to refer to the lands around the Mediterranean that were influenced by Greek culture in the wake of the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Hellenization

The spread of Greek culture, began during the time of Alexander the Great

Julius Caesar

Roman general and dictator. He was murdered by a group of senators and his former friend Brutus who hoped to restore the normal running of the republic.

Monothesim

Belief in one God

Octavian

The name of the Roman general who became the first emperor, in 27 b.c.e., and who later took for himself the name Caesar Augustus.

oracle

a scared shrine where a priest or priestess spoke for a god or goddess

pagan

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

Polytheistic

the belief in many gods of Judea (26 to 36 CE)

Antiochus Epiphanes

The Syrian monarch who attempted to force the Jews of Palestine to adopt Greek culture, leading to the Maccabean revolt in 167 B.C.E.

antipas

Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great. Antipas ruled the land of Galilee as a client-king to Rome during Jesus' ministry and is said in the Gospels to have executed John the Baptist.

apocalyptic

A worldview held by many ancient Jews and Christians that maintained that the present age is controlled by forces of evil, but that these will be destroyed at the end of time when God intervenes in history to bring in his kingdom, an event thought to be imminent.

Covenant

an agreement or treaty between two social or political parties that have. come to terms; used by ancient jews

dead sea scrolls

Ancient Jewish writings discovered in several caves near the northwest edge of the Dead Sea, widely thought to have been produced by a group of apocalyptically minded Essenes who lived in a monastic-like community from Maccabean times through the Jewish War of 66-70 C.E.

diaspora

Greek for "dispersion," a term that refers to the dispersion of Jews away from Palestine into other parts of the Mediterranean, beginning with the Babylonian conquests in the sixth century B.C.E.

essenes

An apocalyptic and ascetic Jewish sect started during the Maccabean period, members of which are generally thought to have produced the Dead Sea Scrolls

Fourth Philosophy

A group of Jews that Josephus mentions but leaves unnamed, characterized by their insistence on violent opposition to the foreign domination of the Promised Land.

hania ben dosa

a well-known Galilean rabbi of the first century who was was reputed to have done miracles comparable to those of Jesus

Hasmoneans

An alternative name for the Maccabeans, the family of Jewish priests that began the revolt against Syria in 167 B.C.E. and that ruled Israel prior to the Roman conquest of 63 B.C.E.

herod the great

appointed king of isreal around 40 BCE, the great builder

Holy of Holies

The inner most Holy place in the Tabernacle and later Temple, where Ark was kept and only the High Priest can enter.

Honi the "circles drawer"

a first-century BCE Galilean who was reputed to have done miracles and had experiences similar to those of Jesus

idol

The image of a divine being, usually carved, sculpted, or molded in wood, stone, or metal.

Josephus

A first-century Jewish historian, appointed court historian by the Roman emperor Vespasian, whose works The Jewish War and The Antiquities of the Jews are principal resources for information about life in first-century Palestine.

judaism

the distinctive religion in the greco roman world

Judas Maccabeus

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

law, Jewish

The laws, including the Ten Commandments, given by God to Moses according to the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Sometimes the entire Pentateuch is referred to as the Law.

Levites

Descendants from the Patriarch Levi, who were Jewish assistants to the priests in the Temple.

Maccabeans

Jewish uprising against Syrians and their king, Antiochus Epiphanies in 167 BCE in protest against forced Hellenization and proscription of Jewish practices such as circumcision

Mishnah

A collection of oral traditions passed on by generations of Jewish rabbis who saw themselves as the descendants of the Pharisees, finally put into writing around 200 C.E.

oral, law

The "law" developed by later rabbis that was meant to interpret the "written" law of Moses.

Pentateuch

Literally, the "five scrolls" in Greek, a term used to designate the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Torah or the Law of Moses.

pharises

a jewish sect during the time of jesus known for there strict adherence to the old law and their concern with superficial matters.

Pointius Pilate

the perfect governor of Judea from 26 to 36 CE; he was the one responsible for ordering Jesus's crucifixion.

Priests, Jewish

Jews descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses, whose job it was to perform the sacrifices and other group duties, on a rotating basis, in the temple of Jerusalem

Qumran

Place near the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1946, evidently home to the group of Essenes who had used the Scrolls as part of their library.

Sadducees

A Jewish party associated with the Temple cult and the Jewish priests who ran it, comprising principally the Jewish aristocracy in Judea. The party leader, the High Priest, served as the highest ranking local official and chief liaison with the Roman governor.

Septugint

Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible

Sicarii

A Latin term meaning, literally, "daggermen," a designation for a group of first-century Jews responsible for the assassination of Jewish aristocrats thought to have collaborated with the Romans.

synagogue

Jewish place of worship and prayer, from a Greek word that literally means "being brought together"

Talmud

The collection of Jewish rabbinic discussion pertaining to law, ethics, and tradition consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara.

Temple, Jewish

impressively large and ornate place of worship for the Jews, located in Jerusalem and considered by some to be the most magnificently constructed holy place in the empire, prior to its destruction in 70 C.E.

Titus, Emperor

The Roman general who was responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE; Titus was the son of Vespasian and succeeded him as emperor in 79 CE.

torah

A Hebrew word meaning "law," referring to the first five books of the Old Testament.

Vespasian, emperor

Roman general who led the assault on the Jews during the Jewish uprising in Palestine in 66 c.e., who then came to be proclaimed emperor in 69 c.e.

Zadok

A priest during the time of David in the Old Testament whose descendants were thought by many Jews to be the only legitimate candidates to become the "high priest."

Ancient Biography

An ancient genre of literature that narrated the life of a famous person, usually in chronological sequence, in which the protagonist's major personality characteristics were established at the outset and were displayed in various things she or he said or did throughout life

Passover

The most important and widely celebrated annual festival of Jews in Roman times, commemorating the exodus from Egypt.

Infancy Gospel of Thomas

non-canonical Gospel account that describes Jesus between 5 though 12.

Infancy Gospels

Noncanonical accounts of the deeds and experiences of Jesus as a child

Festal Letter of Athanasius

*367 CE

*Issued Easter letter listing the 4 Gospels.

Letter of Aristeas

talks about when the king invites translators to translate the bible from hebrew to greek

Josephus

A Jewish historian whose works strive to make Jewish history and traditions understandable to Hellenistic readers and general

deuterocanonical

second canon books of the Old Testament that do not appear in the Hebrew Scriptures but are accepted by the Church as part of the canon of Scripture