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Abba
the intimate, familiar Aramaic word for father. In the normal piety of the first-century Judaism this form of address was too intimate to be used of God. But Jesus (Mark 14:36) and the early Christians (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6) used it in this way.
A.D.
abbreviation of the Latin Anno Domini, which means "in the year of our Lord." Alternately, one may speak of C.E. (Common Era).
Adoptionism
the view that Jesus was not divine, but a flesh-and-blood human being who was adopted at baptism to be God's son.
Agrapha
literally, unwritten words or sayings. The term refers to words and sayings of Jesus not contained in the canonical Gospels.
Allegory
a story whose details or actions illustrate or tell about something quite different. Each element of an allegory possesses its own distinct meaning
Alexander the Great
the Macedonian military leader (356-323 B.C.E.) whose armies conquered much of the E. Mediterranean and was responsible for the spread of Hellenism.
Amen
the transliteration of a Greek word that in turn transliterates a Hebrew word and is either a solemn confirmation of what has been said or a response of assent to words of another.
Antichrist
an apocalyptic figure, the archenemy of Christ, who will appear shortly before the parousia to wage war against the friends of Christ.
Antinomianism
the belief that the Christian who has been freed by Christ has no ethical or moral obligations.
Antitheses
the six contrasts with ancient teaching that Jesus proclaims in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:21-48) in the antithetical form, "You have heard ... But I say to you . . ."
Apocalypse
an uncovering or revelation (e.g., the Apocalypse or Revelation to John). The term "apocalyptic" is applied to a type of literature that is pessimistic about humanity's possibilities and hence discloses God's plan for the last days.
Apocalypticism
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.
Apocrypha
the fourteen books of the Septuagint not found in the Old Testament; usually it is a part of the Catholic Bible but not the Protestant Bible. More generally, means "hidden or spurious."
Apocryphal New Testament
noncanonical books such as the Gospel of Peter that claim apostolic authorship, but were known in antiquity to be inauthentic.
Apology
a reasoned explanation and justification of one's beliefs and/or practices, from a Greek word meaning "defense."
Apostle
a term meaning "one who is sent."
Apostle's Creed
an ancient Christian creed expressing belief in God the Father, Son, and Spirit, the church, and the resurrection of the dead. Although the name implies that it was composed by the apostles, it does not appear in its present form until centuries later.
Apostolic Fathers
a collection of second-century noncanonical writings, such as the letters of Ignatius, that do not claim apostolic authorship but were generally accepted as representing apostolic faith.
Aramaic
Semitic language of Palestine during the time of Jesus.
Archaeology
the scientific study of ancient cultures on the basis of their remains, such as fossil relics, artifacts, monuments, pottery, and buildings.
Aristeas, Epistle of
a pre-Christian, Jewish pseudepigraphical writing that presents a legendary account of the translation of the Hebrew Bible in to Greek in Alexandria, Egypt.
Ascension
traditionally the visible departure of Jesus into heaven forty days after His resurrection (see Acts 1:9).
Autograph
the original manuscript of a literary text, from a Greek word meaning "the writing itself"
Authentic
the term is applied to writings that are believed to have been written by the person to whom they are traditionally attributed.
Baptism: the act or sacrament of immersion into water by which a person was received into the early Christian church.
B.C.
the abbreviation of "before Christ."
Beatitudes
the nine blessings that stand at the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5:3-12).
Canon
a term originally applied to a measuring reed, later used of books or writings that became authoritative for early Christians.
Catholic
universal, affecting all humankind, adjective used by the early church to refer to whatever universally shared beliefs.
Catholic Epistles
James; 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2, and 3 John; and Jude. These seven letters are supposedly "general" in destination and in character and hence Catholic.
Charisma
"gift of grace." The term came to be used in the early church for the various gifts of the Spirit, such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, and speaking in tongues.
Christology
the aspect of Christian thought concerned specifically with the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
Church
the community of believers in Jesus Christ. The term is used of individual congregations and of the entire fellowship of Christians.
Cosmos
the world or universe. A Greek term frequently used in ancient philosophical discussion. In the New Testament it often takes on a negative sense as the world standing in opposition to God.
Council of Jamnia
the group of rabbinical scholars who settled in the coastal town of Jamnia shortly before the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and helped to standardize the Jewish religion.
Covenant
a solemn agreement that binds two parties together.
Crucifixion
a Roman form of execution in which the victim was nailed or bound to a wooden cross and left to die.
Cult
shortened form of cultus deorum, a Latin phrase that means "care of the gods," used of any set of religious practices of worship.
Cynics
Greco-Roman philosophers, commonly portrayed as street preachers who harangued their audiences and urged them to find true freedom by being liberated from all social conventions.
