Christianity

Roman Catholics Church

One of the three major traditions within Christianity (along with Orthodoxy and Protestantism), the Roman Catholic Church, which recognizes the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, or the pope, has historically been the dominant church in the West.

baptism

Performed by immersion in water or a sprinkling with water, baptism is a sacrament in which an individual is cleansed of sin and admitted into the Church.

Orthodox Church

Also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church is the Eastern branch of Christianity that separated from the Western branch (the Roman Catholic Church) in 1054.

Protestant Christianity

One of the three major traditions in Christianity (along with Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy), Protestantism began in the sixteenth century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices.

Trinity

According to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, God is a single divine substance or essence consisting of three “persons

gospel

In its most general sense, “gospel” means the “good news” (from Old English godspel, which translates the Greek evangelion) about Jesus Christ. The New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are proclamations of the good news concerning the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Kingdom of God

God’s rule or dominion over the universe and human affairs. The kingdom of God is one of the primary themes in the teaching of Jesus.

apostles

(Greek apostolos, “one who is sent out”) In the New Testament, Jesus’s disciples, sent out to preach and baptize, are called apostles. Paul of Tarsus and some other early Christian leaders also claimed this title. Because of their close association with Jesus, the apostles were accorded a place of honor in the early Church.

Pentecost

A holiday celebrated by Christians in commemoration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus as described in the second chapter of the New Testament book of Acts.

parables

According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus made extensive use of parables—short, fictional stories that use the language and imagery of everyday life to illustrate moral and religious truths.

Paul of Tarsus

A first-century apostle who founded churches throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece. Paul was also the author of many of the letters, or epistles, found in the New Testament.

grace

Derived from the Latin gratia (a “gift” or “love”), “grace” refers to God’s love for humanity, expressed in Jesus Christ and through the sacraments.

bishops

Responsible for supervising other priests and their congregations within specific regions known as dioceses, bishops are regarded by Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians as successors of the apostles.

nicene creed

A profession of faith formulated by the Councils of Nicea (325) and Constantinople (381), the Nicene Creed articulates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity.

scriptures

the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is a messiah who resolutely submits to suffering on behalf of humanity.

the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is a figure reminiscent of Moses who reveals the true meaning of the Torah.

The Gospel of Luke focuses on Jesus’s compassion for sinners, women, the poor, and the sick. t

he Gospel of John emphasizes the divinity of Jesus

purgatory

In Roman Catholicism, purgatory is an intermediate state between earthly life and heaven in which the debt for unconfessed sin is expiated.

Apostolic Sucession

According to this Roman Catholic and Orthodox doctrine, the spiritual authority conferred by Jesus on the apostles has been transmitted through an unbroken line of bishops, who are their successors.

Logos

In its most basic sense, the Greek logosmeans “word,” but it also means “rational principle,” “reason,” or “divine reason.” The Gospel of John uses logos in the sense of the “divine reason” through which God created and sustains the universe when it states that “the Word became flesh” in Jesus Christ (John 1:14

Arianism

is defined as an early branch of Christianity that held that Jesus Christ was not one with God the Father, but instead just created by God and a holy man

Founder Arius

Original sin

Formulated by St. Augustine in the fourth century, the doctrine of original sin states that the sin of Adam and Eve affected all of humanity, so that all human beings are born with a sinful nature.

inquisition

The investigation and suppression of heresy by the Roman Catholic Church, the Inquisition began in the twelfth century and was formally concluded in the middle of the nineteenth century.

icons

Painted images of Christ and the saints, icons are used extensively in the Orthodox Church.

The Great Schism

the split between Western and Eastern Christianity

transubstantiation

According to this Roman Catholic doctrine, the bread and wine consecrated by a priest in the Eucharist become the body and blood of Christ and retain only the appearance, not the substance, of bread and wine.

scholasticism

Represented by figures such as Peter Abelard, Thomas Aquinas, and William of Ockham, scholasticism was the medieval effort to reconcile faith and reason using the philosophy of Aristotle.

Martin Luther

.A German monk who criticized Roman Catholic doctrines and practices in his Ninety-Five Theses (1517), Luther was the original leader and one of the seminal thinkers of the Protestant Reformation.

John Calvin

One of the leading figures of the Protestant Reformation, Calvin is notable for his Institutes of the Christian Religion and his emphasis on the absolute power of God, the absolute depravity of human nature, and the absolute dependence of human beings on divine grace for salvation.

Fundamentalism

Originating in the early 1900s, this movement in American Protestantism was dedicated to defending doctrines it identified as fundamental to Christianity against perceived threats posed by modern culture.

Evangelicalism

This Protestant movement stresses the importance of the conversion experience, the Bible as the only reliable authority in matters of faith, and preaching the gospel. In recent decades, evangelicalism has become a major force in North American Christianity.

pentecostalism

A movement that emphasizes the importance of spiritual renewal and the experience of God through baptism in the Holy Spirit, Pentecostalism is a primarily Protestant movement that has become extremely popular in recent decades.

Eucharist

Also known as the Lord’s Supper and Holy Communion, the Eucharist is a sacrament celebrated with consecrated bread and wine in commemoration of Jesus’s Last Supper with his disciples.

liturgy

a work of the people” in honor of God) The basic order of worship in Christian churches consisting of prescribed prayers, readings, and rituals.

sacraments

In Christianity, rituals in which material elements such as bread, wine, water, and oil serve as visible symbols of an invisible grace conveyed to recipients.

The Lords Prayer

A prayer attributed to Jesus, the Lord’s Prayer serves as a model of prayer for Christians. Also known as the “Our Father” (since it begins with these words), its most familiar form is found in the Gospel of Matthew (6:9–13).

rosary

Taking its name from the Latin rosarium (“garland of roses”), the rosary is a traditional form of Roman Catholic devotion in which practitioners make use of a string of beads in reciting prayers.

epiphany

An annual holiday commemorating the “manifestation” of the divinity of the infant Jesus, Epiphany is celebrated by most Western Christians on January 6. Most Eastern Christians observe it on January 19.

liturgical year

an annual cycle of holy days and seasons that re-create events and times during the life of Jesus

Saints

Veneration of the saints and belief in their intercession on behalf of the living are important features of Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christianity.

Church

In the broadest sense, “church” refers to the universal community of Christians, but the term can also refer to a particular tradition within Christianity (such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Episcopal Church) or to an individual congregation of Christians.