Revelation: The Flowering of World Religions VOCAB

Humanities

A Cappella

Choral singing without instrumental accompaniment

Abbot

Latin “father” the superior of an abbey or monastery for men

Ahimsa

India “nonviolence”

Allah

The Arabic word for God

Ambulatory

A covered walkway, outdoors

Antiphonal

A type of music in which two or more groups of voices or instruments alternate with one another

Apostles

Disciples

Apse

A vaulted semicircular recess at one or both ends of a basilica

Ascetic

One who practices strict self-denial and self-discipline

Arabesque

In the visual arts, a type of linear ornamentation featuring plant and flower forms; in ballet, a position in which the dancer stands on one leg with the other extended behind and one or both arms held to create the longest line possible from one extremity of the body to the other

Avatar

(Sanskrit, “incarnation”) the incarnation of a Hindu deity

Bodhisattvas

A person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings

Buddha

A title given to the founder of Buddhism, Siddartha Gautama. Born a prince in what is now Nepal, he renounced wealth and family to become an ascetic, and after achieving enlightenment while meditating, taught all who came to learn from him

Caliph

The official successor to Muhammad and theocratic ruler of an Islamic state

Caliphate

The government and/or area ruled by a caliph, the spiritual leader regarded as the political and religious successor to Muhammad

Caligraphy

(Greek, “beautiful writing”) the art of ornamental handwriting

Canon Law

The ecclesiastical law that governs the Christian Church

Canonic

Authoritative

Cantor

The official in Judaism who sings or chants the liturgy; the official in medieval Christianity in charge of music at a cathedral, later a choir leader and soloist for the responsorial singing

Catacombs

A subterranean complex consisting of burial chambers and galleries with recesses for tombs

Chatra

Umbrella-like shapes that signify the sacred bo tree under which the Buddha reached nirvana

Clesrestory

The upper part of the nave, whose walls contain openings for light

Covenant

Contract; the bond between the Hebrew people and their God

Decalogue

The Ten Commandments

Diaspora

(Greek, “scattering”) the dispersion of the Jews after the Babylonian Captivity

Dogma

A prescribed body of doctrines concerning faith or morals, formally stated and authoritatively proclaimed

Ecumenical

Worldwide in extent; representing the unity of the Christian churches

Ethical monotheism

The belief in a single, benevolent, all-knowing god who requires
obedience to divine laws of right conduct, would become the fundamental tenet of three great world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Gallery

The area between the celestory and the nave arcade, usually adorned with mosaics in early Christian churches

Hadith

(Arab, “reports”, words and actions of Muhammad as reported by his followers

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca, the fifth Pillar of the Faith in Islam

Hijra

The journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina

Iconoclasts

One who opposes the use of images in religious worship

Iconography

The study, identification, and interpretation of subject matter in art; also the visual imagery that conveys specific concepts and ideas

Icons

(Greek, “likeness”) the image of a saint or other religious figure

Imam

A muslim prayer leader

Infidels

A person who does not believe in religion or who adheres to a religion other than one's own

Jihad

(Arabic, “struggle” [to follow God’s will] the struggle to lead a virtuous life and to further the universal mission of Islam through teaching, preaching, and, when necessary, warfare

Kaaba

(Arabic, “cube”) a religious sanctuary in Mecca; a square temple containing the sacred Black Stone thought to have been delivered to Abraham by the Angle Gabriel

Liturgy

The prescribed rituals or body of rites for public worship

Madrasa

(Arab, “school”) an Islamic school, usually attached to a mosque

Mandala

A diagrammatic map of the universe used as a visual aid to meditation and as a ground plan for Hindu and Buddhist temple shrines

Melismatic

Having many notes of music to one syllable

Menorah

A seven-branched candelabrum

Messiah

(Hebrew, “anointed”) the promised and expected deliverer or savior of the Jewish people; in Greek, Christos

Mihrab

A special niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca

Minaret

A tall, slender tower usually attached to a mosque and surrounded by a balcony from which the muezzin summons Muslims to prayer

Minbar

A stepped pulpit in a mosque

Mosque

The Muslim house of worship

Mudra

(Sanskrit, “sign”) a symbolic gesture commonly used in Buddhist art

Muezzin

A “crier” who calls the hours of Muslim prayer five times a day

Mullah

A Muslim house of worship

Narthex

A porch or vestibule at the main entrance of a church

Nave

The central aisle of a church between the alter and the apse, usually demarcated from the side-aisles by columns or piers

Nuemes

A mark or symbol indication the direction of the voice in the early notation of Gregorian chant

Nirvana

(Sanskrit, “extinction” ) the blissful reabsorption of the Self into the Absolute Spirit (Brahman): release from the endless cycle of rebirth

Pendentives

A concave piece of masonry that makes the transition between the angle of two walls and the base of the dome above

Prophet

(Greek, “one who speaks for another”) a divinely inspired teacher

Qadi

A Muslim judge who interprets and administers Islamic Law

Qur’an:

The sacred text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be the word of God revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel

Rabbi

A teacher and religious leader trained in the Jewish Law

Regular Clergy

(Latin regula, meaning “rule”) those who have taken vows to obey the rules of a monastic order, as opposed to a “secular clergy”

Responsorial

Recited in parts with a congregational response between each part

Revelation

The divine or supernatural disclosure to humans of something relating to human existence or the world

Secular Clergy

Those ordained to serve the Christian Church in the world

Shahadah

(Arab, “witness”) the Muslim declaration of faith testifying to the oneness of Allah and his messenger Muhammad

Sharia

The body of Muslim Law based on the Qur’an and the hadith

Shofar

The rams horn used to call the Hebrews to prayer

Stupas

A hemispherical mound that serves as a buddhist shrine

Sunna

Arabic word meaning “customary practice”

Suras

A chapter or section of the Quran

Syllabic

Having one note of music per syllable

Synagogue

A Jewish house of worship

Torah

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible

Transept

The part of a basilican-plan church that runs perpendicular to the nave

Trinity

The Christian doctrine of the union of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost in a single divine Godhead

Vulgate

A version of the Bible in vernacular, translated by Saint Jerome; it became the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church