Reviewer: Judaism, Christianity & Islam

Vocabulary review flashcards covering the core terminology, figures, sacred texts, sects, and doctrines of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for Modules 4 through 6.

Monotheism

The belief in one God, distinct from the belief in one god that is merely more powerful than others.

Covenant

A sacred and binding agreement between God and His people, notably initiated with Abraham and renewed with Moses and Jesus.

Tanakh

The Hebrew Bible and primary sacred text of Judaism, containing the same books as the Christian Old Testament arranged in a different order.

Torah

The first five books of the Tanakh (also called the Pentateuch), attributed to Moses, which outline God's laws for the Jewish people.

Halakhah

The Jewish oral and traditional law that provides the legal interpretation and practical application of the Torah's commandments.

Mishnah

A compilation of the previously oral Jewish code of law, completed around 200 A.D.

Talmud

A central collection of Jewish legal commentaries and teachings consisting of the Mishnah paired with the Gemara.

Gemara

The component of the Talmud that analyzes, explains, and comments on the Mishnah.

Maimonides

Prominent Jewish philosopher (also known as Rambam) who authored the 13 Articles of Faith and identified the 613 mitzvot.

Shabbat

The Jewish Sabbath and seventh day of the week; a day of prayer and rest beginning at Friday sunset and ending at Saturday nightfall.

Orthodox Judaism

The most traditional movement of Judaism, holding that the entire Torah revealed at Mount Sinai is the sole and unchanging authority.

Reform Judaism

The most liberal movement of Judaism, holding that laws and customs are subject to human judgment; features mixed seating and ordains female rabbis.

Conservative Judaism

A 20th-century movement characterized as traditional Judaism without fundamentalism, which allows gradual adaptation within Jewish law.

Hasidism

A mystical, spiritual movement originating in 12th-century Germany that emphasizes asceticism, divine love, and humility before God.

Kabbalah

A mystical form of Judaism that seeks to penetrate and understand the divine essence of God.

Anti-Semitism

Hostility, prejudice, or discrimination directed toward Jewish people, often historically manifested in violent riots called pogroms.

Holocaust

The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of about six million Jews by the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945; derived from a Greek term meaning sacrifice by fire.

Nazirite

An individual set apart and dedicated to God under special vows, such as Samson, whose supernatural strength was linked to his uncut hair.

Holy Trinity

The Christian doctrine that one God exists simultaneously in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

Virgin Birth

The Christian doctrine stating that Jesus Christ was conceived and born of Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit without a human father.

Resurrection

The foundational Christian event (Greek: anastasis) in which God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day following his crucifixion at Calvary.

Ecumenism

Efforts by the Catholic Church and other denominations, highlighted in Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism, to promote mutual understanding and unity among all Christians.

Islam

The youngest major world religion, established in the 7th century C.E., whose name translates to submission to God.

Hijra

The 622 C.E. migration of Muhammad and the early Muslim community from Mecca to Medina (Yathrib), meaning severing ties, marking year one of the Islamic calendar.

Ka'ba

The cube-shaped structure referred to as the House of Allah, located in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, representing the most sacred site in Islam.

Qur'an

The primary sacred scripture of Islam, meaning recitation or reading, revealed to Prophet Muhammad over roughly 23 years.

Surah

A chapter of the Qur'an, of which there are 114 in total (86 Meccan and 28 Medinan), generally organized from longest to shortest.

Ayah

An individual verse within a surah of the Qur'an, translating to evidence or sign.

Hafiz

A Muslim who has memorized the entire Qur'an in its original Arabic text (female: hafiza).

Hadith

The collected deeds, reports, and sayings of Prophet Muhammad, serving as the second source of authority and Islamic law after the Qur'an.

Sunnah

The customary practice, conduct, and way of life of Prophet Muhammad, derived from the hadith literature.

Shari'ah

The legal framework and moral code of Islam, rooted in the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Tawhid

The fundamental Islamic doctrine asserting the absolute oneness, indivisibility, and uniqueness of Allah.

Shahada

The first pillar of Islam: the declaration of faith stating, 'There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.'

Salat

The second pillar of Islam: ritual prayers performed five times daily while facing the direction of Mecca.

Qiblah

The exact direction of the Ka'ba in Mecca toward which Muslims face during salat.

Wudu

The ceremonial washing and purification of parts of the body required before performing Islamic prayers.

Zakat

The third pillar of Islam: an obligatory annual wealth tax of $2.5\%$ (one-fortieth) of accumulated assets given to the poor.

Sawm

The fourth pillar of Islam: fasting from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

Hajj

The fifth pillar of Islam: the mandatory pilgrimage to Mecca during the twelfth Islamic month, required at least once in a lifetime for those physically and financially able.

Ibadah

The collective term in Islam referring to acts of worship and submission, specifically denoting the four duty pillars apart from the shahada.

Jihad

An Islamic term meaning effort or struggle (often mistranslated as holy war), encompassing internal spiritual devotion as well as external defense.

Sunni

The majority branch of Islam (constituting $87\%$ to $90\%$ of Muslims), known as Followers of the Smooth Path, who follow the sunnah and recognize the first four righteous caliphs.

Shi'a

The primary branch that separated from mainstream Islam following Muhammad's death in 632 C.E. over the rightful succession and leadership of the caliphate.

Sufi

Islamic mystics who pursue direct personal union with God, named after the coarse wool garments (suf) worn to symbolize asceticism and poverty.