Tags & Description
Adultery
infidelity in marriage
Angels
spirits with free will and intelligence that have allegiance to God
Demons
spirits with free will and intelligence that have allegiance to Satan
Satan
“Prince of Demons”
Antichrist
an opponent or denier of Jesus being the Messiah
Apocalypse
reference to a period when God will establish a divine rule of goodness and peace
Apologists
Defenders of Christianity and the Church who try to show the reasonableness of the faith
Apostolic Succession
the handing on of teaching, preaching, and office of the Apostles to bishops through the laying on of hands
Ascension
Event in salvation history where Jesus’ humanity entered into the divine glory in heaven 40 days after his resurrection
Asceticism
A way of living marked by self-denial, self-discipline, and austerity
Beatitudes
“supreme happiness” - 8 blessings preached by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount
Bible Dictionaries
references with definitions for biblical words, places, and people
Blasphemy
Any thought, word, or act that expresses hatred or contempt for god or religion
Christology
Study of Christ
Concordance
A source of alphabetically listed biblical words along with the chapters and verses they appear in the bible
Contrition
Heartfelt sorrow and hatred of sins one has committed; needed to receive the Sacrament of Penance
Day of Atonement
English name of Yom Kippur; Jewish people ask for forgiveness of sins
Dead Sea Scrolls
Ancient scrolls containing oldest known manuscripts of OT books in Hebrew; found near Qumran
Dogma
A central truth of the faith that Catholics are required to believe
Ecuenical Councils
Official assemblies of bishops under the direction of the Pope
Epiphany
From a greek word meaning “to appear”
Eschatological
Having to do with the end of time or the “last things” (death, resurrection, judgement, heaven, hell, purgatory, etc.)
Evangelist
“preacher of the Gospel”; 4 evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Exorcism
Authoritative act of the Church (or Jesus) to liberate a person or object of the devil in the name of Christ
Feast of Dedication
Occurs on Hanukkah
Feast of Tabernacles
Feast during Tabernacles
Fruit of the Spirit
Nine perfections described in the letter to the Galatians
Gehenna
Jewish term for “hell”; also a valley in Jerusalem cursed by Jeremiah
Gentiles
Term for non-Jewish people
Glory of God
The visible revelation of the power of the invisible God
Guardian Angel
A heavenly spirit assigned to watch over you at every stage of your life
Hasmonean Dynasty
Descendants of the Maccabees who ruled in Judea before Roman authority
Hellenists
Greek-speaking Christians
Heresy
an obstinate denial or doubt after baptism of a truth that must be believed with faith
Humility
The virtue that tempers ambition and pride and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer
Idolatry
Giving worship to something other than God
Judaizers
Christians who taught to follow Mosaic Law and Jewish customs in order to be saved
Justification
The process of being cleansed from sin through faith in Jesus Christ and made right with God through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Kingdom of God
The process of the Father's reconciling and renewing all things through his Son; the fact of his will being done on earth as it is in heaven. The process will be completed perfectly at the end of time.
L
Specific material found in the Gospel of Luke that is unique to Luke's Gospel. It includes five otherwise unknown miracle stories, fourteen additional parables, and many nativity and infancy details not included in the other Gospels.
Logos
A term meaning "Word" in Greek.
M
The name for the approximate four hundred verses or verse fragments in the Gospel of Matthew that are not present in the Gospel of Mark or Q, which are unique to Matthew.
Magisterium
The official teaching authority of the Church
Magnificat
Named for its first word in Latin, the Blessed Virgin Mary's song of praise to the Lord
Martyr
From the Greek for "witness," a person who bore witness to the truth of his or her faith even unto death. Jesus died the death of a faithful martyr
Messianic Secret
A phrase that refers to certain passages in the Gospels where Jesus tells his disciples not to reveal his true identity.
Midrash
A Hebrew term describing a literary form that relates OT events to and helps explain present events.
Miracle
A powerful sign of God's Kingdom worked by Jesus
Mystics
Persons who through prayer, suffering, and abandonment to God's will have some type of spiritual experience that others do not have or may not be able to witness.
New Covenant
A description of the climax of salvation history: the coming of Jesus Christ and the fullness of God's Revelation.
Papyrus
A type of paper made from reed found in the delta of the Nile river and parts of Italy.
Parable
means "placing two things side by side in order to compare them"; a short story that illustrates a moral or spiritual lesson.
Parousia
The Second Coming of Christ, which will usher in the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Paschal Mystery
Christ's work of redemption, accomplished principally by his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and glorious Ascension.
Passion Narrative
The account of the Passion of Jesus Christ that recounts the words and actions that encompassed the time beginning at the Last Supper through his
Death on the Cross.
Pastoral Letters
Three epistles of the New Testament addressed to individual pastors in the Church.
Phylacteries
Small leather capsules that are fastened on the forehead or on the upper left arm of Jewish men so that they hang at the level of the heart. They contain miniature scrolls with four passages from Jewish law.
Pool of Siloam
A pool of water outside of the city of Jerusalem that received the waters of the Gihon Spring.
Prejudice
An unsubstantiated opinion or preformed judgment about an individual or group.
Pseudonymous
Written under a name that is not the name of the person doing the actual writing.
Qumran
An ancient Essene monastery; near the Dead Sea Scrolls
Redemption
means "ransom”; Jesus' Death is the ransom that defeated the powers of evil.
Sacred Scripture
The written transmission of the Church's Gospel message
Sacred Tradition
The living transmission of the Church's Gospel message
Sanhedrin
The seventy
Scandal
a bad example, often by religious leaders, that misleads others to sin.
Seven Woes
A list of criticisms leveled by Jesus against the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew 23:13
Son of Man
A title Jesus used to refer to himself. It emphasizes both Jesus' humanity and his divinity
synagogue
A meeting place for study and prayer introduced by the Pharisees
Synoptic Gospels
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which, because of their similarities, can be "seen together" in parallel columns and mutually compared.
Theotokos
Means “God Bearer”; An important title bestowed on Mary at the Council of Ephesus
Transfiguration
The mystery from Christ's life in which God's glory shone through and transformed Jesus' physical appearance while he was in the company of the Old Testament prophets Moses and Elijah. Peter, James, and John witnessed this event.
Triduum
A liturgical celebration of three days' duration on Easter
Vulgate
St. Jerome's fifth-century AD translation of the Bible into Latin, the common language of the people of his day.