Religion Sem. 1 Final Glossary Vocab

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.