Religions of southwest Asia VOCAB

monotheism

the belief in a single God

ethics

beliefs about what is right and wrong

Torah

the first five books of the Hebrew Bible

covenant

an agreement(between God and his people)

Exodus

escape of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt

commandment

an order to do something

rabbi

a religious teacher; a Jewish minister.

Talmud

a collection of oral teachings and commentaries about the Hebrew and Jewish law

Sabbath

a weekly day of rest, for Jews its the seventh day of the week (Saturday)

Diaspora

refers to Jewish communities that live outside their ancient homeland

resurrect

to come back to life

crucifixion

a slow and painful Roman method of execution

New Testament

tells the story of Jesus, his early followers and their beliefs

Gospel

the first four books of the New Testament

parable

stories with a religious moral lesson

epistle

formal letters

apostle

the core group of early followers of Jesus

Trinity

Father, Son, Holy Spirit, basic Christian belief

conversion

a change in one's opinions or beliefs

Bedouin

Arab nomads who lived in the desert in the Arabian Peninsula

Kaaba

the most important Islamic holy site

Quran

Islam's holy book

Hijra

Muhammad move from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE

Sunnah

traditions believed by many Muslims to come from the prophet Muhammad and his companions

hajj

the pilgrimage made by Muslims to the holy city of Mecca

mosque

Muslim house of worship

Sharia

Islamic code of law