Theology Vocab Exam 1

Catholic

A quality of the Church; comes from a Greek word meaning universal. Also describes a member of the Church in union with the Pope

Creed

A declaration of the essential beliefs of the Church.

Deposit of Faith

The heritage of Faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, which has been handed on in the Church from the time of the Apostles.

Divine Revelation

God’s communication of himself by which he makes known the mystery of his divine plan.

Faith

The theological virtue by which one believes all that God has said and revealed to man and that the Church proposes for belief.

Inerrant

Making no mistakes or errors

Infallible

The inability to be wrong or to make mistakes, especially in the context of teaching or doctrine.

Inspired

Guided by God

Magisterium

The name given to the universal teaching authority of the pope and the bishops in communion with him, which guides the Church without error in matters of faith and morals.

Protoevangelium

The first message of good news – the first gospel – wherein the promise of the Messiah and Redeemer is announced.

Pope

Successor of St. Peter; bishop of Rome; supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church.

Reason

The guiding principle of the human mind in the process of thinking.

Sacrament

An efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.

Transcendent

Existing beyond or apart from the limitations of human experience or the material universe.

Angels

A spiritual, personal, and immortal creature, possessing intelligence and free will, who glorifies God without ceasing as protector and messenger to men.

Communion of Saints

The unity of Christ of all the redeemed, those on earth and those who have died, and especially the unity of faith and charity through the Eucharist.

Concupiscence

The disordered state of human appetites or desires due to the temporal consequences of Original Sin. Desires resulting from strong sensual urges or attachment to things of this world.

Creation

God’s bringing forth the universe and all its inhabitants into being out of nothing.

Guardian Angel

An angel personally assigned by God to protect and intercede for every human being.

Holiness

Spiritual perfection or purity arising from a likeness unto God, who is perfectly holy. The free dedication of a Christian to the will of God.

Original Sin

Adam and Eve’s abuse of their human freedom in disobeying God’s command. Original Sin separated mankind from God, darkened the human intellect, weakened the human will, and introduced into human nature an inclination toward sin.

Providence

God’s work in providing what is needed for his creatures on earth, a task in which he invites our cooperation.

Saint

A member of the Church - The Mystical Body of Christ - on earth, in Purgatory, or in Heaven. The Church may officially declare a member of the Church in Heaven to be a saint by canonization.

Stewardship

God’s entrusting of the earth’s natural resources to mankind in order to care for the world, to master it by labor, and to enjoy its fruits.

Satan

The prince of the fallen angels; the tempter, who rejected God and was banished from Heaven before the beginning of time.

Aprocrypha

These writings are neither authentic nor inspired by the Holy Spirit, nor part of the Bible.

Church Fathers

Christian teachers and writers of the early centuries whose explanations of the Apostolic Faith and personal sanctity are a witness to the Tradition of the Church.

Consubstantial

Of the same substance

Divine Attributes

Characteristics that uniquely describe God

Ecumenical Council

 A formal synod of bishops from the whole inhabited world convened to define doctrine, regulate the Christian life, or apply discipline in the Church.

Hebrews

The name used by the Egyptians to describe the Israelites and related tribes; the language spoken by these people.

Heresy

The obstinate denial by a baptized person of some truth that must be believed with divine faith.

Image

A representation such as a statue or picture.

Immutable

The quality of being unchangeable or unalterable

Nature

The essence of a being considered as the principle of activity and defining its particular characteristics.

Spirit

That which is positively immaterial, having no dependence on matter for its existence or activities.

Substance

The essence of what someone or something actually is, rather than what it appears to be to the senses.

Theotokos

Greek word for “God-bearer,” often translated as “Mother of God.”

Void

Empty; without form. The state of the world before God gave it form and created beings to fill it.

YHWH

“I am who I am”. The name of God in the Old Testament. Traditionally not spoken by Jews out of reverence