Introduction to Religion: Early Christianity and Julian of Norwich

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key historical and theological concepts from the lecture, including the early Jesus movement, New Testament development, and the mysticism of Julian of Norwich.

Blue book

An examination book required for both the midterm and final that students must purchase from the bookstore for approximately $1$ dollar.

Presentism

A challenge for historians involving the tendency to view past events through the lens of modern knowledge, such as knowing the Jesus movement would eventually become a global religion.

Christ

The Greek word for anointing, literally meaning "anointed by oil," which serves as a translation of the Hebrew term Mashiach.

Messiah (Mashiach)

The Hebrew term meaning "the chosen one."

Jesus movement

A term preferred by scholars for the early followers of Jesus because the term "Christian" was not used until the end of the first century.

Pillars of Jerusalem

The early followers of Jesus, including Peter and Jesus' brother James, who viewed the movement as a Jewish sect that followed Jewish scriptures and laws.

Paul

A diaspora Jew who never met Jesus but became an influential leader by spreading the movement to Gentiles and arguing that following Jewish law, like circumcision, was no longer necessary.

Gentiles

A term used to refer to non-Jewish people.

Canonized

The process of officially agreeing upon a set of texts as authoritative, which for the New Testament occurred around the $300s$ CE.

Gospel of Mark

The first gospel written, likely between $60$ and $70$ CE, characterized as the most bare-bones and Jewish of the texts.

Gospel of John

The last of the four gospels written, which is philosophically complex and influenced by Greek philosophy.

Source Q (Quelle)

A theoretical, lost "sayings source" consisting of Jesus' quotes that scholars believe Matthew and Luke used independently to write their gospels.

Gnosticism

A movement identified as heretical by early church figures; its influences are found in texts that did not make the biblical canon, such as the Gospel of Thomas.

Julian of Norwich

A medieval mystic who lived from $1342$ to $1416$ and wrote the oldest surviving English text by a woman, based on visions she had at age $30$.

Mysticism

A genre of religious writing and experience involving claims of direct contact with divinity.

Ineffable

A characteristic of mystical experiences meaning they are impossible to fully express or communicate in words.

Stigmata

A phenomenon reported by some mystics where they begin bleeding from the same locations as the wounds Christ received on the cross.

The Three Wounds

The specific spiritual sufferings Julian of Norwich prayed for: the wound of compassion, the wound of contrition, and the wound of an earnest longing for God.

Incarnation

A theological concept meaning "to put meat on" or "to put flesh on," referring to God taking human form in Christ.

Vicarious Atonement

The Christian doctrine that Christ took on the sins of the world as a sacrificial lamb to die on behalf of all people.

Behovely (Befitting)

A term used by Julian of Norwich to suggest that sin has a necessary place because its forgiveness reveals the depth of divine love.

The Thief

The term Julian of Norwich uses for the devil, whom she describes as using logic to trick people into sinning.