Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Religious Studies Midterm

Scripture

Sacred text recognized as authoritatively binding and divinely inspired for a religious community.

Tradition

Accumulated doctrines

Canon

Officially authorized collection of sacred books accepted as scripture.

Torah

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible containing foundational law and narrative.

Nevi'im

The "Prophetic" section of the Hebrew Bible containing historical narratives and prophetic books.

Ketuvim

The "Writings" section of the Hebrew Bible containing poetry

Abraham

The founding patriarch recognized across Judaism

The Covenant

Sacred, binding agreement between God and teh religuous community.

Babylonian Captivity

The period in the 6th century BCE when the elite of Judah were exiled to Babylon following the destruction of the First Temple.

Rabbis

Religious teachers and leaders who preserved and interpreted Jewish law following the destruction of the First Temple.

Oral Torah/Mishnah

The unwritten traditions believed given to Moses at Sinai

Halakah

The collective body of Jewish religious law derived from written and oral Torah.

Aggadah

Non-legal rabbinic lore

Midrash

Rabbinic method of biblical interpretation and exegesis that seeks deeper meaning in scriptural text.

Talmud (Babylonian

Palestinian)

Abraham and Christianity

Exemplar of ‘justification by faith’

Four Gospels (Names

Mark, Matthew, Luke, John

Acts of the Apostles

The New Testament narrative detailing the history and spread of the early Christian Church after Jesus.

Paul

First-century apostle whose epistles shaped foundational Christian doctrine regarding salvation and faith.

Pauline Epistles

Letters attributed to Paul that address early Christian communities on theology

Papias of Hierapolis

Early 2nd-century Christian bishop whose fragments provide early traditions about the origins of Mark and Matthew.

Christian Canon/Apocrypha

The officially accepted books of the Bible compared to non-canonical religious texts.

Gospel of Thomas

A non-canonical early Christian text containing 114 esoteric sayings attributed to Jesus.

Orthodoxy

Adherence to accepted doctrines.

Catholic

Meaning "universal”, represnted the unified catholic church.

Origen/4 levels of scriptural interpretation

Literal, Moral, allegorical, mystical

Sola scriptura

The Protestant Reformation doctrine asserting that scripture alone is the supreme authority for Christian faith.

Muhammad

The final prophet of Islam who received and delivered the divine revelations of the Qur'an.

Qur'an

The sacred holy book of Islam believed to be the uncreated

Hadith

Compiled records of the sayings of Muhammad supported by the chain of transmission.

Gabriel

The archangel sent by God to deliver divine revelations to prophets

Mecca

The holiest city in Islam

Medina

The city to which Muhammad migrated (Hijra) and established the first unified Islamic community (Umma).

Sura

A chapter of the Qur'an

Iqra'

The first word revealed to Muhammad by Gabriel, means RECITE

Hijra

The migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE

Abraham in the Quran

Exemplar of pure monotheism (hanif) who rejected idolatry and rebuilt the Kaaba with Ishmael.

Monotheism/Isaiah 45-46

Strict theological affirmation of a single unique God while rejecting all idols.

Philo

First-century Hellenistic Jewish philosopher from Alexandria who harmonized Jewish Torah with Greek philosophy using allegory.

Kabbalah

Jewish mystical tradition focusing on God's infinite essence (Ein Sof) and creation through the divine emanations (Sefirot).

Book of Zohar

The foundational medieval Spanish text of Kabbalistic literature written as commentary on the Torah.

Messiah

An "anointed one" expected in Judaism to restore Israel

Shabbatai Zvi

A 17th-century Jewish figure whose widespread messianic claims ended when he converted to Islam.

Reform, Orthodox, and COnservative Judaism

3 major jewish movements from modern adaption to strict adherence to rabbinic law.

The Trinity

The Christian doctrine defining one God existing eternally in three co-equal persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit

God the Father

The first person of the Trinity in Christian theology

Christ

Meaning "anointed one”, Jesus

Logos

A Greek concept meaning "Word" or "Reason

Holy Spirit

The third person of the Trinity representing God's active presence and guidance in the world.

Councils of Nicea (constantinople)

Define Christ’s divinity and the trinity

Homoousios

The Greek theological term meaning "of the same substance

Christology

The branch of theology defining Jesus Christ as one person possessing two distinct natures

"One person, two natures”

Jesus has one body yet has a two natures; one divine, one human

Non-Chalcedonians

Early Christian churches that rejected the Chalcedonian formula (rejected that he had two natures in the same body)

Orthopraxy

Emphasis on correct religious practice

Mu'min/Iman

True believer/Inner faith

Shahada

The foundational Islamic declaration of faith asserting that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.

99 names of God

Revealed attributes and devotional names of Allah used in Islamic prayer and reflection.

Tawhid

The core Islamic doctrine asserting the absolute unity and oneness of God.

Angels in the Quran

Sinless spiritual beings created from light that serve God

Rasul/nabi

Messenger given a new book or law/inspired prophet

Judgment/Predestination

The Islamic doctrines holding that God determines all events (Qadar) and will judge each soul on the Last Day.

The Eternal Quran

The Sunni doctrine holding that the Qur'an is the uncreated

Sufism

The mystical branch of Islam focusing on inner spirituality

Models of Jewish Authority

Prophets, Priests, Kings, sages

Qumran Community/Yahad

The Jewish sectarian group that lived near the Dead Sea and produced the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Rabbinic Authority

Leadership grounded in the knowledge and authoritative interpretation of Jewish law rather than hereditary priesthood.

Hasidism

An 18th-century Jewish spiritual movement emphasizing joy, mysticism, and personal devotion

Secular Judaism (Zionism, Bundism)

non religuous jewish movements focused on national self-determination or socialist cultural autonomy.

Modernist Judaism (Reform, Orthodox, Conservative)

response to the enlightenment meant to integrate Judaism into a more modern society

House Churches

Private homes where early Christians gathered for worship before dedicated church buildings existed.

Models of Christian Authority

Bishops, Presbyters, Deacons

Apostolic Succession

The doctrine that spiritual authority descended continuously from the original Twelve Apostles to modern bishops.

Charisma vs. Institution

The tension between spiritual authority driven by personal divine gifts versus formal office and hierarchy.

Leaders of montanism

Montanus, Priscilla, Maximilla - emphasied ongoing revelations from the Holy Spirit

Thecla, Perpetua, Gospel of Mary (Magdelene), Virgin Mary

Woman in the early church

Great Schism of 1054

The formal split between the Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Protestant Anti-Clericalism

Reformation opposition to the authority

Deism

Enlightenment belief in a rational Creator who established natural laws but does not intervene directly in human history.

Hadith/Isnad

Islamic Traditions validated by their Isnad

Bilal

An early African companion of Muhammad who became the first appointed caller to prayer (muezzin) in Islam.

Shariah

Comprehensive sacred Islamic law governing religious duty

Umma

The global Muslim community bound by their faith.

Ulama

Scholars trained in Islamic religious sciences

Qadi

An Islamic legal judge who administers decisions based on Shariah.

Ijtihad

Independent legal reasoning exercised by an Islamic scholar to derive laws for new situations.

Caliph

The political and spiritual successor to Muhammad who led the unified Islamic community (Caliphate).

Four Gospels (definition)

Canonical new testament teachings detailing the life of Jesus.