World Religions Glossary

Vocabulary flashcards covering core religious terms, concepts, and Judaic terminology from the HRT3M World Religions textbook glossary.

agnostic

A person who doubts that humankind can know the existence of a possible god and the possible existence of anything beyond this life.

aliyah

Literally "going up," immigrating to Israel; generally referred to in English as "making aliyah."

anti-Semitism

Hostility and prejudice toward Jews.

Ark of the Covenant

The wooden chest that held the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The temple in Jerusalem became the home of the Ark.

atheist

One who holds that no god exists.

bar/bat mitzvah

The religious initiation ceremony of a Jewish boy who has reached the age of thirteen/a Jewish girl who has reached the age of twelve or thirteen. The term means "son/daughter of the commandment."

chosen people

The idea that God chose the Jewish people to be the keepers of his covenant on earth. The concept of "chosen" is reciprocal, with God choosing humanity and humanity choosing God.

circumcision

The cutting off of the foreskin of the penis. Abraham and his family were the first to be circumcised as a sign of the covenant.

covenant

As used in the Bible, a solemn and binding agreement between God and humanity.

credo

A philosophy or a set of beliefs.

crimes against humanity

Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, persecution, or any other inhumane act committed against a civilian population or any other identifiable group.

Dalai Lama

The ruler and spiritual leader of Tibet. Dalai means "great ocean" and lama means "teacher."

Devil

The supreme spirit of evil in Jewish and Christian belief.

Diaspora

A Greek word meaning "sowing of seed" or "dispersal." In the context of Jewish history, Diaspora is the word used when referring to the Jewish population living outside of Israel.

ethics

A system of morals; rules for human conduct.

evolutionary

A person who believes that evolution explains the origin of species.

Exodus

The significant event in which Moses led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. The word exodus means "going out" or "departure."

genocide

The mass extermination of a group of people, especially a race, religious group, or nation.

gerut

The process of conversion to Judaism.

ghetto

An area of a city in which minority groups such as Jews were required to live. The first was in Venice in 1516.

Haggadah

The book used to explain the events of the Exodus.

Hanukkah

The eight-day festival of lights, usually in December, commemorating the rededication of the temple.

Hellenization

The process of adopting Greek culture and language.

Holocaust

The mass murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War.

Holy Ark

A cabinet-like structure in a synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls.

humanist

An adherent of humanism—an outlook or system of thought that views humankind, rather than spirituality or religion, as the source of all value or meaning.

Judaica

The literature, customs, ritual objects, artifacts, etc., which are of particular relevance to Judaism.

kiddush

A blessing recited when people drink wine that has been specially sanctified for the Sabbath or a holy day.

kippah

A small circular cap worn by Jewish men; also known as a yarmulke.

kosher

Fulfilling the requirements of the Jewish dietary laws of Kashruth.

Magi

The "Three Wise Men" who attended the birth of Jesus Christ. They may have been Zoroastrian priests.

Makkah

A city in Saudi Arabia. It is the most important Muslim pilgrimage site.

menorah

A candelabrum with seven branches, used at home and in the synagogue on the Sabbath and holidays.

Messiah

Means "anointed one." The Jews hope that a great king will come to lead them.

Midrash

Interpretation and commentary on the Bible. By 100 CE, the rabbis had compiled a sizable body of commentary on the Bible.

minyan

The quorum of ten men (or men and women) over thirteen years of age required for worship.

Mishnah

Early rabbinic teachings on how to live a life in accordance with the Torah. It was compiled around 200 CE.

mitzvah

A commandment from God; the act of performing a good deed. The most well known mitzvoth are the Ten Commandments.

monotheistic

Believing in only one God.

multi-faith

Of many faiths.

Nativity

The birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity.

Neanderthal

An early form of human being who lived in Europe during the Ice Age.

New Age

A broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, particularly in relation to spirituality, mysticism, holism, etc.

pagan

A person holding religious beliefs other than those of any of the other main religions of the world. In the past, this term was sometimes used by Christians to describe non-Christian faiths.

Pesach

The Passover festival in spring commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Promised Land

The area of Canaan that the Hebrews believed was promised to them by God.

prophet

A person who receives a message from God and delivers that message to God's people. The message belongs to God, with the prophet acting as God's messenger.

rabbi

A Jewish scholar or teacher, especially of the law; a person appointed as a Jewish religious leader.

religious

Devoted to religion.

religious impulse

The universal urge to believe in something beyond ourselves.

religious pluralism

A positive attitude toward the existence of many faiths in one society.

ritual

A prescribed religious procedure or performance.

Rosh Hashanah

The festival celebrating the Jewish New Year.

sacred

Connected with religion.

secular

Concerned with or belonging to the material world.

Seder

A ritual service and ceremonial dinner for the first night or first two nights of Passover.

Sefer Torah

The text of the five books of Moses handwritten on parchment. It is the most sacred object of Jewish life and is essential for worship.

shiva

A seven-day period of mourning for the dead beginning immediately after the funeral.

Shoah

A Hebrew term for the Holocaust meaning "destruction."

shofar

A trumpet made of a ram's horn, used in religious ceremonies.

smudge ceremony

A spiritual cleansing ritual performed by members of Aboriginal religions.

soul

The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or an animal.

spiritual

Concerned with sacred or religious things and related to the human spirit or soul.

Star of David

A figure consisting of two interlaced equilateral triangles. It is used as a Jewish and Israeli symbol.

symbol

A mark, character, or object that serves to represent an idea, process, or function.

synagogue

A Jewish place of worship that emerged during the Exile and became important after the destruction of the temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE.

tallis

A prayer shawl.

Talmud

Rabbinic teachings derived from the Mishnah. It is the main source of Jewish teaching from the medieval period to the present.

Tanakh

The Jewish Bible, consisting of the Torah (the Law of Moses), the Prophets, and the Writings.

tefillin

Either of two small leather boxes containing parchment scrolls of Biblical text, worn by Jewish men during morning prayer, except on the Sabbath.

theology

The study of religion, especially religions with a belief in God.

Torah

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible; refers to the Law of Moses as well as the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures and the entire belief system of the Jewish faith (meaning "teaching" or "instruction").

Western Wall

The remaining part of the wall of Herod's temple in Jerusalem where Jews traditionally pray and lament on Fridays.

yarmulke

A small circular cap worn by Jewish men; also known as a kippah.

Yom Kippur

The most solemn religious day of the Jewish year, marked by fasting and prayers of repentance.

Zionism

A movement originally for the re-establishment of a Jewish nation, and now for the development of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.

Religion

Concerned with beliefs, rituals, practices, and a personal declaration of faith.

Ethnicity

A person’s origins, race, culture, but not necessarily religion.

Xenophobia

Dislike or prejudice against people from other countries.

Interfaith Dialogue (Ecumerism)

Open discussion between different religions and interreligious dialogue.

Social cohesion

People of the same religion share symbols, norms, and values. (E.g. making the sign of the cross for Catholics)

Rage Conflict Theory

How social inequality develops as the result of power conflicts between different racial and ethnic groups.

Pluralism

A state in which all racea and ethnicities are distinct, but have equal social standing. Where there is a lot of racial and ethnic stratification.

Assimilation

The process by which minorities gradually adopt patterns of the dominant culture.

Segregation

The physical and social separation of categories of people to keep them from interacting.

Genocide

The systematic killing of one group of people by another.

“Tikkur Olam”

Accepting the struggle to be God’s people in all areas of life, so that religion and life are one.