Western Civ ch 6 vocab

Apostolic succession

The belief that the authority Jesus gave his apostles could be passed down to subsequent Church leaders.

Arianism

A heretical belief that Jesus was not simultaneously fully God and fully human; it was popular among some Germanic tribes.

Augustine of Hippo

A bishop and Church Father who wrote The City of God to defend Christianity against claims that it caused the fall of Rome.

Bishops

Church officials who evolved from "overseers" to lead dioceses and administer from a "cathedral".

Byzantine Empire

The eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived for a millennium after the fall of the West.

Caesaropapism

The cooperation between the emperor and the Church where the emperor acts as the protector of the faith.

Constantine

The Roman emperor who decriminalized Christianity and established a new capital in the east.

Constantinople

The capital of the Byzantine Empire, built by Constantine on the site of Byzantion.

Councils

Formal meetings of Church leaders, such as the Council of Nicaea, to resolve religious controversies.

Edict of Milan

A law issued in AD 313 that ordered the Roman Empire to tolerate Christianity.

Emperor Justinian

A Byzantine ruler known for his legal code and for building the Hagia Sophia.

Eucharist

A central Christian sacrament, also known as Communion or the mass.

Excommunication

A Church punishment that excludes a person from the sacraments.

Germanic barbarian migrations

The movement of various tribes (like the Goths and Vandals) into Roman territory, often fleeing the Huns.

Gnosticism

A group of heretics who believed in secret knowledge and a dualism that viewed the human aspect of Jesus as bad.

Heathenism

A term for polytheism applied to those who lived on uncultivated land.

Heresy

A religious position rejected by authorities as not being genuine or "orthodox".

Huns

Nomadic warriors from Central Asia whose invasion of Europe triggered the Germanic migrations into Rome.

Islam

An Abrahamic religion founded by Muhammad, meaning "submission" to God.

Islamization

The process of encouraging Islamic faith and practices among conquered peoples.

Justinian Code

A reorganization of Roman laws into a definitive "Book of Civil Laws".

Martyrs

Individuals who suffered death for their faith, believed to enter heaven immediately.

Messiah

A Hebrew term meaning "Anointed One" (Christ), referring to a savior figure.

Muslims

Followers of the religion of Islam who adhere to the Five Pillars.

Mysticism

The belief, such as that held by Sufis, that people can have a direct experience with God.

New Testament

The portion of the Christian Bible containing the Gospels, Acts, epistles, and an apocalyptic text.

Orthodoxy

The "genuine" or universally accepted religious beliefs supported by Church tradition.

Pacifism

The value of non-violence and forgiveness, which some critics believed weakened Rome's military spirit.

Paganism

A term for ancient polytheistic religions, derived from the word for "farmers".

Paul of Tarsus

A Jewish convert and apostle who spread Christianity to the Gentiles.

Saints

Virtuous Christians believed to have a divine connection and the power to perform miracles.

Secular clergy

Church officials (bishops, priests, deacons) who managed the institutional Church.

Slavs

A people who settled in the Balkans after the Hunnic and Avar empires collapsed; many were later converted by Byzantines.

Vandals

A Germanic tribe that migrated through Gaul to North Africa and famously sacked Rome in AD 455