Bible Vocab for Final Exam

Deposit of Faith

The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. It has been passed on from the time of the Apostles. The Magisterium takes from it all that it teaches as revealed truth. 

Divine Revelation

God’s self-communication through which he makes known the mystery of His divine plan. Divine Revelation is a gift accomplished by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit through the words and deeds of salvation history. It is most fully realized in the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ.

Doctor of the Church

A title officially bestowed by the Church on those saints who are highly esteemed for their theological writings, as well as their personal holiness.

Dogma

Teachings recognized as central to Church teaching, defined by the Magisterium and considered definitive and authoritative.

Church Fathers

During the early centuries of the Church on those teachers whose writings extended the tradition of the Apostles and who continue to be important for the Church’s teachings.

Sacred Tradition

 “Tradition” comes from the Latin “*tradere”*, meaning, “to hand on.” *Sacred Tradition* refers to the process of passing on the Gospel message. It began with oral communication of the Gospel by the Apostles, was written down in the Sacred Scripture, and is interpreted by the Magisterium under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Scholastic Theology

The use of philosophical methods to better understand revealed truth. The goal of scholastic theology is to present the understanding of revealed truth in a logical and systematic form.

Magisterium

The Church’s living teaching, which consists of all bishops, in communion with the Pope, the bishop of Rome.

Natural Revelation

The process by which God makes himself known to human reason through the created world.

Theophany

God’s manifestation of Himself in a visible form to enrich human understanding of Him. An example is God’s appearance to Moses in the form of a burning bush.

Biblical Exegesis

the critical interpretation and explanation of Sacred Scripture.

Biblical inerrancy

the doctrine that the books of Sacred Scripture are free from error regarding the truth God wishes to reveal through Scripture for the sake of our salvation.

Canon

the collection of books of the Bible that the Church recognizes as the inspired Word of God.

Contextualist Approach

 the interpretation of the Bible that takes into account the various contexts for understanding. The contexts include the senses of Scripture, literary forms, historical situations, cultural backgrounds, the unity of the whole of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the analogy of faith.

Divine Inspiration

the divine assistance the Holy Spirit gave the authors of the books of the Bible so the authors could write in human words the message of salvation God wanted to communicate.

Exegete

a scholar specializing in critical explanation of biblical texts.

Fundamentalist Approach

the interpretation of the Bible and Christian Doctrine based on the literalist meaning of the Bible’s words. The interpretation is made without regard to the historical setting in which the writings or teachings were first developed.

Hebrew People

the descendants of Abraham and Sarah who become known as the Israelites after the Exodus and who were later called Judeans or Jews.

Law of Moses

the first five books of the Old Testament, which are also called the books of the Law or Torah. God gave Moses the tablets summarizing the Law, which is why it is also called the Law of Moses, or Mosaic Law.

Literary Forms/Genres

different kinds of writing determined by their literary technique, content, tone, and purpose.

Pentateuch

 meaning “five books in Greek”, referring to the first five books of the Old Testament.

Psalter

 the Book of Psalms of the Old Testament, which contains 150 Psalms.

Torah

a Hebrew word meaning “law”, referring to the first five books of the Old Testament.

Written Tradition

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the synthesis in written form of the message of salvation that has been passed down in the oral tradition.

Synthesis

 taking a bunch of different things and combining it together.

Covenant

A solemn agreement between human beings or between God and a human being in which mutual commitments are made.

Creed

A short summary statement or profession of faith. Some examples are the Nicene and Apostles Creeds.

Logos

Greek for “word”, used to refer to the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.

Mortal Sin

A serious transgression of a person’s relationship with God and neighbors. Mortal sin hinders an individual’s potential for love and eternal life.

Near East

In biblical times, the region commonly known today as the Middle East, including the modern countries of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.

Original Sin

From the Latin *origo*, meaning “beginning” or “birth”. The term has two meanings: the sin of the first human beings, who disobeyed God’s command by choosing to follow their own will, thus lost their original holiness and became subject to death. It also means the fallen state of human nature that affects every person born into the world.

Primeval History

The time before the invention of writing and recording of historical data.

Promised Land

 The land (Canaan) God promised to the children of Abraham.

Salvation History

The pattern of specific events in human history in which God clearly reveals His presence and saving actions. Salvation was accomplished once and for all through Jesus Christ, a truth foreshadowed and revealed throughout the Old Testament.

Semetic

Refers to the Semites, a number of peoples of the ancient Near East- a region commonly known today as the Middle East- from whom the Israelites descended.

Sin

Any deliberate offense, in thought, word, or deed, against the will of God.

Venial Sin

Sin that is less serious than mortal sin and reparable by charity.

Wisdom Literature

The Old Testament Books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, and Wisdom. 

Babylonian Exile

the period in Israelite history during which the Israelites of the ancient kingdom of Judah were held captive as slaves in Babylon. The period began with the Babylonians destruction of the Temple in the city of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. and lasted until 539 B.C.

Exodus

 how God saved the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery through Moses

Genealogy

a type of family tree. More than a bloodline, a genealogy was a literary form used as a proclamation to make connections with important ancestors.

Idolatry

Worshipping false gods

Israel

at the ancient site of Bethel, God affirmed the promises of the Covenant and gave Jacob a new name: Israel. Jacob, or Israel, became the symbol for the struggles of the Hebrew peoples across the millennia. His Hebrew descendants became known as Israelites.

Manna

the breadlike food that God miraculously provided for the Chosen People during their wandering through the desert.

Monotheism

believing in one god

Passover

the night the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites marked by the blood of the lamb, and spared the firstborn sons from death. It also is the feast that celebrates the deliverance of the Chosen People from bondage in Egypt and the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land.

Pharaoh

a ruler of ancient Egypt

Redemption

 from the Latin *redemptio*, meaning ‘a buying back’, referring, in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament, to Yaweh’s deliverance of Israel, and in the New Testament, to Christ’s deliverance of all Christians from the forces of sin.

Repentance

a prophetic term for the small portion of people who will be saved because of their faithfulness to God

Ritual

a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order

Sacrifice

to make holy; a rite offered to God on behalf of the people, presided over by a priest who leads and represents the community in adoration, repentance, gratitude, and honor. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was needed as an atonement, a healing rite to restore holiness, cleanse people from infractions of the Law, and reconcile their covenant relationship with God.

Sinai Covenant

the covenant established with the Israelites at Mount Sinai that renewed God’s covenant with Abraham’s descendants. The Sinai Covenant establishes the Israelites as God’s Chosen People.

Ten Commandments

 Sometimes called the Decalogue, the list of ten norms, or rules of the moral behavior, that God gave Moses and are the basis of ethical conduct.

Theophany

God’s manifestation of Himself in a visible form enriches human understanding of Him. An example is God’s appearance to Moses in the form of a burning bush. 

Covenant

 A solemn agreement between human beings or between God and a human being in which mutual commitments are made.

Mortal Sin

A serious transgression of a person’s relationship with God and neighbors. Mortal sin hinders an individual’s potential for love and eternal life.

Near East

 In biblical times, the region commonly known today as the Middle East, including the modern countries of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.

Original Sin

From the Latin *origo*, meaning “beginning” or “birth”. The term has two meanings: the sin of the first human beings, who disobeyed God’s command by choosing to follow their own will, thus lost their original holiness and became subject to death. It also means the fallen state of human nature that affects every person born into the world.

Primeval History

The time before the invention of writing and recording of historical data.

Promised Land

The land (Canaan) God promised to the children of Abraham. 

Salvation History

The pattern of specific events in human history in which God clearly reveals His presence and saving actions. Salvation was accomplished once and for all through Jesus Christ, a truth foreshadowed and revealed throughout the Old Testament.

Venial Sin

 Sin that is less serious than mortal sin and reparable by charity. 

Sin

Any deliberate offense, in thought, word, or deed, against the will of God.

Wisdom Literature

The Old Testament Books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, and Wisdom. 

Babylonian Exile

the period in Israelite history during which the Israelites of the ancient kingdom of Judah were held captive as slaves in Babylon. The period began with the Babylonians destruction of the Temple in the city of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. and lasted until 539 B.C.

Passover

the night the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites marked by the blood of the lamb, and spared the firstborn sons from death. It also is the feast that celebrates the deliverance of the Chosen People from bondage in Egypt and the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. 

Redemption

from the Latin *redemptio*, meaning ‘a buying back’, referring, in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament, to Yaweh’s deliverance of Israel, and in the New Testament, to Christ’s deliverance of all Christians from the forces of sin. 

Repentance

a prophetic term for the small portion of people who will be saved because of their faithfulness to God

Ritual

a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order

Sacrifice

to make holy; a rite offered to God on behalf of the people, presided over by a priest who leads and represents the community in adoration, repentance, gratitude, and honor. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was needed as an atonement, a healing rite to restore holiness, cleanse people from infractions of the Law, and reconcile their covenant relationship with God. 

Sinai Covenant

the covenant established with the Israelites at Mount Sinai that renewed God’s covenant with Abraham’s descendants. The Sinai Covenant establishes the Israelites as God’s Chosen People. 

Ten Commandments

Sometimes called the Decalogue, the list of ten norms, or rules of the moral behavior, that God gave Moses and are the basis of ethical conduct. 

Theophany

God’s manifestation of Himself in a visible form enriches human understanding of Him. An example is God’s appearance to Moses in the form of a burning bush.

Ark of the Covenant

 a sacred chest that housed the tablets of the Ten Commandments, placed within the sanctuary where God would come and dwell.

Baal… Asherah

two Canaanite gods of earth and fertility that the Israelites worshiped when they fell away from the one true God. 

Cannan

the Promised Land 

Emmanuel

a Hebrew word meaning ‘God is with us’

First and Second Kings

these books present the history of the monarchy until the destruction of the northern kingdom in 701 BC and of the southern kingdom and Jerusalem in 587 BC.

First and Second Samuel

these books are concerned with the creation of the monarchy. 

Judges

 the eleven men and one woman who served the Hebrew people as tribal leaders, military commanders, arbiters of disputes and enliveners of faith.

King

 the ruler of Israel was to follow the vision of justice and monotheism called for by the Israelites’ primal Covenant relationship with God. The true king of Israel was forever to be the Lord God, King of Kings. 

Monarchy

 a government or state headed by a single person, such as a king or queen. As a biblical term, it refers to a period of time when the Israelites existed as an independent nation.

Prophecy

a message communicated by prophets on behalf of God, usually a message of divine direction or consolation for the prophet’s own time. Because some prophetic messages include divine direction, their fulfillment may be in the future.

Remnant

a prophetic term for the small portion of people who will be saved because of their faithfulness to God.

Servant Leadership

 a type of leadership based on **humble service to all of God’s people**. 

Theocracy

a nation in which God is recognized as the head of the state and the divine ruler. 

Sinai Covenant

the Covenant established with the Israelites at Mount Sinai that renewed God’s covenant with Abraham’s descendants. The Sinai Covenant establishes the Israelites as God’s Chosen People.

Stump of Jesse

a phrase taken from Isaiah 11:1 that traces Jesus’ lineage to Jesse’s son, King David. 

Ten Commandments

sometimes called the Decalogue, the list of ten norms, or rules of moral behavior, that God gave Moses and that are the basis of ethical conduct.

Yaweh

the most sacred of the Old Testament names for God. which He revealed to Moses. It is frequently translated as, “I AM” or “I am who I am”. 

Cycle of Redemption

Five-part cycle that occurs throughout the Bible:

* God creates or enters into a covenant, and it is good
* humanity falls into idolatry, resulting in disease, war, and grief
* God sends teachers, kings or prophets, or others who lead the people to repentance
* the people return to following the covenant
* Peace and God’s healing return to the people

Fidelity

faithfulness to obligation, duty, or commitment

Herald

To proclaim or announce a saving message

Immanuel

a Hebrew word meaning “God is with us”

Justice

justice calls for the fair and equitable distribution of life’s necessities. The scriptural idea of justice is based on the truth that all humans have dignity and worth and are children of God. God’s love for all creation is shown in His emphasis on justice, which is love in action.

Messiah

A Hebrew word meaning, “God’s anointed one” and translated as “Christ” in Greek

messiahship

the position of the Messiah

Northern Kingdom

kingdom formed by the ten northernmost tribes of Israel- called Israel

prophecy

a message communicated by prophets on behalf of God, usually a message of divine direction or consolation for the prophet’s own time. Because some prophetic messages include divine direction, their fulfillment may be in the future.

prophesy

to foretell or predict; to deliver messages from God