Theology Ch 3 Vocabulary

Test 1/12 Monday

Aaron

Mose’ brother; acted as a spokesman. He founded the priesthood of Israel.

Ark of the Covenant

An ornate box that held the tablets of the Law. It represented God’s throne on earth.

Caleb

One of the spies sent to Canaan. Only he and Joshua had faith in God’s promise to deliver the land to Israel.

Golden Calf

An idol made by Aaron when the Israelites demanded it. People worshiped it as the god that brought them out of Egypt.

Christ

The Greek term for “Messiah.” It means “the anointed one.”

Constitution

The fundamental law that governs a nation. The law in Deuteronmony would serve as the constitution for the nation of Israel.

David

The second king of Israel, a “man after God’s own heart." God made a new covenant with all the nations through David.

Deuteronomy

Greek for "second law." The name of the book that contains the laws that would become the constitution of the state of Israel. It also restates many of the important laws given earlier, including the Ten Commandments.

Dynasty

A series of rulers from the same family.

Exodus

Israel's escape from Egypt; from a Greek word meaning "going out."

Geoncide

The destruction of an entire people. Genocidal warfare was one of the evil consequences of Israel's lack of faith.

Hebrew

The name used by the Egyptians to describe the Israelites and related tribes. The language spoken by these people.

Idolatry

The worship of man-made images as though they were gods.

Jericho

An ancient and strategically vital city in Canaan, the first major city to be captured by the Israelites.

Jordan

The river that formed the eastern border of Canaan. Many, including Jesus, were baptized here by St. John the Baptist.

Joshua

One of the spies sent to Canaan; only he and Caleb had faith in God's promise to deliver the land to Israel. He would be Moses' successor as leader of Israel.

Judges

Temporary leaders appointed by God to lead the people of Israel when enemies oppressed them.

Levities

Members of the tribe of Levi, who would be the priests for the rest of Israel.

Levitiucs

The priestly book containing the laws designed to make Israel a holy people.

Manna

The miraculous food that the Israelites ate in the desert. It is a type of the Eucharist.

Mantle

An outer garment that was also the symbol of the wearer's office.

Messiah

Hebrew for "Anointed One," a title of the kings of Israel.

Midwife

A woman who assists at childbirth. Hebrew midwives defied Pharaoh's command that all male Hebrew children should be killed.

Moses

The man God chose to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter and raised in Pharaoh's court, but fled Egypt after rebelling against the Egyptian taskmasters.

Palestine

Another name for the land of Canaan. Named for the Philistines who settled there.

Passover

The saving of the first-born children of Israel when the first-born of the Egyptians were killed. It is the most important event in Israel's history and remembered with an annual feast.

Philistines

A powerful nation that invaded Canaan from the sea and became the most hated enemies of Israel.

Plague

A disaster that affects a large number of people. The ten plagues in Exodus were signs of God's wrath against the Egyptians for their treatment of the Jews, their obstinate pride, and their worship of false gods.

Priest

A man who dedicated to the service of God. Israel was meant to be the nation of priests; but, after the incident of the Golden Calf, the tribe of Levi was chosen for the priesthood.

Rahab

A Canaanite woman of Jericho who helped the Israelite spies escape. She later married an Israelite and became one of the human ancestors of Jesus Christ.

Sea of Reeds (Red Sea)

The body of water initially blocking the Israelites' escape from Egypt. It miraculously parted for them, but Pharaoh and his armies were drowned when they pursued.

Samuel

A Levite priest, the last of the Judges, and the man chosen by God to anoint a king for Israel.

Saul

The first king of Israel, anointed by Samuel. Later rejected by God.

Sinai

The mountain where Moses received the Law from God.

Tabernacle

The tent that served as a meeting place and temple for the Israelites while they wandered in the desert. It was designed as a reflection of the temple of heaven.

Ten Commandments

The fundamental laws given by God at Sinai. They deal with our relationship with God and each other.

YHWH

The Name of God in Hebrew, usually rendered Yahweh or Jehovah and translated "Lord" in many English Bible versions. (Hebrew was written with only consonants.)