Religion BJC Glossary

Adultery

A married person having sex with someone other than his/her partner

Allah

The Arabic word for God

Angel

A messenger of God

Anoint

To rub or pour with oil

Analogy

It shows the comparison between two or more things

Apostle

One who is sent by God to spread the Word

Arrest

To be seized or taken by legal authority

Ascend

To go up/to rise up

Ascension

Refers to the day Jesus left earth, He arose and went back to Heaven

Assalama Alaykum

"Peace be upon you"

Association/Convention

The grouping of Baptist Churches into an organization that allows them to operate as one denomination

Atman

The human soul

Autonomy/Autonomous

To be self governed; Independent of outside control or interference

Baptism

A Christian initiation ritual involving water

Bar-Mitzvah

Son of the Commandments

Barren

Unable to reproduce, unfruitful or infertile

Bat-Mitzvah

Daughter of the Commandments

Beatitude

Happy or blessed; It describes a quality of life for members of the kingdom of God

Behead/Beheaded

To cut off the head of someone, as a form of execution

Benedictus

Zechariah's song of praise

Betray

To deliver to an enemy; to be disloyal

Blasphemy

The act of insulting, cursing, or showing lack of respect to God; lying against God

Blessed

Happy

Brahma

The creator Hindu god

Brahman

The Hindu supreme being/god that is everywhere and in everything

Castrate

To remove the testicles from the penis

Catholic

Universal or worldwide

Census

An official count of the population

Centurion

A Roman officer in charge of 100 men, (for example Cornelius)

Ceremony of Purification

It was a vow taken to show religious devotion and self denial. It lasted for seven days. The participant was not to drink wine or any strong drink. At the end of the seven days, he had to enter the Temple and offer some sacrifices

Christian/Believer

One who follows and believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God

Christianity

The Christian religion for those who believe in the Trinity

Circumcise/Circumcision

The surgical removal of the foreskin from the penis

Common Fund

The pooling of resources in the Early Church

Community

A group of persons living in the same area as one and sharing things in common

Condemn

To criticize; judge others and hope for their punishment

Convert/Conversion

To change from one belief to another

Covenant

A sacred promise

Covet/Covetousness

Having a strong desire for material possessions or what belongs to another

Criticism/Criticize

To judge; To look down on a person's lifestyle or actions. (The Pharisees criticized Jesus because He and His disciples picked wheat on the Sabbath)

Creed

A belief statement or prayer

Cremate/Cremation

The burning of the dead body to ashes

Crucifixion

Death on a cross, where a person's hands and feet were tied or nailed to a cross

Cup of Suffering

Refers to Jesus' death on the cross; Jesus' Crucifixion Curse: To wish harm or misfortune on someone or something

Capital Punishment

A legal method of punishment received by persons found guilty of committing murder or other serious crimes

Caste System

A system of social division in India based on occupation and family heritage

Casting Lots

A practice used in very important and difficult decision-making. It was done by writing names of persons on stones and placed into a vessel. The names were shaken in the vessel until one fell out. The stone that fell out had the name of the chosen person. (This was done to choose the replacement for Judas who killed himself) Fortune teller: A person who can predict the future by reading palms and using crystal balls, or by demonic forces

Curse

To wish harm or misfortune on someone or something

Damsel

A little girl

Deacon

Another name for a helper

Death

The end of life

Declare/Declaration

To make known; a public announcement (For example Peter declared that Jesus is the Messiah)

Defense/Defend

To present a case of someone who is being accused or convicted

Denomination

The name used for different Christian groups

Deny

To state that something is untrue; to lie or refuse to admit the truth

Devout

Just; Doing what is right

Diocese

A small number of Churches under a bishop

Disciple

A student, a learner, or a follower of Jesus Christ

Dishonest

To lie, not telling the truth

Doctrine

Teachings or beliefs held or taught by a Church or religions

Dumb

Unable to talk/speak

Easter

A major festival in the Christian year, celebrating Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Emmanuel

God with us

Eloi, Eloi, Lema Sabbachthani

"My God, My God, why have thou forsaken Me"

Enemy

Anyone who hates you and wishes you harm

Eunuch

a male who has his testicles removed to serve in a royal household; he is unable to have children; a castrated man

Evangelist

Anyone who travels preaching the Word of God to win souls for Christ

Execution

The legal punishment of killing a condemned criminal

Exorcism

Casting out of evil spirits

Faith

Having a strong belief or confidence in God, someone, or something

Fast/Fasting

To go without or abstain from food or drink, for spiritual reasons or religious purposes

Foolish

To make bad decisions

Forerunner

A person who prepares the way for another (for example John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah)

Forgive

To stop being angry or hurt by another

Freedman

Jews who had been taken prisoner by the Romans and taken into slavery. They were later set free and those of them who lived in Jerusalem formed themselves into a Freedmen's synagogue

Gentile

Refers to anyone who is not a Jew

Gethsemane

Oil press

Golden rule

"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you" Matthew 7: 12

Golgotha

The place of the skull, also known as Calvary

Gospel

Good news, refers to the good news about Jesus Christ

Greed

A selfish desire to want more than one needs

Heal/Healing

to cure or make well; to be free from sickness and disease

Hemorrhage

An escape of blood from a ruptured blood vessel.(Bleeding can be internal or external). Excessive bleeding

Hinduism

A faith and a way of life for people living in India

Holy

Sacred; To set apart and worthy of worship

Honesty

The quality of being honest and truthful

Humble

Not being proud, boastful, or haughty; or thinking low of ones' importance

Humiliate

to embarrass a person

Humility

The quality of being humble or having a modest or low view of one's importance

Hypocrite

Someone who says one thing and does something else

Holy Spirit

It means 'strengthener'; one who gives the power to overcome

weakness; one who gives the power to carry out the Great Commission; the third person of the Trinity (God/Father,

God/Son, God/Holy Spirit)

Idol

Anything that stands in the place of God as an object of worship; a statue representing a false god

Idolatry

The worship of idols

Inheritance

Valuables a person leaves to another when they die

Isaiah

Old Testament prophet

Islam

Self-surrender to the will of God; the religion of the Muslims

"It is finished"

Jesus meant that His public ministry on earth was completed. He fulfilled His purpose

Faith

Having a strong belief or confidence in God, someone, or something