World Christianity terms

Chapter 1

Jesus- the man who Christians believe is the son of God and whose life, death, and resurrection as reported in the New Testament of the Bible are the basis of the Christian religion. — called also Christ, Jesus.

Judaism- Judaism is monotheistic, and widely an ethnic religion. It comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jewish people, having originated as an organized religion in the Middle East during the Bronze Age.

Hellenism- The religious beliefs of the Greeks, who ruled over the Jews during the time of Alexander the Great. It focused on a more cosmopolitan culture and an educational ideal that rested on philosophy.

Rome- the control that Bethlehem was under at the time that Jesus was born

Sadducees- Group of Jewish figures who only believed in the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible). They didn’t believe in the works of the prophets. Anything not found in the Torah wasn’t accepted.

Pharisees- Opposed Sadducees. Had three distinctive teachings: 1) Scriptures included the Prophets and the Writings as well as the Law of Moses, 2) Great emphasis on the interpretation of the law, 3) the Thrust of the law was to achieve a moral and ritual purity in everyday life (pure in all aspects

Essenes- Lived in isolated communities and put great focus on their communal life. They believed their communal body to be the temple of the Lord. Apocalyptic hope burned bright and they were like the Israel of old. Dead Sea Scrolls may have come from them

Pax Romana- A time of peace during the Roman empire that helped to create a common society. It also created a communication network and commerce. Jesus was born during this time.

John the Baptist- a Judaean preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early 1st century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist Christian traditions, Saint John by certain Catholic churches, and Prophet Yahya in Islam.

Parables- Jesus taught in parables or simple stories that used everyday images.

Sermon on the Mount

(Role of) healings- One part of Jesus’s ministry was healing, and he performed many healings throughout his ministry. Healings were historical, not just legend. To be able to heal and cast out demons was a sign of divine authority in the ancient world.

Pontius Pilate- Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and ultimately ordered his crucifixion.

The Passion- The last week of Jesus’s life, which the Gospel writers write the most about in their writings. Jesus enters Jerusalem being adored and loved, but then the Jewish authorities plot to charge him and kill him for his “wild” teachings. He is crucified and then raised from the dead three days later.

The Lord’s Supper/the Eucharist- The Eucharist is at the heart of Christian worship. It is celebrated by Christians around the world as a memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus, in response to his words at the final meal he shared with his disciples, 'Do this in remembrance of me.

Jesus’ mother- Mother of God: Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is the Theotokos (God-bearer), or Mother of God. The Virgin Birth of Jesus: Mary conceived Jesus by the action of the Holy Spirit while remaining a virgin. Perpetual Virginity: Mary remained a virgin all her life, even after the act of giving birth to Jesus.

Mary Magdalene- Mary Magdalene was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurrection.

Incarnation- A central doctrine of the Christian faith which affirms that God took human form in the body of Christ. In other words, God was 'incarnated' in human flesh. This doctrine is based on the fundamental paradox that because God was incarnated in Christ, Christ was both fully human and fully God at the same time.

Apocalypticism– A Christian belief that pictures the world as a battleground between God and Satan, in which the oppressing power of Satan would be overthrown by God, who would usher in a new and perfect age. God would rule directly, and the messiah would be his instrument. He would restore the kingship of David and Jewish power. This belief led pious individuals to watch for signs to see if the day of judgment was at hand.

Chapter 2

Paul the Apostle- Paul the Apostle, (born as Saul of Tarsus) and also often called Saint Paul (2BC–64/65), was a Messianic Jewish-Roman writer and rabbi. He was a convert to Christianity. It is believed that he wrote thirteen books of the Bible, together called the Pauline epistles. They are letters to churches and Christians.

Gentile Christianity- The term "Gentile" is used to describe non-Jewish people or nations. The distinction between Jews and Gentiles is significant in the New Testament, especially in the context of the early Christian community. The Apostle Paul, for example, frequently addresses the inclusion of Gentiles in the Christian faith and the breaking down of traditional barriers (Ephesians 2:11-22).

Church in Antioch- was the first of the five major churches of the early pentarchy in Christianity, with its primary seat in the ancient Greek city of Antioch (present-day Antakya, Turkey).

Chapter 3

Gnosticism- a prominent heretical movement of the 2nd-century Christian Church, partly of pre-Christian origin. The gnostic doctrine taught that the world was created and ruled by a lesser divinity, the demiurge and that Christ was an emissary of the remote supreme divine being, esoteric knowledge (gnosis) of whom enabled the redemption of the human spirit.

Septuagint- sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy, and often abbreviated as LXX, are the earliest extant Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew.

Apostles’ Creed- I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.

Chapter 4

Mithraism- a mystery religion that was centered around the ancient Persian god, Mithras, who was adopted into Roman beliefs. Mithraism was a secretive cult religion. Members of this religion were not allowed to record their beliefs.

Callistus- A deacon who accused Pope Damasus of adultery, and was expelled from the Church by the Council of Aquileia.

Perpetua and Felicity- Perpetua and Felicity were Christian martyrs who lived during Emperor Severus's early persecution of the Church in Africa. Perpetua was an educated noblewoman who became a Christian (following in her mother’s footsteps). She had a baby and was baptized before being arrested. Felicity was a pregnant slave. She gave birth to her baby before her execution.

Tertullian- a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He was an early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy, including contemporary Christian Gnosticism.

Justin Martyr- Justin Martyr, also known as Justin the Philosopher, was an early Christian apologist and philosopher. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and a dialogue did survive.

The Great Persecution- the last and most severe persecution of Christians in history (in the Roman Empire) In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rights and demanded that they comply with traditional religious practices.

Agbar & Bardasian- Agbar sent a letter to Jesus offering sanctuary during the great persecution but Jesus declined, instead promising to send an apostle. It is a legend but the city of Esse became an important Christian center. It spread Christianity to India.

Gandapher- Apostle Thomas converted the king Gandapher who was in the origins of India

Chapter 5

Armenia- A country in western Asia lying between the Caspian and the Black Sea.

Conversion of Constantine- Constantine converted to Christianity in 312 at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, where he fought against Western Emperor Maxentius to take his place on the throne. When he was victorious in this battle, he credited the Christian god with his victory.

Constantinople- Constantinople is a city founded, and named after, Constantine the Great as the second capital of the Roman Empire.

Diary of Egeria- a Western European Christian woman, widely regarded to be the author of a detailed account of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 381/2–384.

Dies Dominica- the lord’s day, or Sunday

Asceticism- the belief that one must discipline the physical to empower the spiritual

Eusebius- was a Christian historian, exegete, and polemicist. He became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima in 314 CE and served as court bishop during the reign of Constantine I (r.

Chapter 6

Nicaea- was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia that is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea

Nicene Creed- the defining statement of belief of Nicene or mainstream Christianity and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325

Augustine of Hippo- also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa.

Chapter 7

Eastern Orthodox Church- of or consisting of the Eastern churches that form a loose federation according primacy of honor to the patriarch of Constantinople and adhering to the decisions of the first seven ecumenical councils and the Byzantine rite.

Icons- An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most common subjects include Christ, Mary, saints, and angels.

Justinian- denied the reality of the Incarnation and represented Christ as a God-inspired man rather than as a God-made man.

Gregory the Great-

Patrick/Irish Christianity

Iconoclastic controversy

And notice in general terms the development of regional Christianities:

Coptic Church

Syrian Christianity

Nubian Christianity

Ethiopian Christianity

Nestorianism/Nestorians/Asian Christianity

Chapter 8

Charles Martel- was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace to the Merovingian kings of the Franks

Charlemagne- Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the Holy Roman Emperor from 800, all until he died in 814. Charlemagne gave money and land to the Christian church and protected the popes.

Scholasticism- a program conducted by medieval Christian thinkers attempting to harmonize the various authorities of their tradition, and to reconcile Christian theology with classical and late antiquity philosophy, especially that of Aristotle but also Neoplatonism.

“Poor Clares”- Clare was a noblewoman who took a vow of poverty and became a follower of St. Francis of Assisi. She and her following of nuns devoted themselves to a cloistered life of prayer and penance, but, when the society spread elsewhere in Europe, some communities accepted property and revenues

Hildegard of Bingen- Hildegard of Bingen, also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary, and a medical writer and practitioner during the High Middle Ages.

East-West split/Great Schism- The resulting split divided the European Christian church into two major branches: the Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Chapter 9

Thomas Aquinas- he represented the epitome of scholasticism

Silk Road- connected the Mediterranean world with China. Where Nestorian merchants and missionaries carried Christianity into Central Asia

“Prester John” - monarch descended from the race of the three men who visited Jesus as an infant. Some believed he was based in Africa or India and had a connection to St. Thomas of India.

Chinese Christianity-

Christianization of Russia/church in Russia-

Chapter 10

Luther- was born into a family that benefited from economic changes in Europe. Joined the Augustinians and became a good monk who was bright and obedient. He would go on to criticize indulgences and oppose monasteries and celibacy. He married Katherine Von Bora, who abandoned being a nun for Lutheran teachings.

Reformation- a 16th-century religious movement marked ultimately by the rejection or modification of some Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and establishment of the Protestant churches.

Zwingli- More Wordly & radical than Lutheran. Educated in Humanist fashion and was interested in spiritual reform. He questioned the veneration of saints, purgatory, images, vestments, and music.

Chapter 11

Jesuits- A new religious order. Jesuits were more internalized and less institutional. The leader was Ignatious and the new religion reflected the military background of the founder. They also reflected the spirit of spiritual exercises.

Counter-Reformation- efforts in the 16th and early 17th centuries to oppose the Protestant Reformation and reform the Catholic church.

Puritanism- called for the church to be purified and refashioned after the model of the reformed churches of the continent.

Chapter 12

China: Rites Controversy- the arising questions of whether Christianity was being accurately represented/portrayed. Ex: did Chinese terms accurately portray God?

Ricci- the great figure in the Jesuit mission to China. H was trained in Theology, mathematics, and astrology. Master of Chinese classics, scientific training, and created a highly accurate map of China.

Virgen de Guadalupe- The Virgin Mary is depicted as a Native American. Appeared to a poor native named Juan Diego.

African Christianity - Portuguese wasn’t very successful in converting other than in the kingdom of Kongo. Here, the king Joao was baptized by the Catholic Portuguese. Eventually, they would abandon Christianity due to its calling to have one wife. Portuguese eventually connected with Ethiopia in 1520. Ethiopia practiced Christianity with Hebrew elements such as sabbatarianism, dietary laws, and a reverence for the ark of the covenant. Ethiopia was looking for advancements in technology and economy from the Portuguese.

Indian Christianity- Portuguese was first welcomed in before theological and cultural arguments rose. Francis Xavier realized he had to adapt culturally and hit into the caste system set up by Hinduism. His approach was to reach to the outcasts. By doing this, it allowed for many to convert to Christianity.

Japanese Christianity - Japan was dominated by Buddhism and had political turmoil at the time. Francis Xavier sought social and political leaders to help them flourish. After Xavier left, Christianity continued to grow. Later, Hideyoshi the new emperor, began a persecution of the Christian community due to fear of control from the West.

Christianity in New Spain- Spanish Conquistadors were inspired by “God, Gold and Glory”. Hernan Cortez was especially not fond of human sacrifices and religions amongst Aztecs. He thought of his religion as a salvation for them, and his conversion of them as a victory for God. During this time, Peter of Ghent baptized large masses, but many wondered if the baptisms were genuine.

Christianity in North America- Colonies had some laws established by the Church of England. Most English colonies were Protestant. Puritan laws also set a way of life that guaranteed salvation. Some colonies brought back the Elizabeth Compromise.

Chapter 13

Methodists- Formed by John Wesley. Group of like-minded souls who fasted, prayed, and did works of mercy. Focused on heartfelt religion.

Great Awakening- a time of religious turmoil in the 1730s in colonial America and & English-speaking Canada. During this time, old religious patterns were swept away and created new religious landscapes.

Baptists- Great apostles of the heartfelt religion.

Evangelicalism/Evangelical Protestantism- a heartfelt religion formed in America. This became the glue that bound together the different parts of the colonies. Spread Christian messages to outcasts of society. They were unsuccessful in converting Native Americans, but successful with African Americans.

Enlightenment- praised peace and balance. Christendom appeared and supremacy was balanced.

Romanticism- revolt against limitation of the enlighment. Unwilling to reduce experienced to either rationalism or scientific observation.

Kant- A famous philosopher. Suggested that our existence of God came not from our abstract reasoning but from intuitions flowing from our moral nature, which he called “practical reason”.