Theology Vocab (UPDATED)
Aaron- Moses’s brother and spokesman
Abraham- the first of the patriarchs, gets called by God around 1850 BCE, he and Sarah traveled to Canaan because God told them to
Adam- First Man in Genesis and first man created by God.
Adrian Nyel- in Beyond the Boundaries, a wealthy man from Rouen who gives La Salle the idea of the schools and finances and oversees the first ones in Reims
Assyrian Conquest- 722 BCE, exiled the occupants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, led to the Northern Kingdom to be destroyed
Atheism- a belief that God does not exist
Babylonian Captivity- the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar took the occupants of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, into captivity in 587 BCE, ended in 538 BCE when they were restored to Judah by Cyrus the Great of Persia. Destroyed Temple Augetst 8 586 BCE
Bible- Etymology, a collection of books, library- The inspired word of God spoken through human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Blasphemy- the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things
Brothers of the Christian Schools- sometimes shortened to FSC, the Christian group of Brothers that carries out the tradition of and teaches in LaSallian schools
Canaan- the Promised Land, where Abraham and his descendants settled and later the Israelites settled there
Canon- measuring stick, or list of the books in the Bible that depends on the version;39 for Protestants and Jewish people, 46 for Orthodox and Catholic the 7 books in dispute are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1&2 Maccabees, and parts of Daniel and Ester
Church Canon- Dignitaries who meet in the Cathedral several times a day to recite or sing the special prayers of the church; La Salle was a Canon
Plagues- After Moses delivered God’s message to the pharaoh to let the Israelites go, pharaoh refused and 10 plagues began to get the pharaoh to concede
Covenant- testament, an agreement between YHWH and His people
David- sheep herder as a youth, killed Goliath of Gath, became the second king of Israel in 1003 BCE, renowned as greatest king, all other kings compared to him, did much expansion and captured the Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel
Deuteronomy- 5th book of the Bible
Eve: The first woman created in God’s image who disobeyed God and is the reason why we have Original Sin
Exodus:
- It has many stories from Deuteronomy and also has the 10 commandments in it. The overall story is of how the Israelites got to the Promised Land.
- Wander the desert from 1250-1200 BCE
Faith: Both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God
Garden of Eden: The place in which Adam and Eve were created and where the original sin took place
Genesis:
A faith story written by people who wanted to tell how the world and everything in it came to be.
Not meant to teach scientific truths, but the great truths of our faith.
God made the universe and everything in it.
God made human beings to be the pinnacle of all creation.
God created man and woman ‘in the image of God’; both are equal.
God gave humankind ‘dominion’ over the rest of creation.
God rested on the seventh day and made it holy. We need to do the same.
The second creation story shows God as a modeler of clay, shaping humans out of mud; Man was called Ish, and woman was called Isha
Men and women were equally created in God’s image
Hagar: the wife of Abraham
Hebrew: The language that the Torah was written in.
Inspiration: In terms of the Bible, inspiration is the influence of God and the Holy Spirit on the writers of the Bible.
Isaiah: A prophet
Ishmael: Abraham’s son with a different wife than he had Isaac with, goes on to be important in Islam
Israel: The country formed from the Israelites in the Promised Land
Jacques Delanot: Main character and narrator of Beyond the Boundaries, taught in LaSallian Schools
Jordan River: The River that Moses was looking over when he died
Joseph- last patriarch, Lived around 1650 BCE youngest and most favored of Jacob’s 12 sons
Ketuvim-Last part of the TaNaK, the historical books and wisdom books
Literary Genre: It is a type of book/style of writing
Levites: It is the root word for the book in the Bible called Leviticus
Leviticus: It is a book of rules and duties of the priest and different festivals and rituals practiced by the ancient Israelites. Orthodox Jews still follow these rules.
Lot -
Manna- flatbread, a gift that Moses gave the Israelites while they traveled through the desert
Merneptah- 1 of 3 pharaohs that could have been the pharaoh of Egypt while Moses was attempting to free the Israelites from slavery
Midian- the land Moses fled to after Israelites found out he killed an Egyptian
Monotheism- the belief in one God
Moses: The person who led the ancient Israelites to the Promised Land
Mt. Horeb: It is the mountain where YHWH came to Moses through a non perishing burning bush and told him to free the ancient Israelites from Egyptian captivity.
Mt. Sinai: It is the mountain where YHWH came to Moses through a non-perishing burning bush and told him to free the ancient Israelites from Egyptian captivity.
Mt. Nebo: The mountain where Moses died,
Nevi'im- Second part of the TaNaK, has prophetic books
Nile River- Major River that flows through Egypt
Numbers: It is a book in the Bible that recounts stories from the tribes of the Promise Land
Pascal’s Wager: This is an idea and a reason to believe in God. More simply, it states that the benefits of believing in God outweigh the risks of not. 2 options, believe in God or do not, if you believe, then you are either rewarded or not punished, if you do not believe, you are either punished or not rewarded
Passover- Celebration of the night that the Hebrews made unleavened bread and put lambs blood on their doorway so an angel would pass over them, and only kill the firstborn sons of the Egyptians
Patriarchs: The forefathers of the Bible and Christian religion as a whole.
Pentateuch: The first 5 books of the Bible.
Parables: Stories that Jesus would tell in order to teach a lesson to his disciples
Evangelist- anyone who spreads the good news of God, also authors of the Gospels
Promise Land: The place that the ancient Israelites were led to by Moses and God.
Prophets: One of the first teachers in the way of God, wrote in the Bible and predicted the coming of Jesus, taught the Israelites
Ramses II- One of three possible pharaohs of Egypt that Moses confronted while freeing
Red Sea- The sea separating the Arabian Peninsula from Egypt, Moses parted this to lead the Israelites away from slavery
Inerrancy (Of the Bible): Because the authors of Sacred Scripture were inspired by God, the saving meaning or truth found in the Scriptures cannot be wrong.
Roman Conquest- 63 BCE to 70 CE, Jesus lived during this period, General (later Emperor) Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem
Sacrifice: A ritual or oath one takes to show faith in God
Salvation: When Jesus returns
Salem - the current place of Jerusalem
Sarah- Wife of Abraham
Saul- first king of Israel, appointed by Samuel, in 1030 BCE
Seti I-One of three possible pharaohs of Egypt that Moses confronted while freeing
Sinai Peninsula- Regions where the Mount Sinai is on, Mount Sinai is where Moses encountered YHWH through the burning bush
Solomon- Son of David, 3rd king of Israel known for his wisdom when God asked him for his wish, he asked for wisdom and was given that and riches, built the Temple of Solomon
Sons of Jacob (12)-
St. Jerome- Translated the Bible into Latin in 4th and 5th century AD
St. John Baptist de la Salle: The founder of the brothers and la Sallian teaching and education style.
Five Arguments of Aquinas: It was 5 arguments by Thomas Aquinas that show great arguments why God is real. This includes the Grand Plan, the Grand Designer, the scaling system of worth and beauty, and the creation of the Earth.
TaNaK: Used to abbreviate Hebrew Scriptures; Torah, Nabiim, Ketubim
Ten commandments: 10 commandments/rules that one should follow to show complete belief to God.
The Temple: A place of worship for Jews.
Torah: The Jewish version of the Bible; The first 5 books of the Bible
Trinity: A word that describes the three persons in one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Writing Masters: The rival schools for the brothers.
YHWH: What God was called when he was mentioned for the first time.
Parables:
Worship: To practice a showing of faith to God.
Sacred Scripture: Another word for the Torah
Polytheism: The religion is this when there is more than one God
Old Testament: A collection of Hebrew Scriptures that describes the history of the covenant between YAHWEH and the Israelites
Original Sin: The first sin committed by Eve. It is the reason for suffering
Septuagint: The Greek translation of the Bible when 70 scholars got a similar translation; also known as LXX
Vulgate- The Latin Translation of the Bible
New Testament: The addition of letters and books from specific people. It is only recognized as canon by Christians
Literal Sense (of biblical text)
Deuterocanonical: The root word for the Book of Deuteronomy
Magisterium: The teaching office of the church which involves the Pope and the Bishops.
Ascension- Jesus being raised into heaven after sacrificing himself unto himself to please himself and then Resurrecting
Apostles: The people who predicted Jesus’s arrival.
Paschal Mystery - the mystery of God dying, being resurrected, and his ascension
Kingdom (or reign) of God
Disciple- a follower of Jesus
Sermon of the Mount- speech Jesus gave where he announced the Beatitudes
The Fall: The “Fall” of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, also known as Original Sin
Transcendence Prayer -
People of God: Humans
Resurrection: When someone or something comes back to life
Sacred Tradition: of the Catholic Church, expressed in their beliefs, doctrines, rituals, and Scripture, that has been handed down from the apostles to their successors, the Pope and the bishops, through the ages in an unbroken line of succession
Deposit of Faith
Jacob- Son of Isaac, father of Joseph
Pesach-
Incarnation: The embodiment of God in the soul and flesh of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior
Miracles-
Shabbat-
Passion Narrative: The story that the Gospels tell about the short period of time before Jesus’s death.
Pentenchute Source Theory: The different ways that people believe the Bible came to us. The most believed way is that it came to us at 4 different times over hundreds of years. The Yahwist (reign of King David, 1000 BCE0 Elohist (after the division of the kingdom 922 BCE) Deuteronomist (Israel’s legal code before the fall of the kingdom in 721 BCE) Priest (after
History of Israel Notes: How Moses freed the Jews from Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land over a long period of time.
Agnosticism: Someone who does not believe in God nor is an atheist. They are indecisive, many ancient philosophers prefer atheists over these people.
Pentecost: A Christian holiday that takes place the 50th day after Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Virgin Mary and the Apostles of Jesus Christ
Exegesis: The interpretation of a bible verse or verses into simpler terms.