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A
glossary of Christian terms |
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Christian Glossary |
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Unlike
the other glossaries most of the words below are in English. The
historic languages of Christianity are Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek and
Latin. The Old (Jewish) Testament was written in Hebrew with some
texts in Aramaic and Greek, although many words and passages have
their origin in Greek. Latin increasingly became the language of
the bible in the Western half of the Roman Empire from the 5th century
and in the last few hundred years has been translated in the local
or secular language. The bible remains the most printed and most
popular book in the world. |
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A
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Abraham |
The
father of the Jewish nation. He and
his group left Ur and started a new life in Canaan. |
Adam
and Eve |
The
first people according to the book of Genesis.
They lived in the Garden of Eden. |
Advent |
The
beginning of the church year. Starts
on the Sunday nearest November 30th (St. Andrew's day) until
Christmas. Advent
is from the Latin meaning coming or arrival. |
Acts
of Apostles |
The
second of the books in the bible written
by Luke. |
Agnostic |
Someone
who says we cannot know whether God exists. |
Altar |
The
place of sacrifice in church
or chapel which represents the table
where Jesus shared the last
supper with his disciples. |
Amen |
The
final word of a prayer; means "so
be it". |
Annunciation |
When
the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was pregnant with Jesus. |
Anglican |
(Communion)
- A worldwide branch of the Protestant
church led by the Archbishop
of Canterbury. |
Angel |
A
heavenly being. A messenger of God. |
Apocrypha |
A
section of the Bible not accepted
by all Christians. |
Apostles |
The
twelve followers of Jesus; means "a
person who is sent to preach the gospel". |
Apostles'
creed |
The
oldest statement of belief in the church, based on the teachings
of the Apostles. |
Aramaic |
One
of the languages used by people in Jesus' time, probably the language that Jesus and the disciples would
have spoken to each other. |
Archbishop |
A
clergyperson who is responsible for a group of diocese. |
ASB |
The
alternative service book. The prayer
book used by the Church of England.
It contains the order for all the services. It also contains
many prayers. |
Ash
Wednesday |
The
first day of Lent. The day after Shrove
Tuesday. |
Ascension |
When
Jesus went back to heaven,
40 days after the resurrection. |
Atheist |
Someone
who does not believe there is a God. |
Atonement |
Making
amends for your sins or wrong deeds.
Trying to put things right. |
aumbry |
The
little cupboard where the reserved sacrament is kept. |
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B |
Baptism |
The
entry rite into the Christian church,
which can take place as a baby or as an adult. |
Baptistery |
The
place where baptism takes place. |
Basilica |
A
word for a large church. |
Beatitudes |
A
section of writing from the New Testament,
each of which starts with "Blessed are the ...."
(Matthew 5). |
Bethlehem |
A
small town in the north of Palestine
where Jesus was born. |
Bible |
The
Holy Book of the Christians, contains
the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament),
the New Testament and sometimes the
Apocrypha |
Bishop |
A
senior minister, usually in charge
of an area or diocese. |
Blasphemy |
Words
that are spoken against God. |
Blessed |
Rewarded
by God. |
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C |
Calvin(ism) |
John
Calvin (1509-1564) was an important part of the Reformation
and his followers started a movement called Calvinism, a branch
of the Protestant church. |
Celibate |
In
many Christian sects the priest
or bishop is not allowed to be married
or have sex. |
Chastity |
The
state of being sexually pure. |
Christ |
Another
name for Jesus Christ. |
Christening |
Another
word for Baptism. |
Christian(s) |
Those
who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. |
Christianity |
The
faith of the Christians. |
Christmas |
The
festival which celebrates the birth
of Jesus. |
Church |
(1)
A building which is used for worship. (2) The community of
Christians. |
Church
of England |
The
part of the Anglican Communion in
England. |
Clergy |
Those
people who are appointed to work in the church.
The three types of clergy are deacons,
priests and bishops. |
Commandments |
Rules
given by God. The most famous are
the 10 commandments given to Moses. |
Communion |
The
most important of the Christian services.
It acts out the events of the last supper
which Jesus had with his disciples. |
Confession |
Words
spoken about your sins, asking God
for forgiveness. |
Confirmation |
When
people who were baptised as babies
confirm the promises made by their parents. |
Conscience |
Our
internal 'voice' which tells us right from wrong, some people
believe that this is the voice of God within us. |
Consecration |
When
the bread and wine are turned into the body and blood of Jesus
Christ. |
Contemplation |
Thinking
about God, time spent in prayer
and meditation. |
Covenant |
An
agreement between an individual or people and God. |
Creation |
When
God made the world. |
Creed |
A
statement of religious beliefs agreed by the church
to be true. There are 2 main creeds in the Christian church:
the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene
Creed. |
Cross |
The
most important Christian symbol. |
Crucifix |
A
model of the cross with the figure of Jesus
upon it. |
Crucifixion |
When
Jesus was put to death on a cross.
A form of capital punishment. |
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D |
Day
of Judgment |
At
the end of the world when all people will be judged on their
behaviour during their lives. |
Denomination |
A
group within the Christian church. |
Devil |
Some
Christians believe that the devil
is an actual being. Others that 'he' just represents all things
that are evil. |
Diocese |
A
sub division of the church consisting of a number of parishes,
the priest in charge is usually a bishop. |
Disciple |
A
person who follows the teachings of Jesus. |
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E |
Easter |
The
major festival in the Christian
church which celebrates the life, death and resurrection
of Jesus. |
(Eastern)
Orthodox |
The
Christian churches foumd mainly in
Eastern Europe and the Middle East. (e.g. Russian Orthodox,
Greek Orthodox). One of the three main denominations along
with Roman Catholic and Protestant. Maintaining a separate existence since
1054 A.D. when Eastern and Western Christianity
disagreed over doctrine. |
Epistle |
A
letter. Part of the New Testament; many written by St.Paul. |
Eucharist |
Comes
from the Greek word meaning "Thanksgiving". It is
based on the events that happened at the last
supper. All Christian groups
perform this service except Salvationists
and Quakers. |
Euthanasia |
The
ending of life, by medical means, when there is no hope of
recovery. |
Evil |
Things
that are not of God. |
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F |
Faith |
A
belief in God. |
Feminist
theology |
A
movement in the church to get equal treatment for men and
women. |
Festival |
A
special occasion during the church
year. |
Free
Church |
A
church which has no higher authority
than the leaders of that church. |
Foetus |
The
developing baby while it is in the womb. |
Font |
The
place in the church where babies are
baptised. |
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G |
Garden
of Eden |
The
original home of Adam and Eve before
the fall. |
Gethsemene |
A
garden where Jesus prayed before being
arrested. |
Gender |
Another
word for sex; we all have a gender either male or female. |
God |
The
supreme being, who created the world. |
Godparents |
When
a baby is baptised Godparents promise
to bring the baby up as a Christian. |
Golden
Rule |
quoted
by Jesus as 'Love your neighbour as yourself' (Mark 12:31). |
Good
Friday |
The
day on which Jesus was crucified. |
Gospel |
The
part of the New Testament about the
life of Jesus. Gospel means 'good
news'. |
Grace |
The
loving help that God gives to all
human beings, an undeserved gift. |
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H |
Heaven |
The
place where God lives and where Christians
go after their death. |
Hebrew
Scripture |
Called
the Tenakh consists of 3 parts: the
Torah (Law), the Nevi'im (Prophets) and the Ketuvim
(Writings) Sometimes called the Old Testament. |
Holy |
Special
to God. |
Holy
Communion |
Another
name for the Eucharist. |
Holy
matrimony |
Another
term for Christian marriage. |
Holy
Spirit |
One
of the three forms of God. The Holy Spirit came down
to the disciples at Pentecost and to Jesus at
his baptism. Often shown as a dove. |
Hospice |
A
hospital for the care of people with terminal illnesses. They
specialise in pain control, making life as comfortable as
possible. |
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I |
Infanticide |
The
killing or murder of a small child (Infant). |
Incarnation |
When
Jesus became human by being born to
Mary |
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J |
Jesus
Christ |
The
founder of the Christian faith. Born
in Nazareth and killed by crucifixion
at the age of about 33. |
Jews |
The
people of Abraham. Jesus was a Jew. |
Joseph |
The
earthly father of Jesus. |
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K |
Kingdom
of God |
The
new kingdom to be ruled over by God. |
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L |
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M |
Mary |
The
mother of Jesus, sometimes
called the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is very important in
the Roman Catholic church. |
Mass |
Another
name for the Eucharist. |
Messiah |
Jesus
of Nazareth is the Messiah which means 'King' or 'Saviour'
or "Anointed One'. |
Methodist |
A
branch of the protestant church founded
by John Wesley. |
Miracle |
An
event that cannot be explained by normal or scientific means. |
Monotheism |
Belief
in one God - The Christians, Jews
and Muslims |
Moses |
The
Jewish leader who led the Jews
from slavery in Egypt, and was given the ten
commandments by God on Mount Sinai. |
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N |
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O |
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P |
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Q |
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R |
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S |
Sabbath |
The
Jewish holy day, from sunset on Friday
to sunset on Saturday. Also used by some Christian
denominations for Sunday. |
Sacrament |
An
outward sign of something special and holy. The Roman
Catholics, Orthodox and the Anglicans
believe in 7 sacraments.Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation,
holy orders, forgiveness of sins, anointing of the sick, and
Marriage. Most Protestant
churches recognise only the first two of these. |
Sacred |
Something
which is holy or devoted to God. |
Salvation
Army |
A
protestant church formed by
William Booth to help the poor. It works to help people's
physical needs as well as their spiritual ones. |
Samaritan |
A
group of people who lived in Samaria at the time of Jesus,
considered by the Jews to be inferior. |
Satan |
Another
name for the devil. |
Saviour |
Another
title for Jesus. Used to show belief
that he rescued people from their sins by dying on a cross. |
Secular |
Anything
that is not religious. |
Sermon |
A
talk given in church on a spiritual
or moral theme. |
Sexism |
Treating
people differently because of their gender. |
Sin |
Doing
something wrong that separates you from God. |
Sunday |
The
Christian holy day; day of rest. |
Synoptic |
A
Greek word which means "to look at together". The
synoptic gospels are Matthew, Mark
and Luke. |
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T |
Temptation |
Being
persuaded to do evil or to sin. |
Ten
Commandments |
The
rules given to Moses by God
on Mount Sinai. |
Theist |
Someone
who does believe God exists. |
Transubstantiation |
A
belief that the wine and the bread at the Eucharist actually turn into the body and blood of
Jesus. Esp. in the Roman
Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox
churches. |
Trinity |
The
one God in the three parts; God as
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. |
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U |
No
entries |
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V |
Vatican
City |
A
small country in the middle of Rome
that is the centre of the Roman. Catholic
church. Where the Pope lives. |
Virgin
Birth |
The
belief that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. |
Virgin
Mary |
Another
name for Mary. |
Vision |
A
dream like experience of God. |
Vows |
Promises
made in the sight of God. |
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W |
Worship |
The
act of prayer or actions dedicated
to praising God. |
Worshipper |
A
person who is involved in an act of worship. |
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XYZ |
Xylophones |
Instruments
played by angels when their harps
are in for repair. |
Yahweh |
Hebraic
word for God. Used primarily by Roman
Catholics |
Zygote |
The
joined sperm and egg from the moment of conception until the time it "beds"
into the wall of the womb and develops an umbilical cord. |
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