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Greek word for Messiah (lit., one annointed to be King). Title attributed to Jesus by his followers and all Christians since, identifying him as the promised Jewish Messiah, who would bring redemption not only to those faithful to God under the Old Covenant but for all persons who would place their faith in him. |
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| A major Christian doctrine formulated in the 4th and 5th centuries CE within two of the Ecumenical Councils, specifically affirming that the revelation of God in and through Jesus Christ has disclosed three distinctive ways ("faces," as it were) that the one God reveals or manifests himself from before the beginning of time: God as Father--creator of all things and revealer of the Torah; God as Son--incarnate as Jesus but also the creative Word of God at work in creation and through the Prophets; and God as Holy Spirit--providential guide and supernatural power in the life of the Church and in the lives of individual Christians. |
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| The Christian doctrine that Jesus was at once both a human being and God; that God was in Jesus reconciling the world to himself; and that in Jesus God came to know and enter intimately into relationship to the full extent of the common human condition, so that there is nothing about human life that God has not become acquainted with. |
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| The condition of life redeemed by, and reconciled with, God that Jesus is believed to have inaugurated and made accessible to people who respond to him in faith. |
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| New Covenant/New Testament |
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| The special covenantal relationship with God which Christians understand themselves to stand in through their faith in Jesus Christ., a covenant understood to supplant or take the place of the Old Covenant/Old Testament relationship that the Jewish people were believed to have had with God. |
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| is a hypothetical written source for the Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of Luke. Q (short for the German Quelle, or "source") is defined as the "common" material found in Matthew and Luke but not in the Gospel of Mark. This ancient text supposedly contained the logia or quotations from Jesus. |
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| The Greek word ecclesia means "those who are called out," which here is used to refer to members of the New Covenant with God in and through Jesus Christ. The Church, then, is the people of the New Covenant, all of them. Later, after divisions within the Church arose, it came also to be used to one or the other of the separated divisions (e.g., the Roman Catholic Church, or the Presbyterian Church), to a local Christian congregation, and sometimes to the building where a local Christian congregation met for worship. |
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| The Christian doctrine that, apart from the grace of God in Jesus, no one is able to get right with God but will inevitably lead a sinful life. This condition is believed to be the result of the fall from grace of the first human beings, Adam and Eve. |
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| A gift from God of divine help, aid, assistance, reassurance, guidance, healing, transformation, etc. |
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| Gospel (evangelion/evangel) |
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| The Central Story of Christianity, telling of how God has come in the person of Jesus to reconcile his fallen creation to himself and to redeem it in accordance with his purposes, to the effect that responding in faith to the Gospel, appropriately proclaimed, is believed to bring about a process of redemptive transformation of the person so responding. |
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| The promised return to the earth of Jesus Christ to bring to completion the intended redemption of God for his fallen creation. Different Christians differ in opinion about what exactly it means, what it will bring about, how much one can figure out from the Scriptures about when it will happen, and what will happen when it finally happens. |
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| Greek translation of the Old Testament adopted by Christians |
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| format of book, adopted by Christianity for the Bible early on |
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| gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording |
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| info about the childhood of Jesus |
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| The most widespread creedal statement of basic or core Christian beliefs (shared by Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and in principle most Protestants), which was worked out in the 4th century CE; it has three parts, corresponding to beliefs about each of the 3 persons (or "faces") of the Christian conception of the Trinity. |
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| Pertaining to the work or commission of an apostle (lit., "one sent on behalf of another) of Jesus Christ. The twelve men which Jesus gathered around himself were called apostles. Later, bishops in the early church were regarded as successors to the apostles, generation after generation, and carrying that title. The work of bishops and priests and, by extension, the work of a humble lay person done on behalf of Jesus and what is understood to be his ongoing ministry (e.g., in proclaiming the Gospel), is called "apostolic." |
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| : In origin it refers to the quality of the Christian Church as universal, comprehensive, and inclusive of all parts. Historically, it has come to differentiate those Christian traditions that assign special importance to the rulings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils (4th through 8th century) as sources of doctrine, the Sacraments as necessary means of grace, and the Apostolic Succession of bishops (from the original Apostles to the present) as authorized agents of Christ. It is often, somewhat misleadingly, taken (especially when capitalized) to refer simply to the Roman Catholic Church. |
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| Seven Ecumenical Councils |
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| A series of councils of bishops representing the whole of the Church between the 4th and 8th centuries which laid out basic Christian doctrines; condemned heretical teachings; established the laws of governance of the Church, and clarified the nature and structure of appropriate worship. The decisions of these seven councils have been determinative of what is orthodox teaching for all major expressions of Christianity, at least until the emergence of Liberal Protestantism in the modern world. |
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| Eucharist/Divine Liturgy/Mass/Holy Communion/Lord's Supper |
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| : One of the two sacraments recognized by most Protestants and one of the seven sacraments recognized by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Episcopalians/Anglicans. Non-sacramental Protestants interpret it to be a ritual meal of bread and wine (or bread and grape juice) symbolically reminding (representing) participants of the last meal Jesus had with his followers before his death and of Jesus giving of himself unto suffering and death that they might be delivered from sin and its consequences. Sacramental Christians interpret it to be the rite of renewed incorporation into the Mystical Body of Christ, in which the bread and wine serve as presentational symbols whereby participants are believed to be brought directly into relation to God in Christ in all facets of his being, but especially in relation to the one, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world. |
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| One of the two sacraments recognized by most Protestants and one of the seven sacraments recognized by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Episcopalians/Anglicans. Specifically, the rite of initiation into the New Covenant of Christianity by way of a ritual bath or washing done in the name of the Trinity. Non-sacramental traditions view it as an outward symbol of a person’s inward faith in and self-conscious commitment to Jesus Christ. Sacramental traditions view it as a rite whereby the person is adopted by God into the New Covenant, brought into permanent relation to the grace of God in Jesus Christ and thus freeing the person from the condition of Original Sin--and so they do not hesitate to baptize infants. |
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| : An orientation among Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Episcopalians/Anglicans, and Lutherans that gives central emphasis to the Way of Sacred Rite (and particularly the Sacrament of the Eucharist) as a way of drawing near to, and coming into right relationship with, God in Jesus Christ. It thus recognizes many more presentational symbols than do non-sacramental traditions. (Note: the division between sacramental and non-sacramental Christian traditions is not the same as the division between [Roman] Catholic and Protestant traditions.) |
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| : An orientation among most Protestant groups (excepting Episcopal or Anglican and Lutheran) that reduces to a minimum the recognition of presentational symbols, out of fear of committing idolatry, among other concerns. It does not centrally emphasize, if it gives place at all to, the Way of Sacred Rite. It generally views all symbols in the Christian tradition as "merely symbolic," including whatever "Sacraments" it may recognize, with the exception of Holy Scripture and the kerygma. |
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| Special ritual "means of grace" that are recognized by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Episcopalians/Anglicans: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation (also called Chrismation), Confession (also called Reconciliation or Penance), Healing (also called Unction), Marriage, and Ordination. Among Eastern Orthodox, they are called 'Mysteries." |
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| ): Early Christian teachers and theologians whose writings came to exercise a great influence over subsequent Christianity, by way of explaining basic Christian teachings and doctrines, refuting heresies, interpreting scripture, providing pastoral guidance, etc. |
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| Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome, chief bishop and thus head of the Roman Catholic Church, successor to the office of St. Peter, who according to Roman Catholic teaching was the chief among the Apostles. The office of the Pope is similar in authority to the U. S. Supreme Court, which has the final say in interpreting the Constitution and federal laws. In controversies surrounding matters of Roman Catholic faith and morals, the Pope has the final say in resolving them and, in so doing, is believed to be protected from error by the Holy Spirit. |
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| Magisterium/Church as Teaching Authority |
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| The Roman Catholic equivalent or parallel to the idea of the Oral Torah in traditional rabbinic Judaism, believed to be in existence first prior to the New Testament Scriptures and then alongside them, but embodied in particular in the hierarchy of the Church (in the Bishops, but culminating in the Pope at the top as having the last word in resolving issues concerning faith and morals for all Roman Catholics). It is alleged to be the oral tradition, passed down in a person-to-person way from Jesus and the original Apostles and guided by the Holy Spirit, of what God is supposed to have revealed in Jesus Christ. It particularly is taken to include the divinely authorized practical know-how for interpreting Scripture appropriately and actualizing the Life of Jesus Christ (the Mystical Body of Christ) in the lives of Christians. |
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| The mother of Jesus, and thus the mother of God in human form, having conceived him miraculously by power of the Holy Spirit, according to Christian teaching; highly venerated by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox as the first of Christians, model of Christian faith and piety, chief among the "saints" (see definition), and the closest human being to Jesus (thus one whom one might ask to pray for one’s own special concerns as one might ask an living elder Christian). Theotokos means "bearer of God." |
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| : Persons who are advanced in the process of transformation consequent upon placing faith in Jesus Christ as the means of being reconciled with God. In the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Episcopal/Anglican traditions, they officially recognize or "canonize" persons after their death based on careful documentation, especially persons believed to have been specially empowered by the Holy Spirit to do miraculous things. Once recognized as a "saint," it is believed in these traditions that death is no fundamental barrier to communication between the living and these dead in prayer, in which a living person may ask a saint to pray for them or intercede for them just as the person might ask another living elder to pray for them. |
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| A movement, begun in the 4th century CE by Christians, who were dissatisfied with "culture Christianity," to live a radically simplified, ascetic (usually celibate), either hermitic or communal lifestyle following Jesus’ teachings and seeking to draw near to God with one’s whole heart, mind, and strength. It was and largely still is a Christian expression of the Way of Mystical Quest, though it rarely sought, or resulted in, dramatic "mystical experiences." |
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| ") A specific Christian teaching, found particularly in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, that holds that a Christian is destined to be transformed in his or her very nature, from mortality to immortality, so that he or she comes to participate directly in the life and being of God. It is strongly connected with the Way of Mystical Quest as encouraged and practiced in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. In the radical sounding words of the early Church Father Athanasius, "God became man, that man might become God." |
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| the process of retiring inward by ceasing to register the senses, in order to achieve an experiential knowledge of God |
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| Icons are two dimensional pictures, made of paint and wood, used throughout Eastern Orthodox worship and for meditation. They are said to be "sacramentals" -- presentational symbols, whereby what is depicted is said to become sacramentally present to the persons who "venerates" (never "worships") the icon, or more strictly, to whomever venerates what is depicted. These instances of "theology in paint" typically depict Jesus, scenes and persons from Scripture, and saints from the history of Christianity. They are said to portray more what faith is said to see than what the eye sees. The seventh of the Ecumenical Councils specifically affirmed the use of icons in worship and rejected the interpretation of their use as an instance of idolatry. (The Greek word ikon in the New Testament is usually translated in English as "image." Human beings are said in Scripture to be "created in the image [ikon] of God." And in Colossians, Jesus is said to be "the image [ikon]of God made visible," which Orthodox Christians take to be the ultimate justification of the use of icons.) Iconography is the art of icon painting. |
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| as King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans (Imperator Romanorum) from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. |
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| was a realm (Reich) that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe. It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Founded by Charlemagne |
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| : One of two major expressions of the Way of Reasoned Inquiry in the Medieval Period, particularly noted for systematically working out a reconciliation between ancient Greek pagan philosophy (particularly the views of Aristotle) and the Christian faith. It is particularly noted for recognition of the autonomy of reason within its own sphere and of the need for revealed truth received by faith to complement and fill out what cannot be known by reason unaided. Its foremost expositor was Thomas Aquinas. |
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| : One of the three major divisions of Christianity, claiming to be historically continuous with the early Church and to be the truest and most faithful to original Christianity. It is the major expression of Christianity in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Among the three divisions, it is the most sacramental, making use of all of the senses in worship (particularly distinguished by the pervasive use of icons), and the most mystical in its worship and spirituality. It understands "orthodox" to mean "right praise" or "right worship" or even "right glory," more than "right or correct belief." |
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| a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem. |
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| a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III (1216–27) on 22 December 1216 in France. Membership in the Order includes friars,[1] nuns, congregations of active sisters, and lay persons affiliated with the order |
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| members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities. |
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| a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. |
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| a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. |
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| One of the three major divisions of Christianity, claiming (similar to Eastern Orthodox) to be historically continuous with the early Church and to be the truest and most faithful to original Christianity. It is centered in Rome, with the Bishop of Rome serving as its head or Pope. |
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| Magisterial Reformation (Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican varieties) |
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| The mainstream, right wing of the 16th century Protestant Reformation, identified in terms of its rejection of the Roman Catholic Magisterium (the Roman Catholic conception of Sacred Tradition as something alongside of Scripture having been passed down from Jesus and the first Apostles). In contrast with the Radical Reformation Protestants, Magisterial Reformation Protestants did not reject the Constantinian heritage of the marriage of church and state, but took advantage of state power to forward their Reformation goals. As a result, there are still today many "state churches" in Europe. |
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| The doctrine held by most Protestants (a key theme of the Protestant Reformation), and based on the teachings of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament, that salvation comes soley by God’s grace received in faith and not at all from things that one does or can do to earn it. |
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| The more radical, left wing of the 16th century Protestant Reformation, identified in terms of its rejection of the Constantinian heritage of the marriage of church and state in addition to its rejection of the Roman Catholic Magisterium. They insisted that only persons making a self-conscious choice for themselves to depart from "the kingdoms of this world" and embrace "the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ" were truly Christians. They held that Christians were called to live a lifestyle distinct from that of the common culture and that a Christian should have nothing to do with the coercive power of the state. Hence the Protestant traditions steming from the Radical Reformation have been pacificists, for the most part, and have practiced an alternative lifestyle from the surrounding culture in which they have been located. |
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| One or another of several groups making up the radical wing of the Protestant Reformation, which rejected the validity of infant baptism and insisted that only persons making a self-conscious choice for themselves to depart from "the kingdoms of this world" and embrace "the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ" were truly Christians, for whom baptism by immersion was the appropriate outward testimony. They insisted that Christians were called to live a lifestyle distinct from that of the common culture and that the Constantinian heritage of a state church was an abomination. |
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| The movement in the latter half of the 16th century within the Roman Catholic Church, in response to the Protestant Reformation, to reform and rectify itself (in response to many of the Protestant criticisms) but also to consolidate its own understandings and position in order to counteract the erosion of members to the new Protestant sects. |
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| a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. known for their work in education (founding schools, colleges, universities and seminaries), intellectual research, and cultural pursuits, and for their missionary efforts. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, and promote social justice and ecumenical dialogue. |
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| was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and was its first Superior General.[2] Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation. Loyola's devotion to the Catholic Church was characterized by unquestioning obedience to the Catholic Church's authority and hierarchy. |
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| The doctrine held by Roman Catholics that the Pope, when making rulings "ex cathedra" on matters pertaining to faith and morals, will be protected from error by the Holy Spirit. Also a doctrine held by Eastern Orthodox that the Church as a whole (but no one person or cleric such as a bishop), as manifest in an ecumenical council of bishops from the entire Church, will be protected from error by the Holy Spirit. |
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| was a 16th-century Spanish historian, social reformer and Dominican friar. |
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| : A secular, humanistic, sometimes anti-religious (certainly anti-traditional) movement centered originally among European intellectuals of the 18th century, which provoked sometimes hostile reaction among persons who continued to identify with traditional beliefs and practices. It has had a large impact upon Western Christianity, especially Protestantism, but in the latter half of the 20th century upon Roman Catholicism as well. It has produced various expressions of "Modern" or "Liberal Protestantism" and similar expressions in Roman Catholicism. So also it has provoked traditional reactions of a defiant or hard-line nature known as "Fundamentalism." |
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| in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the natural laws of the universe. |
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| A movement within mainstream Protestant traditions to modernize their teaching and practice, to reinterpret or drop traditional teachings that seem out of date and incompatible with modern enlightened thinking, to subject the Scriptures to modern critical historical scholarship, and to adapt Christian teaching to be consistent with modern natural science. Often it has involved a shift to the Way of Right Action as the primary way of being religious, with a special emphasis on social action projects on behalf of persons suffering from injustice or oppression. |
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| A 17th-century movement for the revival of piety in the Lutheran Church. |
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| Evangelical Protestantism |
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| A movement of renewal within Protestantism in the last two centuries, growing out of the Pietist movement of the 18th century in Europe and the Great Awakening in the American Colonies. It stresses the proclamation of the Gospel, especially to those persons who have never heard it or heard it truly (and thus evangelizing and missionary work), a personal conversion experience in which one is said to be "born again" into an inward relationship to Jesus as one’s "personal Lord and Savior," and a devotional study of Scripture as a means of communication between God and the individual believer. This movement has come to encompass most (but not all) forms of Protestantism in America, especially expressions other than Liberal Protestantism. |
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| A movement within Evangelical Protestantism of militant reaction to, and committed opposition to, the eroding effects of modern culture upon traditional (pre-modern) Christianity and especially to the influence of the secular humanism associated with the Enlightenment--above all to (a) the application of critical historical scholarship to the understanding and interpretation of Scripture (and all suggestions that the words of Scripture are merely human and subject to error) and (b) acceptance of modern natural science (and especially the theory of evolution) to be a more reliable account of origins than the first chapters of the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. It is concerned sociologically to differentiate itself from other expressions of Christianity as not truly Christian to the extent that they do not adhere to the touchstones of doctrine that it identifies as "fundamentals." |
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| : A movement within Liberal Protestantism in the early part of the 20th century which focused on the social and economic implications of the Gospel, which was interpreted to mean liberation from injustice, oppression, and inequity. |
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| A recent expression of Liberal theology, but particularly found in certain manifestations of the Roman Catholic tradition, which interprets the Scriptures, and the Gospel in particular, to be concerned with the liberation of victims of injustice and oppression. |
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| A Protestant movement, beginning at the turn of the 20th century and growing out of what is called the Holiness Movement among Protestant Evangelicals, which sought the supernatural manifestations of, and empowerment by, the Holy Spirit in the Church and in the life of the individual Christian or the sort referred to in the 2nd chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. It represented a new expression of the Way of Shamanic Mediation within Christianity. In most cases it led to the founding of new Protestant denominations often with the word "Pentecostal" in their names. It is particularly noted for the so called "gift of the Holy Spirit" known as "speaking in tongues." But by no means was it exclusively focused on this gift alone. |
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| A special council of the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church held in the mid 1960s, resulting in many significant changes: e.g., changing the language of worship from Latin to the vernacular, emphasizing Bible study and literacy, simplifying and revising the Sacraments, becoming much more ecumenical toward other Christian traditions, etc. |
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| First Apostle of Christianity to the gentiles (non-Jews), author of many books of the New Testament (e.g., Romans), first Christian theologian. |
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| Augustine (Confessions, City of God) |
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| One of the very greatest of Christian philosophers and theologians, as well as a bishop and founder of a monastic order, who lived, taught, and wrote in the latter fourth and early fifth century in North Africa, as Rome was being overrun by the barbarians. He is widely recognized as having shown how the Christian faith and much of pagan Greek philosophy as found in the writings of Plato and Plotinus could be reconciled without compromise to either faith or philosophy. Augustine is highly esteemed by both Protestants and Roman Catholics, though not nearly as much by Eastern Orthodox Christians. |
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| Aquinas (Summa Theologiae) |
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| One of the very greatest of Christian philosophers and theologians, who lived, taught, and wrote in the 13th century in central Europe. He is widely recognized as having shown how the Christian faith and pagan Greek philosophy in its most challenging form, the systematic thought of Aristotle, could be reconciled without compromise to either faith or philosophy. Roman Catholics consider him the greatest of Christian philosophers and theologians. |
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| Founder of Western Christian monasticism and composer of the Rule of St. Benedict, which most all monastic groups in Western Christianity follow. |
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| The most important leader and theologian of the Protestant Reformation, founder of the Lutheran tradition of Protestantism, and translator of the Bible into vernacular German. |
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| One of the principal leaders (French Swiss) of the Protestant Reformation, founder of the Reformed Church, particularly noted for the systematic and rational way he explained basic Christian beliefs and for stressing the sovereignty of God’s providence over all things. |
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| Christian holiday celebrating the birthday of Jesus and therewith the Incarnation of God |
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| A 40 day penitential period before Holy Week each year that is observed by sacramental Christians, to seriously consider how far they fall from God’s expectations and to repent with God’s help. Often special prayer and fasting is practiced. |
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| A sequence of 8 days in the Christian liturgical calendar observed by sacramental Christians, for sacramentally participating along with Jesus in the great events of the Gospel, culminating in Jesus’ Crucifixion on Good Friday, his death and burial, and his Resurrection on Easter Sunday. |
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| Christian holiday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus after his death and burial, in which he is understood to have broken the power of death and sin over the lives of human beings; the most important holiday of the year for most Christians, especially sacramental Christians; always occuring in the Spring. |
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| Birthday of the Christian Church in 30 CE, when, according to the New Testament account, the Holy Spirit supernaturally empowered the disciples of Jesus to become "the Body of Christ," to appropriately proclaim the Gospel in all of its power; and to live the kind of life to which Jesus had introduced them. |
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| an Early Christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144.Marcion believed Jesus Christ was the savior sent by God and Paul of Tarsus was his chief apostle, but he rejected the Hebrew Bible and the God of Israel (YHWH Elohim). Marcionists believed that the wrathful Hebrew God was a separate and lower entity than the all-forgiving God of the New Testament. |
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| 2nd century Christian bishop of Smyrna.[1] According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him. |
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| Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. Perpetua (born in 181) was a 22-year old married noble, and a nursing mother |
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| was an American religious leader and the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement who is regarded by his followers as a prophet. |
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| the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. |
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| was the founder of the Christian Science religion. |
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| s a system of thought and practice derived from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible. It is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist as well as some others who are nonmembers. Its central texts are the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science & Health With Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. In the textbook, Eddy describes the teachings and healings of Jesus as a complete and coherent science which is both demonstrable and provable through healing. |
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| millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. They believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and that the establishment of God's kingdom on earth is the only solution for all problems faced by humankind. |
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| is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers (c. 120-220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists. |
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| The twelve men which Jesus gathered around himself |
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| the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. |
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| is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service |
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| initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice. Within this particular context, the term ecumenism refers to the idea of a Christian unity in the literal meaning: that there should be a single Christian Church. |
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| is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come. |
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| a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism (especially Zurvanism), and Neoplatonism. |
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| 1054 CE Eastern Orthodox tradition and the Roman Catholic tradition (or the Western Church) historically were thought to have separated. |
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| the theological doctrine that Jesus the Son of God and God the Father are of similar but not the same substance, a position held by the Semi-Arians in the 4th century |
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| is a technical theological term used in discussion of the Christian understanding of God as Trinity. The Nicene Creed describes Jesus as being homooúsios with God the Father — that is, they are of the "same substance" and are equally God. |
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| The Word of God, made incarnate in Jesus Christ. |
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| The first part of the Christian Bible, comprising thirty-nine books and corresponding approximately to the Hebrew Bible. |
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| A member or follower of any of the Western Christian churches that are separate from the Roman Catholic Church and follow the principles of the Reformation, including the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches |
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| a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. the definitive and officially promulgated Latin version of the Bible in the Roman Catholic Church. |
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| A Gnostic collection of approximately 114 sayings attributed to Jesus and allegedly the work of his disciple Didymus Judas Thomas. |
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| an Early Christian council that was held in Jerusalem and dated to around the year 50. It is considered by Catholics and Orthodox to be a prototype and forerunner of the later Ecumenical Councils. |
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| a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia (present-day İznik in Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. The Council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom.Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the relationship of Jesus to God the Father;the construction of the first part of the Nicene Creed; settling the calculation of the date of Easter;and promulgation of early canon law. |
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| is a declaration made by a government or ruler and states that members of a given religion will not be persecuted for engaging in their religious practices and traditions. The edict implies tacit acceptance of the religion rather than its endorsement by the ruling power. |
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was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr (the German Military Intelligence Office) to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
20th century martyr |
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| Pentecost, Birthday of the Church |
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| Jerusalem Council, Acts 15 |
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| Edict of Toleration, Constantine |
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| Sack of Rome (Augustine, City of God) |
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| Charlemagne Crowned Holy Roman Emperor |
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| Sack of Constantinople (4th Crusade) |
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| Council of Trent, Counter Reformation |
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| Jesus the Suffering Servant of God 70CE |
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| Jesus the Jewish Messiah 85 CE |
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| Jesus the Savior of the World 85 CE |
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| Jesus the Man From Heaven 95 CE |
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