Glossary of Christian terms

The following is a list of terms used in Christianity. Complete definitions of these terms, and additional sources, may be found in the full articles to which most terms are linked.

A

*Advent
* Almah/
* Amen:: The word Amen (," usually transliterated "Messiah"). The word may be misunderstood by some as being the surname of Jesus due to the frequent juxtaposition of "Jesus" and "Christ" in the Christian Bible and other Christian writings. Often used as a more formal-sounding synonym for Jesus, the word is in fact a title, hence its common reciprocal use "Christ Jesus," meaning "The Anointed One, Jesus."
*Christendom
* Christian::A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheisticThe Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX, [http://www.christianavenue.org "Monotheism"] ; William F. Albright, "From the Stone Age to Christianity"; H. Richard Niebuhr, ; About.com, [http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/monotheisticreligions/ "Monotheistic Religion resources"] ; Jonathan Kirsch, "God Against the Gods"; Linda Woodhead, "An Introduction to Christianity"; The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia [http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0833762.html "Monotheism"] ; The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, [http://www.bartleby.com/59/5/monotheism.html "monotheism"] ; New Dictionary of Theology, [http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_NDCT_Paul.htm "Paul"] pp. 496-99; David Vincent Meconi, "Pagan Monotheism in Late Antiquity" in "Journal of Early Christian Studies" pp. 111–12] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament [BBC, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/ "BBC - Religion & Ethics - Christianity"] ] and prophesied in the Old Testament [ Book of Isaiah [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=29&chapter=53&version=31 "Book of Isaiah, Chapter 53."] ] .
* Christian Bible
*Church of the Holy Sepulchre::Traditionally believed to be the site of Golgatha and the Empty tomb.
*Circumcision in the Bible ::Jesus and Paul and presumably the Jewish Christians were circumcised according to biblical tradition, the Council of Jerusalem made the practice optional for converts as is the case today among most Christians, despite the Circumcision controversy in early Christianity.
*Covenant (biblical)
*Creed
*Crucifixion eclipse
*Crucifixion of Jesus

D

*Daily devotional
*Desposyni
*Dispensationalism
*Divine law::See Biblical law in Christianity.
*Dual-covenant theology

E

*Early Christianity
* Easter :: Easter, "Pascha", or "Resurrection Day", is an important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33. Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. See also Easter controversy.
* Elect
*End time
*Eternal life
*Eternal sin
*Eucharist :: Known also as Communion, and the Lord's Supper.
*Evangelical counsels
*Exorcism

F

* Faith
* Fig Tree, The :: The Fig Tree and its fruit the fig is mentioned several times in the New Testament, and in the Old Testament as well; but as more than just the common Mediterranean fruit tree, the Common Fig, it is also a symbol or type, subject to various interpretations. The "Parable of the barren fig tree" is a parable of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Luke ; Greek: ] and in the New Testament ( [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?word=4339 Strong's G4339] ) for a convert to Judaism from Paganism. It is a translation of the Hebrew word "גר/ger" ( [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?word=01616 Strong's H1616] ).

Q

*Quartodecimanism::Part of the Easter controversy.

R

* Rabbinic
* Rapture :: Used in some sects to denote the Second coming of Christ
*Red-Letter Christian
* Redemption
* Reformed
* Remez/Allegory ::Allegory (from Greek αλλος, "allos," "other", and αγορευειν, "agoreuein," "to speak in public") is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than the literal. Generally treated as a figure of rhetoric, but an allegory does not have to be expressed in language: it may be addressed to the eye, and is often found in realistic painting, sculpture or some other form of mimetic, or representative art.

::In allegorical representations, relationships between elements of a text or composition are understood to stand for different relationships between elements not found in the text or composition; meaning is thus constituted through the difference between the superficial (or literal) meaning of the text or composition, and a "deeper" meaning. In Jewish thought this method is best known through the works of Philo. The extreme form of remez, sod, understands the Tanakh as an allegory for a mystical understanding of the universe and as a means for mystical communion with God; this approach is best known through Kabbalistic texts such as the Zohar. Traditionally, only Jews who have mastered the midrashic method and the corpus of halakha are encouraged to pursue this form of interpretation. In Christianity this method was first promoted by Saint Paul.
*Resurrection of the dead

* Sabbath::The Sabbath is generally a weekly religious day of rest as ordained by the Ten Commandments. Originally denoting a rest day on the seventh day of the week, the term "Sabbath" has acquired the connotation of a time of communal worship and now has several meanings in Christian contexts.
* Saint Peter
* Salvation
* Sanctification
* Satan
* Second Coming
* Septuagint
*Sermon on the Mount
* Seven Laws of Noah::According to Judaism, these are the laws applicable to non-Jews, some see a connection to the "Apostolic Decree" of the Council of Jerusalem.
* Shekinah
* Shema::In [Philip Schaff's [http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/7_ch04.htm History of the Christian Church, book 7, chapter 4] : "The most important example ..." James D. G. Dunn, "Jesus, Paul and the Law: Studies in Mark and Galatians", Westminster/John Knox Press, 1990, chapter 8: "Works of the Law and the Curse of the Law"] . The related Jewish term is Mitzvah.

Y

*Yahweh
* Yeshua :: Spelled _he. יֵשׁוּעַ in Hebrew, a common name among Jews of the Second Temple Period, and known to be the name used for Jesus by Messianic Jews and Hebrew Christians.

Z

*Zionism

References

ee also

*Messianic Judaism
*Glossary of Jewish terms