This is a glossary of terms used in Christianity.
A Advent – a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. Almah – a young woman of childbearing age. Amen – used in Jewish, Christian and Muslim worship as a concluding word or response to prayers. Ancient of Days – name for God in the Book of Daniel: Atik Yomin; in the Greek Septuagint: Palaios Hemeron; and in the Vulgate: Antiquus Dierum. Anchorite – a person who withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-orientated life. Anno Domini (AD) – Latin term for Year of the Lord, the Lord in this case being Jesus, by Christian reckoning, the Messiah. Due to western dominance of the world, this has become the common world calendar system, though many cultures separately maintain their own calendars based on various events. Recently, the terms Common Era (CE) and Anno Mundi (AM) have come into use. Anointing – ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or other fat. Antichrist – in Christian eschatology, the Antichrist or anti-Christ is someone recognized as fulfilling the Biblical prophecies about one who will oppose Christ and substitute himself in Christ's place. Antilegomena – an epithet used by the Church Fathers to denote those books of the New Testament which, although sometimes publicly read in the churches, were not — for a considerable amount of time — considered to be genuine, or received into the canon of Scripture. They were thus contrasted with the "Homologoumena" (from Greek ομολογουμένα), or universally acknowledged writings Antinomianism – in theology, is the idea that members of a particular religious group are under no obligation to obey the laws of ethics or morality, and that salvation is by predestination only Apocalypse – any prophetic revelation or so-called End Time scenario, or to the end of the world in general Apostasy – (from Greek αποστασία, meaning a defection or revolt, from απο, apo, "away, apart", στασις, stasis, "standing") is a term generally employed to describe the formal abandonment or renunciation of one's religion, especially if the motive is deemed unworthy. In a technical sense, as used sometimes by sociologists without the pejorative connotations of the word, the term refers to renunciation and criticism of, or opposition to, one's former religion Apostle – (, apostolos, "someone sent out", e.g. with a message or as a delegate) were, according to the Synoptic Gospels and Christian tradition, disciples (followers) whom Jesus of Nazareth had chosen, named, and trained in order to send them on a specific mission. See also: Apostle (word). Apostolic Age – traditionally the period of the Twelve Apostles, dating from the Crucifixion of Jesus (c. 26–36) and the Great Commission until the death of John the Apostle Apostolic Decree – ; see Council of Jerusalem Aramaic – believed to be the primary language of Jesus. Ascension of Jesus – a Christian doctrine that says Jesus ascended to heaven in the presence of his Eleven Apostles following his resurrection, and that in heaven he sits at the right hand of God the Father Atonement – a doctrine found within both Christianity and Judaism. It describes how sin can be forgiven by God. In Judaism, Atonement is said to be the process of forgiving or pardoning a transgression. This was originally accomplished through rituals performed by a High Priest on the holiest day of the Jewish year: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). In Christian theology the atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of sin through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ which made possible the reconciliation between God and man. Within Christianity there are numerous technical theories for how such atonement might work, including the ransom theory, the Abelardian theory, the substitutionary atonement theory with its variations, and the Anselmian satisfaction theory.
B Baptism – rite of admission and adoption, almost invariably with the use of water, into Christianity. Bauer lexicon – the standard English lexicon of Biblical Greek. Bible – a collection of writings by early Christians, believed to be mostly Jewish disciples of Christ, written in first-century Koine Greek. Among Christian denominations there is some disagreement about what should be included in the canon, primarily about the Apocrypha, a list of works that are regarded with varying levels of respect. Beelzebub – a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. Blood of Christ – A reference to (a) the actual blood of Jesus when he was sacrificed on the cross (cf. Luke 22:19, 20); and/or (b) the spiritual covering that that sacrifice of Jesus on the cross provides for sin and our sanctification, i.e., "That's covered by the blood of Christ.". Body of Christ – A reference to (a) the Christian church as a whole, worldwide (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12–14 and Ephesians 4:1–16), and/or (b) a name for the bread used in Communion/Eucharist to represent the physical body of Jesus sacrificed on the cross (cf. Luke 22:19, 20). Born-Again Christianity – A "spiritual rebirth" or a regeneration of the human spirit particularly in Evangelical Christianity. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and separately caused by baptism in the Holy Spirit as it is not caused by baptism in water. Born-again virgin – A person who, after having engaged in copulation, makes some type of commitment not to be sexually active again until marriage (or some other defined point in the future, or indefinitely)
C Cafeteria Christianity Charismania Christ – the English term for the Greek word (Christós), which literally means "The Anointed One." The Hebrew word for Christ is מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ, 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 – In a cultural sense, it refers to the religion itself, or to the worldwide community of Christians, adherents of Christianity. or refer collectively to Christian majority countries or countries in which Christian civilization dominatesSee Merriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christendom" or nations in which Christianity is the established religion. Christian - a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheisticThe Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX, Monotheism ; William F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity; H. Richard Niebuhr; About.com, Monotheistic Religion resources ; Jonathan Kirsch, God Against the Gods; Linda Woodhead, An Introduction to Christianity; The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Monotheism; The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, monotheism ; New Dictionary of Theology, 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 TestamentBBC, BBC - Religion & Ethics – Christianity and prophesied in the Old Testament.Book of Isaiah Book of Isaiah, Chapter 53. Christian Bible Christianese – Terms and jargon used within many of the branches and denominations of Christianity as a functional lexicon of religious terminology, characterized by the use in everyday conversation of certain words, theological terms, puns, and catchphrases, assumed to be familiar but in ways that may be only comprehensible within the context of a particular Christian group or denomination. Church of the Holy Sepulchre – traditionally believed to be the site of Golgatha and the Empty tomb. Circumcision controversy in early Christianity – 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. Consecrate – To set something—or someone—apart for God, solely devoted to use by/for God, thereby making it "holy." Covenant (biblical) Creed Crown Of Thorns Crucifixion darkness Crucifixion of Jesus
D Daily devotional Desposyni Disciple Dispensationalism Divine law Dual-covenant theology
E Early Christianity East–West Schism 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 Eschatology Eternal life Eternal sin Eucharist – also known as Communion, and the Lord's Supper. Evangelical counsels Exorcism
F Faith The Fig Tree – the tree and its fruit 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 . The parable has no parallels in other gospels. A vinekeeper holds out hope that a barren fig tree will bear fruit next year. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
G Gnosticism God – most commonly refers to the deity worshipped by followers of monotheistic and monolatrist religions, whom they believe to be the creator and overseer of the universe.Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 1995. God-fearer Godhead God the Father God the Son Golden Gate Golden Rule – based on Leviticus 19:18 and summarized by Hillel the Elder as "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow" and considered the central teaching of the Torah.Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a Summarized by Jesus as "do to others what you would have them do to you".Matthew 7:12 Gospel – from the Old English for 'good news,' this refers to the good news concerning Jesus Christ. It can also refer to any one of the four canonical gospels, named for their traditional authors: the "Gospel according to Saint Matthew," the "Gospel according to Saint Mark," the "Gospel according to Saint Luke," and the "Gospel according to Saint John." The word "gospel" can also refer to the literal book which contains any one or all of these texts, which in "high church" traditions may be decorated ornately and given special liturgical prominence. Grace Grazers Great Apostasy Great Commission
H Hallelujah Heaven Hebrew Bible Hell Hellenization Historical Jesus Holy Rood Holy Spirit Hosanna Hypostatic union
I Idolatry Incarnation – in traditional Christianity is the belief that the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son or the Logos (Word), "became flesh" by being conceived in the womb of Mary, also known as the Theotokos (Birth-giver to God) or "Mater Dei" (mother of God). INRI Intercession of the Spirit
J Jah Jehovah Jerusalem Jesus Jewish Christians – were the original members of the Jewish movement that later became Christianity. Jews Judaizers – those who teach that Christians must observe Jewish laws and customs.