Christianity Flashcards
abbesses
powerful nuns who oversaw the lands owned by their communities; they played a significant role in the feudal landholding system
anchoritic monasticism
the form of monasticism practised by the “desert fathers and mothers” who withdrew from society; anchorites may also be known as hermits
Anselm
Eleventh century archbishop of Canterbury who moved away from the principle of scriptural authority. His most notable contribution was the ontological argument for the existence of God
Apostles
The early followers of Jesus who witnessed his return as the risen lord and were sent out into the world to proclaim him
Thomas Aquinas
1200s, lived during inquisition
Dominican theologian considered the greatest of the scholastics, author of the Summa Theologiae: summation of theology where he tried to compile everything we know about God
Relied heavily on Muslim thinkers. Discussed theological virtues (love, faith charity) and natural law
Arius
The early theologian who argued (against Athanasius) that Jesus was of like substance with God rather than the same substance of God
Athanasius
The bishop of Alexandria who argued (against Arius) that Jesus was of the same substance of God. Homoousius
Atonement
Christ’s restoration of humanity to a right relationship with God, variously interpreted as divine victory over demonic power, satisfaction of divine justice, or demonstration of a moral example
Augustine
Bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa, whose theological writings (about sin, grace, suffering) shaped much of the theological tradition of Western Christianity. Went against Pelagius for not trusting in God’s grace and faith.
Just war theory: rules of engaging in war
City of god (confession book)
Baptism
The ritual of initiation into the Christian faith, one of the two key sacraments. Ritual typically involves either immersion in water or pouring over the head and the recitation of a trinitarian formula recognizing the father, son, and holy spirit
Beghards, Beguines
lay men and women respectively who lived together in semi-monastic communities that were usually not under the authority of a local bishop
Benedict’s rule
the protoype for Westen monastic life, written in the 6th century by St. Benedict
Grounded in the principle that the community’s central activity was the divine office
Bishop
supervising priest of an ecclesiastical district called a diocese. church elders
Canon
a standard; a scriptural canon is the list of books acknowledged as scripture; the list of acknowledged saints is likewise a canon.
cenobitic monasticism
the form of monasticism practised by religious who live in community with one another
Charism
a spiritual gift such as preaching, healing, speaking in tongues, and prophesysing, which surfaced in local worshipping communities in the period of the early church. movements that emphasize such gifts are described as “charismatic”
Christ
from Christos, the Greek translation of the Hebrew mashiach, “annointed one”
Christology
a theory of who jesus was, by nature and in substance
City of God
work by augustine of hippo, which articulated a vision for the relationship between sacred and secular in the age of the encroaching decline of the Roman Empire
Constantine
the first christian emperor, who convened the Council of Nicea in 325 CE
had a vision of a cross in 312 before battle and that convinced him that Christianity was the best religion. He began favoring Christains and giving them positions of power. Changed religion from poor to rich
Council of Chalcedon
the Fifth century Church council where the controversies over the nature of Jesus’ humanity and divinity were finally resolved. confirms the 2 aspects of jesus and god were always one
Council of Nicaea
The 300s council, convened by Constantine, that formally established many beliefs about Christ–questioning the trinity: Is jesus the same as God or similar?
Creeds
brief formal statements of doctrinal belief, often recited in unison by congregations
Crusades
A series of military actions (1095-late1200s) undertaken by European Christians to drive Islam out of the Holy land. Reaction to rule over Jerusalem by Seljuk Turks. Pope Urban II. Sacked constantinople 1204
Deacon
From the Greek diakona “Service”, the third order of (male) ministry in the early Church
Deacones
the female counterpary of the deacon’s office in the early church, devoted to serving women and children in the community
dyophystism
the belief that the two natures of jesus, human and divine, are unity in the second person of the trinity; affirmed at both Nicaea and Ephesus and proclaimed as orthodoxy for bothe the Western and Eastern Churches
Easter
The festival,held in march or april, celebrating the resurection of jesus
Ecumenism
the movement for reunion or collaboration between previously seperate branches of Christianity
Episcopacy
Literally, “oversight”; the foundational office of authority in early Christianity; see also bishop. Looked to standardize teachings
Erasmus
the humanist thinker who laid the groundwork for Reformation theologians such as Luther
Eucharist
The sacramental meal of bread and wine that recalls Jesus’ last supper before his crucifixion; a standard part of Christian worship
Evangelical
In Germany, a name for the Lutheran church. in the English speaking world, “evangical” refers to conservtive protestants with a confident sense of assurance of divine grace and the obligation to preach it
Excommunication
Formal censure or expulsion from a Church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, for doctrinal error or moral misconduct
Friar
A member of a mendicant order such as the Carmelites, Dominicans or Franciscans
Fundamentalism
A twentieth-century reaction to modernity, originally among Protestants who maintained the infallibility of scripture and doctrine
glossolalia
speaking in “tongues” a distinguishing feature of Charismatic groups such as the Pentecostals, in which people who feel filled with the spirit begin speaking in what they believe is a special heavenly language. The ability to interpret suh speech is also considered a spiritual gift
Gnosticism
A worldview based on a radical dualism, which prioritized reason and spirit over the physical. Believed you could seperate God supreme being and God the creator. Influenced by schools post-plato. Considered heretics for defying monotheism
Gospel
“good news” (evangelion in Greek); the news of redemption that the Hebrew prophets had promised. The gospels are the accounts of Jesus’ life attributed to his disciples Mark, Matthew, Luke and John
Heresy
A belief or practice that is contrary to the accepted orthodxy
Holiness Churches
Protestant churches that believe their members have already recieved “holiness” (spiritual perfection) as a gift from God
Icon
From the greek for “image”; a distinctive Byzantine form of portraiture used to depict Jesus, mary, and the sainsts
Humanism
The intellectual movement that is seen as a necessary precursor of the Protestant Reformation
Incarnation
the embodiment of the divine in human form; the Christain teaching that God became human in the person of Jesus
Indulgences
releases from time in purgatory; the selling of indulgences by the Church was one of the abuses that led to the Protestant Reformation
Liturgy
A prescribed form for public worship, service you attend
Logos
“word” in the sense of eternal divine intelligence and purpose
Martin Luther
The father of the protestant reformation
Manichaeism
an intesnely dualistic religion founded in the third century, that grew out of Syrian Christianity under the influence of Gnosticism
Martyrs
Christians that died for their faith
Mary
the mother of Jesus, a major saint, deeply venerated by Roman Catholics in particular
Mass
The roman catholic name for Eucharist
Mendicant orders
Orders that, instead of withdrawing from the world and living predominantly in closed communities, dedicate themselves to pastoral work, serving the people; examples include the Carmelites, Dominicans, and Franciscans
Monophysticism
the belief that Christ had only one nature, either divine or a synthesis of divine and human; abandoned in favor of dyophysitism which is the classical teaching of the church
mysticism
the pursuit of intensely experienced spiritual union with the divine
nestorianism
the position that there was one (divine) nature in Christ and it was seperate from the human Jesus
New Testament
The collection of 27 books–accounts of Gospels, acts of the Apostles, Epistles, and Revelation–written by various authors in the first and early second centuries and determined to be authoritative for the early Christian church
Nicene creed
The statement of faith agreed on at the council of nicaea
filoque: holy spirit is derived from father AND son
nuns
women living a common life under vows in a monastic community
ontological argument
Anselm’s argument for the existence of God based not on observation but on the logic that such a being must necessarily exist
Original sin
the idea that human beings are inherently sinful because our earliest ancestors, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey god
orthodoxy
literally, the “straight way” meaning correct belief, in any church, the accepted doctrine
parables
simple stories told to illustrate a lesson
patriarchs
in the early church, the five bishops who held primacy of authority by geographical region: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Today the term refers to those bishops in the Eastern Orthodox churches who preside over specific geographical regions and/or historical forms of the churhces
St Paul
the jewish convert to chrisitanity (originally known as saul of tarsus) who founded a number of Christian communities and wrote them letters of instruction and guidance
Pauline Epistles
letters attributed to Paul in the New Testament, some of which were probably written by others. These letters were written to the heads of churches and has liturgical information and how to run the church
Peter, St
The “prince of Apostles” who was said to have beecome the first bishop of Rome
Pelagianism
end of 4thcentury, Pelagius said humans were not sinful enough to require God’s grace to overcome sin. Augustine of Hippo went against him. Pelagianism deemed a heresy according to which human nature wasn’t sinful and could use free will
Pentecost
The fiftieth day after Easter, commemorated as the dramatic occasion when Jesus’ followers experiened the presence of the holy spirit
pietism
a movement that originated in late seventeenth-century lutheran germany, expressing spontaneous devotion to God and a confident certainty of forgiveness gained through religious experience
pope
the head of the roman catholic church
predestination
the notion that God anticipates or controls human actions and foreordains every individual to either salvation or damnation
presbyter
literally “elder” a key office that developed in the post-Apostolic period
Reformed churches
Churches that are calvinist in doctrine and often Presbyterian in governance; strong in the netherlands and scotland and also found in Frnace, switzerland, hungary, and north america
Sacrament
a ritual action seen as signifying divine grace. The most widely accepted sacraments are baptism and the eucharist, although the catholic and anglican churches also recognize 5 other
saints
people recognized by the Church for their faith and virtue. most saints are believed to have worked at least 1 miracle
scriptures
the holy writings of Christianity, consisting of the Hebrew bible in Greek translation (the septugint), which Christains call the “Old Testament” and the “New Testament” accounts of jesus’ life and the early years of the christian community
see
one of the five major episocpal areas: rome, constantinople, alexandria, antioch, and jerusalem
Synoptic Gospels
the gospels of matthew, mark, luke called “synoptic” (seen togehter) because of their many overlapping stories and themes
teleological argument
from the Greek telos “end” or “purpose”; an argument inferring the existence of God from the perception of purporse or design in the universe
theocracy
a state in which all of society is controlled by the church or religious leaders
Transubstantiation
the view, held mainly by Roman catholics, that during hte mass, the bread and wine of the Eucharist become the literal body and blood of jesus
Trinity
the doctrine that God exists in three “persons” or manifestations: as Father, as son, and as holy spirit
widows
the earliest known order for women in Christianity, originally a response to the social problem of providing support for poor widows in the community
Ulrich Zwingli
The father of the swiss reformation
Quelle
the source that Matthew Mark and Luke derive their information from
Ecclesiastical virgins
3rd 4th century Upper class women with money and power started these: any woman could join, essentially the first nunneries. it was a way for women to find a purpose while avoiding childbirth–making it very appealing. withdrew from society to live ascetic lifestyle
Apotheca
extra texts some people use in canon but not really
council of ephesus
met over nestorian question, also Despite humanity of Mary she was deemed to be theotokos–body contained both divine and the human
Gregory the Great
540-604
Strengthened Christian authority over roman rulers (church>state) got rid of paganism and elevated Rome, layed foundations for papal office
inquisitions
1232
Pope Gregory 9th
Hunt for heretics
Result of struggle between secular and religious leadership
