Development of Christian Thought - Key Words Flashcards
St Augustine
Early Christian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of western Christianity. Among his important works are the city of God and the Confessions
Genesis
The first book of the old testament dealing with the creation and fall of man
The Confessions
The confessions is the name of an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by St Augustine, written in Latin between AD 397 and 400
The City of God
The City of God is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine in the early 5th century AD. The book was in response to allegations that Christianity brought about the decline of Rome and is considered one of Augustine’s most important works
Human Nature
The general physiological characteristics, feelings, and behavioural traits of humankind regarded as shared by all humans
The Doctrine of the Fall
The belief that when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they ‘fell’ from perfection and brought evil into a perfect world
Rational Act
Acting in accordance with reason and logic
Original Sin
Original sin is an Augustine Christian doctrine that says that everyone is born sinful. This means they are born with a built-in urge to do bad things and disobey God
Temptation
In the context of Genesis, it is the human inclination to Sin
Concupiscence
A strong (often sexual) desire
God’s grace
The free and unmerited favour of God
Summun Bonum
A Latin expression meaning ‘the highest good’
Heaven
It is a place where the believer experiences unending joy and bliss. The joy will be in the vision of God that each person experiences
The Firmament
A biblical idea relating to the structure above the atmosphere believed to be a vast solid dome
The Empyrean
The highest part of heaven, thought by early Christians to be the dwelling place of God
The Blessed
Those who are rewarded with heaven
Hell
A place of permanent, everlasting punishment
Purgatory
A traditional Catholic idea of a ‘between’ state so that a person can be purified before after death before they go to heaven
Beatific Vision
In Christian theology, the beatific vision is the ultimate direct communication of God to a person
Intellectual vision
Supernatural knowledge in which the mind receives an extraordinary grasp of some revealed truth
Limited election
The idea that God has only chosen some to be saved
Unlimited election
The idea that all people are called to salvation but not all are saved
Universalism
Universalism refers to the belief that all humans will be saved through Jesus and eventually come to harmony in Gods kingdom
Final judgement
In Christianity and certain other religious traditions, the final judgement by God of all humankind
The Parable of the Sheep and Goats
A parable used by Jesus in the Gospel of Mathew teaching that all those on Earth at that time will be brought before God, and he will separate them ‘as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right an the goats on his left’.
