FInal wihtout Celeste sadly ): Flashcards
Pastoral Letters
Letters written by bishops or popes to clergy and laity within their dioceses or the entire Church. They offer guidance on matters of faith, morals, and pastoral practice.
Judaizers
Early Christians who taught that Christians must observe the Mosaic Law, particularly the practices of circumcision and dietary laws, to be saved.
Justification
To make righteous
Parousia
The second coming of Christ at the end of time, when He will judge the living and the dead and establish His kingdom in its fullness.
Fruit of the Spirit
The virtues produced in Christians by the Holy Spirit, as listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Pseudonymous
A work written under a false name. In biblical studies, it refers to certain writings attributed to an apostle or other early Christian figures but actually written by others.
Asceticism
A lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures and the practice of self-discipline, often for spiritual reasons.
Righteousness
The state of being morally right or justifiable. In Catholicism, it is often synonymous with holiness and living in accordance with God’s will.
Gnoscitsm
An ancient heresy that taught salvation through secret knowledge (gnosis) and viewed the material world as evil, created by a lesser deity.
Day of Atonement
Also known as Yom Kippur, it is a Jewish holy day dedicated to repentance and atonement for sins. In Christianity, it prefigures Christ’s atonement for the sins of humanity.
Doctrine
The official teachings of the Church, which all Catholics are required to believe. These teachings are derived from Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium (the Church’s teaching authority).
Epistle
A letter, particularly those found in the New Testament written by apostles such as Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude, addressing early Christian communities and their issues.
Docetism
An early Christian Heresy that claimed Jesus only seemed to be human
Domitian
A Roman emperor (81-96 AD) known for his persecution of Christians.
Eutyhces
An early Christian monk who propagated Monophysitism, the belief that Christ has only one nature, which is divine.
Monophysitism:
The heresy that Christ has only one nature, either divine or a synthesis of divine and human, rather than two distinct natures, divine and human.
Nestorius
An early Christian bishop who taught the heresy that Jesus was two distinct persons, one divine and one human, rather than one person with two natures.
Nicaea
Refers to the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), the first ecumenical council of the Church, which addressed the Arian heresy and formulated the Nicene Creed.
St. Athanasius
A Church Father and bishop of Alexandria known for his defense against Arianism and his role in the formulation of the Nicene Creed.
St. Augustine of Hippo:
An influential Church Father and theologian whose writings, including “Confessions” and “City of God,” shaped Western Christianity and philosophy.
St. Cyril of Alexandria
A Church Father known for his role in the Council of Ephesus (431 AD) and his defense of the title Theotokos for Mary, affirming the unity of Christ’s divine and human natures.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons
An early Church Father known for his work “Against Heresies,” which combated Gnosticism and emphasized the continuity of Christian teaching.
Antichrist
A figure who appears at the end of time to deceive and lead people away from God. In Catholic eschatology, it refers to any force or person opposing Christ and His Church.
Pantokrator
A Greek term meaning “Almighty” or “All-powerful,” often used in Christian iconography to depict Christ as the ruler of the universe.
Ecumenical Council:
A gathering of bishops from the entire Church, convened to discuss and resolve issues of doctrine, administration, and discipline. The decisions of these councils are considered authoritative.
Apologist
A defender of the Christian faith through reasoned arguments. Early Christian apologists wrote works defending Christianity against pagan and Jewish critics.
Theotokos
A Greek term meaning “God-bearer” or “Mother of God,” used to describe the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ, who is both God and man.
Vulgate
The Latin translation of the Bible completed by St. Jerome in the late 4th century, which became the standard Bible for the Western Church.