Glossary Terms 21-40: Called by the Gospel, An Intro to the New Testament

Question 1

Canon

Answer 1

from the Greek work for a reed used as a measuring stick; refers to the authoritative collection of texts in the Old and/or New Testament.

Question 2

Christ

Answer 2

Greek word for an “anointed one”; translates the Hebrew “Messiah.”

Question 3

Christocentric

Answer 3

“Christ-centered”; Christ is the focal point or center of Scripture.

Question 4

Christology

Answer 4

subset of Christian theology that attempt to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”

Question 5

Circular letter

Answer 5

a letter written to groups in different locations that was carried from place to place and read in those various locations (see Revelation 1 :11).

Question 6

Circumcision

Answer 6

cutting off the foreskin of the penis as a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17 and the promise given to Abraham and his seed/offspring.

Question 7

Centurion

Answer 7

a Roman military officer in command of 100 men; the term could be used more generically for any lower level military officer.

Question 8

Colony

Answer 8

a city in the Roman Empire established to exert Roman control in a region; sometimes populated by veteran legionnaires; considered a part of Rome itself.

Question 9

Contextual

Answer 9

emphasizes the setting in which the New Testament documents were written and/or the setting to which they were addressed; includes such things as personal interaction, cultural factors, and geographical issues.

Question 10

Covenantal nomism

Answer 10

term coined by E. P. Sanders asserting that first-century Judaism was dominated by the belief that Israelites got into God’s covenant by his election and mercy; obedience to the Law was the required response for staying in the covenant; atonement was available for those who sinned through repentance and sacrifice.

Question 11

Cross

Answer 11

the instrument of crucifixion used by the Romans again non-Roman insurrectionists; an instrument of humiliation and intimidation as well as execution, the cross came to be a symbol of Christian identification.

Question 12

Curse

Answer 12

penalty God placed upon those who sin beginning in Genesis 3.

Question 13

Deacon

Answer 13

from Greek diakonos, translated “minister” or “servant”; term later referred to a specific church official, but the role and functions are fairly undefined in New Testament times.

Question 14

Defilement

Answer 14

a temporary state ritual impurity, making one ineligible to participate in temple or synagogue practices; examples that made on ritual impure include contact with blood, corpses, and unclean animals.

Question 15

Decapolis

Answer 15

ten Graeco-Roman cites generally east and south of the Sea of Galilee that functioned as quasi-independent cultural outposts on the eastern fringe of the Roman Empire.

Question 16

Decalogue

Answer 16

the “ten words” known popularly as the Ten Commandments.

Question 17

Denarius

Answer 17

the standard coin of the Roman Empire; the wage paid to a common laborer for a day’s work.

Question 18

Diasopora

Answer 18

Greek word that means “scattering”; refers to the Jews who were scattered through the Roman Empire prior to and during the time of the New Testament.

Question 19

Didache (or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles)

Answer 19

a late first-century or early second-century Christian document; first part describes “the two ways” of life or death and serves as catechetical manual; part two includes instructions on baptism, the Lord’s Supper, worship, and church leadership.

Question 20

Discipleship

Answer 20

following Jesus; the lifestyle, actions, and words of a disciple.