Key words Flashcards
Son of God
The term used by Jesus’ followers to describe his special relationship with God.
Liberator
A view often held by liberation theologians to describe Jesus’ preferential option for the poor.
Rabbi
Jesus as a teacher.
Hypostatic union
The belief that Christ is both fully God and fully himan.
Homoousious
The same substance or being.
Word (logos)
The incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Redemption
The act of saving or being saved from sin.
Incarnation
Jesus as man/in the flesh.
Zealot
Member of the Jewish political movement who fought against Rome.
Messiah
One who saves/rose up against oppression.
Christ
The anointed one.
Form of life
In Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language refers to the historical, sociological, moral and psychological conditions in which ordinary language operates and has meaning.
Torah
Refers to the Jewish body of law and teaching traditionally believed to have been given to Moses. It is contained in the first five books of the Bible.
Sermon on the mount
Found in Matthew 5-7 and is Jesus’ longest discourse on ethics. It begins with the qualities or virtues a Christian requires to lead the good life and then discusses a range of moral and religious issues, from the use of force to the practice of prayer and worship.
Metanoia
The Greek word usually translated as repentance. But it also means a radical change of mind-set and heart.
Parable of the lost son
One of the several parables Luke collects together in his Gospel on the theme of ‘lost and found’. The ‘lost’ are probably those who have strayed from their Jewish faith.
Underside of history
The aspect of history that is forgotten or missed but which in fact occupies the larger part of human existence. Liberation theologians use it to refer to the marginalised, oppressed and exploited members of society.
Preferential option for the poor
The Christian duty of the privileged to side with the poor in solidarity and act against exploitation and injustice.
Samaritans
A group of Jews living in Samaria midway between Judaea and Galilee. They were regarded by Judean Jews as being racially and religiously impure because they had married foreigners and built their own temple. Most Jews travelling north to Galilee would have avoided passing through Samaria.
Council of Chalcedon
It was at the centre of the Roman Empire and the church. The meeting in 451AD was attended by 600 bishops with the primary purpose of re-affirming the central Christian beliefs, in particular the divinity and humanity of Christ.
Christology
The area of Christian theology concerned with the nature of Jesus Christ’s relationship.
Theotokos
The Greek term translated variously as ‘God-bearer’ or ‘God-producer’ when referring to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and is widely used today in the Eastern churches.
Docetic
Comes from the Greek word meaning to ‘seem’ or ‘appear’. Docetism is the view that although Jesus may have appeared to be a full human being, this was only so that God could communicate with humans.
Exegesis
The close analysis and interpretation of a text.
Christ-event
Refers to Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. It is used by scholars to suggest that the significance of Christ lies in no one particular historical moment but the whole of his life and its relationship with history before and after.
Creed
Authorised summary of Christian belief and teaching.
Kingdom of God
In Jesus’ teaching, this refers to to a future transformation of this world.
Atonement
Becoming ‘at one’. In Christianity, the process by which God removes sin, allowing humanity to become ‘at one’ with him.
Parousia
‘Arrival’. Return of Christ and the kingdom at the final judgement.
Messianic secret
Refers to a number of times in Mark’s gospel when Jesus says he is not the Messiah, thought to be added by the Gospel writers after Jesus’ death to show why he was not recognised as the Messiah at the time.
Kerygma
‘Preaching’; earliest message of Christianity.
Demythologising
The process of stripping ancient myths/metaphors used to convey religious experiences of their imagery (falsely understood as fact) in order to recover original existential experience (human experience).
Category mistake
When factual statements are confused with value statements e.g. confusion of historical and faith knowledge.
Exodus
Liberation of Hebrew (Israelite, Jewish) slaves from Egypt. Led by Moses, appointed by God.
Key passages
Jesus heals a man born blind. Jesus calms the storm. The fulfilment of the Law. Parable of the lost son. Parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus heals the woman from bleeding.
Who were the 4 groups of Jews?
Zealots.
Pharisees.
Sadducees.
Essenes.
