THEO Flashcards
What does the title ‘Christ’ signify?
A title assigned to Jesus of Nazareth by his followers, meaning anointed one in Greek and messiah in Hebrew. It indicates recognition of Jesus as the promised saviour of Israel.
What is the Christian Bible?
The collection of texts considered sacred and foundational to the Christian faith, consisting of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament.
Who are the Evangelists?
The four traditionally recognized writers of the Gospels: Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
What is the Incarnation?
The Christian belief that God entered human history in the form of Jesus of Nazareth.
What does ‘Word of God’ refer to?
A title given to Jesus in the Gospel of John, indicating his co-existence with God, and also applied to the Bible as Holy Scripture.
What is a canon in Christianity?
An officially recognized set of principles or texts, with the canonical Bible being the authoritative collection used in the Early Church.
What does ‘Church’ mean?
Refers to both the community of Christians and the location where they assemble for worship, derived from the Greek word for house of the Lord.
What is the Apostolic Period?
The time from 30 - 100 AD after Jesus’ death, during which his first disciples established early church communities.
What is faith in Christianity?
The believers’ trust in God revealed in Jesus, supported by the Holy Spirit, and articulated in Trinitarian formulation.
What is the Trinity?
The belief that one God exists in three persons: the Father (Creator), the Son (Saviour), and the Holy Spirit (enlightener).
What is the Rule of Faith?
A simple formulation of the essential contents of the Christian faith, often expressed as a confession.
What does ‘Agape’ mean?
The Greek word for love used in the New Testament, generated in God and expressed in love of God and concern for others.
What is the Kingdom of God?
Refers to the righteousness brought about by God, usually after a Last Judgement, with associated theology called eschatology.
What is baptism?
The Christian ritual of immersion in water, marking entry into the Christian community, symbolizing purification.
What is the Eucharist?
The Christian ritual meal commemorating Jesus’ Last Supper, celebrating community unity.
What does ‘Celticity’ refer to?
The state or quality of being Celtic.
What is ethnicity?
The state of belonging to a category of people based on common ancestry or nationhood.
What is material culture?
The physical objects and artifacts produced and used by a society.
What is history?
The study of the past based on written documents; prehistory refers to the time before writing.
What is the Atlantic Zone?
The Atlantic seaboard of Europe, from Scotland to the Iberian Peninsula.
What is Celto-Scepticism?
A philosophy of skepticism toward traditional academic understandings of the term Celtic.
What are Q-Celtic languages?
A group of Celtic languages characterized by the hard ‘c’ sound, including Irish, Scots Gaelic, and Manx.
What are P-Celtic languages?
A group of Celtic languages characterized by the ‘p’ sound, including Welsh, Cornish, and Breton.
What are the Celtic Isles?
Islands and peninsula in northwest Europe where Celtic languages are still spoken, including Britain, Ireland, and Brittany.
Who were the Picts?
Native peoples in northern Scotland during the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval Period, speaking an extinct P-Celtic language.
What are the Early Middle Ages?
The historical period from 400 - 1200 AD in the Celtic Isles, recognized for distinctive Celtic Christianity.
What is a paradox?
A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a truth upon further examination.
What does ‘insular’ mean?
Pertaining to islands or being isolated and narrow-minded.
What is asceticism?
The practice of self-discipline, such as fasting, for self-knowledge and spiritual strengthening.
What is sacramentality?
The recognition of the sacred within God’s creation, viewing the material world as a medium for spiritual growth.
What is a codex?
A manuscript in book form.
What is prehistory?
The study of the past prior to written record.
What does ‘longue duree’ mean?
French for long stretch of time, referring to historical structures over very long periods.
What is the Ice Age?
A period of long-term temperature reduction, during which polar ice sheets expand and glaciers form.
What is the Irish Sea?
The body of water between Ireland and Britain, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean.
What is the North Sea?
An arm of the Atlantic Ocean between Great Britain and mainland Europe.
What is the English Channel?
The body of water between southern England and northern France, connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea.
What is the Stone Age?
The period between 200,000 BP and 4500 BC in the Isles, divided into Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic.
What is the Bronze Age?
The period from around 2200 to 750 BC in the Isles, marked by mobility, connectivity, and the spread of Celtic languages.
What is the Iron Age?
The period from around 750 BC to 43 AD in the Isles, characterized by advances in metallurgy and settled clan life.
What is a megalith?
A large prehistoric stone monument, constructed from the Neolithic Period into the Bronze Age.
What is Iberia?
Refers to ancient Spain or the southwestern peninsula of Europe, including present-day Spain and Portugal.
What is the Tagus?
The longest river in Iberia, associated with a Bronze Age culture and the spread of Celtic languages.
What is the Bell Beaker Culture?
A culture that emerged around 2800 BC in the Tagus Valley, known for its distinctive ceramic drinking vessel.
What is a lingua franca?
A language used as a shared means of communication among people of different cultures.
What was the Roman Conquest of Britain?
The process beginning in 43 AD under Emperor Claudius, marking the transition from the Iron Age to the Roman Era.
What is the Celtic Invasion Hypothesis?
A discredited theory suggesting that Celts originated in Central Europe and spread to the Isles through invasion.
What is Classical Antiquity?
The period of cultural history comprising the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome.
What is La Tene culture?
A distinctive Iron Age culture known for its flowing art style, migrating westward with trade.
What is a carnyx?
An elongated bronze wind instrument used as a war trumpet among Celtic peoples.
What is a torc?
A distinctive metal neck ring worn by the elite in Iron Age European cultures, signifying high status.
Who were the Druids?
High-ranking spiritual and intellectual leaders among pre-Christian Celts, officiating ceremonies and preserving knowledge.
Who were the Bards?
Poets, musicians, and storytellers in Celtic society, maintaining cultural significance into the Christian Era.
What are Vates?
Spiritual authorities among some pre-Christian Celts, working under druids as seers and performers of sacrifices.
What is oral transmission?
The communication of knowledge and stories without written record, preferred by Druids according to Julius Caesar.
What is a pantheon?
The collection of deities in a particular religious tradition.
Who is The Dagda?
An important god in ancient Ireland, representing wisdom and magic.
Who is Sulis Minerva?
A composite Romano-Celtic goddess at Aquae Sulis, linking Celtic and Roman traditions.
What is a votive offering?
The ritual placement of an object as a gift to a deity, expressing a vow or thanksgiving.
What is a bog body?
A human cadaver preserved in a peat bog, some showing signs of ritual slaying, indicating possible human sacrifice.
Who is Joseph of Arimathea?
According to legend, he brought the Holy Grail to Glastonbury, introducing Christianity to Britain.
What are myths and legends?
Narratives that transmit meaning symbolically, often accepted as historical but not in the modern sense.
Who is Joseph of Arimathea in Arthurian legend?
According to Arthurian legend, Joseph of Arimathea was purported to have brought the Holy Grail to Glastonbury, thereby introducing Christianity to Britain. This story is not accepted as historical by modern scholars.
What are myths and legends?
Myths and legends are not historical narratives in the modern sense; rather, they transmit meaning symbolically and may contain elements of local history, beliefs, and practices.
What significant event occurred in 43 AD?
In 43 AD, Emperor Claudius joined his troops in Britain, establishing the Roman occupation that would last almost four centuries.
How did trade routes contribute to the spread of Christianity?
Trade along well-established routes provided the means for the spread of ideas, including Christian beliefs and practices, throughout and beyond the Roman Empire.
Which Roman emperors were known for Christian persecutions?
The harshest persecutions of Christians occurred under Emperor Decius in the mid-third century AD and Emperor Diocletian in the early fourth century.
What is a martyr in the early Christian church?
A martyr, from the Greek word for witness, was someone who was persecuted and put to death for advocating or refusing to renounce their Christian faith.
What does the term apostate mean?
Apostate refers to Christians who abandon their faith, often in the face of threat and persecution.
What was the Edict of Milan?
Issued in 313 AD, the Edict of Milan was an agreement spearheaded by Emperor Constantine I that made Christianity a legal religion in the Roman Empire, ending sporadic persecutions.
What did the Edict of Thessalonica establish?
Issued in 380 AD, the Edict of Thessalonica, spearheaded by Emperor Theodosius I, made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
What is monotheism?
Monotheism is the belief in and worship of a single deity.
What is monolatry?
Monolatry is the worship of only one deity while recognizing the existence of other gods.
What does Chi-Rho represent?
Chi-Rho are the first two letters in the Greek spelling of Christ and appears as the monogram of Christ in early Christian material culture.
How did Christianity likely arrive in the Isles?
Christianity most likely arrived in the Isles via Roman Gaul, where it was established by the second century.
Who was Tertullian?
Around the year 225, Tertullian, a North African theologian, wrote about the Gospel having reached Britain, marking the earliest extant reference to Christianity in the Isles.
What was the significance of the Council of Arles?
The Council of Arles, held in 314, provides the earliest mention of bishops and an organized Church in Britain.
What is notable about Lullingstone Roman Villa?
Lullingstone Roman Villa, dating from the fourth century, contained the earliest extant Christian paintings in the Isles.
What does the mosaic from Hinton St. Mary Roman Villa depict?
The figure in the great fourth-century mosaic roundel from Hinton St. Mary Roman Villa is commonly identified as Christ due to the Chi-Rho monogram behind his head.
What happened in 410 AD?
The final withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain took place in 410 AD.
Who was Gildas?
Gildas was a sixth-century British monk who wrote the important text On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain.
What does Sub-Roman Britain refer to?
Sub-Roman Britain refers to the transition period in Britain between the decline of the Roman Empire and the Early Medieval Period, dating from the mid-third century to the beginning of the sixth century.
Who is St. Alban?
St. Alban is popularly called the proto-martyr of Britain, traditionally believed to have lived in the third or fourth century.
Who was Bede?
Bede, often called the Venerable, was an eighth-century monk in Northumbria and the author of the Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Who was Pelagius?
Pelagius was a British monk and theologian whose teachings on grace and free will put him in conflict with St. Augustine of Hippo, leading to his condemnation as a heretic.
Who is St. Ninian?
St. Ninian is traditionally known as the founder of the important church at Whithorn in Galloway, although scholars debate his historical existence.
Who was Prosper of Aquitaine?
Prosper of Aquitaine was a fifth-century Christian native of Gaul whose Chronicle provides important information for dating Christianity in Ireland.
Who was Palladius?
Palladius was sent by Pope Celestine in 431 AD as the first Bishop to the Irish Christians, indicating existing Christian communities in Ireland.
Who was Germanus of Auxerre?
Germanus of Auxerre was a bishop who traveled to Britain around 429 to combat Pelagianism and is traditionally identified as a teacher of St. Patrick.
What is grace in Christian tradition?
Grace refers to the gifts that God bestows on humans for their salvation, emphasizing that humans cannot attain salvation without it.
How did slavery relate to the spread of Christianity?
Slavery was widespread in the ancient world, including the Roman Empire and the Celtic Isles, and the slave trade likely contributed to the spread of Christianity.
Who was St. Patrick?
St. Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian who journeyed to Ireland to preach the Gospel and is celebrated as the ‘Apostle of Ireland.’
What does mission mean in a Christian context?
Mission refers to the response by Christians to the scriptural command to proclaim the Gospel to the world.
What is Patrick’s Confessio?
Patrick’s Confessio is his declaration of God’s grace in his life, a defense of his mission in Ireland, and an expression of his theology.
What is Patrick’s Epistola?
Patrick’s Epistola is his earlier text, where he condemns the actions of a Pictish warlord who captured some of his recent converts.
Who were the Picts?
The Picts were Celtic-speaking people living in northern Scotland during the Iron Age and early Medieval period, with St. Ninian known as the Apostle to them.
