Theology test 2
Patriarch
(1) an early father of a people or male founder of a group (Abraham, Issac and Jacob) (2) bishop of one of the leading seats of early Christianity: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, through the title has since been extended to bishops of other important churches as well.
Dualism
(1) in gnosticism, a way of looking at reality as divided between two hostile divine powers, one representing good and the other evil (2) a way of looking at reality in terms of polar opposites (belief/unbelief; darkness/light; truth/faslehood)
Great Schism
(1) the serving of a relationships in A.D. 1054 between the pope and the patriarch of Constantinople (2) the split within the roman catholic church from A.D. 1378 to 1417 when European Catholicism was evenly divided between the competing claims of two different popes.
Penance
(1)actions that show repentance for sin (praying, fasting, giving alms) (2) the sacrament of forgiveness of sin
Constantinople
A major city in what is modern-day Turkey; formerly the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, founded by Constantine
Monasticim
A rule and way of life for christian men or women dedicate to holiness by separating from existing society, either by withdrawing into an unpopulated area or by living within a walled enclosure)
Mosque
Arabic term meaning "place of prostration" or "place of prayer" Ordinarily, mosques have an open spae where the daily prayer is performed. On one wall is a niche that indicates the direction to Mecca.
Monica
Augustines Mother
Hesychia
Meaning "inner stillness" or "silence of the heart" the term is used by Eastern Orthodox Christians to describe this state of deep meditation
Orthodoxy
Orthodox Christians consider themselves to a be a single church in the sense that they share a single faith and the same Byzantine liturgical, canonical, and spiritual heritage.
Constantine
The first Christian emperor of Rome. He paved the way for the establishment of Christianity as the sole legal religion in the Roman Empire and began the practice of calling ecumenical councils to resolve urgent issues affecting the whole church
Salah (prayer)
The second pillar of Islam, "prayer," which obliges Muslims to perform a series of ritual actions five times in each 24 hour period namely at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and nightfall.
sawn (fasting)
The third pillar of Islam, "fasting," which requires Muslims who are healthy and of age to abstain from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.
cathedral
a bishop's church. It gets its name from the bishop's chair his Cathedra which is the symbol of his teaching authority.
Sacramentary
a book containing the prayers needed by a priest to celebrate the Eucharist and sometimes other sacraments
Donatism
a group of christians (primarily in North Africa) that split from the main body of the church in the fourth century A.D. in a dispute over whether priests or bishops who collaborated with Roman persecutors of Christianity could retain their offices or administer the sacraments. Dentists maintained that clergy needed to be free from any serious sin to administer the sacraments validly. They were vigorously opposed by Augustine.
interdict
a kind of "strike" in which the church shuts down the sacramental system (Eucharist, baptism, Penance, etc) It was used in the medieval period by popes who wished to discipline civil leaders (kings, princes, etc)
nominalism
a late medieval philosophical movement that addresses issues of human knowledge. It argues that knowledge can be derived only from experience of individual things. Universals such as humanity or truth do not really exist
inquisition
a legal body set up to investigate and punish heretics. Although the Inquisition itself was usually under the jurisdiction of church officials, vivil leaders were often called upon to execute whatever punishment was assigned
Catherine of Siena
a mystic of the late medieval period, she was a Dominican tertiary and was influential in bringing an end to the Avignon Papacy, only to see it affected by the Great Schism. Catherine's prayer life had led her into a vision of mystical marriage to Christ. Her visions often were of the nourishing and cleansing blood of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross
icon
a painted image of Christ, his mother, angels, or saints. This religious art form is usually associated with Eastern Christianity
Penitent
a person who is denied communion because of serious sin such as murder, adultery, or apostasy and who is doing penance for that sin
purgatory
a place or state following death in which sinners destined for heaven undergo the punishment still remaining for forgiven sins and thereby are "purged" or made ready for heaven.
indulgences
a practice popular in the medieval church in which the church would cancel all or part o the penance (punishment) due to an individual who has sinned, when the individual had completed certain devotions, acts of charity, or services for the church as substitutes.
Gregorain Chant
a repertoire of music consisting of chants used in the city of Rome together with native chants of the Frankish churches mandated by Charlemagne to be used as church music throughout the empire
Creed
a short summary of belief; the earliest creeds originated as teaching instruments to prepare catechumens for Baptism, they later became formal instruments by which churches defined themselves
mysticism
a spriitual phenomenon that expresses itself in direct, intense experiences of union and oneness with God. Generally, the mystical journey consists of three phases: purgation (cleaning from sin). illumination (an attraction to all the things of God) and union (the state of oneness with God)
Manichees
a strongly dualistic religion deriving its name from Mani, a third century A.D. Prophet and visionary. Like the gnostics before them they believed in a dualism of evil matter and good spirit. They taught that people could liberate spirit from matter through the strict practice of asceticism
Basilica
a style of Christian church architecture, distinguished from other churches by its adaptation of the standard rectangular layout of royal audience halls and public buildings in Roman cities. The Christian version of a basilic was conceived as an audience hall for Christ, the heavenly king.
Transubstantiation
a teaching about how the bread and wine of the Eucharist become the body
orthodox
a term formed from two Greek words meaning "right praise" or "right opinion." Orthodox Christians consider themselves to be a single church in the sense they share a single faith and the same Byzantine liturgical, canonical, and spiritual heritage.
Christendom
a term that modern historians have given to the thorough merging of Christianity and culture, which took place in Europe during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries also known as the High middle ages
Pagan
a term used (especially in roman times) to describe those persons who are neither Christians nor Jews
sacraments
a term used to describe certain religious practices and objects that are similar to sacraments in the fact that they have tangible qualities (water, oil, the rosary, etc) which when properly performed for recipient disposed to its action, becomes the means of transmitting the grace of God. Traditionally, it has been defined as an outward sign instituted by Christ.
Trinity
a theological term used to describe the relations of the three "persons" The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. ( at Nicaea and Constaniople the dogma of the Trinity affirms that the three persons are coeternal and share equally in the same divine nature.
Conciliarism
a theory of the church authority advanced by certain theologians and bishops of the Roman Catholic Church intended to resolve the Great Schism of Papacy. According to this theory the bishops when they were gathered together in an official council in time of crisis had the right to make binding decisions independent of the Pope
memoria
a type of church building built to honor the tomb of a saint or martyr or holy site.
Julian of Norwich
an English Mystic of the Late Middle Ages; author of Showings, which includes a series of visions she reviewed during a brief illness and her theological reflections on those mystical experiences. She also reflects on the motherhood of Christ, the meaning of sin and the question of why God allows sin and evil to exist
Council of Nicaea
an ecumenical council held in 325 which maintained the true divinity of the son Jesus Christ against the teaching of Arius
Council of Constantinople
an ecumenical council held in 381 that affirm anted the Nicene Creed and added classes about the co-equal divinity of the Holy Spirit
Council of Ephesus
an ecumenical council held in 431 that taught that Mary, the mother of Jesus, should be venerated The Mother of God. This safeguards the unity of Jesus Christ as one human-divine person
Council of Chalcedon
an ecumenical council held in 451, which considered the question of Christ's human and divine natures and taught that the incarnate Jesus Christ possessed a complete human nature and a complete divine nature united in one person.
Doctor of the Church
an honor reserved for those whose teaching and scholarship have reflected Catholic Christian beliefs and been important in the lives and faith of others
Ambrose of Milan
bishop and former provincial governor whose sermons inspired Augustine to take Christianity seriously
gnostic
claimed to have access to special knowledge known to them alone and by which they could be saved. They believed that there were two gods: one was the supreme godhead of the divine realm (good) and who was unknown until Jesus came to reveal him; the other creator of the physical universe (evil) who they equated the God of the old testament. Believed they belonged to the divine realm and their goal was to return there unharmed by this physical world
Jihad
considered by some Muslims to be a sixth pillar of faith, it involves inner striving to purify oneself of the forces of evil and to follow the way of Allah. A jihad might also consist of corporate to purify the Islamic community of anti-Islamic features or warfare to defend Islamic land or spread.
Concubinage
during the early medieval period, the practice among some clergy of maintaining concubines in a relationship something like marriage
alienation of property
during the early medieval period, the practice of deeding the church goods as the private inheritance of bishops' or priests' children
lay investiture
during the early midieval period, secular rulers (emperors, kings, nobility) took upon themselves the right to appoint bishops, abbots, and other church officials; the right of appointment was expressed ritually in the ceremony in which secular ruler "invested" the official with the spiritual symbols of his office
Heresy
false teaching, or teaching that goes against orthodoxy (correct teaching) in the eyes of the church.
Docetism
from a Greek word meaning "to seem" or "to appear to be". The belief of some early Christians that Jesus Christ did not really become flesh but only seemed to have a body. In reality he was a spiritual being who could not suffer or die.
mendicants
from a latin word "begging" a type of religious order that emerged in the High Middle Ages. Unlike monks the mendicants lived in towns and cities begged for their livelihood and performed whatever ministry needed to be done.
episcopacy
government by bishops
Baptistery
in the early church a Christian building used for Baptism, later a place in the church set aside for Baptism.
feudal system
in the early medieval period the organization of society on the basis of bonds o personal loyalty between a lord and his vassal, based on mutual dies and benefits. Feudalism provided security and protection at a time when central political authority was weak. Wealthy landlords deeded large tracts of land to vassals who in return agreed to provide certain services like military assistance for the landlords. The vassals in turn required serfs or peasants to work the land
Crusades
in the narrow sense, a series of military campaigns from Christian Europe, between A.D 1095-1291. aimed at recapturing the Holy Land (Palestine and Syria) and protecting the Eastern Byzantine Empire from Turkish Muslim encroachment (Directed against other internal and external enemies of Christendom)
Madrasa
literally "a place of study" A traditional Muslim school of advanced study of the Qur'an and other subjects
Summa Theologiae
literally meaning a "summary or compendium of theology." Most famous Summa was written by Thomas Aquinas
filioque
meaning "and the Son," the term refers to a phrase Western Chrsitians centuries later added to the Nicene Creed without the approval of Eastern Christians: "We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son." Orthodox Christians opposed the addition because they believe the Father is the sole source of being in the Triinty and because it was added without their consent.
Adeotatus
meaning "gift of God" the son of Augustine of Hippo born of Augustine's relationship with a concubine whose name we do not know
Shi'a
meaning "partisans of Ali," Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law. This Muslim group arose soon after the death of Muhammad, as a consequence of dispute over how the position of caliph (muslim ruler) ought to be filled. Today, it continues to be a minority groups within the Islamic faith.
Islam
meaning "submission" to the one God. One of the three major religions that trace their roots back to Abraham. A person who practices Islam is called dMuslim, that is, one who has submitted to God
Sunni
meaning "those who followed the example or custom of Muhammad." In the dispute concerning who was qualified to assume the position of the leader of the Muslim community, this group argued that it should be someone who best exemplified Muhammad's thought and way of life, rather than someone who was related to Muhammad by blood. Today it is the main body of Islamic faith. (85%)
catholic
meaning "universal". The term Catholic is also used in restrictive sense to refer to a tradition within Christianity namely the Roman Catholic Church or to describe the churches that claim a continuity of leadership that goes back to the early Christian churches (eastern orthodox christians, anglicans, and episcopalians)
ecumenical
meaning "worldwide" (1) term applied to a general council or synod of church leaders supposedly attended by representatives of Christians throughout the world (2) term applied to efforts designed to bring unity and cooperation between divided Christian churches or between Christians and non Christians
scholasticism
medieval theology that took the truths uncovered by philosophers like Aristotle and showed how they were compatible with Christianity. In general, scholastic theology, so called because of its setting in medieval schools and the new universities, tried to harmonize faith with reason
Mecca
one of the most holy cities in Islam. It is the location of the Ka'ba or pilgramage site where Muslims go to commerorate the key events from the founding era of Islam and from the time of Abraham. (also place of birth of Muhammad)
Haj
pilgrimage to Mecca. The fifth pillar of Islam is pilgrimage to Mecca, an obligation for Muslims whose resources and personal circumstances allow
papal primacy
referring to the pope's status as first among the other bishops. In Roman Catholic teaching the pope's primacy gives him jurisdiction over the universal church. In Eastern Orthodox teaching his primacy is only honorary and not jurisdictional
Papacy
referring to the reign of a pope or the office of popes in general
Hadith
reports concerning the savings and deeds of Muhammad six major collections of which were compiled during the firs 300 years of Islamic History. Second importance after the Qur'an
Martyr
someone who, under persecution, dies rather than give up their faith
Shari'a
the Islamic law code that is based upon the Qur'an and the sunna, or way of the prophet, together with human reason and community consensus
Relics
the bodily remains of martyrs or other saints
simony
the buying and selling of spiritual things, including church leadership positions
Muhammad
the first leader and greatest prophet of Islam. According to Muslim tradition the one god Allah sent the angel Gabriel to deliver messages to Muhammad to be recited aloud as guidance to the followers. The revelations were later collected and recored in the Islamic scriptures aka Qur'an
Shahada (faith)
the first pillar of Islam, "faith, the profession of faith: "threes is no god but God and Muhammad is the Prophet of God"
Zakat (almsgiving)
the fourth pillar of Islam, almsgiving, which obliges Muslims to give of their wealth, whether it be great or small, to sustain those in need.
predestination
the idea that God has chosen in advance that certain events will come to pass
Allah
the muslim word for god
Doctrine
the official teachings or principles of a religion
Nepotism
the practice of allowing dispensations from church law for the advancement of one's relatives
Roman Rite
the primary form of liturgy for the Roman Catholic Church, which was standardized by Charlemagne in the second half of the eighth century. Some of its prayers are thought to have been composed by Pope Gregory I.
canonization
the process by which the church designates certain persons as saints and therefor models of the Christian life; also the process by which the canon of the Bible took shape.
Qur'an
the sacred writings of Islam. The Qur'an consists of the revelations that angle Gabriel delivered to Muhammad from the one God Allah, for guidance of the followers.
Romanesque Architecture
the style pf buildings developed during the Carolingian and Ottoman dynasties of early medieval Europe. The structures featured stone vaulted ceilings, heavy walls and piers, and a small openings for light, creating a fortress-like impression
asceticism
the training or discipline of the passions and appetites (e.g. abstaining from food and sexual activity denying the body comfort). In the case of hermits and monks, the practice was designed to foster spiritual development.
Augustine
theologian and bishop of Hippo; his conversion is described in the autobiographical work Confessions best known for his opposition to Donates and Plagiarism, his theological doctrines of grace, original sin, and predestination and his solution to the problem of evil
Fourth Lateran Council
urged reform of the clergy and defined the dogma of transubstantiation concerning the real presence of Christ in Eucharist
