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History o the Church
Vocabulary words for Didache History of the Church
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Apostle | Greek "apostolos" meaning "to send away" or "one who is sent" |
Bishop | A sucessor of the apostles who have received the fullness of Christ's priesthood |
Church | "thing belonging to the Lord" asssembly, or congregation. Catholic Church was founded by Jesus and enjoys the presence of his guiding spirit |
Council | An authorized gathering of bishops, guided by the holy spirit,to discuss ecclesiastical matters to pass decrees on the themes under discussion |
Deposit of Faith | The heritage of faith: Holy scriptures and tradition handed down by the Apostles |
Pentecost | the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles 50 days after the Resurrection |
People of God | those "born" into the Church through faith and baptism. |
Agape | literally "love", the earliest christian religious meal that was at first closely related to the eucharistic celebration and often preceeded it |
Apocryphal | non genuine scripture |
Apostolic father | Saintly writers of the early church |
Apostolic tradition | the passing of the faith of the apostles from generation to generation |
Catechumens | "the instructed", those adults seeking admission into the Church after having met a period of instruction before baptism |
The Didache | a 1st cent treatise concerning christian morals, practices, and ministry. |
Ichthys | A declaration of the faith meaning "Jesus Christ, Son of God, SAviour" spells the word "fish" in greek |
Monotheism | beleive in One true God |
Presbyter | from the word for "priest" the early Church's elders |
Synod | assembly of ecclesiastics gathered together under Church authority to discuss and decide on matters pertaining to doctrine, liturgy, or discipline |
Ad Metalla | literally, "to the mines" It refers to the punishment and death given many christians during the Roman persecutions |
Apostasy | The willful renunciation of the faith in its entirety |
Apostate | A person who denies the faith altogether |
Domus Aurea | Latin for "House of Gold". It refers to the palace built at the center of Rome after the fire during Nero's reign. |
Heretic | A person who denies one or more doctrines of the faith |
Insulae | tenements for middle and lower class Romans constructed of wood and rubble |
Tetrarchy | Emperor Diocletian's division of the Roman Empire into 4 seperate administrative districts, each with its own Caesar |
Trajan's Rescript | Policy for handling Christians in the Roman Empire which stated that Christians who renounced their faith and offered sacrafice would be allowed to live. THose who did not would suffer death. |
Vox Populi | Latin for "Voice of the people". The early Church was often more threated by these unconverted commoners in any given area than the state |
Allah | arabic word for God |
Cenobitical life | More common form of monasticism, called the common life, that is monastic life lived in community |
Diocese | A territorial division of the Church, adapted from the Roman Empire |
Ecumenical Patriarch | Title adopted by the patriarch of Constantinople |
The Hajj | Pilgramage to Mecca required of all Muslim faithful once during their lifetime |
The Hejira | Arabic for "flight". The flight of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina on Friday, July 16, 622. Marks year 1 in Islamic calander |
Hermit | Derived from Greek word "erimia" meaning "desert". Also known as eremitical life. |
Huns | Powerful nomadic people of unknown ethnic origin who invaded Europe ca. 375 |
Jihad | Holy war waged by Muslims in the name of religion. Muslim men who die in it are beleived to go straight to Heaven. |
Jizya | Tax placed upon Jews and Christians under Muslim rule. It allowed them to keep their religious laws, and right to freely worship |
Kaaba | Arabic for "square building", this large black stone is the main focus of the pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim is required to take at least once in his lifetime. Housed inside a large house that Muslims beleive Abraham built, they reinact Ms flight |
Koran | Arabic for "recitation", this is the Holy book of Islam, written by Muhammed, and containing all of the writings that Muhammad claimed he was told by the archangel Gabriel. |
Laus Dei | Latin for "praise of God", in Benedictine life it refered to the four hours of the day spent in communal prayer. Alternatively called "Opus Dei" |
Lectio Divina | Reading and meditation on scripture |
Nuncio | Personal ambassador of the Pope |
Ramadan | The holy month of Islam beleived to be the time when the koran was given to Muhammad. Celebrated in the ninth lunar month of each year, a strict fast is observed from sunrise to sunset. |
Scriptorium | Large room in a monastery dedicated to the copying and maintaining of texts. |
Servus servorum Dei | latin "Servant of the servants of God" the title adopted by Pope St. Gregory the Great |
The Shahada | The first pillar and creed statement of Islam: "there is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his prophet" |
Boniface | Latin for "doer of good" and the name given to St. Boniface, the missionary to Germany who set the stage for a radical reshaping of the heart of Europe |
Canterbury | The most important episcopal see in England in the sixth century and the site of St. Augustine's mission to England |
Glagolithic Script | Based on the Greek alphabet, it was developed by St. Cyril to aid his mission to the Slavic peoples. |
Mozarabes | Spanish people who chose to live under Arab rule after the Muslim invasion of Spain in 711. |
Pallium | A sacred vestment symbolic of the fullness of Episcopal authority, worn by popes and archbishops. It is circular, one inch in width with six small crosses. |
Patrons of Europe | Title given by Pope John Paul II in 1980 to Sts. Cyril and Methodius were responsible for the conversions of all of Moravia and other Slavic territories. They used slavic in the liturgy and translated the Bible into Slavic to reach more people |
Venerable | this title refers either to a particular state in the process of canonization or to a person's holy life, as in the case of St. Bede. |
Wata | "Oak of Thor," the sacred tree of the pagans of Hesse cut down by St. Boniface. |
Caesaropapism | System in which the temporal ruler extends his own powers to ecclesiastical and theological matters; lay investiture |
Codex Justinianus | Compiled under Emperor Justinian I, the collection & systemization of all Roman law put together for the purpose of legal uniformity throughout the empire. Basis for canon law as well as the civil law throughout Europe. |
Council of Hiereia | A local council convened by Constantine V to condemn the use of icons |
Dulia and Latria | Two types of adoration whose distinction was drawn at the seventh Council of Nicea. Acts of respect and honor are called dulia, but God alone receives Latria |
Filioque | Latin meaning "and the Sin," this was first added at the Third Council of Toledo to the Nicene-Constantinople Creed to clarify that the Holy Spirit proceeded from both the Father and the Son. Later, the leaders of the East refused it |
Great Schism | The final split brwn the eastern and western Churches in the year 1054 |
Hagia Sophia | Most famous example of Byzantine architecture, it was built under Justinian I and is considered close to perfect |
Iconoclasm | thoughts or deeds of an iconoclast. Refers to periods in history when a large number of iconoclasts were present |
Iconoclast | From the Greek word "eikonoklastes" meaning "image breaker", saw icons as occasions of idolatry. Condemned at the 2nd council of Nicea in 787. |
Iconphile | Greek for "lover of icons" |
Monophysitism | heresy claiming that there is only one nature in Christ and that His human nature is "incorporated" into the Divine Nature |
Papal States | Lands around Rome, Italy, won by Pepin on behalf and given to the papacy, making the pope a sovereign as well as spiritual leader. The Papal States were ruled by the pope from 754 to 1870 |