Christianity

110 flashcards by MentisLibrary

Scripture, creeds, and councils; the sacraments and how traditions understand them differently; and the history from Pentecost to Vatican II. Covers Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant teaching side by side.

How is the Christian Bible divided?
Into the Old Testament, largely shared with the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament, written by early Christians.
The four Gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the New Testament accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus.
The Synoptic Gospels
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which share much material and can be set side by side in parallel columns.
The Synoptic problem
The scholarly question of how the literary relationship among Matthew, Mark, and Luke is best explained.
Why is John's Gospel distinctive?
It shares little narrative material with the other three, uses long discourses rather than short sayings, and opens with a prologue about the Word.
Acts of the Apostles
The New Testament account of the early church after the resurrection, generally regarded as a continuation of Luke's Gospel.
The Pauline epistles
Letters attributed to the apostle Paul, including Romans, the Corinthian letters, Galatians, and Philippians.
The general epistles
New Testament letters not attributed to Paul, including James, the Petrine letters, the Johannine letters, and Jude.
The book of Revelation
The final book of the New Testament, an apocalyptic vision addressed to seven churches.
Canon, in scripture
The list of books a community accepts as authoritative scripture.
The Septuagint
The Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures made before the Christian era, widely used by early Christians.
The Vulgate
Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible, which became the standard text of the Western church for over a thousand years.
Deuterocanonical books
Books such as Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and the books of Maccabees, included in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles.
The King James Version
The English translation published in 1611 under James I, which shaped English religious language for centuries.
The incarnation
The Christian teaching that the eternal Son of God took on human nature in Jesus of Nazareth.
The Sermon on the Mount
The extended teaching in Matthew that includes the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and instruction on anger, prayer, and worry.
The Beatitudes
The series of blessings that opens the Sermon on the Mount, beginning with blessed are the poor in spirit.
Parable
A short story drawn from ordinary life used to convey a teaching, a form used extensively in the Gospels.
The Lord's Prayer
The prayer Jesus teaches his followers in Matthew and Luke, beginning with an address to God as Father.
The Great Commandment
The instruction to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind, and to love one's neighbor as oneself.
The Great Commission
The instruction at the close of Matthew to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them.
The passion
The events of Jesus's final days, including the Last Supper, arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
The resurrection
The central Christian claim that Jesus rose bodily from the dead on the third day.
The ascension
The account of Jesus being taken up into heaven forty days after the resurrection.
Pentecost
The occasion, fifty days after Easter, when Christians hold that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles.
The Trinity
The doctrine that God is one being in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The hypostatic union
The doctrine that Jesus Christ is one person with two natures, fully divine and fully human, without confusion or division.
The Council of Nicaea
The council of 325 that addressed the Arian controversy and affirmed that the Son is of the same substance as the Father.
Arianism
The fourth century position that the Son was created by the Father and therefore not co eternal with him.
The Council of Constantinople
The council of 381 that expanded the Nicene Creed, notably in its statement about the Holy Spirit.