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Page C.E. Common Era.
Another designation for dates. It replaces A.D. Hence, "I was born
in 1960 C.E."
Caesar A title used
for a Roman emperor from about 30 B.C. to 70 C.E., derived from the line of Julian.
There were several Caesars: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius I, and Nero.
The word then became the title to designate the Ruler of the Roman Empire.
References to Caesar in the Bible can be found in Matt. 22:17;
Luke 2:1; John 19:12;
Acts 25:11-12; etc. Calvary Calvary
is the site of the crucifixion of Jesus. The word derives from the translation
of word in calvaria in the Latin Vulgate. Calvary was know in the
New Testament as Golgotha which means "Place of the Skull" (Matt.
27:33). It was located outside the city of Jerusalem. Calvinism Calvinism
is a general approach to Christian theology advanced by a group of sixteenth-century
reformers, the most famous of whom was John Calvin. Originally, the Reformed tradition
was advanced by stallwarts such as Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and Peter
Martyr Vermigli and even influenced English reformers such as Thomas Cranmer and
John Jewel. However, because of Calvin's great influence, and due to confessional
and ecclesiastical debates throughout the seventeenth century, this Reformed movement
generally became known as Calvinism. Today, this term also refers to the doctrines
and practices of the Reformed churches, of which Calvin was an early leader. Though
it is often over-emphasized by its detractors, Calvinism is perhaps best known
for its doctrines of predestination and election.. Canon This is another word for
scripture. The Canon consists of the 39 books of the Hebrew Bible and the 27 books
of the New. The Canon is closed which means there is no more revelation to become
Scripture. Capital punishment The death
penalty. The execution of a prisoner for a capital crime. In the Bible,
capital punishment was the punishment for murder (Num. 35:16),
adultery (Lev. 20:10),
incest (Lev. 20:11), bestiality
(Lev. 20:15), homosexuality
(Num. 18:22),
etc. Today, there is a strong and growing body of
belief within most churches that capital punishment is contrary to the ethics
and teaching of Jesus. Capital sins
In Catholicism, the seven causes of all sin: pride, covetousness, lust, anger,
gluttony, envy, sloth Catholic Universal,
the entire Christian Church. Often applied to the Roman Catholic Church.
Actually, the word simply means universal. Causality The relationship between cause and
effect. The principle that all events have sufficient causes. Chakra In Yoga, an alleged focal point of energy in the human body
with its own frequency. It is a Hindi term. Supposedly, there are
seven chakras located in the head, throat, chest, abdomen, groin, etc. Chakras
are often utilized in New Age practices. See also, Aura. Channeling A new age practice where a person
goes into an altered state of consciousness and allows another spirit or entity
to enter him/her in order to communicate to us. According to New Age teaching,
this spirit or entity can be from another dimension, the spirit realm, or from
another part of the galaxy or universe. Charismatic Gifts The special spiritual gifts
given to the church. They are for edifying and building up the church. They are
mentioned in Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, and 1 Cor. 14: Word of
wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing
of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues. Charity An archaic
English form of the Greek word "agape" which means love. The King James
Version translated the Greek word for love as "charity." See 1
Cor. 13:8-13 in the KJV for examples of this. Cherub/Cherubim
A type of angel usually involved in sacred work before God. They are
generally described as winged creatures with feet and hands. The word(s)
occurs over 90 times in the Hebrew Bible and once in the New Testament at Heb.
9:5, "And above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat;
but of these things we cannot now speak in detail." Apparently, there
are different kinds of Cherubim. Two golden Cherubim are on the Mercy Seat
(Exodus 25:18).
They were put in Eden "to guard the way of the tree of life," (Gen. 3:24).
An interested description of them is given in Ezek. 1:5-11,13,14. Chiliasm Also known as millennialism. The belief that there is a future
1000 year reign of Christ where perfect peace will reign and the Lord Jesus will
be King on earth. Christ Christ
is a title. It is the N.T. equivalent of the O.T. term "messiah" and means "anointed
one." It is applied to Jesus as the anointed one who delivers from sin. As the
Christ He has three offices: Prophet, Priest, and King. As Prophet He is the mouthpiece
of God (Matt. 5:27-28) and
represents God to humanity. As Priest He represents humanity to God and restores
fellowship between them. As King He rules over His kingdom. For
more about Jesus. Christian The word "Christian" comes
from the Greek word christianos which is derived from the word christos,
or Christ, which means "anointed one." A Christian, then, is someone who is a
follower of Christ. The first use of the word "Christian" in the Bible is found
in Acts 11:26,
"And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." It is found
only twice more in Acts 26:28
and 1 Pet. 4:16. Christology The study or systematic
thinking about Christ (Jesus) as opposed to the more general study or reasoning
about God. Church The word is used in two
senses: the visible and the invisible church. The visible church consists of all
the people that claim to be Christians and are part of organized Christianity.
The invisible church is the actual body of Christians; those who actually live
in keeping with the life, teachiing, and spirit of Jesus, whether they are part
of the visible church or not. Circumcision An operation (note the shedding
of blood) that entered one into the covenant in O.T. times. It was instituted
by God (Gen. 17:10-14) and
performed on the eighth day after birth (Luke 1:59).
It was a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham (Gen. 17:12; Rom. 4:11).
In the N.T. the physical operation is not practiced. Instead, a circumcision of
the heart of the Christian is taught (Rom. 2:29; Col. 2:11-12). This
is the true circumcision (Rom. 2:29). Cities of refuge
Six cities that were designated by Moses at the command of God as locations to
which Israelites could flee in order to be safe from retribution of other Israelites
for offenses committed against others. Num. 35:9-16
gives a description of their purpose. In that culture the responsibility
of retribution against a family member who had been killed or seriously injured
rested on the "goel," the next of kin. The person was required to stay in
the city until the death of the High Priest of that city (Num. 35:25-28).
Then he was free to return to his home and retribution was not allowed upon him.
Note they typology here. When the high priest dies, the offender is set
free. In other words, when Jesus our High Priest died on the cross, we sinners
were set free from sin. Clergy Clergy are
the body of people ordained to perform religious tasks. Laity are those
who are members of a religion but not of the clergy. Codex An early book form made from papyri
leaves cut, folded, and sewn together in the middle to make a book. First used
in the 2nd century. Common
Grace The grace of God given to
the creation as a whole. God still allows the sun to shine upon the unsaved. God
feeds them, allows them to work, and have joy. It is in special grace that salvation
is given to the Christians. Communicatio idiomatum
The Lutheran position that the union of the human and divine natures in the
body of Christ involves the sharing of the humanity with some aspects of the divine
nature. Communion The Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-30;
Mark 14:22-26;
Luke 22:14-20;
1 Cor. 1:23-26).
It is the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42,46) and
a time to give thanks (Luke 22:17,19).
It was originally instituted by Jesus (Matt. 26:26-29)
on the night of the Passover meal which was an annual occurrence celebrating the
"passing over" of the angel of death that claimed the firstborn of every house
in Egypt (Exodus 12). The
Lord's Supper, or communion, replaces the Passover meal with the "body and blood"
(Mark 14:22-24)
of Jesus. It is to be taken only by believers (1 Cor. 11:23-28).
For more about communion. Conditional immortality
The view that immortality is given only to those Christians who believe in
Christ. Confession The
act of disclosing one's sins. Confessional
In Catholicism, a small compartment where the priest hears the confessed sins
of a sinner. Confirmation
A ceremony, most often conducted in denominations that practice infant baptism,
in which the declarations of faith made on behalf of the infant, are reaffirmed
by the nearly adult child. This is a crucial "coming of age ceremony on many
churches. In some churches it is associated with one's "first communion." Congregation A
gathering of people, usually of believers, in a common religious faith. Consubstantiation It means an inclusion of one substance in another
where the body and blood of Christ co-exist in the elements of the Eucharist.
It suggests that a third substance is formed. The body and blood of Christ
are "in, with, and under" the elements. There is no permanent relationship
with the elements. Instead, the association is limited to the sacramental
action. Contrition
Extreme sorrow for having sinned with a deep repentance concerning that sin. Conversion Turning from evil to God.
God converts (Acts 21:19)
the unsaved into the saved, from the unregenerate to the regenerate. It is produced
through the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 10:14; 1 Cor. 15:1-4) and
results in repentance (Acts 26:20)
and a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). The
fruits of conversion are listed in Gal. 5:22-23. Conviction The work of the Holy Spirit where a person is able to see him
or herself, as it were, throught God's eyes as a "sinner saved by grace."
Conviction is produced by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), the
Gospel (Acts 2:37),
the conscience (Rom. 2:15), and the
Law (James 2:9).
Coptic The Afro-Asiatic language of the
Copts, which survives only as a liturgical language of the Coptic Church. Corban An offering
dedicated to God. It is referenced in Mark 7:11 and
is alluded to in Lev. 1:2. Cosmological argument An attempt to prove that
God exists by appealing to the principle that all things have causes. There
cannot be an infinite regress of causes, therefore, there must be an uncaused
cause: God. Cosmology The study of the origin and structure
of the universe. Covenant An agreement between two
parties. The agreement, according to Ancient Near East custom, consists of five
parts: 1) Identification of parties, 2) Historical prologue where the deeds establishing
the worthiness of the dominant party is established, 3) Conditions of the agreement,
4) Rewards and punishments in regard to keeping the conditions, and 5) Disposition
of the documents where each party receives a copy of the agreement (e.g. the two
tablets of stone of the 10 Commandments). Ultimately,
the covenants God has made with humanity result in our benefit. We receive eternal
blessings from the covenant of grace. (For further study see Gen. 2:16-17; 9:1-17; 15:18; Gen. 26:3-5;
Gal. 3:16-18; Luke 1:68-79;
Heb. 13:20). Covenant
Theology A system of theology that
views God's dealings with humanity in respect of covenants rather than dispensations
(periods of time). It represents the whole of scripture as covenantal in structure
and theme. Some believe there is one Covenant and others believe two and
still others believe in more. Creation Everything that exists except
God. This includes material as well as immaterial things and time. God is the
creator, (Heb. 11:3) we
are the creatures. Creationism A
reactionary view that arose during the late twentieth century among those who
see a conflict between the theory of evolution and belief in God as Creator. So
called, "young earth creationists" generally believe that God created
the Universe, the earth, and living things on the earth and that the Hebrew Bible
literally describes six, 24 hour periods. Therefore, they maintain that
the universe is, more or less, anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 years old.
Old earth creationists still maintain that the universe, the earth, and all living
things were created by God, but that the Universe is very old. On the other
hand, a growing number of Christians understand that the theory of evolution and
God's standing as Creator are not in conflict. For further study see: The
Christian case for evolution. Cross As relates to
Christianity, it is the instrument of crucifixion. It is a single vertical
stake with a cross member near or at the top by which a person is either nailed
and/or tied with outstretched arms. It
is one of the central symbols of Christianity. Cult The word cult is a derogatory
term used to express disapproval or those who hold beliefs other than one's own.
More genarally, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small
and new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding
culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream Damnation The
righteous judgment of God upon those who have acted consciously and systematically
in ways that are contrary to the love and justice of God. Deacons Biblically,
this designates a servant in the church but not someone who is a slave since the
latter refers to a slave/master relationship. It has become an office of
the church where individuals are designated to help in the ministry, sometimes
serving communion, sometimes by taking care of such needs as church welfare, feeding
the homeless, taking care of the sick in the church, etc. It comes from
the Greek word diakonos and is translated as "servant" in John 6:25; 12:26, "minister"
in Rom. 13:4. Death The word "death" is used
in two main ways in the Bible. First, it is used to describe the cessation of
life. Second, death is used in reference to the lost. This refers to their eternal
separation from God as a result of sin (Isaiah 59:2),
in a conscious state of damnation without hope (1 Thess. 4:13;
Rev. 20:10,14,15).
Death to humans is unnatural. When God created Adam and Eve, death was not part
of the created order. It was not until they sinned that death entered the scene
(Rom. 5:12; 6:23). Death will
be destroyed when Christ returns and the believers receive their resurrected bodies.
Decalogue The Ten Commandments found in
Exodus 20. Deca
means ten in Latin. Logue comes from "logos" which means "word." Deduction A system of logic, inference and
conclusion drawn from examination of facts. Conclusions drawn from the general
down to the specific. Depravity Moral
corruption, a state of corruption or sinfulness. Total depravity is the teaching
that sin has touched all aspects of the human: body, soul, spirit, emotions, mind,
etc. Deism The belief that God exists
but is not involved in the world. It maintains that God created all things and
set the universe in motion and is no longer involved in its operation. (Compare
to Atheism, Agnosticism, and Theism.) Deity That quality
possessed by God alone that distinguishes God from every other thing. It
is the essential nature that makes God divine. Demon
A fallen angel that assists Satan in the opposition
of God. Demons are evil (Luke 10:17,18),
powerful (Luke 8:29),
and under the power of Satan (Matt. 12:24-30).
They recognized Christ (Mark 1:23,24)
and can possess non-Christians (Matt. 8:29).
Deontology The study of moral obligation. Determinism The teaching that every event
in the universe is caused and controlled by natural law; that there is no
free will in humans and that all events are merely the result of natural and physical
laws. Devil
Greek is
"diabolos," which means accuser. The greatest of all the fallen angels.
He opposes God and is completely evil. He is often called Lucifer which
is a Latin translation of "light bearer" found in Isaiah
14:12, and also the accuser of the brethren in (Rev. 12:10), dragon
(Rev. 12:9), the
devil (Matt. 4:1), the tempter
(Matt. 4:3), the accuser
(Rev. 12:10), the
prince of demons (Luke 11:15),
the ruler of this world (John 12:31),
See Isaiah 14:12-15
for a description of the fall of the devil. Dialectic The practice of examining ideas
and beliefs using reason and logic. It is often accomplished by question
and answer. Diaspora Dispersion.
Biblically, it refers to the dispersion of the Jews outside of Israel from the
time of the Babylonian Captivity until now. It has also been applied to
the dispersion of Christians after 70 C.E. when Rome sacked Jerusalem and thousands
of Christians fled and dispersed throughout the Mediterranean area. Dichotomy
The teaching that a human consists of two parts:
body and soul. Sometimes the soul is also referred to as spirit. (See Trichotomy) Didache From the
Greek "didoskolos" meaning "teacher." The Didache (pronounced did-a-kay).
It was possibly written around 65-80 C.E. and is supposed to be what the twelve
apostles taught to the Gentiles concerning life and death, church order, fasting,
baptism, prayer, etc. There is debate as to its authenticity. The
work is cited by Eusebius who lived from 260-341 and Athanasius (293-373).
Didactics The branch of education
dealing with teaching. Diocese
In Catholicism, an area of many parishes presided over by a bishop. Disciple A pupil or follower of a
religion, a person, or a movement. As Christians we are to be disciples of Jesus
(Luke 14:26,27).
We follow in the teaching and example of what He said and did. A disciple is a
convert but not all converts are disciples. As disciples we are to bear our cross
daily (Matt. 16:24).
This means to live and die for Him if necessary (Matt. 16:25). Dispensation,
dispensationalism
In the Scofield Reference Bible a dispensation is "a period of time during which
humanity is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the
will of God" Dispensationalism says that God uses different means of administering
His will and grace to His people. These different means coincide with different
periods of time. Scofield says there are seven dispensations: of innocence, of
conscience, of civil government, of promise, of law, of grace, and of the kingdom.
Dispensationalists interpret the scriptures in light of these (or other perceived)
dispensations. Divination The
practice of predicting the future and/or securing for a person the services of
supernatural powers. It is also used as a means to gain knowledge.
Divinity The nature or quality of
being God. It belongs to God alone. Jesus was divine in nature (Col. 2:9) as well as
being human. Docetism Docetism was a view of the nature
of Christ condemned as heresy by the early church. Generally, it taught that Jesus
only appeared to have a body, that he was not fully human, (Greek, "dokeo" = "to
seem"). This error developed out of the dualistic philosophy which viewed matter
as inherently evil, that God could not be associated with matter, and that God,
being perfect and infinite, could not suffer. Doctrine
A set of accepted beliefs held by a group. In religion, it is the set of
beliefs that define the parameters of that belief system. Hence, there is true
doctrine and false doctrine relative to each belief set. In Christianity,
for example, a true biblical doctrine is that there is only one God (Isaiah
43:10; 44:6,8).
A false doctrine is that there is more than one. Dogma A generally held set of formulated
beliefs. Donatism Donatism was the idea taught by
Donatus, bishop of Casae Nigrae that the effectiveness of the sacraments depends
on the moral character of the minister. In other words, if a minister who was
involved in a serious enough sin were to baptize a person, that baptism would
be considered invalid. Dowsing A form of
divination using a forked rod or bent wire often
used to find objects, people, or things. A person holds the dowsing instrument
and is "lead" around by it until the object is, allegedly, found. Dualism In theology,
the concept that the world is controlled by two opposing forces, i.e., good and
bad, God and Satan. In Philosophy the idea that the world consists of two main
components: thought and matter. Return
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