| A | B |
|---|
| Jesus | The man born in Bethlehem about 6-4bce who Christians believe is the Son of God become human and the messiah |
| Christianity | the religion founded on belief in Jesus, many denominations of which exist today |
| Jesus of History | the historical human, Jesus of Nazareth |
| Christ of Faith | Christians' affirmations about Jesus as the son of god become human and as the messiah, and his effect on their lives |
| Apostle | One of twelve members of Jesus' inner circle of followers |
| Parable | a short story that highlights an attitude or principle used by Jesus in his teachings |
| Pentecost | for Christians, the religious feast recalling the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus fifty days after Easter |
| Doctrine | basic religious beliefs |
| Sect | a group adhering to a distinctive doctrine or to a leader; a small group of people within a given religion who hold beliefs or practices which are considerered unconventional |
| Edict of Milan | the decree of constantine in 313 granting religious freedom in the Roman Empire |
| Testament | a covenant between God and humankind |
| Old Testament | the name given to the Hebrew Bible by Christians |
| Old Testament | 39 books sacred to Judaism and accepted by all Christians |
| Apocrypha | 15 books or parts of the Old Testament considered canonical by some Christian groups and noncanonical by others |
| New Testament | the Christian Scriptures; accounts of Jesus' life and teachings and the beginniing of the Christian Church, letters from early church leaders, and an apocalyptic book |
| Apocalyptic | a kind of writing which uses many symbols and images to talk about the endtime, and often a present or coming event |
| Creed | a statement of a community's essential beliefs; some Christian churches have creeds, while some are noncreedal |
| Incarnation | the divine "takes on flesh," the divine becomes human; in Christianity, the second person of the Trinnity became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth |
| Trinity | the belief held by most Christians that God is one in essence but three in person-Father, Son and Holy Spirit |
| Beatitudes | a list of attitudes and actions that Jesus taught as good; Part of the Sermon on the Mount which serve as guidelines for Christian living, a kind of "prescription for happiness" |
| Communion | the sharing of sacramental bread and wine as part of a christian church service, commemorating or reenacting Jesus' last supper with his friends before he died |
| Communion | Sometimes called the Lord's Supper or the Eurcharist |
| Baptism | The rite or ceremony b which people enter into the Christian faith |
| Christmas | The Christian feast celebrating the incarnation of the Son of God, the birth of Jesus; celebrated on December 25 |
| Easter | The Christian celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead; |
| Easter | Scheduled according to the lunar calendar in the spring |
| Schism | Split within a religion over disputed beliefs or practices |
| Great Schism | The split in Christianity between the eastern and western branches |
| Filioque | a Latin word meaning "and the Son," added to the Nicene Creed in western Christianity |
| Filioque | One reason for the controversy between Christianity in the East and in the West |
| Ecumenical | pertaining to openness amon religions, especially strong among Christians in the latter half of the 20th century; also a council to which all bishops have been invited |
| Real Presence | The belief of some Christian churches that the risen Jesus is actually present in the consecrated bread and wine of Communion |
| Divine Liturgy | The principal liturgical action of Eastern Orthodox Christians; an elaborate ceremony which engages all the human senses |
| Iconostasis | a wooden screen on which are painted images of Jesus, Mary, john the Baptist, the saints, and the patron saint of the church, found in Eastern Orthodox churches |
| Icon | a two dimensional image of a saint or event in the life of Christ or Mary painted on wood in an acient stylized way |
