Wednesday, 8 May 2024, 5:27 AM
Site: Birmingham Theological Seminary
Course: The Apostles' Creed (The Apostles' Creed)
Glossary: Glossary for Lessons 1-3
A
AdonaiBiblical name of God meaning Lord, Master, Ruler |
AtheismBelief that there is no God |
AugustineBishop of Hippo (354-430 A.D.). He believed in the Scriptures as our final authority in doctrine, and considered the creeds of the Church as helpful summaries of Scriptural teaching. He wrote regarding the Nicene Creed, "These words which you have heard are in the divine Scriptures scattered up and down: but thence gathered and reduced into one, that the memory of slow persons might not be distressed; that every person may be able to say, able to hold, what he believes." |
B
BasilElected bishop of Caesarea in A.D. 370. In Letter 189, written to Eustathius, he defended the Scriptures as our final authority in doctrine. |
C
CatholicTerm which originally meant "universal," and was used in the Apostles' Creed to describe the Church as including all believers from all places and throughout all of history. The term later came to be used in reference to the Roman Church as an organization, but this was not the original meaning as it was used in the creed. |
ChalcedonCity in Asia Minor where church council was held in 451 A.D. This creed stated that Jesus was "truly God and truly man." |
ChristosGreek word (transliteration) for Christ. It is used in the Septuagint to translate "Meshiach," which means "Messiah," "The Anointed One." |
CyprianBishop of Carthage in the third century. In Epistle 73, he wrote that traditional teachings of the Church should not have more authority than the Scriptures, because the Church can make theological mistakes. In this letter he wrote, "...custom without truth is the antiquity of error." |
E
El ElyonBiblical name of God meaning God Most High |
El ShaddaiBiblical name of God meaning Almighty God |
Ex nihiloLatin phrase meaning "out of nothing," used to explain that God created everything out of nothing |
G
GnosticismEarly heresy from the first centuries after Christ. Among other things, they believed that material things were evil, including the human body, which was a prison of the human soul. They consequently believed that God would never take on the form of human flesh, and therefore denied that Jesus was both God and man. |
H
Hades Greek term used in the New Testament, usually meaning the abode of wicked souls, but sometimes referring to the place of both the righteous and the wicked |
HenotheismBelief in the existence of many gods, but offering special dedication on one primary god |
HippolytusTheologian from Rome (c 170 – c 236 A.D.). Wrote Against the Heresy of One Noetus, in which he defended the Scriptures as our final authority in doctrine. |
HypostasisMeans "person." The term was used in the early centuries after Christ to express the doctrine that the divine nature and the human nature of Christ are united in one "person." |
Hypostatic union Phrase used in early theology to express the doctrine that the divine and human natures of Christ are united in one person |
I
Islam Religion that teaches that Jesus was a true prophet of God, but that He was not crucified or resurrected |
K
Kurios Greek word (English transliteration) for ruler, master, Sir |
M
MonotheismBelief in one true God |
N
Nicene CreedCreed written by a council held in the city of the same name, in 325 A.D. This creed was basically an expansion of the Apostles' Creed. |
O
OrigenEarly Christian theologian (185-254 A.D.) who taught in Alexandria, Egypt. Wrote commentaries on the Bible and On First Principles, in which he defended the Scriptures as our final authority for Christian doctrine. He produced the Hexapla, a comparative study of various translations of the Old Testament. |
P
PassionComes from the Greek word "pasco" (transliteration) meaning to "suffer." |
PolytheismBelief in multiple gods |
R
Roman Creed A creed used in Rome in the early centuries after Christ, almost identical to the Apostles' Creed |
Rufinus Monk and historian (340/345 – 410 A.D.), who proposed (in 390 A.D.) the idea that the Apostles' Creed was written by the twelve apostles, each one contributing a phrase |
S
SeptuagintGreek translation of the Old Testament. |
Session Theological term used to refer to Jesus' ministry of intercession, while seated at the right hand of God the Father |
SheolHebrew term used in the Old Testament to refer to the place of the departed spirits, both the righteous and the wicked |
SimplicityWhen used in theology in reference to God, it means that God's essence consists of only one substance. |
SingularityWhen used in theology in reference to God, it means that He is the only true God. |
Sola ScripturaLatin phrase meaning "Scripture alone," one of the basic principles of the Reformation |
SoulAll the inner, non-physical aspects of our being |
T
TertullianEarly Christian writer (160-220 A.D.) from Carthage. (His name is written in several different ways, sometimes ending in "-us.") He referred to the "Roman Creed" by this name around 200 A.D. |
U
Undifferentiated monadTerm used for the belief that god is absolutely one, with no distinction between persons |
Y
YahwehBiblical name of God meaning Lord. Derives from "I AM" in Hebrew. It is the most intimate name of God, a proper name, used as early as the time of Seth. |