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The glossary below defines significant terms from our course. Additional terms will be added as they come up in the reading and discussions.
 
For proper names of angelic and demonic beings, see Karel van der Toorn, Pieter W. van der Horst and Bob Becking, Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (DDD), rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1995), in the Reference Room at Orradre.
 
Some of the following definitions have been adapted from John Corrigan, Frederick M. Denny, Carlos M. N. Eire, and Martin S. Jaffee, "Glossary," in Jews, Christians, Muslims: A Comparative Introduction to Monotheistic Religions (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998) 494-508, and Donald Senior, et al., eds., "Glossary," in The Catholic Study Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990) 425-39.
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adoptionism
A second century C.E. Christian heresy which held that Jesus was not the eternal son of God with God from the beginning of time, but was rather "adopted" by God as divine either at birth or at his baptism. Because this belief is about the nature of Christ, it is a Christological heresy (see Christology).
 
antichrist
A figure or figures mentioned in the Johannine literature who masquerade as Christ or as Christian believers but who are portrayed as devils in disguise. Their presence signifies the time of the end before the return of the Messiah (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).
 
anti-nomian
Greek for "against the law," a term applied to Paul by his Jewish-Christian foes because of Paul's opposition to circumcision and rigorous observance of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) for Gentile converts to Christianity.
 
anti-semitism
A modern European racist ideology that first understands Jews as a race and second understands that race as inferior and degenerative of cultures in which Jews are assimilated.
 
apocalyptic
Greek for "revelation," a genre of literature common in social crises or circumstances of persecution, characterized by: 1) a method whereby a prophecy or event from the past associated with a wise figure or religious intermediary (story) is applied to the present day (discourse) to render the meaning of the present chaos clear; 2) mythic features such as a view of God as lord of history, a view of time divided into two ages (the present evil age and the future age of God's reign, a view of ethics that is sharply dualistic, a view of the cosmos which is also binary, envisioning a heavenly plane and an earthly plane with parallel histories, and an esoteric language of visions and symbols that communicate meaning; and 3) and a sense of urgency about time that senses an imminent end of time. Biblical apocalyptic literature flourished from 200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E.
 
apophthegm
Also apothegm; a wise or pithy saying, a proverb (see the definition of chreia below and a more complete definition of apophthegm).
 
apostle
Greek for "one dispatched or sent off, an envoy"; within Christian circles this term came to mean one sent forth by God (or Jesus) for a mission. The term or role is used within the New Testament of the eleven disciples closest to Jesus who survive his death, as well as Mary Magdalene (John 20:17-18), Paul (Gal 1:1) and Junia (Rom 16:7), it came to be understood as a status proper to bishops.
 
Arianism
The Christological heresy that maintained that the Son of God, because he was generated from God, could not be God, because God is not a generated being (see Christology).
 
Armageddon
The location of the final battle of earth's history as described in the Book of Revelation. The name appears only once in the Bible, and then in Greek, but is probably based on the Hebrew for "mountain of Megiddo." Megiddo was a common battleground, located as it was in a valley along the trade route between Egypt and Mesopotamia (see Judg 5:19). Most notably, it was the battleground where Pharaoh Neco's army killed King Josiah in 621 B.C.E. (2 Kgs 23:29-30; 2 Chr 35:22; Zech 12:11).
 
asceticism
From the Greek for "exercise, practice, training," rigorous physical practices of abstention (e.g., fasting, vegetarianism, celibacy), bodily afflictions (hair shirts, chains), or physical withdrawal from society (cave-dwellers, stylites [people who sit on pillars]), with the intent of ethical or spiritual purification. Ascetic behavior represents a range of responses to social, political, and physical worlds often perceived as oppressive or unfriendly, or as stumbling blocks to (heroic) personal or communal goals, lifestyles and commitments. The locus classicus for Christian asceticism is 1 Cor 7.
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baptism
A Christian ritual understood to cleanse a person from sin and initiate them into Christian life and community, possibly originating in Jewish purification rituals.
 
bishop
A cleric who oversees the administration of a diocese, an administrative region of the church.
 
blessing (beatitude, makarism)
A typical biblical form of speech that begins, "Blessed be…" (cf. Matt 5:3-12 and a more complete description of the beatitude form at Literary Forms).
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call narrative
A biblical form found in the prophetic books whereby God calls the person to convey a message, usually set in the heavenly court or its earthly equivalent, the temple. The four component parts of a call narrative are the initial call, the prophet's recognition of his/her unworthiness, a solemn commissioning, and the characteristic message (see a more complete description at Literary Forms).
 
canon
From the Greek word for measuring rod, this refers among other meanings to the rule by which something was judged, and particularly to the official list of books judged to be authoritative scriptures by a given community. The Protestant canon of the Old Testament largely follows the Jewish canon. It is therefore smaller than the Catholic canon, which includes several of the extra books found in the early Greek translation of scripture, the Septuagint (see Comparison of Jewish and Christian Canons). The Eastern Orthodox churches, which still use the actual Greek version of the Old Testament, recognize all of the Septuagint's extra books in their canon.
 
celibacy
A state of abstention from sexual intercourse.
 
charisma
Greek for "grace, gift," understood in the New Testament churches as one of several possible manifestations of the presence of the Holy Spirit (e.g., wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues; see 1 Cor 12:1-11).
 
chreia
A story told or written to highlight and contextualize an apophthegm (see the descriptions of chreia and apophthegm online at Literary Forms).
 
Christ
See messiah.
 
Christology
The branch of Christian theology that explores the person, nature, and function of Christ. High Christology emphasizes the divinity of Christ; its heretical extreme is Docetism, which argues that Jesus only appeared human but was in reality completely divine. Low Christology emphasizes the humanity of Christ; its heretical extreme is Arianism, which argues that since God cannot be generated, and Jesus was generated as a human, Jesus cannot be God.
 
circumcision
The removal of the foreskin of the penis in males, performed ritually within Judaism eight days after the boy's birth as a sign of the boy's participation in the covenant between God and the Jewish people (Gen 17:9-14).
 
cosmology
Greek for "study of the universe," any comprehensive system of understanding and accounting for the universe and its movements.
 
covenant
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. Covenants in antiquity were diplomatic and economic in nature, much as today, and the literary conventions of these ancient covenants were used to portray the relationship between God and Israel. There are several covenants in the Bible: with Noah (Gen 9), with Abraham (Gen 15; 17), with Moses (Exod 20), with David (2 Sam 7:8-17), and through Jesus (Matt 26:26-30; 2 Cor 3:4-18).
 
covenant lawsuit
A form of prophetic speech in which God brings suit against God's people for violations of the covenant they share; as such, it includes elements reminiscent of the covenant treaty: 1. Summons of witnesses; 2. Historical prologue; 3. Violation of stipulations (charges/speeches by plaintiff, defendant, witnesses); 4. Uselessness of cultic acts of worship, atonement; and 5. Invocation of covenant curses (verdict/sentence; see a more complete description at Literary Forms).
 
creed
From the Latin credo, "I believe," a confession of faith; in Christian tradition, any one of several prayers that affirms basic Christian beliefs (some of the early Christian creeds are available online).
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Dead Sea Scrolls
A group of over 800 manuscripts found between 1947 and 1956 in various caves on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. The bulk of the manuscripts were discovered in eleven caves near a (probable) Essene settlement at Qumran, and include biblical, parabiblical, apocryphal and sectarian writings as well as some documentary texts (practice alphabets, deeds, contracts, letters).
 
diaspora
Greek for "dispersion," most commonly used of Jews living outside the land of Israel anytime after the Babylonian Exile, but also used by other groups (e.g., the Palestinians in an ironic reference to their dispossession by Jews).
 
disciple
Greek for "one who follows," a term used in scripture for students of a master.
 
discourse
The literary critical term for structure and purpose of a narrative or other literary work, which coexists with the story told (events [actions, plot] + elements [characters, space]). The level of discourse is the more subtle level at which the author's judgment and interpretation operate.
 
Docetism
From the Greek "to seem, to appear," the Christological heresy that Christ only appeared to have a human body; in reality, he was completely divine and not human (see Christology).
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ecclesiology
From the Greek for "the assembly of those called out, the church"; the study of the Christian church: its meaning, its relationship to Christ, and its forms and structures.
 
ecstatic speech
Speech uttered in a state of divine possession, in which the human being experiences inspiration or visions or transportation to a supernatural sphere that transcends the human; from the Greek "to stand apart from." This type of oracular speech is one of the characteristic activities of the prophet.
 
epistle
Greek for letter, an exhortation or written sermon intended for public reading.
 
eschatology
The branch of theology that is concerned with the ultimate or last things, such as the end of times, judgment, death, heaven, hell (from the Greek for furthest, uttermost, extreme, end, + logos = word[s]).
 
eschaton
Greek for "the end," the end of times which is regarded as immanent in apocalyptic literature.
 
Essene
A Jewish apocalyptic group associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls that lived from approximately 165 B.C.E.–68 C.E., when they were eradicated by the Romans. The Essenes advocated a return to Torah, and some among their number held property in common and advocated celibacy.
 
eucharist
From the Greek "to give thanks," a central Christian ritual recalling the Passover supper Jesus shared with his disciples the night before he died; also, the bread and wine understood by Catholics as consubstantial with Christ's body and blood offered for human salvation.
 
evangelist
Greek for "one who proclaims the good news" or gospel, understood in Christian tradition to apply particularly to the authors of the four canonical gospels.
 
exegesis
From Greek "to show the way," the interpretation of scriptural texts.
 
exodus
The exit or escape of Israel from Egyptian captivity, recounted in the book of the same name. The book in its final form dates eight centuries after the events it describes (story date c.1280 B.C.E.; discourse date c.400s B.C.E.) and was compiled from several sources, all of which factors complicate the historical reliability of the account. CSB Map #2 depicts the route(s) of the escape based on the Exodus account.
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foil
A secondary character or characters whose actions, by strong contrast, underscore or enhance the distinctive characteristics of another character.
 
form
A type of oral or written passage that can be isolated as a discrete textual unit, with a clear beginning, an identifiable style, and a standard ending. Often forms are repeated in a text for rhetorical effect.
 
form criticism
The study of the structure, content and function of literary or oral units. "Function" includes the Sitz im Leben, or "setting in life," in which these forms would have originated (for example, temple ritual, forensic argument).
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Gentile
A non-Jew; common Jewish term of reference in antiquity.
 
gnosticism
From the Greek for knowledge, any one of a number of dualistic ideologies popular particularly in mid- to late-antiquity that espoused a path of spiritual ascent through the secret, complex structures of the cosmos and away from the evil material world. (see Gnosticism: Resources for Study).
 
gospel
Old English term for good news (godspell), a translation of the Greek term for the same; a literary genre represented in the New Testament by four books (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and in the New Testament apocrypha by sixteen other books. The canonical gospels tell the story of the public life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. They were written between 65–100 C.E.
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haggadah
From the Hebrew, "to tell or declare"; Jewish tales, anecdotes, and other traditions about history or theology that appear in rabbinic literature like the Talmud and the midrashim. They are different from halakhic traditions, which concern legal and ritual matters. In the absolute sense, this term often refers to the retelling of the Exodus story during the Passover seder ritual.
 
halakah
From the Hebrew word for "walk," the "way" or "procedure" for acting according to the biblical commandments and thus living an ethical life. As part of oral Torah, these traditions about legal and ritual matters appear in rabbinic literature, and are to be distinguished from haggadic traditions which concern historical or theological matters (see akhlaq, the Muslim equivalent).
 
Hasmoneans
A dynastic family of priests who governed Judah and Israel in the wake of the Maccabean Revolt until the Roman conquest (152–63 B.C.E.).
 
Hellenism
The graecized culture that spread throughout the Mediterranean world in the wake of the conquests of Alexander the Great (d.323 B.C.E.) and remained prominent during the period of Roman hegemony.
 
heresy
From the Greek "choice," in religious vocabulary a choice for a teaching about the faith which the dominant or orthodox church holds to be contrary to that faith.
 
hermeneutics
From the Greek "to interpret or explain," the science and methodology of interpretation.
 
heterodoxy
From the Greek "other or different opinion," any position that differs from accepted teaching (see also orthodoxy).
 
hypostasis
Greek for "substance," the term used to describe the unity of the person of Jesus Christ in early Christological debate while accepting his two natures, divine and human (see Christology).
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incarnation
The Christian belief that God became flesh (Latin in + carne) in Jesus of Nazareth.
 
incubation
A temporary period of habitation in a temple in anticipation of divine revelation or in petition for a particular request.
 
infancy narrative
The story of the birth of Jesus, recounted in very different ways by Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. The infancy narrative is a standard feature of the ancient literary genre of biography. Biographies were reserved for important individuals, and in their infancy narratives certain elements and motifs are standard (race, country, ancestors, parents, phenomena at birth).
 
intercession
From the Latin "to walk between," an entreaty on behalf of another; one of the characteristic prophetic activities.
 
irony
The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; an expression marked by such a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning; incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
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Jew
An adherent of the Jewish faith, particularly after the exile of Judeans to Babylon.
 
Jewish Temple
The central place of worship and prayer in the biblical period. Solomon built a huge edifice in Jerusalem in the mid-10th century B.C.E. with the income from heavy taxes imposed on the people. When the nation split after his reign, it was partly because of this temple; northern Jews had their own shrines (Shechem, Bethel, Dan, Gilgal), and had always opposed centralized worship. The common people in both north and south also resisted centralized worship: archeologists have discovered scores of hilltop memorial shrines to ancestors, small temples to local fertility and astral deities, and remnants of household shrines. The Jerusalem temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587–586 B.C.E., rebuilt by during the restoration (see Ezra and Nehemiah), expanded by Herod the Great in 37–4 B.C.E., and destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. Much of biblical law treats the laws of worship and cultic sacrifices that took place in the Temple (thanksgiving, atonement, free-will offerings).
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kashrut
The system of Jewish dietary regulations that includes prohibitions against certain foods such as pork and certain food combinations, such as meat and dairy (Lev 7:22-27; 11).
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Levite
A member of the Israelite clan charged with responsibility for Israel's worship. The Levites traditionally owned no land, but took turns at Temple service and derived their income from the offerings of money and food brought there. The Levites' cultic functions included receiving and storing offerings, preparing the daily sacrifices, and singing and instrumental accompaniment.
 
list-genealogy
A biblical form in which one's kin are listed; may be either segmented or linear. Segmented genealogies emphasize lateral relationships between contemporary kin, while linear genealogies emphasize the bloodline of a particular present descendent (see a more complete description at Literary Forms).
 
liturgy
Greek for "a work of the people," originally a public service performed at an individual's expense; later worship services in general.
 
logos
Greek for "word," a term that came to be applied particularly to Jesus Christ as the divine Word made flesh.
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Maccabean Revolt
A Jewish revolt led by Judas Maccabbeus (= "the Hammer") and his family against the Hellenizing reforms of the Seleucid King Antiochus IV (175-152 B.C.E.). Antiochus' persecution of the Jews and their way of life prompted the composition of the apocalyptic Book of Daniel.
 
martyr
Greek for "witness," the standard legal term for observers at the execution of economic transactions, legal affairs, and everyday events. The term came to have the specialized meaning of "one who testifies to the faith" in Jewish and Christian circles during the persecutions of 200 B.C.E.–200 C.E. (the period when apocalyptic literature flourished).
 
messiah
Hebrew for "anointed one," a kingly, prophetic, or priestly figure envisioned during and after the Babylonian exile as savior of the Jewish people who would restore their political/religious autonomy. Applied by Christians to Jesus ("Christ" is the Greek equivalent of "messiah") and by Jews throughout history to a handful of leaders (e.g., Simon bar Kokhba, 132–135 C.E., Shabbatai Zevi, 1626–1676 C.E.).
 
midrash
From the Hebrew "to interpret, to explain," the halakhic or haggadic traditions transmitted as an explanation or commentary on a biblical verse. There are separate volumes of midrashim for each of the biblical books.
 
millennialism
A Christian belief in the literal thousand-year period of peace and well-being in the end times associated with the reign of Christ and the binding of Satan, based on Revelation 20:1-5. Various Christian groups debate whether Christ's coming will inaugurate the thousand-year reign (premillennialists) or conclude it (postmillennialists; the first coming was the one that the New Testament recounts). Still other Christians do not take the thousand-year reign literally (amillennialists).
 
miracle story
A biblical form of related the story of a singular occurrence, usually a healing or a demonstration of power over nature. The characteristic elements of the miracle story are the narrative setting, the approach to the god, a description of the illness, an announcement of the cure, and a public acknowledgment (see a more complete description at Literary Forms).
 
Mishnah
From the Hebrew "to repeat, do again," this refers to the "repetition" or "second version" of the law, that is, a collection of legal and procedural interpretations of the law codified by the rabbinic academy of Yavneh c.200 C.E. It includes some haggadic material as well.
 
motif
A topos or element—a type of incident, device, or formula—which recurs frequently in a work.
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New Testament
The Christian name for the Christian scriptures, that is, for the revelation about Jesus Christ. The term "testament" means something that testifies or witnesses to something; in this case the scriptures attest to God's relationship with the new Israel, those who believe in the Christ. The shape and number of books in the New Testament differ among the major Christian denominations (see the online chart).
 
New Testament Apocrypha
Greek for "hidden," books of Christian pious literature that are not in the Christian canon (available online).
 
numerology
The study of the supernatural power of numbers and their influence over human affairs.
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Old Testament
The Christian name for the Jewish Bible, that is, for the revelation that predates Jesus Christ. The term "testament" means something that testifies or witnesses to something; in this case the scriptures attest to God's relationship with Israel. The shape and number of books in the Christian Old Testament differ somewhat from the Jewish canon (see the online chart).
 
Old Testament Apocrypha
From Greek for "hidden," works that were included in the Greek version of Tanak (the Septuagint) but were not included in the Jewish canon. Because these books were in the Septuagint, they came into Christian Bibles. Many or all are considered canonical by Catholics and eastern churches, while they are considered "deuterocanonical" or simply as pious literature by Protestants (available online).
 
Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
From Greek for "false writing," works written by later authors in the name of earlier biblical figures (available online).
 
oracle
From the Latin orare, to speak or pray, a statement or prophecy uttered at a cultic shrine through a recognized intermediary (prophet, priest, shaman), often in the form of an enigmatic statement or allegory.
 
oral Torah
See Torah.
 
orthodoxy
From the Greek "straight opinion," the accepted or dominant teaching or position (see also heterodoxy).
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parable
A parable is a comparison drawn from nature or common experience in life designed to illustrate some moral or religious truth. It is a common biblical form in Tanak and in the New Testament (see a more complete description at Literary Forms).
 
parousia
See second coming.
 
passion narrative
An account of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus; probably the earliest portion of the gospels to be written. Passion narratives are found in all the canonical gospels (Mark 14:1–16:8; Matt 26:1–28:20; Luke 22:1–24:53; John 13:1–20:31).
 
passover
The event related in Exodus 12 whereby God delivers the Israelites from captivity in Egypt by passing over their houses and slaying the first-born sons of the Egyptians. Also, the annual ritual recalling this event, and particularly the supper of symbolic foods during which the story of Exodus is retold.
 
Pentateuch
Literally "five jars/scrolls," this is the Greek term for the first five books of the Jewish Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), known in Hebrew as the Torah or instruction. Scholars now believe that the first four of these books were compiled over centuries from and by four different traditions, the Yahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist (responsible for the entire book of Deuteronomy as well), and the Priestly (see Documentary Hypothesis, and two online charts, The Documentary Hypothesis and The Deuteronomistic History).
 
pericope
From the Greek "cut all around," a discrete passage or story in a literary work.
 
Pharisees
A group of Jews who lived in the late Second Temple period and advocated a democratization of Jewish ritual law so that the common people could partake in the sanctification that priests enjoyed. The Pharisees believed not only in written Torah, but in their own interpretation of that instruction (oral Torah). Their oral Torah included the extension of laws for priestly separation to lay people, as well as a belief in resurrection from the dead.
 
pilgrimage
A journey to a sacred site or shrine.
 
pope
Latin for "father," this refers to the leading bishop of certain Christian denominations (e.g., Roman Catholic Church, Coptic Church).
 
prophet
A prophet is a religious functionary set aside or specially appointed by (a) god for a number of religious and political tasks.
 
pseudonymity
From the Greek for "false name," the authorial stance of assuming the identity of a more famous figure in whose tradition one wishes to write; a common and accepted practice in antiquity, though today considered plagiarism.
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"Q" (Quelle)
Abbreviation for the German "Quelle," or source; a hypothetical source for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that contained the material they share word-for-word that is not in one of their other sources, the Gospel of Mark; it consists mostly of sayings of Jesus (see synoptic problem, Two Source Hypothesis).
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rabbi
Hebrew for "my great one, master, my teacher," a qualified teacher of oral and written Torah.
 
Rabbinic Judaism
A form of Judaism in which Rabbis or teachers govern the authoritative interpretation of written and oral Torah, particularly in halakhic (legal, ethical) matters. After the destruction of the Second Temple and the consequent obsolescence of the priesthood, rabbinic Judaism emerged as the dominant (though not the only) form of Judaism, and continues as such to the present day (see Chronology and Major Branches of Judaism).
 
redaction
The activity of collecting, arranging, editing and modifying sources to adapt their message to new circumstances and the redactor's theological perspective.
 
redaction criticism
The study of the theological perspective of a biblical text evident in its collection, arrangement, editing and modification of sources.
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Sadducee
A member of the priestly family descended from Zadok, one of two high priestly families under King David; the chief priestly family in the Jerusalem Temple from the time of Solomon to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E., and one of the chief ruling parties in Jerusalem from the time of the Hasmonean dynasty (146 B.C.E. – 70 C.E.). The ancient Jewish historian Josephus describes them as religious conservatives who rejected any teachings outside of the Torah, such as resurrection from the dead, life after death, and the existence of angels (see Chronology and Major Branches of Judaism).
 
Samaritans
Demographically a group of people who lived in the former northern kingdom of Israel, centered around the ancient capital of Samaria, who after the Assyrian destruction and exile (721 B.C.E.) had remained and intermarried with the non-Israelite peoples transported to the region by Assyria. Religio-politically, a conservative Jewish group that maintained the ancient paleo-Hebrew script for their sacred writings (as opposed to the square script introduced by foreign powers during Assyrian and Babylonian hegemony), and, more importantly, who recognized only the Torah as legitimate scripture (as opposed to Judean Jews, who had expanded scripture to include the prophets and the writings). The Samaritans have maintained their own temple and cult of Jewish festivals on Mount Gerizim near Shechem from the late fourth century B.C.E. to the present day (CSB RG 195–6).
 
scripture
Literally, "a writing"; a written tradition vested with authority by a community because it is understood to be sacred, holy, God-given.
 
second coming
Also referred to by its Greek equivalent, parousia (being alongside, presence), the belief present in every strand of New Testament tradition that Christ will return in the future to establish fully the messianic reign.
 
Second Temple Judaism
Judaism(s) during the period from the restoration to the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, c.539 B.C.E. – 70 C.E.
 
Seleucids
A Syrian Hellenistic dynasty that controlled Palestine from approximately 200 C.E. until the Hasmonean or Maccabean Revolt of 175–152 B.C.E. The dynasty's attempts to enforce Hellenization at the cost of Jewish law and tradition was the catalyst both for the Revolt and for the composition of the Book of Daniel, and seems to have played a role in the genesis of the Dead Sea Scrolls community.
 
Septuagint
From the Latin for seventy (septem [7] + ginta [decimal suffix]), therefore abbreviated LXX, this is the name for the main ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible with some additional books, undertaken by Jews living in Egypt sometime after 250 B.C.E. This was the premier version used by early Greek-speaking Christians, and so became the basis of the Christian canon. The name "seventy" derives from a tradition that Ptolemy II (285–247 B.C.E.) commissioned 70 or 72 elders to prepare the translation, a task they accomplished in a miraculous 72 days.
 
similitude
See parable.
 
source criticism
The identification and study of the different sources that lie behind a text. Two famous source-critical hypotheses are the Documentary Hypothesis (Torah) and the Two Source Hypothesis (Gospels).
 
story
The literary critical term for the story told — that is, the events (actions, plot) and elements (characters, space) of a story. The story level is distinguished from the level of discourse, which is the structure of the story and the author's purpose in telling it.
 
synagogue
From the Greek "to bring or gather together" and thus "community," the organized Jewish communities of the Hellenistic world and their places of worship.
 
synoptic gospels
From the Greek "with one eye," the three gospels that tell the story of Jesus in largely the same way, sometimes with passages that are identical word-for-word. These three gospels are Matthew, Mark and Luke.
 
synoptic problem
The observation that, while the three synoptic gospels share much material word-for-word, they are also significantly different. The most accepted theories to account for this problem are 1) the primacy of Mark; and 2) the Two Source Hypothesis (see CSB RG 387; "Q" [Quelle]).
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Talmud
From the Hebrew "to learn, study," the compilation of Mishnah, Gemara, and further rabbinic discussion of halakah and haggadah. There are two Talmuds, one compiled in Palestine during the 300s C.E. (the Palestinian or Jerusalem Talmud, in Hebrew Talmud Yerushalmi), and a more comprehensive work compiled in the Babylonian academies from 400–600 C.E. (the Babylonian Talmud, in Hebrew Talmud Bavli).
 
Talmud Torah
Hebrew for "the study of Torah," this refers to the instruction, discussion and debate over the interpretation of Torah that occurs in Jewish and rabbinic schools.
 
Tanak
The Jewish name for their scriptures; an acronym in which each of the consonants represents one of the three major divisions of the Jewish Bible: "T" for Torah or instruction, law (including the biblical books from Genesis to Deuteronomy), "N" for Nevi'im or prophets (Joshua–Malachi), and "K" for Ketuvim or writings (Psalms–2 Chronicles). The shape and number of books in the Jewish Bible differ somewhat from Christian canon; a complete chart of the similarities and differences is available online.
 
testimonia
Lists of "testimonies" or scripture passages drawn from Tanak by early Christians that were seen as pointing or attesting to the coming of Jesus Christ. These testimonies were drawn largely from the prophetic books, but also from the law and writings (see Luke 24:25-27, 32, 44-48).
 
theme
A concept or teaching which a work is designed to emphasize and make persuasive to the reader.
 
theology
From the Greek "words about God," the science or study of God.
 
Torah
The Hebrew word for instruction, this term designates in its narrowest sense the first five books of the Jewish Bible (Genesis to Deuteronomy), and in its broadest sense authoritative teaching of whatever source. Rabbinic tradition distinguishes between God's revealed instruction disclosed preeminently in scripture (the written Torah) and the subsequent interpretive tradition of that revelation (oral Torah, some of which has been compiled in written sources like the Mishnah, the Gemara, the Talmud, etc.).
 
tradition
The beliefs, customs, stories, laws, religious practices, and other cultural phenomena that are considered valuable and are therefore handed on from generation to generation. The Jewish and Christian Bibles are a collation of traditions; once written, they themselves become an artifact that must be interpreted, and so new traditions are born.
 
Two Source Hypothesis
The theory that the authors of Matthew and Luke used two shared sources for their gospels, the Gospel of Mark and ""Q" (sayings of Jesus), in addition to their own unique material. The theory is one way of accounting for the synoptic problem.
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vision report
A typical form of prophetic speech, an autobiographical report of the prophet's experience of divine revelation in the form of something seen. The characteristic elements of the vision report are the introductory report, the description of the scene envisioned, and a question/answer between the prophet and one of the envisioned (usually heavenly) beings (see a more complete description at Literary Forms).
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written Torah
See Torah.
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zealot
A Jew committed to rebellion and guerrilla warfare or terrorist activity against the Romans, c.63 B.C.E.–70 C.E.
 
Zion
Another name for Jerusalem, used most often in poetic literature like the Psalms.
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