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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. Definitions are drawn from several sources:
-
- For a more complete list of gender terms, see the Gender Nation Glossary. For terms introduced by Anne Clifford, see the glossary from her book, Introducing Feminist Theology (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 2001) 265-73.
-
-
- ally
- Someone who supports and respects members of the LGBTQ community, while not typically a member themselves.
-
- androgynous
- A person appearing and/or identifying as neither man nor woman, presenting a gender either mixed or neutral.
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- asexual
- A person who does not experience sexual attraction. Unlike celibacy, which people choose, asexuality is an intrinsic part of an individual.
-
- assigned birth sex
- The biological sex assigned (named) to an individual baby at birth.
-
- 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.
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- bigender
- A person who fluctuates between traditionally "woman" and "man" gender-based behaviors and identities.
-
- biological sex
- A medical term used to refer to the anatomical (genital), hormonal and chromosomal characteristices that are used to classify someone as female, male or intersex.
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- biphobia
- An irrational dislike or fear of bisexual people.
-
- bisexual
- A person who may be attracted, romantically and/or sexually, to people of more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree.
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- bishop
- A cleric who oversees the administration of a diocese, an administrative region of the church.
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- bullied
- Being subjected to repeated and/or aggressive unwanted behavior that undermines, patronizes, intimidates, demeans, or diminishes another person, physically or mentally, that is not speech or conduct otherwise protected.
-
- 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.
-
- catholic/Catholic
- "Universal." Capitalized, it refers to that Christian church based in Rome
and led by the Roman Catholic pope and bishops.
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- celibacy
- A state of abstention from sexual intercourse.
-
- charism
- 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).
-
- 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.
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- 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).
-
- cisgender
- Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex.
-
- climate
- Current attitudes, behaviors, and standards of employees and students concerning the access for, inclusion of, and level of respect for individual and group needs, abilities, and potential.
-
- coming out
- The process by which one accepts one's own sexuality and gender identity, and shares that with others.
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- 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).
-
- 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).
-
- 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).
-
- Deuteronomistic History
- A theological interpretation of the history of the people Israel
in their land, composed by the Deuteronomistic scribes in Jerusalem
as a religious explanation for and justification of the reunification
of Israel and Judah by King Josiah (640–609 B.C.E.).
It comprises the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1–2 Samuel
and 1–2 Kings, although Deuteronomist additions can be seen
throughout the Pentateuch and earlier
prophetic books (e.g., Amos 3:7). Central themes are that observance
of the law leads to possession of the land, and that God warns
the people through "his servants, the prophets," if their sins
jeopardize their safety.
-
- Deuteronomist Writers (D)
- Scribes
in the court of King Josiah who composed the Deuteronomistic
History c.622 B.C.E. "D" (of "Dtr") is,
according to the Documentary Hypothesis,
one of the four main sources of the Torah
(Genesis–Deuteronomy).
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- 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).
-
- discrimination
- The treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person based on the group, class, or category to which that person belongs or is perceived to belong including race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religious creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition as defined by California law, marital status, citizenship status, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military or veteran status, or other status protected by law or university policy.
-
- 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.
-
- divided monarchy
- The two monarchies of Israel (north) and Judah (south) after the
secession of the northern King Jeroboam I. The northern
kingdom lasted approximately 200 years, until its defeat by
Assyria (c.922-721 B.C.E.). The southern
kingdom lasted a bit longer until its defeat by Babylon (c.922-587
B.C.E.; see also united
monarchy).
-
- 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).
-
- Documentary Hypothesis
- The theory that seeks to explain the duplications and contradictions
within the Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy) by positing that four
sources or traditions lie behind these five books. The sources,
"J" (for Yahwist), "E" (Elohist),
"D" (Deuteronomist), and "P" (Priestly),
emerge in different parts of the country at different moments
in history, and thus reflect different perspectives (see CSB RG
47-8 and the chart online).
-
- DSG
- Diverse genders and sexualities.
-
- 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.
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- 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.
-
- Elohist Writers (E)
- Scribes
writing in the northern Kingdom of Israel after its creation
in 922 B.C.E. and emphasizing northern traditions
in opposition to the southern emphasis of the Yahwists.
This hypothetical group is so named because their texts use
the Hebrew 'Elohim for God rather than the tetragrammaton
("Yahweh"). "E" is, according to the Documentary
Hypothesis, one of the four main sources of the Torah
(Genesis–Deuteronomy).
-
- 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.
-
- exile
- The
forced removal of the Judean elite to Babylon in the wake of
the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E.,
and the period of approximately 50 years during which these
people lived in servitude in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley.
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- 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.
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- fluid(ity)
- An identity that may change or shift over time, usually attached to other terms (gender, sexuality).
- 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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- FtM/F2M; MtF/M2F
- Abbreviation for female-to-male transgender or transsexual person; male-to-female transgender or transsexual person.
-
- gender
- While many people use "sex" and "gender" interchangeably, some feminists distinguish biological sex (based on anatomical, hormonal or chromosomal characteristics) from the social roles and assumptions constructed based on those differences. These latter roles and assumptions, which differ from culture to culture, have been referred to as "gender." But this view has been challenged in third-wave feminism on two grounds. First, it still assumes that there is an essential "female gender" constructed by a given society, independent of race, class, ethnicity and nationality; that is, its notion of gender is too universal. Second, description of such a "woman" is inevitably normative, "policing" women into performing their identity in a certain way and thus differing little from the oppressive mechanisms of patriarchy. Gender is neither simple nor uniform, and efforts to define/confine it inevitably encode the priorities of those in positions of social power, which are subsequently reinforced as we perform our gender amid the rewards and punishments of social expectations.
-
- gender dysphoria
- Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. This term replaced "Gender Identity Disorder" in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) "to better characterize the experiences of affected children, adolescnets, and adults."
-
- gender expression
- The manner in which a person outwardly represents gender, regardless of the physical characteristics that might typically define the individual as male or female.
-
- gender identity
- A person’s inner sense of being man, woman, both, or neither. Gender identity may or may not be expressed outwardly and may or may not correspond to one’s physical characteristics.
-
- genderqueer
- A person whose gender identity is outside of, not included within, or beyond the binary of female and male, or who is gender nonconforming through expression, behavior, social roles, and/or identity.
-
- gender dysphoria
- Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. This term replaced "Gender Identity Disorder" in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) "to better characterize the experiences of affected children, adolescnets, and adults."
-
- gender transition
- The process by which some people try to more closely align their internal knowledge of their gender with their outward appearance. The process can be social (dress, names/pronouns, behavior) and/or physical (medical interventions such as hormone treatment and/or surgery).
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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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- GSM
- Gender and sexual minorities.
-
- harassment
- Arabic Harassment constitutes a form of discrimination defined as unwelcome conduct on the basis of actual or perceived membership in a protected class, by any member or group of the community. A hostile environment may be created by harassing verbal, written, graphic, or physical conduct that is severe or persistent/pervasive, and objectively offensive such that it interferes with, limits, or denies the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from educational programs or activities or employment access, benefits, or opportunities.
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- Hellenism
- The Greek 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).
-
- heterosexist
- Someone who practices discrimination or prejudice against an individual or group based on a sexual orientation that is not heterosexual.
-
- homophobia
- An irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality and individuals who identify as or are perceived as homosexual.
-
- 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).
-
- incarnation
- The Christian belief that God became flesh (Latin in + carne)
in Jesus of Nazareth.
-
- 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).
-
- intersex
- Any one of a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.
-
- Jew
- An adherent of the Jewish faith, particularly after the exile
of Judeans to Babylon (see also Hebrews,
Israeli, Israelite).
-
- 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).
-
- kabbalah
- Hebrew for "tradition," specifically the medieval Spanish tradition
of Jewish mysticism.
-
- 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).
-
- 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.
-
- LGBTQ
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and/or questioning.
-
- 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.
-
- 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).
-
- 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).
-
- nonbinary
- Any gender, or lack of gender, or mix of genders, that is not strictly man or woman.
-
- 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).
-
- orientation
- See sexual orientation).
-
- orthodoxy
- From the Greek "straight opinion," the accepted or dominant teaching
or position (see also heterodoxy).
-
- pansexual
- Fluid in sexual identity and is attracted to others regardless of their sexual identity or gender.
-
- 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.
-
- physical characteristics
- Term that refers to one’s appearance.
-
- pope
- From the Latin for "father," this refers to the leading bishop of certain Christian
denominations (e.g., Roman Catholic Church, Coptic Church).
-
- Priestly Writers (P)
- Scribes writing in the Jerusalem before and especially after the exile
(after 539 B.C.E.). This hypothetical group is
so named because their texts are concerned for rituals and cultic
legal matters. "P" is, according to the Documentary
Hypothesis, one of the four main sources of the Torah
(Genesis–Deuteronomy).
-
- prophet
- A prophet is a religious functionary set aside or specially appointed
by (a) god for a number of religious and political tasks.
-
- Protestantism
- Term applied to a variety of churches that broke with Roman
Catholicism in the sixteenth century over issues such as
the authoritative interpretation of scripture, church authority
in general, and religious practice.
-
- 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.
-
- "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).
-
- queer
- A term used by some individuals to challenge static notions of gender and sexuality. The term is used to explain a complex set of sexual behaviors and desires. “Queer” is also used as an umbrella term to refer to all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
-
- questioning
- Someone who (or a time when someone) is unsure about or is exploring their own sexual oreitnation and gender identity.
-
- quiltbag
- Queer (or questioning), undecided, intersex, lesbian, trans, bisexual, asexual (or allied) and gay (or genderqueer).
-
- 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).
-
- racial identity
- A socially constructed category about a group of people based on generalized physical features such as skin color, hair type, shape of eyes, physique, etc.
-
- rapture
- The Latin equivalent of the Greek "ecstasy," standing apart from
oneself, the transporting of a person from one place to another,
especially to heaven, hence a technical term for the resurrection
of the just at the end of times, based on Revelation 20:4-6.
-
- 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.
-
- restoration
- The period of return from Babylonian exile
and reconstruction of Judean society (539–c.450 B.C.E.),
reflected in the Bible in the work of the Chronicler
(1–2 Chr; Ezra–Nehemiah).
-
- Roman Catholicism
- A post sixteenth-century C.E. designation for the
Christian church that follows the Bishop of Rome. Seven Christian
denominations using an Eastern rite for their liturgy rather
than the Latin (western) rite are in union with Rome, although
they are not "Roman" Catholic; these are the Armenian, Byzantine,
Coptic, Ethiopian, East Syrian (Chaldean) West Syrian, and Maronite
Catholic Churches.
-
- 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).
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- sexual harassment
- Sexual harassment is unwelcome, sexual, sex-based and/or gender-based, verbal, written, online and/or physical conduct. Sexual harassment may take the form of quid pro quo harassment, retaliatory harassment and/or creates a hostile environment.
-
- sexual identity
- A personal characteristic based on the sex of people one tends to be emotionally, physically, and sexually attracted to; this is inclusive of, but not limited to, lesbians, gay men, bisexual people, heterosexual people, and those who identify as queer.
-
- sexual orientation
- An enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people, experienced as inherent or immutable.
-
- skoliosexual
- Attracted to genderqueer and transsexual people and expressions.
-
- 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 "Q" [Quelle]).
-
- 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.
-
- theme
- A concept or teaching which a work is designed to emphasize and
make persuasive to the reader.
-
- theodicy
- From the Greek "justice of God" or "justifying God," the problem
of and attempt to explain the existence of evil and suffering
alongside the assertion of a just and loving God.
-
- theology
- From the Greek "words about God," the science or study of God.
-
- third gender
- A person who does not identify as man or woman but as another gender.
-
- 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.
-
- transgender
- An umbrella term referring to those whose gender identity or gender expression is different from that associated with their sex assigned at birth./dd>
-
- transitioning
- TThe process a trans* person undergoes when changing their bodily appearance to be more congruent with either the gender/sex they feel they are or their preferred gender expression.
-
- transphobia
- An irrational dislike or fear of transgender, transsexual, and other gender nontraditional individuals because of their perceived gender identity or gender expression./dd>
-
- transsexual
- A person who identifies psychologically as a gender or sex other than the one to which they were assigned at birth.
-
- transvestite
- A person who dresses as the binary opposite gender expression ("cross-dresses") for any one of many reasons, including relaxation, fun, and sexual gratification.
-
- Trinity
- The Godhead in Christian belief, one God revealed in three persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
-
- 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.
-
- united monarchy
- The monarchy of a united Israel under Kings David and Solomon (c.1000-922
B.C.E.; see also divided
monarchy).
-
- version
- A particular form or translation of the biblical text (such as the Masoretic [medieval Hebrew] text, the New Revised Standard Version [NRSV, liberal Protestant], New American Bible [NAB, Catholic], or King James Version).
-
- Vulgate
- The Latin translation from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek made by Jerome in the fifth century CE and used as the official version of the Bible in the western/Roman Catholic Church thereafter.
-
- Watchers
- A type of angel referenced in Daniel 4 and the apocryphal Books of Enoch, with a name drawn from "those who are awake" or "those who are on guard." The tradition in Daniel is that the watchers are holy, but in Enoch there are good and bad watchers, and the bad ones are associated with the Nephilim or "fallen ones" of Genesis 6:1-4. There is an oblique reference to these bad angels in 1 Corinthians 11:10.
-
- Yahwist Writers (J)
- Scribes writing in the southern Kingdom of Judah during and after the
united monarchy (1000–922 B.C.E.)
and emphasizing southern traditions such as the centrality of
Jerusalem. This hypothetical group is so named because their
texts use the tetragrammaton for God's name ("Yahweh") rather
than the Hebrew 'Elohim found in the Elohist
source. "J" (because the German scholar who developed this theory
referred to the group with the German name "Jahwist") is, according
to the Documentary Hypothesis, one
of the four main sources of the Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy).
-
- Zion
- Another name for Jerusalem, used most often in poetic literature like
the Psalms.
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