Theology

Items

• Abel

  The second son of Adam and Eve, renowned in the Bible for his righteous offering to God and his murder by Cain, symbolizing innocence and martyrdom.
• Abrahamic covenant

  The covenant established by God with Abraham, promising land, descendants, and blessings, foundational to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
• advent

  The liturgical season leading up to Christmas, marking the anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ.
• anabaptism

  A 16th-century Christian movement that rejected infant baptism and advocated adult believer's baptism based on personal faith.
• anointing

  Act (literal or symbolic) of being set apart and empowered by God, often through oil, representing the work of the Holy Spirit.
• apocalyptic literature

  A biblical literary genre featuring symbolic visions and revelations regarding the end times and God's ultimate judgment.
• apologetics

  The branch of theology devoted to defending and articulating the Christian faith through reasoned arguments.
• apostle

  One of the original twelve disciples of Jesus Christ sent to preach the Gospel and establish the early Church.
• apostolic succession

  The uninterrupted transmission of spiritual authority from the apostles through successive bishops in the Church.
• apostolic tradition

  Teachings and practices handed down from the apostles to early Christians forming the basis of church doctrine.
• arianism

  An early Christian heresy asserting that Jesus Christ was a created being and not fully divine.
• arminianism

  A theological perspective emphasizing free will in human salvation, opposing strict predestinarian views.
• ascension

  The event where Jesus Christ was taken bodily into heaven forty days after His resurrection.
• atonement

  The reconciliation between God and humans brought about through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• atonement theory

  Theological explanations about how Christ's death accomplishes reconciliation and salvation.
• augustinianism

  A theological system derived from St. Augustine emphasizing original sin, divine grace, and predestination.
• baptise

  To dip in water, to sprinkle a person with water or immersion of a person in water as a sacramental or religious ritual.
• baptism

  The Christian sacrament involving water signifying purification, admission to the Church, and initiation into the faith community.
• baptism of the holy spirit

  The experience in which a believer receives the Holy Spirit’s presence and power.
• baptismal regeneration

  The doctrine asserting that baptism effects spiritual rebirth and forgiveness of sins.
• beatific vision

  The direct, face-to-face vision of God enjoyed by the blessed in heaven.
• beatitude

  The blessings pronounced by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, outlining qualities of those in God's kingdom.
• benedictine order

  A monastic religious order founded by St. Benedict emphasizing community life, prayer, and work.
• bible

  God’s written record of his revelation that is accepted by Christians as uniquely inspired and authoritative for faith and practice. The Bible consists of OT and NT books. Bible is also the Christian books that are acknowledged as canonical by the Christian church.
• biblical exegesis

  The critical interpretation and explanation of biblical texts.