Theology Midterm Vocab

The coherence of individual doctrines with the whole of Revelation.
In other words, as each doctrine is connected with Revelation, each doctrine is
also connected with all other doctrines.

A strong, powerful remembrance that makes a
person or action really and truly present

Based on a word meaning “messenger,” a personal and immortal creature
with intelligence and free will who constantly glorifies God and serves as a
messenger of God to humans to carry out God’s saving plan.

The event in which the Archangel Gabriel came to
Mary to announce that she had found favor with God and would become the mother
of the Messiah

Attributing human characteristics to something
that is not human.

The scientific study of the material
remains of past human life.

 















The general term means “one
who is sent” and can be used in reference to any missionary of the Church
during the New Testament period. In reference to the twelve companions chosen
by Jesus, also known as “the Twelve,” the term refers to those special
witnesses of Jesus on whose ministry the early Church was built and whose
successors are the bishops.

A sacred chest that housed the
tablets of the Ten Commandments. It was placed within the sanctuary where God
would come and dwell.

The “going up” into Heaven of the
Risen Christ forty days after his Resurrection.

Directly encountering and seeing God
in the glory of Heaven.

Speech or actions that show
disrespect or irreverence for God; also, claiming to have the powers of God or
to be God.

Specially prepared priests to whom
the spiritual care of a special group of people, such as hospital patients,
military personnel, or migrants, is entrusted.

The virtue by which people are able
to successfully and healthfully integrate their sexuality into their total
person; recognized as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Also one of the
vows of religious life.

These were Jewish priests of high rank in the
Temple. They had administrative authority and presided over important Temple
functions and were probably leaders in the Sanhedrin

Having to do with the branch of
theology called Christology. Christology is the study of the person and life of
Jesus Christ, his ministry, and his mission.

:  The act, required by Jewish law, of removing
the foreskin of the penis. Since the time of Abraham, it has been a sign of
God’s Covenant relationship with the Jewish people.

merciful

The tendency of all human beings
toward sin, as a result of Original Sin.

An alliance of tribes or nations
with no central authority.

The “interior voice" of a
person, a God-given sense of the law of God. It leads people to
understand themselves as responsible for their actions, and prompts them to do
good and avoid evil. To make good judgments, one needs to have one that is well-formed.

Something that can be spoiled or
contaminated or made rotten, especially to be made morally perverted.

A story that explains something’s
cause or origin.

Also called the Mass or Lord’s Supper, and based
on a word for “thanksgiving,” it is the central Christian liturgical
celebration, established by Jesus at the Last Supper. In the it the
sacrificial death and Resurrection of Jesus are both remembered and renewed.
The term sometimes refers specifically to the consecrated bread and wine that
have become the Body and Blood of Christ.

Based on a word for “good news,” in
general, anyone who actively works to spread the Gospel of Jesus; more commonly
and specifically, the persons traditionally recognized as authors of the four
Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The study and proper interpretation
of the Scriptures.

The period of the Israelite captivity
in Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC.

The act of freeing someone from demonic
possession. They are also part of the Church’s worship and prayer life,
calling on the name of Christ to protect us from the power of Satan.

The act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing.

:  Also called the Fall from grace, the biblical
Revelation about the origins of sin and evil in the world, expressed
figuratively in the account of Adam and Eve in Genesis.

A literary form that uses symbolic
images, stories, and names to point to a deeper truth.

To represent or prefigure a person
before his or her life or an event before it occurs.

Also called strength or courage, the
virtue that enables one to maintain sound moral judgment and behavior in the
face of difficulties and challenges; one of the four cardinal virtues.

To kill one’s own brother or sister.

A group of heretical religious movements that claimed salvation comes from secret knowledge available only to the elite initiated in that religion.

The free and undeserved gift of God’s loving and
active presence in our lives, empowering us to respond to his call and to live
as his adopted sons and daughters. It restores our loving communion with the
Holy Trinity, lost through sin.

The dogma that Mary was conceived
without Original Sin and remained free from personal sin throughout her entire
life.

From the Latin, meaning “to become
flesh,” referring to the biblical Revelation that Jesus is both true God and
true man.

To introduce, establish, or inaugurate

The culmination or goal of God’s plan of
salvation, it is announced by the Gospel and present in Jesus
Christ. The Kingdom is the reign or rule of God over the hearts of people and,
as a consequence of that, the development of a new social order based on
unconditional love. The fullness of it will not be realized until
the end of time. Also called the Reign of God or the Kingdom of Heaven.

To focus strictly on what the law
requires without considering the truth the law is intended to promote. Jesus
taught that all law must be an expression of love for God and love for our
neighbor.

An infectious disease resulting in numbness,
paralysis, and physical deformities; also called Hansen’s disease. Effective
treatment was not developed until the late 1930s.

A form of biblical interpretation that considers
the explicit meaning of the text. It lays the foundation for all other senses
of the Scriptures

Different kinds of writing
determined by their literary technique, content, tone, and purpose (how the
author wants the reader to be affected).

The Church’s official, public,
communal prayer. It is God’s work, in which the People of God participate. The
Church’s most important one is the Eucharist, or the Mass.

A government or a state headed by a
single person, like a king or queen. As a biblical term, it refers to the
period of time when the Israelites existed as an independent nation.

An action so contrary to the will of God that it
results in complete separation from God and his grace. As a consequence of that
separation, the person is condemned to eternal death

The original state of human beings
in their relationship with God, sharing in the divine life in full communion
with him.

The state of complete harmony of our
first parents with themselves, with each other, and with all of creation.

From the Latin origo, meaning “beginning” or “birth.” The term has two meanings:
(1) the sin of the first human beings, who disobeyed God’s command by choosing
to follow their own will and thus lost their original holiness and became
subject to death, (2) the fallen state of human nature that affects every
person born into the world.

A statement that seems contradictory
or opposed to common sense and yet is true.

The second coming of Christ at the
end of time, fully realizing God’s plan and the glorification of humanity.

The work of salvation accomplished by Jesus
Christ mainly through his Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension

The sufferings of Jesus during his final days in
this life: his agony in the garden at Gethsemane, his trial, and his
Crucifixion

The night the Lord passed over the houses of the
Israelites marked by the blood of the lamb, and spared the firstborn sons from
death. It also is the feast that celebrates the deliverance of the Chosen
People from bondage in Egypt and the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land.

The father or leader of a tribe,
clan, or tradition. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the patriarchs of the
Israelite people.

The fiftieth day following Easter, which
commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the early Apostles and disciples

The belief in many gods

The recognition of our deep need for
God and the commitment to put God above everything else in life, particularly
above the accumulation of material wealth.

The time before the invention of
writing and recording of historical data.

A word used to describe Roman governors. These
men had administrative and legal authority over a province or region of the
Roman Empire

The first announcement of the Good
News and promise of God’s redemptive love through the person of Jesus Christ.

From the Latin redemptio, meaning “a
buying back”; to redeem something is to pay the price for its freedom. In the
Old Testament, it refers to Yahweh’s deliverance of Israel and, in the New
Testament, to Christ’s deliverance of all Christians from the forces of sin.
Christ our Redeemer paid the price to free us from the slavery of sin and bring
about our it.

Love that is willing to give
everything, even one’s own life, for the sake of redeeming, saving, or setting
free another person.

Suffering willingly taken on for the good of
others.

The deeper meaning that God reveals to us
through historical events or texts; an interpretation of historical events or
texts.

To be sinless and without guilt before God. Can
also be used as a noun

An efficacious and
visible sign of God’s invisible grace, instituted by Christ. The Seven
Sacraments are Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance and
Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders.

The fallen angel or spirit of evil
who is the enemy of God and a continuing instigator of temptation and sin in
the world.

Facts obtained and accessible
through the scientific method.

Union of one’s heart and mind with
all people. It leads to the just distribution of material goods, creates bonds
between opposing groups and nations, and leads to the spread of spiritual goods
such as friendship and prayer.

Our spiritual principle, it is
immortal, and it is what makes us most like God. It is created by God. It
is the seat of human consciousness and freedom.

A form of biblical interpretation that goes
beyond the literal sense to consider what the realities and events of the
Scriptures signify and mean for salvation.

When the opposite ends of an
equation or an event balance each other or have similar properties or characteristics.

The chains of it refer to the
infernal regions in Greek mythology, mentioned in Second Peter 2:4.

God’s breaking into the human
dimension so an individual's and community's understanding of God is deepened
or changed.

A Greek title for Mary meaning “God bearer"

A Hebrew word meaning “law,” referring to the
first five books of the Old Testament.

This word (from the Latin, meaning
“to hand on”) refers to the process of passing on the Gospel message.
It began with the oral communication of the Gospel by the
Apostles, was written down in the Scriptures, is handed down and lived out in
the life of the Church, and is interpreted by the Magisterium under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit.

  A habitual and firm disposition to do good.