A glossary of Christian terms
A
Abraham The father of the Jewish nation. He and his group left Ur and started a new life
in Canaan.
Adam and Eve The first people according to the book of Genesis. They lived in the Garden of
Eden.
Advent The beginning of the church year. Starts on the Sunday nearest November 30th
(St. Andrew's day) until Christmas. Advent is from the Latin meaning coming or
arrival.
Acts of Apostles The second of the books in the bible written by Luke.
Agnostic Someone who says we cannot know whether God exists.
Altar The place of sacrifice in church or chapel which represents the table where
Jesus shared the last supper with his disciples.
Amen The final word of a prayer; means "so be it".
Annunciation When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was pregnant with Jesus.
Anglican (Communion) - A worldwide branch of the Protestant church led by the
Archbishop of Canterbury.
Angel A heavenly being. A messenger of God.
Apocrypha A section of the Bible not accepted by all Christians.
Apostles The twelve followers of Jesus; means "a person who is sent to preach the
gospel".
Apostles' creed The oldest statement of belief in the church, based on the teachings of the
Apostles.
Aramaic One of the languages used by people in Jesus' time, probably the language that
Jesus and the disciples would have spoken to each other.
Archbishop A clergyperson who is responsible for a group of diocese.
Ash Wednesday The first day of Lent. The day after Shrove Tuesday.
Ascension When Jesus went back to heaven, 40 days after the resurrection.
Atheist Someone who does not believe there is a God.
Atonement Making amends for your sins or wrong deeds. Trying to put things right.
B
Baptism
The entry rite into the Christian church, which can take place as a baby or as an
adult.
Baptistery The place where baptism takes place.
Basilica A word for a large church.
Beatitudes
A section of writing from the New Testament, each of which starts with
"Blessed are the ...." (Matthew 5).
Bethlehem A small town in the north of Palestine where Jesus was born.
Bible The Holy Book of the Christians, contains the Hebrew Scriptures (Old
Testament), the New Testament and sometimes the Apocrypha
Bishop A senior minister, usually in charge of an area or diocese.
Blasphemy Words that are spoken against God.
Blessed Rewarded by God.
C
Calvin(ism) John Calvin (1509-1564) was an important part of the Reformation and his
followers started a movement called Calvinism, a branch of the Protestant
church.
Celibate In many Christian sects the priest or bishop is not allowed to be married or
have sex.
Christ Another name for Jesus Christ.
Christening Another word for Baptism.
Christian(s) Those who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Christianity The faith of the Christians.
Christmas The festival which celebrates the birth of Jesus.
Church (1) A building which is used for worship. (2) The community of Christians.
Clergy Those people who are appointed to work in the church. The three types of
clergy are deacons, priests and bishops.
Commandments Rules given by God. The most famous are the 10 commandments given to
Moses.
Communion The most important of the Christian services. It acts out the events of the last
supper which Jesus had with his disciples.
Confession Words spoken about your sins, asking God for forgiveness.
Confirmation When people who were baptised as babies confirm the promises made by their
parents.
Conscience Our internal 'voice' which tells us right from wrong, some people believe that
this is the voice of God within us.
Consecration When the bread and wine are turned into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Contemplation Thinking about God, time spent in prayer and meditation.
Covenant An agreement between an individual or people and God.
Creation When God made the world.
Creed A statement of religious beliefs agreed by the church to be true. There are 2
main creeds in the Christian church: the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.
Cross The most important Christian symbol.
Crucifix A model of the cross with the figure of Jesus upon it.
Crucifixion When Jesus was put to death on a cross. A form of capital punishment.
D
Day of Judgment At the end of the world when all people will be judged on their behaviour
during their lives.
Denomination A group within the Christian church.
Devil Some Christians believe that the devil is an actual being. Others that 'he' just
represents all things that are evil.
Disciple A person who follows the teachings of Jesus.
E
Easter The major festival in the Christian church which celebrates the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus.
(Eastern)
Orthodox
The Christian churches foumd mainly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
(e.g. Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox). One of the three main denominations
along with Roman Catholic and Protestant. Maintaining a separate existence
since 1054 A.D. when Eastern and Western Christianity disagreed over
doctrine.
Epistle A letter. Part of the New Testament; many written by St.Paul.
Eucharist Comes from the Greek word meaning "Thanksgiving". It is based on the events
that happened at the last supper. All Christian groups perform this service
except Salvationists and Quakers.
Euthanasia The ending of life, by medical means, when there is no hope of recovery.
Evil Things that are not of God.
F
Faith A belief in God.
Festival A special occasion during the church year.
Free Church A church which has no higher authority than the leaders of that church.
Foetus The developing baby while it is in the womb.
Font The place in the church where babies are baptised.
G
Garden of Eden The original home of Adam and Eve before the fall.
Gethsemene A garden where Jesus prayed before being arrested.
Gender Another word for sex; we all have a gender either male or female.
God The supreme being, who created the world.
Golden Rule quoted by Jesus as 'Love your neighbour as yourself' (Mark 12:31).
Good Friday The day on which Jesus was crucified.
Gospel The part of the New Testament about the life of Jesus. Gospel means 'good
news'.
Grace The loving help that God gives to all human beings, an undeserved gift.
H
Heaven The place where God lives and where Christians go after their death.
Holy Special to God.
Holy Communion Another name for the Eucharist.
Holy matrimony Another term for Christian marriage.
Holy Spirit One of the three forms of God. The Holy Spirit came down to the disciples at
Pentecost and to Jesus at his baptism. Often shown as a dove.
I
Incarnation When Jesus became human by being born to Mary
J
Jesus Christ The founder of the Christian faith. Born in Nazareth and killed by crucifixion at
the age of about 33.
Jews The people of Abraham. Jesus was a Jew.
K
Kingdom of God The new kingdom to be ruled over by God.
L
Last supper The last meal that Jesus had before the crucifixion. At this meal Jesus gave a
special meaning to the bread and the wine, which is remembered at the
Eucharist.
Lent The 40 days, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week. Represents the40 days that
Jesus spent in the wilderness.
Lord's Supper Another name for the Eucharist.
Lord's Prayer The prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples.
Lutheran A denomination of the Protestant Christian church. Followers of Martin Luther
after the Reformation.
M
Mary The mother of Jesus, sometimes called the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is very
important in the Roman Catholic church.
Mass Another name for the Eucharist.
Messiah Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah which means 'King' or 'Saviour' or "Anointed
One'.
Methodist A branch of the protestant church founded by John Wesley.
Miracle An event that cannot be explained by normal or scientific means.
Monotheism Belief in one God - The Christians, Jews and Muslims
Moses The Jewish leader who led the Jews from slavery in Egypt, and was given the
ten commandments by God on Mount Sinai.
N
New Testament
Part of the Bible together with the Hebrew Scripture. The New Testament
contains the Gospels, the Epistles and the book of Revelation.
O
Old Testament Another name for the Hebrew Scripture, part of the Bible
P
Palm Sunday The day that Christians remember the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Patriarch Leader of one of the 14 Eastern Orthodox churches.
Paul (Saint) A Jew who was converted to Christianity and who took the gospel to the
Gentiles. Wrote many of the epistles.
Pentecost The festival when the disciples received the Holy Spirit. Often thought of as the
birth of the church.
Peter (Saint) The apostle who denied Jesus and who Jesus called 'the rock on which the church
was built'; Peter was the first bishop of Rome, or Pope.
Pharisee A religious leader of the Jews at the time of Jesus.
Polytheism Belief in many Gods.
Pope The leader of the Roman Catholic church, lives in Vatican City.
Prayer Talking to God.
Preacher A person who delivers a sermon.
Priest A clergyperson who may celebrate the Eucharist, give blessings and forgive sins.
Protestant A form of Christianity after the Reformation. Protestant is used to describe the
churches which do not belong to the Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches.
Purgatory The place between earth and Heaven, "Heaven's waiting room."
R
Reconciliation To get closer to God through the forgiveness of your sins.
Reformation When the Western church split into the Catholic and Protestant denominations
in the 16th century.
Repentance To be sorry for the sins that you have committed.
Resurrection When Jesus came back from the dead three days after he had been crucified.
Revelation A message from God.
[Roman] Catholic The Christian denomination, based in Rome, that is headed by the Pope.
S
Sabbath The Jewish holy day, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. Also used by
some Christian denominations for Sunday.
Sacrament An outward sign of something special and holy. The Roman Catholics,
Orthodox and the Anglicans believe in 7 sacraments.Baptism, Eucharist,
Confirmation, holy orders, forgiveness of sins, anointing of the sick, and
Marriage. Most Protestant churches recognise only the first two of these.
Sacred Something which is holy or devoted to God.
Salvation Army A protestant church formed by William Booth to help the poor. It works to
help people's physical needs as well as their spiritual ones.
Samaritan A group of people who lived in Samaria at the time of Jesus, considered by the
Jews to be inferior.
Satan Another name for the devil.
Saviour Another title for Jesus. Used to show belief that he rescued people from their
sins by dying on a cross.
Secular Anything that is not religious.
Sermon A talk given in church on a spiritual or moral theme.
Sexism Treating people differently because of their gender.
Sin Doing something wrong that separates you from God.
Sunday The Christian holy day; day of rest.
Synoptic A Greek word which means "to look at together". The synoptic gospels are
Matthew, Mark and Luke.
T
Temptation Being persuaded to do evil or to sin.
Ten Commandments The rules given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.
Theist Someone who does believe God exists.
Transubstantiation A belief that the wine and the bread at the Eucharist actually turn into the body
and blood of Jesus. Esp. in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox
churches.
Trinity The one God in the three parts; God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
V
Virgin Birth The belief that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.
Virgin Mary Another name for Mary.
W
Worship The act of prayer or actions dedicated to praising God.
Worshipper A person who is involved in an act of worship.
Y
Yahweh Hebraic word for God. Used primarily by Roman Catholics