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galilee
The
name given to the northern-most region of Palestine to the west of the Jordan
River. The region had been forcibly converted to Judaism by John Hyrcanus
during the Maccabean Era, and is, according to the gospels, the childhood home
of Jesus and place where his ministry was primarily focused.
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gehenna
A
valley located outside the city of Jerusalem that had been the site of human
sacrifices/child immolation to pagan gods. In NT times, the site, which was
considered ritually unclean by Jews, was used as a garbage dump and,
symbolically, as a place of punishment in the afterlife.
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gematria
The
Jewish practice of (symbolically) interpreting the numerical value of letters
in words/names. Related to numerology, gematria is most often seen in the use
of numbers as substitutes for names with a specific numerical value (i.e.
"David" or "DVD" as 4+6+4, or 14).
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genealogy
The
tracing of a person's/nation's/group's ancestry back through history to its
known point of origin. Biblical genealogies are typically patrilineal (traced
through male descendants, typically for the purpose of passing on
inheritance), but genealogies could also be matrilineal.
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gentile
In
the Bible, any non-Jew. The term was used in reference to anyone who did not
keep the Mosaic law, whether pagan or "God-fearing."
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gethsemane
A
name
meaning
“olive
press,”
and the
sight of a
garden on
the mount
of olives
where,
according
to
the gospel accounts, Jesus
was arrested on the same
night as the Last Supper.
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glossolalia
Term
for the phenomenon known as
“speaking in tongues” in
the Bible, a spiritual
charism described as
characteristic of the early
Christian movement in both
the letters of Paul and Acts
of the Apostles.
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gnosis
Greek word meaning
"knowledge," used
in scholarly literature to
refer to the content of
Gnostic teachings, a
"secret" knowledge
thought to be necessary for
salvation; the Greek word
does not carry this
connotation, and the word is
used in letters of Paul. |
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gnosticism
A
belief held by some early
Christian communities that
salvation could only be
acquired by obtaining a
“secret knowledge” that
Jesus himself had given to
his closest followers. This
belief was usually
accompanied by a religious
myth describing the origin
of the knowledge and
explaining why only certain
people were capable of
acquiring it. Gnosticism was
eventually considered
heretical by the early
church.
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god-fearer
The name
given to those Gentiles in
the New Testament era who
worshipped Yahweh, but did
not accept or follow the
Mosaic law. God-fearing
gentiles probably resisted
the law because circumcision
was seen as offensive, and
the dietary and ritual
restrictions of Jewish
monotheism required
abandoning involvement in
local temples, cutting
gentiles off from their
communities. God-fearers had
their own court in the
temple in Jerusalem, and
probably formed a
significant part of the
early Christian church,
especially in those churches
founded by the apostle Paul,
whose “law-free” gospel
would have offered them the
opportunity to participate
in Jewish monotheism and
salvation history without
the requirements of the
Mosaic law.
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gospel
From the
English word “godspell,”
itself derived
from the Greek word “euangellion,”
meaning “good news.” The
term is used in reference to
the Biblical books of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John, although it probably
does not describe the
category of literature they
represent (most likely, the
New Testament gospels are
ancient or Greco-Roman
biographies). The term was
originally used in either a
military context (whenever
the Roman army was
victorious, a soldier would
be sent back to the army’s
home to announce the “good
news” in advance) |
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grace
From the Greek word charis,
meaning "gift."
Any gift freely given,
without the expectation of
something in return. |
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griesbach
hypothesis
A
proposed solution to the
Synoptic Problem that
attempts to stay faithful to
the claims of early church
historians regarding the
order in which the synoptic
gospels were written. Greisbach, a German scholar,
claimed that Matthew had
been written first, and
copied by Luke. Later in the
development of the church,
Mark edited Matthew and
Luke into an
abbreviated version of the
gospel. |
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halakah
Means
"way" or
"path",
refers to that portion
of the Jewish Talmud
that is dedicated to
interpretation and
commentary on the
Mosaic Law. |
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hannukah
Feast
day instituted by the
Maccabees to
commemorate the
purification and
rededication of the
temple in Jerusalem
after Maccabean revolt
and the expulsion of
the Seleucids from
Jerusalem in 164 B.C. |
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hasidim
Name
meaning
"faithful,"
refers to those Jews
who remained faithful
to their beliefs
during the persecution
of Antiochus Epiphanes
IV, the Seleucid king
who attempted to
impose Hellenism on
Palestine in the
second century, B.C.
The Hasidim are
thought to be the
forerunners of the
Pharisees. |
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hebrew
Name
given to the Jewish
people (and probably
to a mix of Semitic
peoples) at the time
of the Exodus and the
settlement of Canaan.
Also, the Semitic
language in which most
of the books of the
Old Testament were
originally written. |
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hellenism
Name
given to those
cultures throughout
Europe and the
Mediterranean that
were formed by the
blending of Ancient
Greek culture with the
pre-existing local
cultures conquered or
influenced by the
Greeks. |
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heresy
Any
doctrine or teaching
seen to be in
contradiction to the
official tradition of
an organized religion.
To ancient Judaism,
the claim that Jesus
of Nazareth was the
Jewish messiah was
seen as heresy because
of his shameful death
by crucifixion. To
Christianity, early
doctrines such as
Gnosticism and
Arianism were seen as
heresy because of
their failure to
incorporate both
Jesus' divine and
human natures. |
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heterodox
Meaning
"other
thinking" as
opposed to
"straight
thinking," or
orthodoxy. Heterodox
beliefs are those that
are not "in
line" with the
tradition or doctrine
of a given church.
Although not
necessarily heretical,
heterodoxy is
typically not accepted
or acknowledged
by the
mainstream within a
given tradition. |
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holocaust
A
burnt offering or
sacrifice made to a
god, typically for the
forgiveness of sins.
In ancient cultures,
typically an animal
sacrifice was offered,
but human sacrifices
were also common. A
Jewish response to
human sacrifice may
have shaped the story
of the "binding
of Isaac" in
Genesis. |
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idolatry
In
the Bible, the
practice of worshiping
a man-made image or
idol as a god. To the
Jews, the practice was
seen as a violation of
the Mosaic law, both
because it was
typically practiced by
polytheists, and
because images of God
were seen as
blasphemous. |
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idumea
Region
to the south of Judea
conquered and forcibly
converted to Judaism
by John Hyrcanus
during the Maccabean
Era. Also the region
from which Herod the
Great was chosen by
the Romans to rule
Palestine. |
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intercalation
In
literature, the
insertion of one story
in the middle of
another, so that each
story influences the
interpretation of the
other. Typical of the
Gospel of Mark. |
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israel
The
name given to Jacob
after wrestling with a
divine figure in
Genesis, and winning.
Became the name of the
Jewish nation, and of
the northern kingdom
during the divided
monarchy. In the Old
Testament, the name
also refers
symbolically to the
Jewish people.
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The
Narrow Gate
2003-2004 |