glossary

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quelle
German word meaning "source," used to refer to a document no longer thought to exist that contained a list of Jesus' sayings and was copied by the authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. It is thought to account for the "double tradition" in these two gospels, and it is commonly referred to as "Q."

qumran
Location, by the Dead Sea, where a collection of scrolls was found in 1946 that are thought to have been written by the Essenes, a sect of Judaism that lived a secluded, monastic lifestyle.

rabbi
Hebrew for "teacher," and a title given to the Pharisees, who were teachers of the law.

redactor
An editor. In ancient literature, a redactor was more than just a corrector, and could often play a role equal to author in the composition of a text.

righteousness
In the OT and NT, the word can mean to be in right relationship with God, to be found innocent or acquitted, or to be at peace.

sabbath
Seventh day of the Jewish week, set aside for rest because of the belief that God had rested on the seventh day of creation.

sadducee
Sect of Judaism that existed during the Second Temple period. They were composed of the priestly class, so most were probably wealthy and powerful members of the Judean elite. Because they were associated with the operation of the temple, they probably died out shortly after its destruction in 70 AD. They appear to have denied the existence of angels or the possibility of a bodily resurrection at the end of time, two beliefs characteristic of apocalyptic Judaism from the same period.

sanctuary
A building or other place considered sacred and either dedicated to the worship of a deity or considered to be the place where a deity dwells. The "Holy of Holies" in the temple in Jerusalem is an example.

sanhedrin
Name given to the Jewish council or high court, given legal jurisdiction with respect to the Mosaic Law over a particular region.

sarx
Greek for "Flesh" or "corpse."

satan
Hebrew word for "adversary" or "opponent." The meaning of this term changed gradually, as can be seen in the development of the biblical canon. Originally, "satan" was used to refer to anyone who prevented the actions of another, including those who acted on God's behalf to stop wrongdoing. The term gradually came to be associated with a specific supernatural being who, by New Testament times, was seen as the opponent of God.

scapegoat
On the Jewish Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the goat upon which the sins of the people of Israel were symbolically placed. The goat was then sent off into the wilderness, thereby removing Israel's sinfulness and cleansing the nation.

scribe
Name given to those anyone who could read and write, and was therefore capable of preserving legal or historical traditions.

sect
A smaller group within a larger group, such as the Pharisees or Sadducees, which were seen as sects within Judaism.

septuagint
Name given to the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, composed in the first to second centuries BC. The name comes from a tradition that the translation was simultaneously produced by seventy scholars who worked independently but produced exactly the same text.

sicarii
Means "Dagger-men" and refers to a group of Jewish Zealot assassins in Palestine during the Roman Period, who were known for murdering anyone they considered to be a Roman sympathizer.

simile
A comparison of two often dissimilar things (using "Like" or "as") in which a common thing is used to shed light on something less common or more abstract ("The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed...").

sin
A term used to signify the human tendency to turn away from God's will or laws, thus causing separation between God and humans, humans and each other, and the individual and one's conscience.

sitz-im-leben
The "setting in life," or historical, cultural, geographical, Political, and Religious setting in which a text is produced, which must be understood as thoroughly as possible by the reader in order to get as close as possible to the meaning intended by the text' author.

stoicism
School of Greek philosophy founded by Zeno in the third century BC that stressed the use of reason ("Logos") and the pursuit of wisdom as keys to happiness. Stoics believed in an ethic of moderation and stressed a divine purpose or plan behind human existence.

soma
Greek for "body," referring to the wholeness of the human body, both flesh ("sarx") and spirit.

synagogue
A Greek word that originally designated an assembly place or an assembly of people. During the New Testament era (and possibly before), the term came to be associated with a gathering place for Jews to discuss the interpretation of the Mosaic law. After the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, synagogues also became houses of worship.

syncretism
The blending or combining of different religious traditions. Syncretism was seen as a form of corruption by many within Judaism, although many of the beliefs within Judaism were borrowed from other cultures, such as the Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks. Syncretism was used by the Greeks and Romans as a way to impose Greco-Roman culture on conquered peoples.

synoptic gospel
Name given to the New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, because they tell the story of Jesus' life in such a similar fashion that they are said to "see with the same eye" (syn-optically).

synoptic problem
The problem of determining the literary relationship between the synoptic gospels, due to the fact that while all three contain a significant amount of material about the life of Jesus that is similar, each gospel also contains unique material, and some appears to be contradictory.

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The Narrow Gate
2003-2004