Glossary of Theological Terms
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Glossary of Theological, Ethical and Liturgical Terms A a posteriori A term designating that kind of knowledge that issues from experience. See a priori. a priori Kant used the term a priori to designate all principles and judgments whose validity is not dependent in any way on sense impressions. Space, for instance, cannot be apprehended through the senses and being a necessary condition of experience it must be a priori. The opposite term is a posteriori: a term that logicians have applied to inductive reasoning (see Induction and Deduction) and in philosophy generally to the data of the mind that originate in the external world and are accepted as coming to it through the senses. a quo A phrase used by the medieval schoolmen to designate the principle or assumption or presupposition that is taken as the starting point of an argument, contradistinguished from the ad quem, its end or goal. Aaronic Benediction The familiar blessing that begins, "The Lord bless you and keep you." It is given the name "Aaronic" because it is the blessing God commanded Moses to give to his brother Aaron to speak to the people (Num. 6:24-26). abba (Aramaic, "Father") An address to God used by Jesus. The Aramaic word is found in Mark 14.36, Romans 8.15, and Galatians 4.6; it is a term both of a child's respectful relation to its father and of a confidential relation to an esteemed person. Abbess Feminine form of abbot, dating back to 6th cent. An abbess is elected by a community of nuns as its superior. Abbey Building or buildings used (or once used) by a religious order of monks or nuns. Abbot (Aramaic abba, "father") The head of a Christian monastic community, especially in the Benedictine or Cistercian traditions. Abjuration Solemn renunciation of heresy. Ablutions (1) Ritual cleansings to remove impurity and to mark transitions from profane to sacred states, etc. They are often, therefore, associated with rites of passage. In Judaism, ablution is ritual washing intended to restore or maintain a state of ritual purity and is rooted in the Torah. (2) The cleansing of the celebrant's mouth (since the 5th c.) and of his fingers and the chalice (since the 9th c.) after Communion to insure that all of the consecrated species has been consumed. Absolute That which exists without any dependence on another being and without any conditions. In Christian theology, the term applies only to God. Absolution Following the confession of sins, the Absolution pronounces God’s forgiveness either in a direct form ("I absolve/forgive you") or in a declarative form ("God forgives you all yours sins"). The word comes from the Latin, absolvere, which means "to loosen, set free, or absolve" (John 20:23). Absolutions of the Dead (Lat. absolutio defunctorum), an RC rite which once concluded the funeral liturgy in church. It consisted of a chant asking that the dead person might be freed from all sins (often Libera me, Domine) sung while the coffin was sprinkled and censed. 26725110.doc 1 Abstinence (Greek nisteia) A penitential practice consisting of voluntary deprivation of certain foods for religious reasons. In the Orthodox Church, days of abstinence are observed on Wednesdays and Fridays, or other specific periods, such as the Great Lent (see fasting). Abyss The Greek word abyssos (‘bottomless [pit]’, ‘deep’) appears 9 times in the NT. It is translated in RSV as ‘abyss’ (the abode of demons, Lk. 8:31; the place of the dead, Rom. 10:7) and ‘bottomless pit’ (the place of torment, Rev. 9:1-2, 11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1, 3). Acathistus (Lat., from Greek akathistos sc. [hymnos], “not sitting,” i. e., standing; Akathist). Byzantine liturgical hymn or office, sung standing, in honor of Mary, another saint, or Christ. Accentus The chanting of parts of a liturgical service by the officiant. The counterpart chant of the congregation is called concentus. The melodic variations in chanting are governed by traditional rules. See also Psalm Tones. Acceptilation Term taken from Roman law by J. Duns Scotus to denote an atonement, not because it is in itself an equivalent but because God determines to accept it as such. Accident A term used by Aristotle to designate a mode of being whose nature is to inhere in some other being, designated a substance; e.g., the greenness of foliage is said to be a mode of being inhering as "accident" in the "substance" of the foliage. Accident That which does not exist by itself essentially but subsists in another self-existent essence. Accidie (Greek akēdia, "indifference") Term used in the Septuagint and later in a modified sense to signifiy the spiritual weariness or torpor that at times especially affects monks and nuns. Accommodation Most generally refers to changing the rituals, practices, forms, etc. of Christian practice in missionary's culture to fit those of a local culture. Technically, in Roman Catholic circles, it refers to the early Jesuit work in China (especially Ricci from 1583 on) and India (deNobili from 1605 on) built on the idea of allowing local cultural elements that are neutral in regard to the Gospel to be brought into the Christian faith. Accommodation Term first used in good faith by mystical interpreters of Scripture to indicate that certain passages of Scripture conveyed higher thoughts than mere literal expressions exhibited. Acedia (accidia; accidie; Greek akedia) Sloth; ennui; indifference or repugnance to worship; considered one of the Seven deadly sins. Acoemetae (Greek, akoimētai = the unsleeping ones) A group of Eastern Orthodox monks founded c. 400 devoted to poverty, missionary enterprise, and the singing of psalms perpetually in choir, which they achieved by relays changing guard. Acolyte Formerly one of the four minor orders, the acolyte today is one of the two official "lay ministries" in the Roman-Catholic Church established in 1972. Acolyte Traditionally, the highest of the four minor orders in the Roman Catholic Church. Their duties include lighting the candles, preparing the wine and water for Mass and assisting the celebrant, deacon, and subdeacon. Act The term comes from the Latin agere (to do, to act) and corresponds to the Greek term energeia, which Aristotle contrasted with dynamis (act and potency respectively). The bulb I plant in the garden has the power to become a tulip and is in process of doing so. To the 26725110.doc 2 extent that it realizes itself by blooming into a tulip it is in act. Everything in the universe, however, is both in potency and in act; only God is simply energeia. The medieval schoolmen followed Aristotle closely here, calling God actus purus (pure act). acta apostolicae sedis Official publication of the papal see; formerly Acta sanctae sedis. acta martyrum Accounts of the trial and death of early martyrs; circulated and often read on their birthdays. Actual grace derives its name, actual, from the Latin actualis (ad actum), for it is granted by God for the performance of salutary acts and is present and disappears with the action itself. Its opposite, therefore, is habitual grace, which causes a state of holiness. actus dilectionis In scholastic theology, an act of love to God elicited by natural reason. actus purus A Latin term meaning "pure actuality": a state attributed in medieval Christian philosophy to God alone. All other beings are in process of growth and therefore in a state of potentiality and incompleteness. This distinction was drawn from Aristotle. ad limina apostolorum (Lat. “to the thresholds of the apostles”). 1. Pilgrimages to the traditional tombs of Peter and Paul in Rome. 2. Visits by bishops to Rome to venerate the tombs and report to the pope. Adaptation refers to finding ways to express the Gospel in forms and ideas that are familiar to the culture. It can range from putting new meaning into indigenous words (e.g., the Greek word logos was taken by John and invested with new meaning in his Gospel) to the adaptation of liturgy (e.g., baptismal or eucharistic practices) to changing church polity to fit local cultural leadership ideals. Adherents In the Scottish church those who wish to be affiliated without becoming full communicants may be enrolled as adherents. Adiaphora A Greek word meaning 'things indifferent'; it refers to matters not regarded as essential to faith which might therefore be allowed, if the 'weaker brother' found them helpful. In particular the Adiaphorists were those Protestants who with Melanchthon held certain Catholic practices (e.g. confirmation, veneration of saints) to be tolerable for the sake of unity; controversy continued over what were adiaphora until the Formula of Concord (1577). Adjuration (1) The act whereby one person imposes on another the obligation to speak as under oath; (2) a solemn oath; (3) a solemn or earnest urging or advising. Adonai (Heb. “The Lord” or “My Lord”) One of the divine names used in the Hebrew Bible. It is used among Jews as a substitute for the name of God (the unutterable Tetragrammaton, YHWH). Adoptionism An eighth-century Spanish heresy that held that, as God, Christ was by nature truly Son of God but, as man, only God's adopted son. Its chief proponents were Elipandus (ca. 718-802), archbishop of Toledo, and Felix (d. 818), bishop of Urgel. This heresy had precedents in Ebionitism and dynamic Monarchianism, which became associated with Adoptionism through Adolf von Harnack's (1851-1930) study. Adoration The highest reverence to be offered only to God (Ex 20:1-4; John 4:23), our creator, redeemer, and sanctifier, who alone should be "worshiped and glorified" (Nicene- Constantinopolitan Creed). Believers adore God through various images (e.g., the cross); they also adore Christ present in the Eucharist.