Many times people will ask me a question or definition,
and I have taken to adding it to this list when they do. This is not restricted to Pagan terms or phrases. Note: These definitions are from my own research in discussion, books and online, often compiled from several sources.
My humble opinions and conclusions are in red.
If you would like to know about a word or concept that is not on this list, or to request that I expand my explanation of one of these terms, please send me a request by e-mail. Thanks!
THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Agape (contrast with eros)
This Greek word was coined by NT writers to describe Deity's love for humanity and Christians' love of one another as members of the same faith community.
The Latin translation is usually 'caritas' which is 'charity' in English, and demmonstrates the original meaning of that word as well.
Agrapha
In general, the unofficial sayings of someone.
In specific, the sayings of Jesus not in one of the four gospels. This includes Jesus sayings found in other books of the NT and in apocryphal sources, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary.
Allegory
In this literary figure of speech, one thing is understood to represent another in the context of an entire poem, story or book. For example, the book Animal Farm is an allegory of 20th century Russia.
Many of the parables recorded as being told by Jesus were thought to be allegories for contemporary religious and political situations. NT writers often reinterpreted OT allegories as being prophecies of contemporary events such as the birth, ministry and persecution of Jesus. Hindsight is 20/20...can anyone say 'Nostradamus'? This practice, while still employed in the modern RC church, is generally frowned upon by Protestants.
FYI, a metaphor, by contrast, is a very brief allegory, usually communicated in a phrase, or a sentence or two. For example: "I am a bear in the morning." Obviously, I'm a human, not a bear, but in the morning I take on the stereotypical characteristics of a bear, e.g., gruff, grumbling, drowsy from hibernation, hungry, etc.
Amen
This is a Hebrew word mean 'truly'. It is used anytime to denote agreement, or at the end of a prayer or rite to signal the end of the section and confirm will.
Many Pagans use the phrase "so mote it be" in a similar fashion. Some (like me) also use 'amen' especially when in an ecumenical setting.
Anathema (compare to excommunication)
A person or thing that is separated or cursed.
A person who is anathematized is cast out from the entire faith community, not just a particular congregation or set of rituals. In the Christian church, this would be someone who essentially has been de-baptized.
Anson By-Law
Although usually considered to be inspired to some degree, apocryphal writings are usually rejected by mainstream religious authorities. Sometimes the word is used to describe secular writing with questionable claims of authorship or authenticity, or an outright falsehood.
The Apocrypha (note the proper case) are the seven OT books included in the RC version of the Bible, but which are omitted in Protestant version. Also considered apocryphal are various early Christian gospels that were not "canonized", or sanctioned.
The word is from Late Latin meaning 'hidden away'. This is interesting because it is not Deity who has hidden the books from the masses, but church authorities, to further define their theology and doctrine, and IMHO to restrict the ability of the parishioners to interpret the texts independently. It is often cults who attempt to make all decisions for their members.
Aridity
Blasphemy (compare to sacrilege)
Blessing
Bully Pulpit
Cabala, Cabbalah, Kabala, Kabbalah
Call, Calling
Cardinal Virtues (contrast with Theological Virtues)
Category, The Imperative
Catholic (contrast with orthodox)
Concrete (contrast with transcendent)
Cosmology
Counsel (contrast with precept)
Covenant
Creed
Cult (compare with sect)
Divine Spark
Doctrine
Dogma
Elements (Natural, contrast with Eucharist)
The basic components of all existence, in the Celtic/European traditions they are Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. They have their own complex natures and correspondences. Some also include Spirit as a fifth element. Alchemists and Ceremonial Mages call this fifth element Quintessence.
Traditional Chinese elements are Wood, Metal, Fire, Water, and Air.
Epistomology
Eros (contrast with agape)
This is the Greek word for sensual, physical, human love. It is also the Greek name of the Roman god, Cupid, the son of Venus/Aphrodite, goddess of love.
Eschatology
Eternal Life
Exegesis
This is the ability to speak in 'tongues" (a spiritual language). Though common in gatherings of the early Christian congregations, in modern times it is primarily restricted to Pentacostalist denominations.
Gospel
Grace is a Christian concept that has traction in most religions. It is supernatural assistance bestowed by Deity upon a rational being to sanctify them.
This concept was first defined by an argument between Augustine and Pelagius. Augustine felt that divine grace was required by mankind to perform any good act because mankind alone can only do evil. Pelagius felt that mankind has free will to choose good or evil acts, and divine grace only makes good acts easier to accomplish.
The main theological controveries are around the interaction of grace and free will (see Molinism and Jansenism), and grace and the reception of the sacraments.
Heresy, Formal Heresy (contrast with schism)
Heresy is a separation from a doctrine of the presiding church. For example, I could be labeled a Christian heretic; but, because my heretical views involve the central concepts that make define Christianity, I can honestly no longer be called any kind of Christian.
Hope (Theological Virtue)
Humility (Moral Virtue)
Hyposcrisy
Immanent (compare with 'transcendent')
An adjective meaning existing or residing within the universe, time, material experience, etc. as an inner activating spirit or force or principle
Immortality
Infallibility
Impeccability
Inner Light (compare to divine spark)
Intention
actual, virtual, habitual
Mental Reservation, Strict or Wide
Merit
Metaphysics
Metempsychosis
Modern Religion
Mystery Religion
Orthodox (contrast with catholic)
Precept (contrast with counsel)
Pride (Deadly Sin)
The inordinate love of one's own excellence
Priesthood
Pseudepigrapha
A stage in prayer or meditation on Deity. Livingstone writes, "Memory, understanding, and will are stilled by Divine action and the soul left in a state of peace in which grace can work without hinderance." Okay, so now we just need to know what he means by memory, understanding, will, soul, peace and grace.
In a broad sense, recollection is a renunciation of all avoidable dissipations and vices. One is gathered back into the fold, so to speak.
Redemption
The simultaneous "deliverance" from or expiation of sin and the restoration of mankind and the world to communion with Deity. Deliverance is a ruling or judgement that takes something negative away. Expiation is a very old concept and means complete appeasement by faith and devotion in a vicarious sacrifice. Our term scapegoat is an example of atonement for a crime through punishing someone other than the guilty party. The concept of redemption is common to many world religions.
In Christianity, humans were stained with Original Sin since the Fall of Man in the Garden of Edin, and it could not be removed by humans (for some reason I know not). This ultimate soul stain could only be eliminated by a supreme sacrifice, namely Christ's death.
How redemption is achieved is debated within Christianity, however. Catholics believe that human acts count toward redemption. Protestants believe that works count for naught and it is by faith alone that human sin can be forgiven. Calvinists and Jansenists believe that only a select few can be redeemed.
Regular
This word means according to rule, in other words, on an orderly, fixed schedule or in the usual manner.
A regular priest lives in a religious community following religious Rule, which includes when to pray, work, eat, sleep, how to dress, and how to act.
Reincarnation
Reprobation
God's condemnation of sinners to eternal punishment; also, the punishment itself. In the doctrine of predestination, God chooses certain humans to be punished no matter what they do in life. A person who has been so condemned is called a reprobate.
Yeah, I don't think it's fair either. That's why I'm not a Calvinist. :-)
Revelation
Revelation is the body of Truth disclosed by Deity; also, the process of Deity disclosing Truth to a human.
'Truths of reason' can be learned; 'truths of faith' can only be believed.
There is a difference in how Catholics and Protestants view the source of divine truth. Protestants believe that revelation (recorded truths) are in the Bible and that's all we need. Cahtolics believe that the traditions of the Church are also part of God's revelation.
Revelation requires prophets to receive the divine knowledge, wisdom, blueprints, etc.
A sacrament is a visible expression of inward faith and grace, that "sanctifies men," in other words, makes people better for having performed it.
Roman Catholics have seven sacraments, although as many as thirty have been proposed. The traditional seven are: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion or Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction ( the so-called Last Rites), Ordination, and Marriage. These seven were made official at the Council of Trent, and have also been accepted by the Eastern Orthodox Church as well.
In the Catholic traditions, you need to have the right 'matter' (objects & tools) plus the right 'form' (words) plus the right intention (will) in order for a sacrament to be valid. This is also exactly what is required of a magical spell!
Three Christian sacraments need only be performed once because they magically transform the petitioner: Baptism, Confirmation and Ordination. Protestant Christian denominations focus most on the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist.
Sacred (contrast with secular)
Sacrilege (contrast with blasphemy)
Abuse, violation, or willful mistreatment of a sacred person, place or thing. It is an action, not words. It is the improper handling of something, somewhere or someone holy.
Unless the matter is trivial, sacrilege is a grave or 'deadly' sin in the Catholic traditions.
Salvation
Sanctuary
The concept of sanctuary essentially means a haven. Both the words sanctuary and haven have connotations of holiness. In fact, criminals would seek the sSanctuary in a church and invoke the Right of Ecclesiastical, or church, Sanctuary. This meant s/he would take an oath of abjuration before the coroner, and be escorted to the nearest seaport out of the country. No trial, no sentncing, no punishment.
Secular sanctuary is a bit more broad, and criminals often just went to a church for sanctuary anyway. By the mid-1750's, both types of legal sanctuary were disallowed by law. Too many had escaped from justice.
In modern times, and in fiction, one can ask a priest (usually Christian) for "sanctuary" and that means they will not be turned out, and no one will be told that they are hiding there. It does not mean the petitioner will get food, money or clothes, and if they leave to go get food, they'll have to ask for sanctuary again (or sneak out and back in), but it is a respite from flight and persecution.
Sect (compare with cult)
Secular (contrast with sacred and regular)
Something that is secular is in the world of the current era. The word secular shares a root with the French word for century, siècle. The ancient Roman ludi sæculares was a 72-hour non-stop celebration coming once in an "age", which is every 120 years.
A secular priest is a priest who lives in the real world instead of a closed religious community.
Schism (contrast with heresy)
A schism is a separation from the prevailing church in practice, but not doctrine. Essentially, it is going off on your own.
It is interesting to note that because Catholics believe that Ordination is one of those life/soul changing events that cannot be undone, a schismatic priest can still perform th Eucharist, and a schismatic Bishop can still ordain priests, they just wouldn't be Catholics. That's how Luther and Henry VIII were able to start "new" religions that still had the Apostolic Succession that shows pedigree within the Christian traditions.
Seven Deadly Sins
Sin, Actual Sin, Formal Sin, Original Sin, Material Sin, Mortal Sin
Sin is a primarily Judeo-Christian concept. It can refer either to acts in daily life that pull the transgressor away from God (a Roman Catholic worldview called Actual Sin), or as an inherently flawed nature that prevents us from being with God until all are judged (a Protestant worldview called Original Sin).
Mortal sin is a deliberatly bad act by a human to find satisfaction in another created being instead of Deity. It is only so labeled if a 'grave matter', and is punishabled by loss of divine grace and eternal damnation unless repented and forgiven.
Bishop Dennis Gregg, in an address at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Raleigh NC on September 27, 2009, defined sin as "doing what should have been left undone, and leaving undone what should have been done" and that it is the human condition to do so.
Neopagans generally believe that no creature can have (original) sin because we were made by a loving Creator, and are therefore blessed. Neopagans generally reject sin, and thus any need for salvation or divine grace.
Stigmata
Theological Virtues (contrast with Cardinal Virtues)
Transcendent (contrast with concrete, immanent)
An adjective meaning above and independent of the universe, time, creation, etc.
Jews, Christians and Muslims blieve in a transcendent god.
Sources: Dictionary.com, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Religioustolerance.org, National Endowment for the Humanities EDSITEMent
DOCTRINES and SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Deriving from the Greek, meaning 'without knowledge', the common modern understanding of this doctrine is 'holding out for more information.' You know, show me proof and I will believe there is a god.
In actuality, it is a much narrower concept. True agnostics believe that humans are incapable of understanding Deity or anything supernatural.
So, what, they think, 'why bother?' I always thought we were supposed to expand our minds and try to reach beyond our limited understanding of the world... guess I'm not an agnostic.
Alexandrian Theology, Christian
The Godhead is shared by Father, Son and Spirit, nearly to the point of tritheism (belief in three separate gods). Jesus' humanity is barely acknowledged. Named for the schools of theology centered at Alexandria, Egypt in the 4th through 6th centuries CE.
Monothelitism and Monophysitism are extreme forms of this doctrine.
Anthroposophy
Antiochene Theology, Christian
Jesus is more human than divine.
Apologetics, Apologists
Ascetical Theology (contrast with Mystical Theology)
All creation is blessed, all creation is interdependent and interconnected, and all creation is capable of a special kind of communication that we call magic. This worldview, as well as the holographic universe (see below), is described in detail in the book by Joyce and River Higginbotham called "Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions."
Justification by Faith (see also Lutheran)
Messalians, Euchites
Monolatry
Moral Philosophy
This is the study of character and conduct as related to religion. It purports that Deity is the goal and reward of human endeavor, and sets out the basic rules for human conduct and the character traits that are necessary and conducive to a healthy spiritual life.
It was first established by the Christian St. Augustine with his description of charity as the prognitor of all other virtues. Thomas Aquinas combined this ide with other Aristotelian ideas when composing his Summa Theologica.
The RC monastic orders of the Jesuits and the Dominicans - rule imposers of the highest order - used data collected from the confessional to find a formula for applying moral theology to individuals.
One element of moral theology is the concept of scruples, which is the unfounded fear of sin where there is none.
A rigid system of moral theology is Probiliorism, followed closely in France and Italy. Milder forms include Probilism and Equiprobilism established by St. Alphonsus Liguori in his 1733-5 three-volume treatise, Theologia Moralis. A scanned copy in Latin can be viewed online.
The reason, you might be wondering, why someone would fear a sin, is that the whole point of moral theology is to create a rulebook for 'right living'. IMHO this runs counter to Jesus' condemnation of the Jewish legalism of his time and proposition that one should love Deity and love self and others. Period. Thus, creating a strict set of rules for right conduct as proof of faith is silly in the extreme.
Protestant Churches tend to reject the need for detailed rules for living a 'Christian life.' They instead present virtues discussed in the NT such as charity, self-control and hope.
Mystical Theology (contrast with Ascetical Theology)
Phenomenology
Predestination
Process Theology
This is the belief that during the Eucharist, the bread and wine actually become the tangible, actual flesh and blood of Jesus.
Regeneration
Resurrection of Christ, The
A central tenet of Christianity, if you don't believe this, you probably shouldn't call yourself a Christian. Basically, Jesus as Christ died, was buried, then came back to life in his body after three days. It is his death that is the vicarious sacrifice that redeems humanity. (So why do some denominations still call people 'sinners'?) But it is his resurrection back to life that makes him touched by God. Please understand, he's not the only one who has ever been resurrected, even by God. BUT, he was the only one to intentionally sacrifice himself first. The Ascension was just gravy.
Resurrection of the Dead
Another central Christian tenet is that, at the "Second Coming" of Christ, everyone who has ever died will come back to life with a new physical body and everything, and that the "saved" will also go to "heaven". It's not clear what will happen to the not-saved. Just new life on Earth? Business as usual? That's billions of people from 500,000 years of human history, different cultures, languages, religions...and how would they live on a planet that is barely supporting the current living population.
In order to reconcile God's foreknowledge with human freewill, 16th c. Jesuit author Luis Molina coined this phrase which means 'mediate knowledge' in Latin. Basically it means that God knows the results of all human choices of free will.
Sources: Dictionary.com, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Religioustolerance.org
ISMS
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Albigensianism (Christian heresy)
Anticlericalism
Antinomianism
Agnosticism
Annihilationism
Antitrinitarianism
Atheism
Bitheism, also known as Ditheism or Duotheism
This belief structure understands either that God has two equal and complementary (bitheist) or opposing (ditheist) aspects, or that there are two separate but complementary or opposing deities. This term is also used in specific contexts to show the relationship between two deities within a larger pantheon, for example in the Persephone myth, Demeter and Hades are in an opposing ditheistic relationship. The same is true for Ahura Mazda/Spenta Mainyu and Angra Mainyu in Zoroastrianism.
In Neopaganism, God and Goddess are thought to be in a complementary bitheistic relationship. Most Neopagans either honor a non-specific god and goddess polarity, or they may choose to worship specific male and female deity pairs, usually within a polytheistic tradition.
Congruism
Creationism (contrast with 'traducianism')
Determinism
Docetism
Equiprobalism
Evangelicalism, Evangelicalist
Exemplarism
Existentialism
Fundamentalism
Hedonists believe that existence is for personal pleasure.
Henotheists recognize a single deity, and view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that supreme God. They choose one aspect to worship (often within a family or tribe) while generally ignoring (but not denying) the existence of other aspects or forms of the Supreme Being. Many Hindu and Neopagan traditions are henotheistic. It is commonly held that early Hebrews/Israelites were henotheistic.
"Hén" is the Greek word for 'one'. The term was coined in 1860 by (Friedrich) Max Müller (1823-1900), a professor of comparative philology at Oxford.
Humanism, Secular
A belief in human self-sufficiency.
Hylozoism
Jansenism
Liberal Evangelicism
Liberalism
Mithraism
Modalism, Sabellianism (compare to monarchianism)
Also called Sabellianism after a likely 3rd-century Roman theologian who espoused this doctrine.
Modernism
Molinism
The efficacy of grace has its ultimate foundation in free human cooperation with divinely given grace, and that God knows that humans will cooperate.
Monarchianism (compare to modalism, adoptionism)
Monism
An extreme form of Alexandrian theology.
In monotheism, there is only one personality of God. Some monotheistic gods, such as Allah and Yahweh, have various temperaments and moods, but they are nevertheless considered one being. A notable exception to this is the Three-in-One doctrine of Christianity; Father, Son (Jesus) and Spirit are aspects of God with differing purposes in creation, life management, and judgement.
An extreme form of Alexandrian theology.
Moralism (see Moral Theology)
Mysticism
Nestorianism
Origenism
In pantheism, there is nothing separate or distinct from God, for God literally is the universe. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence, and the universe (the sum total of all that is, was, and shall be) is represented or personified in the theological principle of 'God'. Unlike in panentheism, there is no creation "plus one."
Panentheism (compare to pantheism)
Panentheism holds that God pervades the world, but is also beyond it. Deity is the inner spiritual essence of everything in the universe, but it exists beyond the universe as well.
Variants of this theology are part of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Neo-Platonic, and transcendental world views.
Patripassianism (compare with Monarchianism)
The belief that God the Father suffered along with Jesus the Son. It was formalized in the 200's CE.
Pelagianism (Christian heresy)
Semi-Pelagianism is a rough mean of Augustine's doctrines on grace and Pelagian's. It was first expressed in the writings of early 5th century scholar, Cassian of Marseilles, and teaches that the first steps toward a "Christian life" are taken by human will, and grace follows later, generally at an unxpected moment.
Polytheism is a belief in a plurality of gods in which each deity is distinguished by special functions. This cosmic family becomes the nucleus of legends and myths and, eventually, of a cosmology that seeks to explain natural phenomena and to establish people's relation to the universe. As polytheistic religions evolve, lesser deities diminish in stature or vanish completely, their attributes being assigned to preferred gods, until the religion begins to exhibit monotheistic tendencies.
Many Neopagans are "hard polytheistics", honoring or worshipping a family of gods and goddesses, or invoking them during spellcasting.
IMHO ALERT - I tend to view the various cultural names and myth cycles as manifestations of one aspect of God/dess, which is considered "soft polytheism". Just as people may ask me to help them analyze their web site, learn a piano sonata, or write a handfasting ritual (very different fields of expertise!), and would likely address me by a different name or title in each situation, so to can God/dess be addressed by a different name that represents the facet of experience you are seeking help or guidance with. I believe it also helps the practitioner more precisely visualize their goal and enter the altered state necessary for connection to the universe for prayer/magic.
Positivism
Presbyterianism
A school of moral theology.
A school of rigid moral theology.
Protestantism
Psilanthropism (Christian heresy)
The belief that Jesus was just human, not God and Man in one person.
Pyrrhonism
Quietism (Christian heresy)
Realism (contrast third definition with nominalism)
There are three definitions of realism.
The most basic definition is that one believes ethereal things are not truly real. (Hmm, does this mean they can be ignored?)
Another definition is that one believes only in things that are rooted in fact, and is suspiscious of speculation. IMHO ALERT - My sources tell me Christianity is realistic in this sense, but I have always thought of Christianity as a mystery religion, meaning Christians have faith in something unknown, something mysterious. Christians speculate about God, Jesus, the angels, the End Times, etc. all the time! Or do they? Maybe they are just debating the meaning of the descriptions set down in Scripture. And veryone thinks they're right, so they're not really "speculating" at all. Hmm, food for thought.
Here's the third definition, which is entirely the opposite of the first definitionand it is quite within the Pagan worldview. This is the belief that abstract concepts, called universals, have a real existence apart from the people or things in which they are embodied, which are called particulars.
The Romans had inumerable non-anthropomorphized "little gods" called Numina. Each Numen was the "spirit" of places and concepts. Often, their names are also the Latin noun. The adjective numinous means to be filled with or characterized by a sense of a supernatural presence, to be sublime. For example: "The unexpected phosphorescence in the silent underwater cave made it numinous to the lucky scuba divers."
A few of the hundreds of little gods are: concord (Concordia), feasts (Edesia), thresholds (Lima), crossroads (Trivia), the southwest wind (Africus), bread baking (Fornax), night (Nox), truth (Veritas) and childbirth (Candelifera). And the list oges on and on and on and...
Receptionism
The belief that during the Eucharist the bread and wine take on additional characteristics once inside the body of the faithful communicant (receiver), becoming also the actual flesh and blood of Jesus.
Revivalism
A "revival" is a fervent outpouring of faith and praise marked by uplifting and dramatic music as well as intense preaching and prayer. The Steve Martin dark comedy, "Leap of Faith," is all about revivals, as is the Neil Diamond song, "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show." It is evangelical to the extreme, and generally concise in its message.
For some Christians, especially in the southern part of the United States, revivals are regular occurances with guest "speakers" (preachers) who develop their own reputations.
Rigorism (compare to formalism and Tutiorism)
The broad definition of rigorism is the belief that one should deny oneself pretty much everything, be extremely ascetic, and rigidly keep the letter of the law with no interpretation of any kind. It's basically a cult mentality.
Sometimes rigorism is used as another name for the moral theology known as Tutiorism.
This is the belief in the strict adherence to the day of rest known as the Sabbath. No work, sport or payment of any kind can be made on the Sabbath. Strict adherence includes no lighting of fires, no driving of cars or animal-drawn carts, no laundry, and no television or games. Even motors cannot work on the Sabbath!
Some sects mark the Sabbath as evening to evening, others midnight to midnight, on a certain day of the week depending on their interpretation of Scripture.
Sects that keep this rigid doctrine include the Puritan and European Free Church sects, as well as orthodox Jews.
Scholasticism, Scholastic Theology (contrast with Nominalism)
Introduced in the Middle Ages by Augustine, Scholasticism ephasizes understanding reveal truth through intellectual processes.
It was not an effort or desire to have knowledge of faith, but rather, a fulfillment of the implied expectation by Deity to use the brains we've got and not follow something blindly, but obediently. Scholasticism does not replace faith in the Scripture, which is often considered to have more authority that commentary, but to supplement and enhance it.
The pinnacle of the Scholastic movement, and its clearest description, came with the publishing of Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas. It diminished in popularity during the Renaissance, but revived in the late 19th century and is now a central part of RC theology.
Secularism
Belief in order and life principles derived solely from observation, not a belief in Deity or an afterlife.
This term is also used broadly to describe those who ignore or deny the concept of supernatural religion.
Stoicism
Transcendentalism, or Transcendental Philosophy
Adherents believe the principles of reality are to be discovered by the study of the processes of thought. Trancendental philosophy (and literature) emphasizes the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Maragret Fuller are the most noted members of the transcendental movement in the United States during the early nineteenth century.
Unitarianism
Universalism (Apocatastasis)
Sources: Religious Tolerance.org, www.angelfire.com/folk/greenwitch/sacred.html, Dictionary.com, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
ACTIONS AND PROCESSES
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
The forgiveness of sin by a priest of any rank to those who have performed penance or are sufficiently penitent. This still requires satisfaction of the affront through reparation or restitution in order to avoid punishment in purgatory.
Catholic doctrine is that only one in the ordained ministry can absolve a sin. Protestants disagree.
In Paganism, absolution can only be offered by the wronged party.
Affusion (see baptism)
Annoint
A ceremonial way to indicate something is sacred and to infuse the with divine grace.
Apostasy, The Lapsi
Aspersion (see baptism)
Atonement, Expiation
Attrition
Baptism (compare to initiation, contrast with infant baptism)
Baptism is a sacrament of the Christian church, and has analogs in many other religions as well. It is a once-in-a-lifetime blessing of a person with water that marks them as a member of a faith community. Many Pagans call it "saining" (blessing) or "wiccaning". To be "baptized by fire" means to become part of a community through th experience of and victory over a crisis.
There are many forms of baptism, and each sect, tradition and denomination has its preference.
Affusion is the most common in Western churches. It is the pouring of water over the had of the individual.
Aspersion
Immersion
Submersion
Bead, Bede, "To Bid a Bead"
Beating of the Bounds (at Rogationtide)
Bell, Angelus
Betrothal
Bibliolatry
Black Mass
Banns of Marriage
Catachesis, Catechism, Catechist, Catechumen
In the RC church, the bishop lightly slaps the newly confirmed person. I have no idea what the significance of this is, but I would love to find out!
A short spoken chant or rhyme that is intended to have a specific effect. Sometimes the charm is used to charge a physical object, hence the common term for a small pendant that has meaning, as in "charm bracelet." (Also see talisman)
To circle means to gather for ritual. As a place, it is where people gather for ritual.
In many Neo pagan religious traditions (or "trads") the concept of gathering in a circle is the equivalent of a Jew or Christian sitting in pews. Shakers (a Christian denomination) also worshipped in the round. Open circles are generally considered to be open to the Pagan-friendly public, rather than a closed circle, also known as a coven, wherein members must be personally invited or petition for membership.
A circle of protection is also used during Ceremonial Magic and other magical systems such as Wicca and shamanism. The idea that a religious or magical circle can be "open" or "soft", or "closed" or "hard", depends on whether or not the witch or priest/ess-in-charge decides if and how people can enter/depart once the circle has been cast. To avoid confusion, the terms "soft" and "hard" are more often used to describe the nature of the protective boundary of a religous or magical circle.
Comprecation
Consecrate
Contemplation (contrast with meditation)
Contrition
Dulia (contrast with iatria)
Veneration of created beings of a sacred character, i.e., RC saints.
Euthanasia
Excommunication (compare with anathema)
Exclusion from worship and sacraments. The essential belonging to the faith community is retained.
Exorcism
Graffiti
Human Act
A moral theology term. A free, voluntary, knowledgeable and aware action of a human. Only a human act can be morally judged as worthy of praise or blame.
IMHO I think this is the basis of the American legal system.
Iatria (contrast with dulia)
Adoration of Deity through sacrifice, prayer, and praise.
Immersion (see baptism)
Immolation
Intercession, Intercede
This is the process of praying on behalf of others
Meditation (contrast with contemplation)
Missions
Ordination (contrast with lay)
Pilgrimage
Prayer
Affective prayer is a more advanced kind of prayer, where prayer is less an intellectual exercise and more an imaginative one. The soul-self is using directed will to unite with Deity. Some Pagans combine this kind of prayer in their magical spell work.
Prophecy
Propitiation
Proselyze
The act of making material amends for damage done to another, it is an attempt to "repair" the damage. Restitution is a similar concept but is generally restricted to the restoration of rights to a wronged party, whether societal or property rights.
These concepts are part of moral theology.
This is way more than saying you're sorry. To repent is more than a simple action; it is a process.
First you must recognize your act as evil, condemn it and hate it in your heart. Then comes the sorrow for both your action itself, and its effects. You must confess your wrongdoing to someone else. Finally, you must intend and try to make amends through reparation or restitution. To repent, you do not need to make perfect amends.
Retreat
A period of days spent in silence, meditation and religious activity. They were recognized in as a formally recognized R.C.C. form of religious devotion.
Ritual
The words of a liturgy. More commonly, the word "ritual" is used as a synonym for the whole liturgy, both wrods and actions.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, "ritual" was often used as a derogatory term by non-RCs. Even today, there is a slight negative connotation to the word "ritual" that gives it a sense of superstition rather that serious intent or worship.
As a process, the Roman Catholic Rosary, or "saying the Rosary", is a devotional or meditational tool. It is the recitation of "the Twenty Mysteries". Each Mystery is a series of prayers. One recites the following set of prayers five times, once for each Mystery you will be saying. It is okay to perform five decades a day, or all twenty.
Pope John Paul II recommended that certain sets of Mysteries be said on specific days of the week, and I see direct correlations with the traditional patrons and auspicious acts of each day.
Joyful Blessed Virgin Mary Mondays, plus Sundays from Advent to Lent The Moon is the symbol of the feminine divine. Luminous Acts with water or cloud Thursdays Thor/Jupiter was protector of the world, and ruler of rain (water) and clouds Sorrowful Jesus' torture and crucifixion, endured for love of humanity Tuesdays and Fridays, plus daily during Lent Tyr/Mars and Freya/Venus are the patrons of war and love Glorious Messengers and Prophecies Wednesdays, plus Sundays from Easter to Advent Mercury/Gabriel is the messenger between the gods and humanity Saturday is not included unless "daily" is recommended. It seems that this then is the spiritual sabbath, not Sunday. Here, too, is a correlation to the day's patron, Saturn, the patron of endings and homes.
Devotions are not prescribed for Sunday, the day of the Sun/Son, during the season of Lent because the Sun/Son was hidden while Satan tempted him with food (he had been fasting for nearly two months) and rulership of the world, and, according to the great film The Last Temptation of Christ, a normal mortal life.
To keep track of where you are in the series, simply move your fingers to the next bead.
1x Lord's Prayer 1x O My Jesus 10x Hail Mary 1x Gloria Patri Before beginning the decades, it is customary to say the Apostle's Creed, the verbalize the mystery of the BVM by saying a Hail Mary for each of the virtues Faith, Hope and Charity, and add any personal prayers you have to offer. Then say a Gloria Patri and an O My Jesus. The Creed is spoken 'on' the Crucifix. There are beads for each Lord's Prayer and Hail Mary. The Gloria Patri and the O My Jesus are spoken in the spaces before and after the Lord's Prayer bead.
During the decades, one allows the repetitive prayers to create an altered state where one verbally announces then meditates on the sequence of twenty events in Our Lord and Our Lady's lives. (No, I didn't add the "Our Lord and Our Lady"! That's what Catholics call Jesus and Mary - honest!)
The Joyful Mysteries 1st Decade The Annuncation (when Gabriel told Mary she carried a divine child) 2nd The Visitation (when the pregnant Mary visted Elizabeth, the menopausal mother of John the Baptist) 3rd The Nativity (Mary gives birth to Jesus) 4th The Presentation in the Temple (Jesus' "time of purification") 5th The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (when Jesus walked off from his parents and started questioning and debating with the rabbis) The Luminous Mysteries 6th Christ's Baptism in the Jordan (the Spirit/Powers of God descended on Jesus)
7th The Miracle at Cana (Jesus turns water to wine)
Rev. Su has an opinion about this event.8th Jesus Proclaims the Kingdom (it's here and now, so be good for goodness' sake!) 9th The Transfiguration (Peter and the Zebedees woke up to see Jesus glowing and talking to Moses and Elijah) 10th The First Eucharist (the seder before his crucifixion) The Sorrowful Mysteries 11th The Agony in the Garden (Judas points out Jesus to the Roman police) 12th The Scouring at the Pillar (Jesus was whipped 39 times) 13th The Crowning with Thorns (um...) 14th The Carrying of the Cross (Jesus carried the 6-foot crossbar and staggered the half-mile to Golgatha on winding streets filled with aggressive bystanders with the help of Simon of Cyrene.) 15th The Crucifixion (Jesus is stripped, then tied and nailed to the post and crossbar and left to suffocate) The Glorious Mysteries 16th The Resurrection (The tomb is empty) 17th The Ascension (After 40 days of living and teaching, Jesus is lifted up on a cloud) I would interpret this as Jesus leaving the planet in a space ship. 18th The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Jesus asked the roughly one hundred twenty disciples to witness to the world. This is NOT the Pentacost) 19th The Assumption (A pregnant woman in a flying boat is defended by Michael and other angels from a dragon seeking to kill the boy she bears, who is the prognitor of a nation of Christians) I don't get how this is Mary... I would interpret this as the planet Nibiru destorying Tiamat during the formation of our solar system. 20th The Coronation of the BVM (the pregnant woman was wearing a crown of twelve stars) I would interpret this as being one of the Nibiru surrogate mothers of humanity, the kinswomen of Eve/Anu.
After completing the decades, reciting one of the following prayers is customary:
O God, Whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech You, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin May, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
"Hail, Holy Queen"
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee we do send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in the valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, thine mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement! O loving! O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
It is interesting to note that this last prayer has a Gnostic tinge to it in the phrase "this our exile".
It is also interesting to note that among the Fifteen Promises of Mary to Christians Who Recite the Rosary is the promise that devotion to the rosary is a great sign of predestination. Predestination? That sounds pretty Calvinist to me!
This is the giving of a gift to Deity, usually a living gift. Throughout history, gifts of animals to Deity were common, especially for divination, or at certain holidays. They were slaughtered either on the altar, or on holy ground. A sacrificial gift is also usually valuable, the "fattest calf".
Modern interpretations of a sacrifice are of praise and thanksgiving in prayer and song, and of conscious obedience to Deity's will.
Sacrifice in the form of abstinence is also part of the Christian season of Lent, and often is reflected in the tradition of making a New Year's Resolution.
Spell (compare with sacrament)
A ritual of varying length that incorporates visualization of desire, a focus of will, and a method of transmission to the physical universe and/or Deity.
The inherent power, timing and duration of a spell can be supplemented by various correspondences to seasons, days, planets, elements, Zodiac signs, and through the use of relics or tools.
Submersion (see baptism)
Sources: Religious Tolerance.org, www.angelfire.com/folk/greenwitch/sacred.html, Dictionary.com, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Catholic Prayers in Latin, Edward F. Markquart's Sermons from Seattle, Domestic Church, Ken Palmer's Life of Christ
ROLES and PEOPLE
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Acolyte (contrast with apostle)
A person who takes care of the altar and its tools during a religious ritual.
It does not mean a follower of a specific person.
Adherent (contrast with cowan)
A person who is part of a faith comunity, but not officially a member of a local body of believers, but who is somehow intimately connected with them.
For example, a person may have been enrolled in one congregation, but regularly attend services at another place closer to work, college, etc.
Anchorite/Anchoress, Recluse (compare with hermit)
A person who withdraws (voluntarily or, sometimes, involuntarily) to a "cell" for silence, prayer and possibly to ritually hurt themselves because they feel ashamed (the technical term is mortification, the 'deadening' of the physical body).
The practice of being sealed into a "cell" (or a suite of rooms in the case of rich people) began in the early 13th century.
The synonym recluse literally means 'very shut up' describing a person who for religious reasons is enclosed in a limited space for life, such as a cave, cell, room or suite.
By the 17th century, a broader definition of a recluse as a person who keeps to themselves was established, and the adjective reclusive was used to describe them. Our modern term "shut-in" is used to describe someone who does not leave their home due to impairment by illness or age, not by choice.
Angel
Beings that travel between Deity and humans, usually to deliver divine messages or to aid directly. Many angels have specific roles, tasks or jurisdictions. One doctrine is that every soul has a guardian angel.
OT angels were described as physical beings. NT angels were described as ethereal beings. Some people believe that the angels descibed in extent religious texts were/are aliens with jet packs or winged uniforms.
The Catholic traditions allow veneration and petition of angels in the same way as saints. Protestants tend to avoid defining angels altogether.
Antichrist
Apostle (contrast with acolyte)
This is a Christian term and refers only to the original fourteen male followers of Jesus at the time of his ministry in the Middle East, including Matthias and Saul/Paul of Tarsus. (The Eastern Orthodox church counts 70 original followers.)
The word means messenger, or one who is sent out with a message. One of the famous Jesus sayings is that he called the Apostles 'fishers of men', meaning they were to go out and gather converts. Jesus also taught them how to perform the same miracles he could. Supposedly, these powers could not be taught to anyone else, or inherited, but the Christian churches hold great store in the concept of Apostolic Succession.
It is also used as an honorific for the first missionary to a locale, e.g., Saint Patrick is the Apostle of Ireland. Rarely, it is used to indicate a pioneer in a field.
It never means dedicant or follower of a person other than Jesus.
Ascetic
Cowan (contrast with adherent)
A person who is not a practitioner of the craft, or who is a poser (someone who is pretending to be a practitioner). In modern times, the level of vitiol in the term is indicatd by tone of voice. Its most gentle defiition is 'outsider'. sThis term is used by Pagans and Freemasons.
It comes from the Old French word meaning 'coward'.
God
Goddess
Guardian Angels
Heretic (compare with infidel)
One who chooses to publicly believe something contrary to the established doctrine and often seek to change the doctrine to follow their truth. A This word was first coined in the early 1300's in northern France, and is usually used to mean a heretic in the Christian Church.
It is a label given by the people who believe the doctrine in question. For example, I am a heretic in the Christian church, but not a heretic in the Pagan community. It's logical to assume that other religions have heretics, or have another word that means the same thing.
Famous heretics have included Martin Luther (his '95 Theses' began the Protestant Reformation), Galileo (his telescope observed Copernicus' heliocentric solar system), Joan of Arc (she ignored R.C.C. hierarchy and *gasp* talked directly to Michael/God), Michael Servetus (the first Unitarian), and Pelagius (he rejected original sin).
Hermit (compare with anchorite)
A hermit lives alone in seculsion, for religous or other reasons. The term was first used around 1130 CE and literally means 'lone desert dweller'.
The Hermit is also a card in the traditional Tarot deck. It has two basic interpretations: the destination of those who seek wisdom (a light in the darkness), or the person who travels alone to seek wisdom.
There is even a cooky made with spices, molasses, raisins and nuts called a hermit. Here's a unique recipe for hermit cookies. I'll let you know what I think of it when I bake them!
Hillel
Infidel (compare with heretic)
A mid-fourteenth century term for 'magician', coming nearly directly from the Latin word magus, which means 'sorcerer, magician'. Yeah, not very helpful.
The most interesting thing is that in Old Persian, namely the Zoroastrian religion, a Magus (mage) is a special class of priests who are reputed to have supernatural powers, occult knowledge and the ability to interpret dreams and perform divinatory rituals to portend the future. They often had political power as well.
The Proto-Indo-European root magh- is found in the word, main, which has meanings of strength, force, power, significance and predominance.
In the Chrisitan New Testament Book of Matthew, the Magi were "wise men" who travelled from western Iran to honor Jesus and his mother after his birth. The NT tells that there was more than one "wise king" but does not specify a number. It has been assumed that there were three, since three gifts were listed. The Biblical account describes them as politically powerful astrologers who have prophetic dreams. They and their gifts were never mentioned again.
It is interesting to note that the same word in Matthew translated in the King James Version as 'wise men' is also used in th Book of Acts and translated there as 'sorcerer' in a negative way.
Man in Black
Not Johnny Cash, in modern Pagan usage, this is the person who guards a ritual circle or gathering. Since these rituals were ostensibly held at night when participants were less likely to be recognized and more able to flee from persecution, the guard was dressed in black to limit detection by trespassers.
In earlier centuries, a person who was a "man in black" was someone who operated behind the scenes, manipulating events and intervening when necessary to take someone away or help someone escape.
Yes, the whole twentieth-century CIA-MIB phenomenon is part of that mythos, too. Strangely, the so-called Men in Black seem to be characterised as elegantly dressed Asian men in many accounts.
In the Middle Ages, the Man in Black was a euphemism for the Devil of Christian mythology, the embodiment of evil.
Martyr
Messiah
Minister
Monastic
A man or woman who lives in a monastary or religious community.
Monk
A male monastic
Novice
Nun
A female monastic
Priest
Priestess
Prophet
Proselyte
The title rabbi is a Hebrew word meaning "my master". It is used a sign of respect for an honored teacher. Beginning about 100 CE, it also became the title of a Jewish religious leader to distinguish him or her from the congregation.
Reverend
A reverend is a Christian minister. It was first used in the 1400's as a sign of respect, very much like the early usage of "Rabbi". Within a few hundred years, however, it became an occupational title, with additions to indicate rank within Church hierarchy when addressed in writing or at formal occassions.
Parish minister = Reverend
Dean = Very Reverend
Bishop = Right Reverend
Archbishop = Most ReverendThe word shares a root with revered, and in fact, means "one worthy of being revered." It is interesting to note that to revere means 'to stand in awe of' and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root wer- meaning "watch out for!" Hmm, does that mean ministers have some sort of power the non-ordained don't have? Food for thought.
Reverend also shares a Latin or PIE root with reverance (to bow toward), venerate (to solicit good will from), aware, award, wary, warden (one who watches), lord, steward, wardrobe, panorama, and guard.
In the Jewish and Christian Old Testament, this name is used in (WHERE?) to refer to the supreme embodiment of evil. Monikers include: Devil, Lucifer, Morning Star, Prince of Lies, Beelzebub, Old Son, Nick
There are a variety of mythologies surrounding Satan and the so-called Battle in Heaven. Satan's place in the OT creation story are unclear, as are various references throughout the Bible, fewer than you might think. IMHO the changing nature of Satan reflects Western culture's views on sin itself, and on the major villain of the time period.
Sectary
An occasional description of a person whose religious zeal is...excessive. Can anyone say "fanatic"?
Seraph/im
A supernatural creature in Judeo-Christian mythology. It has a head, arms, hands, and legs. A seraph has six wings, but only flies with two. It speaks in a very loud and deep voice. It covers its face and feet for some reason. The seraph quoted in the Book of Isaiah is refered to as male.
Sorcerer/ess
Here again we have a case of the modern definition of the word (black [evil?] mage or wizard) being a far cry from the original meaning of the word, or at least a commentary on the practices the word describes.
It literally means one who casts lots for divination. In the 1520's, that was apparently determined to be a bad activity, and therefore a sorcerer was a bad magical person.
And all this time I'd thought a sorcerer was basically a ceremonial mage in a tower!
Dictionaries will tell you that a warlock is a male witch, a sorcerer, which is the meaning of the 16th century Scottish word.
Yet when you look at the etymology, it is clear that a warlock is really a liar, oathbraker, covenant betrayer, and traitor. That tells us what the Scottish thought of male witches. Were they traitors to the community, or just traitors to their gender?
IMHO - the term "warlock" had the same connotation of witch that "fag" has of a gay man - derogatory, belittling, invalidating, and offensive. I certainly would not be proud to be called a warlock.
Witch
Simply put, a witch is a magic-worker, usually female, though becoming gender-neutral in the 21st century within the Pagan community. The common non-magical definition is rather unflattering, describing someone who gets their own way, often at the expense of someone else. In fact, the 'nice' way to say "b*tch" is to replace it with "witch". Hmm.
Witches generally do get their way through magic. There is a fair bit of devotion in the Pagan community that the word derives from the Proto-Indo-European root wik- meaning "bend". Another (IMHO more likely) possibility is the P.I.E. root weg- means to be active or lively and has developed into our words wake, waken, watch, vigil, and wait.
All the previous incarnations (inverbations?) of witch refer to a sorcerer or enchanter of some kind who deals with non-corporeal beings (presumed by opponents of the practice to be evil since they are not human) and who performs divination by contact with them, through drugs, or by interpreting signs and omens. My research that follows leads me to believe that magic-workers have been with human civilization for a VERY long time.
In case you are as interested in etymology as I am, here is the lineage of "witch" as far as I could find:
Old English/Anglo-Saxon (400-1000 CE)- wicce [WEECH-ay] female pythoness or soothsayer; wicca [WEECH-ah] male augur or soothsayer, mage; wiccian [WEECH-ee-un] to use witchcraft; wiccecræft [WEECH-ay-kraft] witch skill, horse whispering; witega [WEET-ay-uh] wise one; wigle [WEEJ-lay] divination
OTHER WITCHY WORDS:
Old English/Anglo-Saxon (400-1000 CE)- gældor [yeal-DOR] an incantation, a sung charm to create an illusion or effect; gældricge [yeal-DRIDGE-ay] a woman who practices incantations; galdre [YALL-dray] runecraftOld English/Anglo-Saxon (400-1000 CE)- scinnlæce [SHIN-lech-ay] woman who travels as her guardian spirit, an astral traveler; scinn [SHIN] shadow of a person's self
Old English/Anglo-Saxon (400-1000 CE)- lyblæca [LEEB-ack-uh]/lybbestre [LEEB-ess-ter] a male/female magical herbalist; lybbcræft [LEEB-kraft] magical herbcraft
Low German (800-1500 CE) - wikken, wicken [WICK-in] to use witchcraft; wikker, wicker [WICK-er] soothsayer; wissen [WISS-in] to know (a fact); wachen [WAH-hhen] to watch
Proto-Germanic (250 BCE-500 CE)- wikkjaz [wick-kyaz] one who wakes the dead
Proto-Indo-European (6000-2000 BCE)- weg-yo- [wayg-yo] exciter, person who causes to live, agitator
Wizard
Ostensibly, it is a magic worker, synonymous with mage, witch, sorcerer, etc. But in the mid-fifteenth century when the word was first being used and for a hundred years after, it mean wise person, philosopher, or sage. Apparently knowing (and thinking) a lot back then automatically included knowing magical stuff, too. Neat!
In 1922 people in England began to say "Wizard!" to mean "Excellent!"
Sources: Dictionary.com, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Online Etymology Dictionary, Red Oak's Ponderings, Omniglot, Wikipedia's IPA chart, Hinduwebsite.com, Grey Lodge Occult Review, Heretic's Hangout
PLACES
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Cloister
Heaven
Hell, Gehenna, Sheol
House Church
Ghetto
Limbo
Promised Land, The
Seminary
A theological college. It literally means 'place for seeds', as in a seed plot or nursery.
Isn't that a wonderful description of place where you explore your faith and cosmology?
Summerland
A Pagan afterlife. I say "a" because there are lots of flavors of Paganism, and some of them have their own concept of the realm of the afterlife, such as the Heathen (Norse) Valhalla.
Summerland is pretty much like some Christian visions of Heaven. It's a comfortable temperature, you are whole and happy. Whether or not you commune with Deity is up to you. You stay as long as you want or need.
What comes to mind for me is the heaven described by Buffy when she was forcibly brought back from the dead by Tara, Xander and Willow in season six. To paraphrase, she described it as a place of deep peace with soft light and a certainty that all was right with self and loved ones, a place devoid of form but not self.
Sounds nice.
Sources: Dictionary.com, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Religioustolerance.org
SACRED AND RITUAL THINGS
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
The physical focus of worship or ritual. It comes from a combination of a number of Latin words and basically means 'high place for burnt offerings.' The Hebrew word for altar, mizbe'ah, means 'to slay'.
Originally, altars were placed along the east wall of the gathering place. Nowadays a more centrally located altar is common. In most Jewish and Christian rituals, the altar is in front of the congregation. In most Pagan rituals, the altar is surrounded by all participants.
In Chrsitianity, the altar is the place where the 'sacrifice' known as the Eucharist is performed, and many churches still have rails to protect the altar from defilement by contact with the lowly parishioners during the serving on Communion. IMHO that seems to denegrate humanity and elevate the ordained as more than human.
Amulet (contrast with talisman)
A natural, physical object, usually used to repel something from you or protect the bearer.
Protection magic of this kind is the oldest known magic in the world. Amulets are usually in the form of a part of a plant or animal, such as a rabbit's foot, a four-leaf clover, or a bit of twisted horn.
Athame
The Eastern Orthodox 'lance' is a ceremonial knife used to cut the Eucharistic bread at the Proskomide
Bull, Papal
Chalice
Commentary
Concordance
Crucifix
Glory to God in the highest
And peace to His people on Earth
A Christian prayer to the Blessed Vrgin Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth.
Latin
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Domini nostri, ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
Nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.English
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Host
Any sacrifical victim, whether animate or inanimate (such as a wafer or piece of bread)
Christian prayer taught by Jesus to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount in the NT Book of Matthew 6:9-13. *In the Bible the prayer stops earlier than the versions below.
King James Version
Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
On Earth as it is in [on] Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil*
For thine is the kingdom, the glory, and the power
Forever and ever. Amen.Modern Version
Our Father in heaven
Holy is your name
Your kingdom come, your will be done
On Earth as in Heaven
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil*
For yours is the kingdom, the glory and the power
Forever. Amen.SPECIAL NOTE: This prayer, and all others, was suggested by Jesus to be said alone in private. He eschewed public, demonstrative, verbose prayer.
Midrash, Midrashim (contrast with Mishnah)
Miracle
Mishnah
Order
Paten
Pentacle (compare with pentagram)
A five-pointed star within a circle, it is the symbol of most Neopagan traditions, including Wicca. It is a symbol of peace and positive energy. It is variously interpreted as representing the four Elements plus Spirit, or the figure of a human with arms and legs outstretched.
Satanists often use this symbol upside down in the same manner as they use the upside down Christian cross - to show that they want to turn all peace and goodness on its head, or as a general insult to such groups.
Pentagram (compare with pentacle)
A five-pointed star. These are often used as talismans, and in Wicca and Ceremonial Magic, by drawing a pentagram in the air beginning from different points with a wand, hand or finger to invoke various elements.
Plainsong
Pulpit
The material remains of a dead saint, or an object that has been in contact with his or her body.
Veneration of martyrs' remains has been common practice since the 2nd century, at least. The Second Council of Nicaea in 787 actually decreed that Roman Catholics must venerate relics, and that no church can be consecrated without having its own relic!
During the Crusades, the relic trade from the Holy Land was brisk, and often illegitimate. The veneration of relics in their ornate reliquaries led to many superstitious practices. A fully formed theological basis for the veneration of relics was developed by th 10th century under the premise that the bodies of miracle workers were "temples of the Holy Spirit" and are therefore closer to Deity than regular humans. And since God knows all this already, it must be okay. At least, that's what the Council of Trent decided when Martin Luther brought it up in the 16th century.
Rite (contrast with ceremony)
A rosary is any string of beads or small pendants used as a focus during prayer or meditation. The Holy Rosary (note the caps!) is the set of beads used by the Roman Catholic Church in its prayers to Jesus' mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM). You can find more about the Holy Rosary prayer here.
RC mythology claims it was given to St. Dominic by an apparition of the BVM as weapon against the heresy of Albigensianism.
There is a growing movement within many Neopagan communities to include prayer beads or rosaries in regular prayer or ritual practice. I wrote a nine-bead prayer.
It is a common misconception that this word is 'the real way" to say "Sabbath" in Hebrew. Nope. Sabaoth is a Hebrew word that means "armies, hosts". Big group arrayed before you that inspires awes and trepidation, like a sabaoth of angels.
Sabbath (see also sabbatarianism)
The seventh day of the week whereupon one rests or is at leisure, to follow the model of Deity in the Biblical Book of Genesis. In the Jewish tradition, it begins Friday night. In the Christian tradition is begins on Sunday morning.
Salt
Salt has many religious uses, primarily stemming from its preservative capability.
Salt with water (and the right words and will) makes holy water. Salt is offered to newly confirmed Christians. Salt is appropriate for every Christian oblation. In Pagan traditions, salt is used to represent the element of Earth. In magic, salt is used to purify objects and participants.
In earlier times, salt was also used to confirm a friendship, pact or covenant. Among Semitic people, salt was a sign of purity and incorruptibility.
Before the advent of cities and supermarkets, salt was a valued spice. If salt was available, it was often rationed. A good person was "worth his salt."
Sarcophagus
Made popular by the late 19th century discovery of King Tut's tomb, the sarcophagus is the outer coffin, usually made of stone and usually ornamented with bas-relief designs of local cultural or religious significance. It does not have to be shaped like a person; that was what the ancient Egyptians liked.
Once the Catholic Church became organized in the fourth century, Christians were restricted in the designs that could be used to decorate sarcophagi.
Shrine
Talisman (contrast with amulet)
A manmade, physical object, usually used to draw something to you or supplement a trait. Talismans are usually in the form of jewelry, such as a bracelet, pendant, ring or headband. A notable exception to this is the U-shaped horseshoe over one's door meant to bring luck to the household.
Another kind of talisman is a specific drawing on paper that is carried or burned as directed by the spell that charges it. Hermetic tradition believes that the act of drawing some symbols invokes their power.
Talmud, Halacha, Haggadah, Mosaic Law, Pentateuch
Although Gerald Gardner (see Gardnerian Wicca) required a set of nine tools for ritual use, most Eclectic Neopagans use four, which are associated with the Elements and the four suits of the Tarot cards.
Water - Cup, Cauldron, Chalice
Earth - Pentacle, Paten (disk)
Air - Wand, Staff, Censer
Fire - Sword, Athame (dagger), FlameMany religions have specific tools related to religious ritual, including vessels, materials and special clothing.
The psychological affect of using tools during a ritual (rite and ceremony) is profound. It helps the participant(s) enter an altered state because the tools are used only for ritual purposes, or are thought to become imbued with supernatural powers during the ritual.
Sources: www.angelfire.com/folk/greenwitch/sacred.html, Dictionary.com, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Religioustolerance.org
SCIENCE WORDS
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Anthropomorphism
Bilocation
Consanguinity
Conscience
Empiracism, Empiracal Observation
A quantum mechanical explanation of reality that suggests the physical universe is a giant time-space hologram (the entirety is within each facet) leading to the concept that every moment - past, present, and possible - exists simultaneously. Likewise, every place exists everywhere. We perceive a series of images in highest probable order based on our experiences and our own psychological filters.
For more in depth study, see the works of Michael Talbot (writer), David Bohm (physicist), and Karl Pribram (neuropsychologist).
Ptolemaic System
Quadrivium
Sources: Dictionary.com, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, "Paganism" by Joyce and River Higginbotham
COSMOLOGY QUESTIONS (ANSWERED IMHO)
Why was matter created?
I believe that Spirit God made Matter Goddess because God was
lonely and knew himself completely. Each new aspect to matter had
more and more free will and enabled God to see and understand himself
from another perspective. So far, humans are the farthest removed,
being many generations removed from the initial created matter. We
perceive God as a separate entity from ourselves.
What about the Bible?
The People of the Book (Jews, Christians, and Muslims) all share
the Old Testament, or at least the first few books of it. I also
think the first four books of the Bible have a lot of important things
to say, considering they have been handed down for nearly six thousand
year, and existed in oral tradition before then! I understand the
process of creation as outlined in the Bible to reflect the magical Elements,
the course of evolution, and the concept "as above, so below."
Having been raised in a Christian tradition, I also understand Jesus of Nazareth to be the anointed messenger and prophet of God, chosen from before birth to spread teachings about the wonderful possibilities of a close relationship with God. I am careful to seek the original source of New Testament writings, since much of what the Roman Catholic Church included (or didn't!) was written by religious scholars long after the time of Jesus' ministry.
I do not believe it to be infallible. I view the Bible as part science treatise, part theological commentary, part history, and part allegory. I view it as a valuable piece of religious literature that has been modified by many people throughout history, but which still has a great deal to offer in the way of comfort, inspiration, moral example, and socio-historical understanding.
Call me crazy, I also accept that the Old Testament and other similar documents may chronicle human interaction with people from another planet. See the works of Zecaria Sitchin for more details on the Annunaki and the Nibiru.
Do demons exist?
Short answer, yes. I believe there are non-corporeal
entities that thrive on energy, hence the need to erect a protective
circle when raising magic or traveling out-of-body. Do all non-corporeal
entities have an evil nature? No, not all humans are jerks either,
but there's
one in every crowd, so you have to know how to handle them. In
other words, when you are using magic, DON'T BE STUPID!
I believe he was. He was a good Jewish rabbi, after all. And th disciples were always jealous that he spent so much time with Mary Magdalene.
Another reason I believe this is my reading of the account in John, chapter two, of the miracle at the wedding in Cana. I prefer to use the Wycliffe translation of the New Testament because I believe it is the most accurate one of all.
But first, a little history lesson. Before an ancient Jewish couple married, the couple would be engaged, much like Western relationships. The couple gets to know one another and their families. Betrothal and marriage complete the process of getting hitched in ancient Judea and today.
There were three ways a couple could begin the first stage marriage process, called kiddushin, or "sacred betrothal."
1) The groom could permanently give the bride a token payment or ring of a determined value,
2) The groom and bride could sign a boilerplate contract with or without amendments,
3) The couple could have sex.
In any case, the woman is the one agreeing to the union. A rabbi was not required to consecrate a Jewish marriage; that is only a modern accommodation of American civil laws regarding marriage, and frankly, an imitation of Christian customs. This is the first step to marriage and is not revokable It is called
Before the ceremony and feast to publicize the marriage and begin the second stage of marriage called nisuin, or "elevation", which occurs when the husband brings his new wife into his home, there is a period of one week where the groom is not allowed to see the bride, who still lives in her father's house.
The story in John of the wedding at Cana states Jesus et al. were "called" to the wedding. This makes sense if he hadn't been allowed to see his betrothed wife the whole week before.
Also, the servants obey Jesus. They are familiar with his role in the celebration, a role that apparently permits him giving orders about filling pots with water and taking the magically transformed wine over to the master of the feast.
The master of the feast (or maitre d' for lack of a better term) "called the spouse." It doesn't name the spouse, but this is a simple story with relatively few characters. And it clearly shows that Jesus and maitre d' were not in the same location of the room/field/whatever, hence the "calling". And it seems unlikely that the writer would insert an extra character.
And why would Mary be involved if it wasn't his party? I mean, was she revealed in this story as some sort of hyper stage mom trying to get her son to show off for the crowd? I doubt that very much.
And I highly doubt Jesus was working magic without the knowledge of the spouse, which would certainly cause a stir if the spouse was anyone besides Jesus, because earlier in the passage Jesus' mother tells him about the wine shortage and he, A) is annoyed at being bothered during the feast (because it's his?) and B) says he wasn't supposed to reveal himself to have powers yet.
So he just quietly transforms the water 'offstage' because he wants to shut up his mother and get back to the party with a minimum of fuss and bother. I mean, come on, it's only the servants who would know where the wine came from anyway, so he wouldn't really be blowing his cover too much.
By the way, the "water" that he magically transforms was the leftover water from everyone scooping out two or three "measures" of water for ritually washing their hands and feet before eating bread at a meal. They would scoop it out with a tool called a wash cup.
Sources: Bible Gateway, Jewish Virtual Library, Heichal Judaica
Here is a bit of research I did on St. Paul's "Fruits of the Spirit". It talks about correspondences with numbers and edible fruits based on Bible passages. It also talks about the history of Bible translations. It was written for a spiritual talk I gave in July 2008. We actually made the fruit salad recipe using: Tbsp honey, 2 watermelon cubes, 3 halved Bing cherries, 7 almonds, Tbsp chopped dates, Tbsp whole-berry cranberry sauce, 3 halved green seedless grapes, 1/3 bag Bigelow Mint Medley tea, and 7 whole pistachio nuts. YUMMY!
Here is the handout I provided at the talk which summarizes all the information in the essay. (It's basically a glorified recipe!)
