Early Christianity Glossary

Explanation of the dating abbreviation A.D.

Information on St. Ambrose.

Glossary entry on the term angel.

Antioch was in Syria, on the eastern side of the Orontes River. Seleucus I Nicator, a general under Alexander the Great, founded Antioch, and made it the capital of his Seleucid Empire by 300 B.C

Entry on the Christian heresy Aphthartodocetism.

Definition of apostasy.

Definition of apostle and the names of the Christian apostles.

Information on the apostolic sees in the early Christian world.

Definition of the ancient language Aramaic.

The names of the seven archangels vary somewhat.

Information on the Arian controversy, the Council of Nicea, and the cleric whose name was given to the controversy.

Information on Armenia, the first Christian country.

Profile of Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria.

Profile of St. Augustine.

Explanation of the abbreviation B.C.

St. Basil the Great is one of the three Cappadocian Fathers (with Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus), and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs (with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom).

A table showing the canonical scriptures or canons of the Bible according to Marcion, Eusebius, Irenaeus, Muratorian, and others.

Capernaum is the name of a New Testament town.

Glossary entry on the monastic term cenobite.

Glossary entry on the 1st council of Ephesus.

Information on the Council of Chalcedon.

The Chalcedonian Creed

Christianity is a monotheistic religion whose adherents believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the son of God and their savior.

Glossary entry on the golden-voiced doctor of the early Church, John Chrysostom.

Clement was an early Christian theologian.

Profile of the Roman emperor Constantine.

Basic information on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A definition of deity.

An explanation of what the didache is.

A profile of Donatism.

A glossary entry on dualism.

A look at the complicated way the date of Easter is derived.

A glossary entry on the Jewish Christians called Ebionites.

Basic information on Constantine's Edict of Milan.

Profile of the female Christian writer Egeria.

Epiphany is the end of the Christmas season, 12 days after Christmas.

A short entry on Epiphany and the Magi.

Glossary entry on the monastic term eremite.

Short explanation of eschatology.

Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis meaning knowledge. Gnostics believe they have knowledge about God through which they may attain salvation.

Basic information on the Church father Gregory of Nanzianus.

St. Helena may have influenced Constantine to convert to Christianity.

An explanation of the distinction between monotheism and henotheism.

Irenaeus was a bishop in Gaul and theologian who helped establish the Christian canon.

Jerome is known as the scholar who translated the Bible into the language the people could read, Latin. He is considered the most learned of the Latin Church Fathers.

Jesus is the central figure of the Christian religion. Although our dating system refers to time before the birth of Jesus as B.C., for before Christ, it is thought that Jesus was born a few years before our era. He is thought to have died when about 33.

John the Baptist was a Jewish forerunner of Jesus who baptized believers in the imminent coming of Judgment Day.

An article on the pagan Roman emperor known as Julian the Apostate.

A profile of the Illyrian-born Roman law-gving emperor Justinian.

The magi started the gift-giving custom of Christmas by bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ child on Epiphany.

A short explanation of the term monk.

A glossary entry on the Christian heresy known as the Monophysite heresy.

The Nazarenes were Jewish adherents of Christianity.

Nestorius and his followers questioned the idea that the Virgin Mary was Theotokos. Instead, she was a Christotokos.

A translation of the Nicene Creed.

A short entry on Origen who is considered the most important theologian in the early Church.

An ecclesiastical historian of Ancient Rome.

A short entry on the desert ascetic Pachomius.

Pasch is the noun form of the word "pascal".

A definition of patrology.

Paul, a Pharisee and tent-maker, was on his way to Damascus to continue his mission of stamping out converts to the new Jewish sect of Christians when he experienced a vision of Jesus, which he describes in Acts 9:1 – 9. From then on he became a missionary, spreading the message of Christianity.

Pelagius was a British monk who was condemned for heresy.

The books of the Pentateuch.

A list of the Roman emperors most associated with persecution of Christians.

A glossary entry on the Pharisees.

A glossary entry on Pontius Pilate.

A glossary entry on the Christian poet Prudentius.

A lake fed by the River Jordan.

A glossary entry on the third century Biblical translation known as the Septuagint.

An ecclesiastical historian of Ancient Rome.

An ecclesiastical historian of Ancient Rome.

The Star of Bethlehem may have been a star, a nova, a comet, or a the conjunction of planets that created a bright light in the sky.

An explanation of why three of the four Gospels are called the Synoptic Gospels.

A glossary entry on the Christian theologian Tertullian.

An ecclesiastical historian of Ancient Rome.

Theotokos is the Greek for god-bearer and is used in reference to Mary the mother of God.

Glossary entry on the Vulgate.

The Vision of Gabriel is a section of a limestone tablet on the angel Gabriel that has been described as a dead sea scroll on stone.

The X in Xmas comes from the Greek letter Chi which is at the beginning of the word Christ.

An ecclesiastical historian of Ancient Rome.