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Appendix A.
Glossary of Terms

Aaronid.
Pertaining to Aaron, Moses' brother and his spokesman before Pharaoh, and his assistant during the Exodus from Egypt. Aaron and his sons were appointed priests, with Aaron as high priest. He was also designated head of the Levites.
allegory.
An extended metaphor, such as a parable or treatment of ancient literary material whereby one practically ignores the literal meaning and concentrates on new, hidden meanings.
alliteration.
In writing, the use of words or syllables that begin with the same consonant, such as "The dirty dog drank deeply."
analogy.
A comparison of two things, especially an explanation of an unfamiliar object by comparing it with a familiar object or idea.
anthropomorphic.
Attributing human or man-like form or character to God.
antitype.
See type.
aphorism.
A concise statement of a principle, such as "Life is not fair."
apocalypse.
A genre of symbolical literature, usually employing coded speech, concerning the ultimate destiny, usually destruction, of the nation or world, with the righteous triumphing. The term means "revelation," thus describing a genre of books in the Bible, such as Daniel in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament, that reveal hidden information.
apocalyptic.
Pertaining to apocalypse.
apocrypha.
Non-canonical writings. Fourteen books of the Septuagint are rejected in Judaism and regarded by Protestants as not canonical. Eleven of them are accepted in the Roman Catholic canon. The Apocrypha are normally printed between the Old and New Testaments in some translations of the Bible.
apostasy.
An abandoning of faith or beliefs.
apostle.
Means "messenger." Specifically designates the 12 disciples sent out by Jesus to spread his teachings.
archetype.
In literature, an image said to evoke profound emotions in the reader because it awakens a primordial image in the unconscious memory.
assonance.
Repetition of the same vowel sound in a written piece, such as "The moonshine wove an ominous omen over the mound."
atavism.
A characteristic from an earlier ancestor.
cabbalism.
Mystical interpretation of the Scriptures.
canon.
When referring to the Bible, a list of authoritative writings officially accepted by a church or religious body for use in public worship.
canonical.
Belonging to the canon of the Bible.
canonize.
To officially declare a book or list of books acceptable by a church or religious body as genuine and authoritative.
chiasm.
A literary pattern that preserves symmetry while reversing the order of the terms, to produce the sequence ABBA.
Christology.
The study of the person and nature of Christ, and by extension, his presence in the Old Testament. Related to typology.
criticism.
See literary criticism.
deism.
Deism sought to maintain a belief in God while making it compatible with the rationalism of the enlightenment. Thus deists ruled out miracles or divine intervention, and believed that moral law was derived from natural law rather than from revelation. Under the deism concept, after God created the world, he left its running up to humans.
Deuteronomic history (also Deuteronomistic history).
The continuous history of Israel from the entrance into the promised land to the Babylonian Exile.
dispensation.
(1). An exemption from a church law, a vow, or another similar obligation granted in a particular case by an ecclesiastical authority. (2) A period of time during which God tests man concerning obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God.
dispensationalism.
A fundamentalist concept from the Schofield Reference Bible that God deals with mankind in a special way, with various requirements and judgments, in different periods of time; for example, the dispensations of conscience, human government, promise, law, grace, and kingdom.
Earlier Prophets (also Former Prophets).
The narrative books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings.
ecclesiastical.
Of the church, or of Christianity.
ecumenical.
Of universal or worldwide scope or applicability. Also of or relating to the worldwide Christian church. Also, concerned with establishing or promoting unity among churches or religions.
epistle.
A letter from an apostle, such as Paul, Peter, or John, to an individual or a church containing instruction or guidance.
eschatology.
Study of the last things, death, judgment, immortality.
etiology.
The cause or origin.
evangelical.
Pertaining to the Gospels or the teaching of the New Testament. Also pertaining to those Protestant churches that emphasize salvation by faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ.
evangelism.
A zealous preaching or spreading of the gospel with the purpose of winning converts to Christ.
evangelist.
Any of the four authors of a gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Also used of those who preach or announce the gospel or "good news" of Christ.
exegesis.
Explanation and interpretation of a difficult text, generally by use of close analysis.
form criticism.
Analysis of text based upon embedded small units of tradition that may have been preserved from an earlier, more complete tradition.
genre criticism.
Analysis of text based upon the type of finished writing in which the text appears.
gestalt.
A configuration of phenomena so constructed and interrelated that the whole possesses properties not derivable from its parts or their simple sum.
gospel.
The Good News. The Christian doctrine of the redemption of man through Jesus Christ, as outlined especially in the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
hermeneutics.
The science of interpretation or explanation; especially the study of the principles by which a text of the Bible is understood in terms of its original context or historical setting, and is made meaningful in another generation and setting.
Hezekiah.
A king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the 8th century B.C. time of the Hebrew prophet, Isaiah. He successfully defended Jerusalem from the Assyrians for a time, but at great cost.
historical criticism.
A critical method that takes into account all historical evidence available, in both written documents and archaeological discoveries.
humanism.
A movement that stressed the importance of human interests, as opposed to supernatural or divine elements, or as opposed to grosser, animal elements.
inerrancy.
A concept that the original manuscripts for the Bible were inspired directly by God through the writers, and are free of error or discrepancy. In another sense, the concept would apply to every scripture in any accepted Bible accurately translated from the original manuscripts.
inspiration.
The belief that certain sacred writings were inspired by God, or "God-breathed" ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Isaiah.
A major Hebrew prophet of the 8th century B.C. He lived in Jerusalem in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, during the time that the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians. He was an advisor to King Hezekiah.
Johanine.
Of the Apostle John.
KJV.
King James Version of the Bible, published in 1611. See RSV.
Latter Prophets (also "literary" or "writing" prophets).
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets.
Levites.
Members of the Israelite tribe of Levi, who acted as priests for Israel. They later became assistants to the priests.
Levitical.
Pertaining to the Levites or Leviticus.
literary criticism.
The study of a literary document to disclose the method, style, and purpose of the author; the author's identity; the written and oral sources used by the author; and the date and place of the writing. Biblical criticism includes textual, form, source, genre, and redaction criticism.
literature.
A body of writings in prose or verse. It has permanent value. It enjoys excellence of form, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It has great emotional effect. It may be a body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field. And it is usually an analysis of experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity within the respective field of study.
logos.
Word, speech, discourse, with a special sense in John chapter one, where it refers to Jesus Christ as the creative word of God.
Major Prophets.
Called major because of the length of their surviving work, they are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The other twelve prophets are called "Minor Prophets." The Apocalypse of Daniel is properly placed among the "writings," as in the Hebrew Bible, rather than among the prophets.
Marcan.
Of the Apostle Mark.
metaphor.
An implied analogy which imaginatively identifies one object with another. The tenor is the idea being expressed or the subject of the comparison, and the vehicle is the image by which it is conveyed.
metonymy.
Substituting one object for another, such as "the crown" for "the king."
Minor Prophets.
Called minor because of the brevity of their surviving work. In Hebrew they are called The Twelve Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
Mosaic.
Of Moses.
mythopoeic.
Myth-making. Placing an emphasis on myth and archetype.
myths.
Anonymous stories of a people's perception of the deepest truths, traditions, and origins of their customs and history. Myths attempt to tell the people of a society what they need to know about these basic values.
Northern Kingdom.
The kingdom of Israel, formed through the secession of the ten northern tribes from the United Kingdom in 926 B.C. Destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.
obscurantist.
A person who opposes the development of new ideas or new learning.
onomatopoeia.
In writing, the use of words that sound like what they describe, such as "The bees were buzzing."
pastoral epistles.
Three letters in the New Testament, I Timothy, II Timothy, and Titus, giving pastoral instructions or guidance as from the Apostle Paul to church leaders.
Pauline.
Of the Apostle Paul.
Pentateuch.
The five books "of Moses," Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Also called "the law."
Priestly.
Pertains to literary and editorial groups generally assumed to have provided input to certain Old Testament books. Priestly strands are Identified by literary analysis.
pseudepigrapha.
Writings whose authors are different from the named or inferred authors.
pseudonymous.
Refers to one or more of the pseudepigrapha.
REB.
Revised English Bible, published in 1992.
redaction criticism.
A method of literary criticism which focuses on the contributions of the redactor, or frinal editor, to the final written form of a text or book. Analysis of the way in which a writer or editor incorporated his own traditions into his writing to meet new needs and differing theological perspectives. In biblical analysis, it assumes that the authors had a definite theology and purpose and were not mere cut-and-paste collectors.
redactor.
An final editor or author of a traditional text as it existed for some time or to the present time. Old Testament redactors generally belonged to Priestly or Scribal circles.
RSV.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible published in 1952, a revision of the American Standard Version published in 1901, which was the American variant of the English Revised Version published in 1881-1885, which was a revision of the King James Version published in 1611.
Schofield Reference Bible.
A version of the Bible often used by fundamentalists. First published in 1904 by C. I. Schofield. The New Schofield Reference Bible was published in 1967.
Septuagint.
(Derived from Latin, meaning 70.) A translation the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) into Greek made in the third century B.C.E. (before the Common Era) for the benefit of Jewish communities living in the Hellenistic world. Named such because of an ancient tradition that it was completed in 70 (or 72) days by 70 (or 72) Palestinian Jews.
simile.
An expressed analogy. A similarity between two objects which is directly expressed (like, as, is).
source criticism.
Analysis of a text to determine which parts if any were taken from another text or source.
Southern Kingdom.
The kingdom of Judah, with its capital in Jerusalem, formed after the secession of the ten northern tribes in 926 B.C. and their founding of the Northern Kingdom. Destroyed by Babylonians in 587 B.C.
syllogism.
A three-part, logical argument, consisting of the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion. All mice are gray; this is a mouse; therefore this mouse is gray.
Synoptics (also Synoptic Gospels).
Means a common view or viewed together. Matthew, Mark and Luke are called "Synoptic Gospels" because they give different views of the same material of Christ's life, and can be presented in parallel columns. Each Gospel is a Synoptic.
textual criticism.
The comparison of manuscripts of the Bible in the original languages and versions, including quotations by ancient authors, to determine as nearly as possible the original wording.
type.
An Old Testament passage or character whose hidden sense is clarified when fulfilled by a New Testament antitype.
typology.
Interpretation through types and symbols or symbolism.
United Kingdom.
The monarchy under David and Solomon (from about 1000 B.C. to 926 B.C.) that united the Israelite tribes under a single government with its capital in Jerusalem. It was split apart when the ten northern tribes seceded in 926 B.C. to form the Northern Kingdom.
versions (of the Bible).
See selected references in this appendix, and separate appendix.
Vulgate.
Latin translation of the Bible completed at the beginning of the 5th century. The basis of the Roman Catholic Bible.
Wilderness.
The Sinai desert in which, according to tradition, the Israelites wandered forty years after their liberation from Egypt until they entered Canaan. Wilderness narratives are reported in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers.