Apocrypha
this term means �hidden books� the name Luther gave
the material he separated out from the Old Testament
non-Catholics do not considered this material divinely inspired
by God referred to as the Deutero-canonicals (second canon)
by Catholics
b.c.e
�b.c.e� stands for �before the common
era� used to denote years before the birth of Jesus
(ie: 500 b.c.e. = 500 years before the birth of Jesus)
frequently used in modern biblical studies instead of the
abbreviation �b.c.�
c.e.
�c.e.� stands for �the common era� used
to denote years after the birth of Jesus (ie: 1500 c.e. = 1500 years
after the birth of Jesus)
� frequently used in modern biblical studies instead of the
abbreviation �a.d.�
Bible
Term used for the Sacred Writings of Christians (includes the Jewish
Sacred Scriptures)
b�rit milah
The oldest religious ritual in Judaism dating back to Abraham
(Genesis 17). God commands Abraham that every male shall be
circumcised as a sign of God�s covenant with his people. This ritual
includes prayers as the child is formally welcomed into the Jewish
people. The ceremony is commonly called a �bris�.
bris
word commonly used for �b�rit milah�
Canon
word which means �reed� or �measurement� or refers to a �collection�
Council of Trent
gathering of bishops that reaffirmed the official canon of scripture
of the Catholic Church in 1546
Dead Sea Scrolls
These scrolls date back to the time of Jesus. They were found in the
1940�s and shed light on the accuracy of the transmission of the scriptures
Deuterocanonicals
Catholic term which means �second-canon�
Kippah, kippa, kipoh
Other words for Yamalka
Koran
Another spelling for Qur�an � The Sacred Scriptures for Muslims
Kosher
� term for the use of �ritually pure� (kasher) food
� refers to the way food is prepared as well as specific types of food
� also refers to the custom of slaughtering and preparing food in a
kosher approved manner either in food manufacturing or in the home (in
addition to different utensils for meat and dairy products (sometimes
different kitchens to prepare them))
Martin Luther
Catholic monk who created scandal with the publication of his German
translation of the scriptures in 1534
Masoretes
Jewish family of scribes who copied the scriptures and developed a
vowel point system to ensure accuracy
Mezuzah
Container found on the doorframes of Jewish homes containing the
Shema which remind us that God is at the center of life
Mohel
Jewish doctor who is trained and certified to perform the b�rit milah
(�bris�) ceremony
Old Testament Prophets
best described as �mouthpieces for God�
Pentateuch
Hebrew for �five scrolls�, another name for the first 5 books of the
Old Testament
Peshitta
Syriac translation of the Hebrew Scriptures made by Christians in
Syria between the 2nd-5th centuries
Pseudopigrapha
the �false writings�, this material is not considered divinely
inspired by any Christian denomination
Qumran
City where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found
Qur�an
Sacred Scriptures for Muslims
Shema
�Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One�
Jewish �creed� or profession of faith � The Shema embodies two
essential Jewish concepts:
1. that the people constitute a community of faith (Hear, O Israel!)
2. the affirmation of the absolute unity of God.
Septuagint
Greek translation of the Old Testament
ta biblia
Greek phrase meaning �the books� which is the origin for the title of
�the Bible�
TaNaK
Acronym of the Jewish Scriptures
Stands for �Torah� , �Nevi�im�, and �Kethuvim� (the Law, the
Prophets, and the Writings)
Talmud
Jewish commentary on the TaNaK
Targum
Aramaic loose translation of the Hebrew Scriptures
Torah
Hebrew word meaning �Teaching� which refers to �the Law�
another name for the first 5 books of the Old Testament
Vulgate
Latin translation of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures made by St.
Jerome around 382ce
Yad
Hebrew for �hand�; a silver pointer used in the reading of the Torah
Yarmalka
Skull cap that reminds us that God is above all. See synonyms for
�yarmalka� under �kippah�
diaspora
the condition of the jewish people being scattered around the world,
instead f being in the promised land
zionism
the belief that someday all of the faithful will return to jerusalem
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
- means "daughter or son of the covenant"
- young Jewish person reads a passage from the torah scroll &
preaches to their community
- occurs at ages 12(f) and 13(m)
Rosh Hashanah
(beginning of the year)
- celebrates the lunar 'new year' in fall
- begins with the blowing of the ram's horn called SHOFAR,
indicating god's ruling over the entire universe
- calls jews to consider how they care for gods creations
Yom Kippur
(day of atonement)
- 10 days after Rosh Hashanah
- reflective time
-ends with the blowing of the shofar (rams horn)
Passover
(in spring)
-feast of when the angel of death came through Egypt and killed the
firstborn in every house that was not marked with the blood of a lamb
on the doorway
- angel passed over homes with the blood on the door frame
- celebrates their exodus out of egypt & slavery
Hanukkah
(early winter)
- feast of dedication
-celebrated the re-dedication of the temple, miracle of 8 days of
oil though they only had one days worth
menorah
-used during hanukkah
-has 9 candles
-center candle = service candle
- service candle lit before sundown every day of hanukkah, and one
of the 8 candles lit every night
-children open a present each night after the lighting of the candle
hasidic judaism
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Orthodox judaism
maintains that the torah & jewish law should be strictly followed
Conservative judaism
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Reform judaism
jewish law should be considered more as a set of guidelines rather
than as a set of restrictions & obligations
Liberal jewdaism
can include secular and humanistic jews who may even be non-theistic (atheist)