paschal candle

(Christianity) A large symbolic white candle used at Easter.


Great Lent

A calque from a language with traditional Orthodox practice, where this fast is called "great" to distinguish it from the Advent and Dormition fasts, likely Calque of Byzantine Greek Μεγάλη Νηστεία (Megálē Nēsteía).

calque

Μεγάλη Νηστεία

Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

(Christianity) In Eastern Christianity, the period of fasting before Pascha.


Paschal

From Latin paschālis; ultimately from Hebrew פסח (pésakh). Doublet of Pascal and pascal.


Paulist

A member of various religious orders associated with either of the saints Paul of Thebes and Paul of Tarsus.

paŭlano

a member of the religious order associated with Paul of Thebes, the First Hermit


bullbaiting

en-noun

bullbaiting (countable and uncountable, plural bullbaitings)

(Scientology) A process in which a person is subjected to simulated threats and verbal abuse but must not respond.


Paschal Lamb

(figuratively) Jesus Christ symbolized as a sacrifice.


unparished

/(ˌ)ʌnˈpæɹɪʃt/

/ˌʌnˈpɛɹɪʃt/

From:
* un (prefix meaning ‘not’) + parish (noun) + -ed (suffix forming possessional adjectives from nouns); and
* un- + parished (“organized into parishes; possessing parishes”, adjective).

prefix

(British, Ireland, Christianity) Not designated as a parish (“an administrative part of a diocese that has its own church”).


with God

My mother, rest her soul, is with God now.

(euphemistic, Christianity) Dead; deceased.


Ninlil

(Mesopotamian mythology) In Sumerian mythology, the consort goddess of Enlil.


Enki

From Sumerian 𒀭𒂗𒆠, a name of uncertain meaning. More at Enki.

A god in Sumerian mythology, later known as Ea in Akkadian and Babylonian mythology.


Enlil

(Mesopotamian mythology) A chief deity listed and written about in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Canaanite and other Mesopotamian clay and stone tablets; the god of breath, wind, loft, and breadth.


Ashur

(biblical) a grandson of Noah in Genesis


Shamash

From Akkadian Šamaš, ultimately from Proto-Semitic *śamš-. Compare shin.

The sun god and god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu.


Aya

(Mesopotamian mythology) In Akkadian mythology, a mother goddess, consort of the sun god Shamash.


transcreation

From transcreate + -ion, trans- + creation or from French transcreation.

(philosophy, theology) A type of creation by a deity or primal force.


conciliarism

The doctrine that the highest ecclesiastical authority is an ecumenical council (rather than a pope).


conciliarist

Conciliarists never achieved consensus as to how to define the Church or account for the authority of a council.

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, New York: Penguin Books, published 2011, →ISBN, page 561:

A believer in conciliarism; someone who thinks the highest authority of the Church is found in ecumenical councils.


dataria

From Late Latin, from Latin datum (“given”).

(Roman Catholicism, historical) Part of the Roman Catholic Curia, abolished in 1967, from which were sent graces or favours such as appointments to benefices.


soteriological

en-adj

soteriological (comparative more soteriological, superlative most soteriological)

more soteriological (comparative)
most soteriological (superlative)

/səʊtɪəɹɪə(ʊ)ˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/

From soteriology + -ical, after German soteriologisch.

Despite common metaphorical formulations of the wu-wei ideal, each of the texts I will examine presents its own soteriological strategy for realizing wu-wei in practice, and these soteriological strategies are themselves formulated in terms of conceptual metaphor.

2003, Edward Slingerland, Effortless Action: Wu-wei As Conceptual Metaphor and Spiritual Ideal in Early China, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 12:

In fact he continued to accept Purgatory's existence until around 1530, when he finally realized that his soteriological revolution had abolished it (his change of mind demanded a certain amount of re-editing of some of his earlier writings).

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 608:


anticult

anticult (comparative more anticult, superlative most anticult)

more anticult (comparative)
most anticult (superlative)


kattar

kattar (comparative more kattar, superlative most kattar)

more kattar (comparative)
most kattar (superlative)

From Hindi कट्टर (kaṭṭar, “strict, rigid”).

"And even the announcement of Delhi’s own Board of Education came with one of the avowed aims being making students “kattar deshbhakt” (staunch patriots)."

(India, religion, Hinduism) strict, rigid, fundamentalist, especially in terms of religious belief

sanghi

used towards traditionalist Hindus with nationalist views


brahmana

Anglicized/transliterated from Sanskrit ब्राह्मण (brā́hmaṇa).

The brahmin varna in Hinduism. (Plural: brahmana.)


ISV

International Standard Version
w:International Standard Version

(biblical) Initialism of International Standard Version.


livity

(Rastafari) Harmony in a natural world and living faith.


Og

And the Lord shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 31:4:

(very rare, outside the Bible) A male given name from Hebrew


Islamic calendar

A calendar system associated with Islamic culture, dividing the year into twelve months.


Eurabia

/jʊəˈɹeɪbiə/

Moreover, the fear of an emerging "Eurabia" ignores the vast economic and cultural differences between immigrant populations in the different European countries...

2006, Hent de Vries, Lawrence Eugene Sullivan, Political theologies: public religions in a post-secular world:

Among those who connect the unfolding of Eurabia with a popular reaction that might bring back fascism to Europe is Canadian columnist Mark Steyn.

2007, José Pedro Zúquete, Missionary politics in contemporary Europe:

Cultural Islam and the myth of Eurabia

2008, Olivier Roy, The politics of chaos in the Middle East:

(derogatory) A supposed future, Islamized Europe.


farbrengen

Borrowed from Yiddish פֿאַרברענגען (farbrengen, “joyous gathering”); compare German verbringen (“to spend time together”).

bor

פֿאַרברענגען

cog

(Judaism) A gathering of Hassidic Jews for the purpose of inspiring each other in religion and spirituality.


Holyrood

From Middle English Holy Rood, Holyrode, holy-rode, holy roode, hali rode, halgorode, equivalent to holy + rood (“crucifix, cross”).
The town in Newfoundland is named after a location near Crewkerne, Somerset.

(Christianity) Alternative form of Holy Rood: the True Cross of Jesus.


kingdom of glory

en-noun

kingdom of glory (plural kingdoms of glory)


Verethragna

Transliteration of Avestan 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬖𐬥𐬀 (vər^əθraγna), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Wr̥tragʰnás. Doublet of Vahagn and Bahrām.

translit

(Zoroastrianism) The hypostasis of “victory”; a highly complex figure in Zoroastrianism.


Circumcellion

(Christianity, historical) A member of fanatical bands of predatory peasants that flourished in North Africa in the 4th century. They were associated with Donatists and sought death by martyrdom.


communion wafer

en-noun

communion wafer (plural communion wafers)

(Christianity) The sacramental bread used in the Eucharist; the host.


inlead

en-verb

inlead (third-person singular simple present inleads, present participle inleading, simple past and past participle inled)

inleads (present singular third-person)
inleading (participle present)
inled (participle past)
inled (past)

From Middle English inleden (“to lead or bring in, introduce”), from Old English inlǣdan (“to lead in, bring in, introduce, conduct”), equivalent to in- + lead. Cognate with Dutch inleiden (“to initiate; introduce”), German einleiten (“to initiate; introduce”), Danish indlede (“to introduce”), Swedish inleda (“to introduce”).

cog

Emanuel Swedenborg
When man is in the former state, the Lord inflows and inleads immediately


Aegina

(Greek mythology) A nymph of the island that bears her name.


Jannat

Borrowed from Arabic جَنَّةْ (jannat, literally “paradise”).


kiddush

Borrowed from Hebrew קידוש (kidúsh, “kiddush”, literally “sanctification”). Doublet of kaddish.

Cohn began the seder with a kiddush for wine, and the first two toasts he proposed were the traditional ones to life and to freedom.

1982, Bernard Malamud, “The Schooltree”, in God’s Grace, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux:

(Judaism) A blessing recited over wine or grape juice in commemoration of the sanctity of the Shabbat or other Jewish holy day.


heort-

From the Ancient Greek ἑορτή (heortḗ, “feast”).

(rare, chiefly Christianity) (religious) feast


Russian Orthodox Church

One of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.

Russies-Ortodokse Kerk

one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian churches

الكَنِيسَة الرُوسِيَّة الأُرْثُوذُكْسِيَّة


disconformity

en-noun

disconformity (countable and uncountable, plural disconformities)


deosil

Before people started arriving, I began the day as I always did: by sprinkling saltwater widdershins—counterclockwise—around the perimeter of my shop, then smudging deosil—clockwise—with a sage bundle.

2012, Juliet Blackwell, In a Witch's Wardrobe: A Witchcraft Mystery, New York, NY: New American Library, →ISBN, page 32:


Aquinian

en-adj

Aquinian (comparative more Aquinian, superlative most Aquinian)

more Aquinian (comparative)
most Aquinian (superlative)

(theology) Of or pertaining to Thomas Aquinas (circa 1225-1274), Italian Catholic priest and influential philosopher and theologian.


seminarist

(Roman Catholicism) A student training to be a priest at a Roman Catholic seminary.


other side

[I]t has seemed to me wise to take such measures as may be feasible, to acquire, by courtesy of the press, access to my standing obituaries, with the privilege—if this is not asking too much—of editing, not their Facts, but their Verdicts. This, not for the present profit, further than as concerns my family, but as a favorable influence usable on the Other Side, where there are some who are not friendly to me.

1906, Mark Twain, “Amended Obituaries”, in The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories:

They tell us that something is waiting for us on the other side, that death may be a pilgrimage and not a destination, that the afterlife is a warm awakening after the fretful dream of life.

1994 August 8, Pico Iyer, “Death Be Not a Stranger”, in Time:

"Well, when people from the other side communicate with me, they're using thought energy, just like you can't see radio waves coming into the radio."

2008 April 8, Mark Rahner, “Psychic John Holland talks to the dead”, in Seattle Times, retrieved 2011-07-22:

(idiomatic, usually preceded by the and sometimes capitalized) The afterlife, as a supernatural realm inhabited by spirits of deceased people.


Wesleyan

Wesleyan (comparative more Wesleyan, superlative most Wesleyan)

more Wesleyan (comparative)
most Wesleyan (superlative)

Of or pertaining to John Wesley (1703-1791), founder of Methodism.

(by extension) Of or pertaining to Methodism in general


Wesleyan

However, after breakfast the prayings did not stop for the preachings, — each went on with force; people came flocking in; we had Wesleyans in abundance.

1854, John Walford, Memoirs of the Life and Labours of the Late Venerable Hugh Bourne:


Wesleyan

A university located in Middletown, Connecticult.


Free Zone

Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology

A variety of groups and individuals practicing Scientology independently of the Church of Scientology.


freezoner

A Scientologist who practises outside the official Scientology organisation.


Christian metal

(music) a genre of heavy metal with a Christian theme


Teegeeack

From the works of L. Ron Hubbard, of unknown origin. Perhaps after Terra and Gaia.

He caused people to be brought to Teegeeack (Earth) and put an H Bomb on the principal volcanoes […]

1968, L. Ron Hubbard, OT III (manuscript); republished as “OT III Scholarship Page”, in David S. Touretzky, editor, Secrets of Scientology, 1997, archived from the original on 2023-03-14:

The church believes that 75 million years ago, the leader of the Galactic Federation, Xenu, solved an overpopulation problem by freezing the excess people in a compound of alcohol and glycol and transporting them by spaceship to Teegeeack -- which we know as Earth.

1995 August 19, Marc Fisher, “Church in Cyberspace”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-04-16:

(Scientology) The planet Earth at the time of Xenu.


Arean

From Ares + -an under influence of Ancient Greek άρεος (áreos) and άρειος (áreios, “Martian, martial”). Cf. Arian.

Near-synonym: Martian

It is appealing to assume that the epigram was inspired by the statue itself. Probably the Arean weapons Aphrodite has donned include helmet, spear and shield but not the Apolline bow and arrow.

1979, Karelisa Hartigan, The Poets and the Cities: Selections from the Anthology about Greek Cities, Hain, →ISBN, page 54:

In addition to his possible exploitation of the sexual reversal occasionally found in Arean cult, we also find

1980, Carl Deroux, Studies in Latin literature and Roman history, volume 168, page 449:

1989, Robert Lamberton, Homer the Theologian: Neoplatonist Allegorical Reading and the Growth of the Epic Tradition, quotation of Proclus translated from the Greek,
... and in bonding together the Arean and the Aphrodisian, he had taken the craft of Hephaestus as his model.

Ares is also associated with fire. [...] All the Arean desire [...]

2007, Dagonet Dewr, Sacred Paths for Modern Men, page 63:

(rare) Of or related to Ares, the Greek god of war, counterpart of the Roman Mars.


totemism

en-noun

totemism (usually uncountable, plural totemisms)

This is the common story of superstition, from the totemism of savage tribes and the image-worship of semi-civilized peoples on to the heathenism of the Mass.

1883, R. Heber Newton, The Right and Wrong Uses of the Bible:

Although you see some representations of animals or gods in the form of animals, there's really no totemism or animism in Egyptian religion.

1995 July 21, Sarah Bryan Miller, “What's New in Ancient Egypt”, in Chicago Reader:

“The Happiness of Objects” doesn’t make it easy on the viewer. Mr. Mitchell’s book is, after all, an academic tome (though quite readable) that delves into complex discussions of everything from pictures, objects and materials to their relationship with totemism, fetishism and idolatry.

2007 May 18, Martha Schwendener, “Proof That Things Are People Too (Well, Almost)”, in New York Times:

(religion) The belief that a person or group has a special mystical relationship to a totem

طوطمية

belief in a special relationship to a totem


Carmelite

A member of the Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a Catholic religious order focusing on contemplative prayer and the Virgin Mary.

karmeldar

member of a certain Catholic religious order


Carmelite

(Catholicism) Of or related to the Carmelites.


justiciar

From Late Latin justitiarius and justiciarius (“justiciar, judge, justice [of the peace]; judiciary, related to justice”), from Latin iūstitia (“justice”) + -āria (“-ary”). As a translation of various Continental European offices, via Middle French justicier, Spanish justiciero, justicia mayor, etc.

(Christianity, theology, rare) A justiciary: a believer in the doctrine (or heresy) that adherence to religious law redeems mankind before God.


necessarian

1810, Charles Buck, Materialists, entry in A Theological Dictionary, Volume 2, page 86,
And the Necessarian asserts, that if, in any given state of mind, with respect both to dispositions and motives, two different determinations, or volitions, be possible, it can be on no other principle, than that one of them should come under the description of an effect without a cause; just as if the beam of a balance might incline either way, though loaded with equal weights.

But neither you nor myself, necessarian as I am, can pretend to this degree of perfection.

1832, Joseph Priestley, edited by John Towill Rutt, The Theological and Miscellaneous Works of Joseph Priestley, volume 4, page 191:

When it is considered that, according to the Necessarian doctrine, no action fails to produce effects, and no effort can be lost, there seems every reason for the conclusion which I have no doubt is the fact, that true Necessarians must be the most diligent and confident of all workers.

1877, Harriet Martineau, edited by Maria Weston Chapman, Harriet Martineau′s Autobiography, volume 1, Cambridge University Press, published 2010, page 112:

doctrine of necessity
doctrine of necessity

(philosophy, theology) An adherent of necessarianism; an advocate of the doctrine of necessity.


justiciary

justiciary (countable and uncountable, plural justiciaries)

From Late Latin justitiaria, justiciaria (“judgeship, judiciarship; court sessions”), justitiarius, and justiciarius (“justiciar, judge, justice [of the peace]; judiciary, related to justice”), all from Latin iūstitia (“justice”) + -āria (“-ary”). Paralleled in Middle English and Early Modern English by forms from Anglo-Norman justiserie (“judgeship, judiciarship”), from Anglo-Norman and Middle French justicerie (“judgeship; tribunal”), from justice + -ery. As a translation of various Continental European offices, via Middle French justicier, Spanish justiciero, etc.

cog

(Christianity, theology) A believer in the doctrine (or heresy) that adherence to religious law redeems mankind before God.


justiciary

en-adj

justiciary (comparative more justiciary, superlative most justiciary)

more justiciary (comparative)
most justiciary (superlative)

(Christianity, theology, obsolete) Of or relating to justification or redemption before God.

(Christianity, theology, obsolete) Of or relating to the doctrine (or heresy) that adherence to religious law redeems mankind before God.


indifferentism

en-noun

indifferentism (usually uncountable, plural indifferentisms)

The second class of parishioners were less Philistine, certainly, but even more hopeless from the parish priest’s point of view. In their luxurious houses they lived an easy, selfish, and sensual life, beyond his reach, surrounded by a wall of indifferentism, and contemptuous of all that was not tangible and material.

1904, Guy Thorne, chapter 2, in When It Was Dark, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, page 7:

To the pantheist or monist [mystical experiences] are experiences of the One, which is identical with himself, and which is probably the same in all religions and even in secular mysticism. In face of this easygoing tolerance or indifferentism it is perhaps not surprising that monotheists are often intolerant, believing that God has chosen them and by implication not others.

1976, Geoffrey Parrinder, chapter 3, in Mysticism in the World’s Religions, Oxford: Oneworld, published 1995, page 20:

(religion) The doctrine that all religions are equally valid.

indiferentismo

the doctrine that all religions are equally valid


age of reason

age of reason (usually uncountable, plural ages of reason)

vastuullinen ikä

age at which a person is morally liable for the sins that he or she commits

Book 1:
Reason alone teaches us to know good and bad. . . . Before the age of reason we do good and bad without knowing it, and there is no morality in our actions. . . . A child wants to upset everything he sees; he smashes, breaks everything he can reach.
Book 4:
We hold that no child who dies before the age of reason will be deprived of eternal happiness. . . . The whole difference I see here between you and me is that you claim that children have this capacity [i.e., to recognize the divinity] at seven, and I do not even accord it to them at fifteen.

1762, Jean Jacques Rousseau, translated by Allan Bloom, Émile, or, on Education:

On September tenth — the morning of my seventh birthday — I came downstairs to the kitchen, where my mother was washing the dishes and my father was… reading the paper or something, and I sort-of presented myself to them in the doorway, and they said “Hey! Happy birthday!” And I said “I’m seven.” And my father smiled and said “Well, you know what that means, don’t you?” And I said “Yeah… that I’m gonna have a party and a cake and get a lot of presents (?)” And my dad said “Well, yes, but more importantly, being seven means that you’ve reached the age of reason, and you’re now capable of committing any and all sins against God and man.”

2006, February: Julia Sweeney, “Letting Go of God” performed at TED2006, 0:16–0:54

Since the Church has traditionally understood the age of reason to be seven years old, your daughter would not be too young to receive confirmation at age eight.

c. 2008, Michelle Arnold, "What is the correct age for confirmation?," www.catholic.com (retrieved 29 Oct 2013)

(Roman Catholicism) Seven years of age, at which age a person is morally liable for the sins that he or she commits.


Socinian

a Socinian catechism


Church of Scientology

(Scientology) the largest organisation promoting Scientology.


suitheistic

en-adj

suitheistic (comparative more suitheistic, superlative most suitheistic)

more suitheistic (comparative)
most suitheistic (superlative)

His presence, after all, disturbs our arrogant pretensions and suitheistic fantasies.

2008, James Patrick Holding, Shattering the Christ Myth, page 334:


probabilism

en-noun

probabilism (usually uncountable, plural probabilisms)

Coordinate term: probabiliorism

(theology, chiefly Catholicism) The casuistic doctrine that, in difficult matters of conscience, one may safely follow a doctrine that is probable, e.g. approved by a recognized Doctor of the Church, even if the opposite opinion is more probable.


pharisaism

pharisaism (countable and uncountable, plural pharisaisms)

/ˈfɛɹ.əˌseɪˌɪz.əm/

From Late Latin Pharisaismus, from Pharǐsaeus (“Pharisee”) + -ismus (“-ism”); compare French Pharisaïsme, Italian Fariseismo (archaic), farisaismo.

[T]he Phariſee faſted twice every weeke, and that never cenſured in him as a peice of Phariſaiſme, or hypocriſie, or fault of any kind; but as commendable, if he had not boaſted of it.

1645 [indicated as 1646], [Henry Hammond], “Of Feasting”, in A Practicall Catechisme, Oxford: [s.n.], →OCLC, book III, section III, page 303:

But denunciations do not go far, and the only living and effective protest would be a society itself delivered from all pharisaisms and idolatries.

1915, John Oman, “The Judgment of the Churches”, in The War and Its Issues: An Attempt at a Christian Judgment, Cambridge: At the University Press, OCLC 561696232; 2nd edition, Cambridge: At the University Press, 1916, OCLC 22245117, page 59

The codes of some modern pharisaism comprise mostly some virtues and moral rules selected from the codes of the Christian pharisaisms which they oppose […]

1935, Philip Leon, The Ethics of Power, or, The Problem of Evil, London: George Allen & Unwin, →OCLC, page 152:

(chiefly Christianity) Rigid observance of external forms of religion without genuine piety; hypocrisy in religion; a censorious, self-righteous spirit in matters of morals or manners.

fariseado

rigid observance of external forms of religion


Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas look'd out, On the Feast of Stephen; / When the snow lay round about, Deep, and crisp, and e-ven: / Brightly shone the moon that night, Though the frost was cru-el, / When a poor man came in sight, Gath'ring win-ter fu-el.

1854, John Mason Neale, “Good King Wenceslas”, in J. M. Neale, T. Helmore, Carols for Christmas-tide: The Condensed Vocal Parts, London: Novello, →OCLC, page 37:

A male given name from the Slavic languages.


Wenceslaus

Latinization of a Slavic (Old Czech) name, from Proto-Slavic *Vęťeslavъ (from *vęťьjь (“greater, more”) + *slava (“fame, glory”)). Doublet of Vyacheslav.


faravahar

From Persian فروهر (faravahar), from Middle Persian plwʾhl.

A symbol of the religion Zoroastrianism, also used to represent the Iranian nation.


Summerland

A census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.

census-designated place
census-designated place

Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County#English


ethical Ten Commandments

Two of the three lists of religious and moral imperatives called the Ten Commandments which, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. These lists include both ritual and moral imperatives, as opposed to the third, which includes mostly ritual imperatives.


ritual Ten Commandments

One of the three lists of religious and moral imperatives called the Ten Commandments which, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. This list includes mostly ritual imperatives, as opposed to the other two, which include both ritual and moral imperatives.


Ethical Decalogue

The lists of Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 5 are called "ten commandments" in the biblical text [...], and that title, or the equivalent Latin term Decalogue, has traditionally been applied to the list of Exodus 20/Deuteronomy 5. Biblical scholars often distinguish the Exodus 20/Deuteronomy 5 list from the Exodus 34 list on the basis of content by referring to the former as the Ethical Decalogue and the latter as the Ritual Decalogue.

2008, Norman Gottwald, The Hebrew Bible: A Brief Socio-Literary Introduction, page 118:


nanchon

From Haitian Creole nanchon, variant form of nasyon, from French nation. Cognate with English nation.

(voodoo) A particular family or group of loa (voodoo spirits).


Catharism

(historical) A Christian religious sect of mediaeval Europe, with dualistic and gnostic elements; condemned as a heresy by Pope Innocent III in 1209.


Nestorian

en-adj

Nestorian (comparative more Nestorian, superlative most Nestorian)

more Nestorian (comparative)
most Nestorian (superlative)

A Nestorian stele, dated 781AD, was discovered in 1625 near Chang'an.

Through them passed not only the traders of the Silk Route[…] but also lone Buddhist monks carrying precious cargoes of scrolls in their backpacks, white-robed Manichean sages from Iran and austere Nestorian clerics who founded Christian monasteries even in remote Tibet.

1995 November 25, Michael Gibson, “The Treasures of a Lost Buddhist World”, in The International Herald Tribune, →ISSN:

(sometimes derogatory) Relating to teachings or to the followers of Nestorius.


Nestorian

After his return he bitterly complained of being called a Nestorian by the Monophysite Philoxenus, declaring that he "knew nothing" of Nestorius.

(sometimes derogatory) A perceived follower of Nestorius in the fourth and fifth centuries. A member of a Nestorian church.


sustentation

en-noun

sustentation (countable and uncountable, plural sustentations)

First attested in 1382: from the Old French sustentacion, from the Latin sustentātio, from sustentō; compare the Italian sostentazione, the Occitan sustentacion, the Portuguese sustentação, and the Spanish sustentación. Doublet of sustentatio.

(Christianity) The scheme by which the ministers of the Free Church of Scotland are supported by voluntary contributions not local or congregational, but with a national altruism or solidarity paid into a great central fund, out of which equal stipends are paid to all alike.


archdeaconry

The office of an archdeacon, or the term of that office

Archidiakonat

the office of an archdeacon, or the term of that office

The residence, or territorial jurisdiction of an archdeacon

Archidiakonat

the residence or territorial jurisdiction of an archdeacon


tumtum

bor

Hebrew טומטום

Therefore, if a man died leaving a son and a tumtum or a hermaphrodyte, the son inherits everything, since the heirship of the tumtum or of the hermaphrodyte is doubtful.

1949 (printing), Maimonides, The Code of Maimonides: The Book of Civil Laws, p. 273

As it happens, the baraita in question speaks of the tumtum twice, introducing an apparent redundancy into the text. To be specific, Abbaye's solution, proposing an unusual interpretation of the first tumtum ("his testicles are evident from the outside"), allows for a different reading of tumtum in each of his two usages.

1996, David Charles Kraemer, Reading the Rabbis: the Talmud as Literature, page 122:

A tumtum and a hermaphrodite should not dress like a woman, but neither should they cut the hair on their head like a man.

2001, Ruth N. Sandberg, Development and Discontinuity in Jewish Law, page 100:

A. DEFINITION OF THE TERM The term tumtum, meaning ambiguous genitalia, is not found in Scripture.

2003, Avraham Steinberg, Fred Rosner, Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics, page 50:

(Judaism) One whose gender can not be determined by a physical examination; a person lacking external genitalia; an androgynous person; sometimes a hermaphrodite.


rigorism

en-noun

rigorism (countable and uncountable, plural rigorisms)

(Christianity, theology) In Roman Catholic moral theology, the doctrine that in a case of doubt between right and wrong one should take the safer course, i.e. the one in verbal accordance with the law.


Master of the Universe

Master of the Universe (plural Masters of the Universe)

The "highly successful business person" sense is derived from Mattel's Masters of the Universe toy line and media franchise, which was launched in 1982. It was first used as such in the 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe (see quotations).

Constantine inscribed these words on the pedestal:— Oh Christ! king and master of the universe, I consecrate this humble tower, this sceptre, and the power of Rome, to thee!

1849, William Francis Lynch, Narrative Of The United States Expedition To The River Jordan And The Dead Sea:

Svarogu, the god of the ancient pagan Slavs, should no doubt equally be placed. Like Zeus, like Jupiter, like Varuna, like Ahura Mazda, he is the master of the universe, the gods are his children, and it is from him that they have received their functions.

1879, James Darmesteter, “The Supreme God in the Indo-European Mythology”, in Littell's Living Age, volume 143, number 1845:

To God, the Supreme Master of the universe, our Creator, the All Holy, All Good, we owe honour, service, obedience, and love.


familism

familism (usually uncountable, plural familisms)

Familism was spread in England by Christopher Vittels, an itinerant joiner of Dutch origin.

1972, Christopher Hill, The World Turned Upside Down, Folio Society, published 2016, page 15:

(religion, now historical) The beliefs or practice of the Family of Love religious sect, active in sixteenth century England.


Vesak

Vesak or Visakha is a spring celebration that commemorates Buddha's birth, enlightenment, death, and passing into nirvana. It is the most important Buddhist holiday in Asia, although its observance varies according to national tradition. […]At Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara in Los Angeles for example, Vesak extends over a weekend and draws hundreds of people.

2012, Richard Hughes Seager, Buddhism in America, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 167:

A Buddhist holiday celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha.


UU

Riley's comments capture the dilemma that many UUs confront.

2004, Kate Tweedie Erslev, Full circle: fifteen ways to grow lifelong UUs, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, page 2:

Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian Universalist#English

(religion) Initialism of Unitarian Universalist.


Raelian

en-adj

Raelian (comparative more Raelian, superlative most Raelian)

more Raelian (comparative)
most Raelian (superlative)


Raëlism

The movement was founded in the 1970s by "Raël" (Claude Vorilhon). Hence, Raël + -ism. Raël coming from Israel.

Raëlism differs from Deistic Christianity.

2001, Twonky, “Which one? (WARNING God stuff)”, in alt.paranormal.crop-circles (Usenet):

In fact, it is only size itself that separates Raëlism from Christianity or any other accepted religion. Absurdity of beliefs clearly doesn't distinguish a cult.

2003, Boris Ryser, “Relians^([sic]).... Things that are not believable”, in alt.religion.raelian (Usenet):

In December 2002, Clonaid, the medical arm of a religion called Raëlism, who believe that aliens introduced human life on Earth, claimed to have successfully cloned a human being.

2010, Savasan Yurtsever, Psalms Code, page 61:

A UFO religion with liberal sexual views, holding that all life on Earth was created in scientific laboratories by extraterrestrials.


exteriorization

/ɪkˌstɪɹiɚɪˈzeɪʃən/

/ɛkˌstɪɹiɚɪˈzeɪʃən/

From exteriorize + -ation or exterior + -ization.

(Scientology) The process of a thetan leaving its human body.


gospeler

From gospel + -er (occupational suffix). Compare Middle English gospeler (“one of the Gospel writers or Evangelists; statue of one of the Evangelists; (of Old Testament persons) bringer of good news; Isaiah; book containing the Gospels; content of one of the Gospels”), from Old English godspellere.

cog

If thou be a papist, there shalt thou want no kinde of supersticion to feede vpon. If thou be a gospeller, no man shall aske why thou comest not to churche.

1549, William Thomas, The historie of Italie […], page 85:

You know I have conferred with many, and I ensure you, I never found man, so far as I do remembre, neyther old nor new Gospeller or Papist, of what judgment soever he was, in this thing to be a contrary opinion.

1554 April 8, Nicholas Ridley, “Dr. Ridley late Bishop of London to West, formerly his Steward […]”, in John Strype, editor, Memorials of the Most Reverend Father in God, Thomas Cranmer […], published 1694, page 202:

He for some time kept School at Reading in Barkshire, but after a time being found to be a Gospeller he was forced to fly thence, and repairing to his own Mother, who was a Papist.

1682, England’s Remembrancer […], London: E. Smith, page 152:

(obsolete, Early Modern) A Protestant or evangelical Christian.


cover one's feet

en-verb

cover one's feet (third-person singular simple present covers one's feet, present participle covering one's feet, simple past and past participle covered one's feet)

covers one's feet (present singular third-person)
covering one's feet (participle present)
covered one's feet (participle past)
covered one's feet (past)

When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, Surely he covers his feet in his summer chamber. (Judges 3:24)

And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. (1 Samuel 24:3)

(euphemistic, biblical) To lower one’s garment, especially to urinate or defecate.


compounder

(UK, historical) A Jacobite who favoured the restoration of James II, on condition of a general amnesty and of guarantees for the security of the civil and ecclesiastical constitution of the realm.


familist

Like Francis Bacon, Familists believed that men and women might recapture on earth the state of innocence which existed before the Fall: their enemies said they claimed to attain the perfection of Christ.

(religion, historical) A member of the Family of Love religious group in 16th-century England.


theo-

From Latin theo- (“god”), combining form of theos (“god”); from Ancient Greek θεό- (theó-, “god”), combining form of θεός (theós, “god”).


Vacation Bible School

en-noun

Vacation Bible School (plural Vacation Bible Schools)

A Bible program for children, hosted by many Christian churches in the summer.


beatific vision

beatific vision (countable and uncountable, plural beatific visions)

(Christianity, theology) The eternal and direct visual perception of God.


sky daddy

From sky + daddy, originally in reference to the Christian conception of God the Father resident in Heaven.

For starters, having an ideology that explicitly denies the existence of an invisible sky daddy is a bit of a handicap when it comes to assimilating the idea of nightmarish immortal aliens from elsewhere in the multiverse, given that the NIAs in question have historically been identified as gods (subtype: elder).

2010, Charles Stross, The Fuller Memorandum (Laundry Files), New York: Penguin, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC PR6119.T79 F85 2010, page 81:

An invisible sky daddy didn’t save all those Chilean miners; real people with science and technology got it done!

2010 October 14, “Well Said”, in The Good Atheist, archived from the original on 2011-09-08:

Nature isn’t some sky daddy, it’s what makes up reality by definition.

2011 November 9, Matt Bush, “Nature doesn’t care about us”, in In which I wax acerbic, archived from the original on 2011-11-30:

In the book of fairy tales and myths, a big magical sky daddy delivers the populace his own flesh and blood to get horribly slain so that his resurrected son can become your imaginary bearded hippie-friend.

2011, E. A. St. Amant, The New Ancien Régime, →ISBN, page 79:

“Magic!” said Billy, clapping his hands with delight. “I talked to my sky daddy. He made a magic dream in your heart.”

2011, John Leonard Köehler, Billy Blue Sky:

(slang) A god, especially (derogatory, offensive) God the Father.


Sita

Borrowed from Sanskrit सीता (sītā, “furrow”).

(Hinduism) A goddess, the consort of Rāma.

It is only this late in the day, and possibly only in Willesden, that you can find best friends Sita and Sharon, constantly mistaken for each other because Sita is white (her mother liked the name) and Sharon is Pakistani (her mother thought it best — less trouble).

2000, Zadie Smith, White Teeth, London: Hamish Hamilton, →ISBN, pages 282–283:

A female given name from Sanskrit mainly used in India.


Rabshakeh

For example, here is a man, a chief officer or cupbearer, Rabshakeh by name, who represents the king of Assyria[…]

1885, Joseph Parker, The people's Bible: discourses upon Holy Scripture, volume 16, page 83:

(biblical) One of Sennacherib's messengers to Hezekiah, quoted in 2 Kings 18:27–37 and Isaiah 36:12–20.


Sheba

And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.

(biblical) A former kingdom in the Red Sea region. An ancient kingdom in Arabia or possibly in Africa. Frequently equated with ancient Saba.

And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 20:1:

(very rare outside the Bible) A male given name from Hebrew.


Sheba

(dated, slang) A flapper (daring young woman of the Jazz Age).


Sheba

'I was kinda sweet on her my own self. Sheba Otis, her name was then.' I was surprised. 'She married a Queen? Which one?' 'Can't say.' He sighed. 'Her name's Bathsheba, but she never liked that much.'

1996, Martha Grimes, Hotel Paradise, Headline, →ISBN, page 172:


infralapsarian

(Christianity) A Calvinist who holds that election is a logical consequent of the Fall of man in the original divine plan.


predestinarian

But it is wrong to stress only the predestinarian aspect of protestantism […].

1972, Christopher Hill, The World Turned Upside Down, Folio Society, published 2016, page 123:

(chiefly theology) Of or relating to predestination.


ubiquitarian

(Christianity) Any of a group of Lutherans who held that the body of Christ was present everywhere at all times.


vicariate

His next was to claim, in virtue of this vicariate, the mediatorial “power in heaven and in earth”

a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). A Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:

(Christianity) The office, authority, or district of a vicar.


Mariological

en-adj

Mariological (comparative more Mariological, superlative most Mariological)

more Mariological (comparative)
most Mariological (superlative)

Mary's exalted role implies mariological assertions about her life.

2001, “Mariology”, in Walter A. Elwell, editor, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Baker Academic, →ISBN, page 736:


antiuniversalism

(theology) Opposition to universalism (the theological belief that all souls can attain salvation).


Hermaphroditus

From Latin, from Ancient Greek Ἑρμαφρόδιτος (Hermaphróditos, from Ἑρμῆς (Hermês) + Ἀφροδίτη (Aphrodítē)).

bor

Ἑρμαφρόδιτος

(Greek mythology) The son of Hermes and Aphrodite who merged bodies with a naiad.


shochet

en-noun

shochet (plural shochets or shochetim or shochtim)

shochets (plural)
shochetim (plural)
shochtim (plural)

From Hebrew שׁוֹחֵט (shokhét, “slaughterer, butcher”).

uder

2001, Oliver Sacks, Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood, Alfred A. Knopf (2001), 9,
He was by profession a boot and shoe manufacturer, a shochet (a kosher slaughterer), and later a grocer […]

A person certified under Jewish law to slaughter cattle and poultry


monial

From Anglo-Norman monyale, Middle French monyalle, or their source, Late Latin monialis.

For the first time since I had glimpsed her across the crowded ballroom I understood how I could have mistaken her for a monial of the order whose habit she wore.

1982, Gene Wolfe, chapter VII, in The Sword of the Lictor (The Book of the New Sun; 3), New York: Timescape, →ISBN, page 49:

(Christianity, now rare) A nun, especially one dedicated to an enclosed order.


un-Islamic

en-adj

un-Islamic (comparative more un-Islamic, superlative most un-Islamic)

more un-Islamic (comparative)
most un-Islamic (superlative)

Not Islamic; not conforming to the teachings of Islam


anthropodicy

en-noun

anthropodicy (countable and uncountable, plural anthropodicies)

/ˌænθɹəʊˈpɒdɪsi/

/ˌænθɹoʊˈpɑdɪsi/

Blend of anthropo- (prefix meaning ‘human beings, people’) + theodicy (“justification of a deity or of particular attributes of a deity; specifically, a justification of the existence of evil and suffering in the world”). Anthropo- is derived from Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human being, person; all human beings, mankind”), ultimately possibly Pre-Greek; while the -dicy element of theodicy is from Ancient Greek δῐ́κη (díkē, “justice; judgment, order; law; right”), and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to point out”).

der

[T]he next two [devices or arguments] urge that these distresses are the prices paid for certain compensating advantages to the animals, notably existence. I have some difficulty believing that they are seriously intended, for they would, without alteration, justify the vilest imaginable human slavery and oppression. Nor is it generally true nowadays—though once it was—that those who offer such anthropodicies are much impressed by them in their original form, as theodicy.

1977, Stephen R[ichard] L[yster] Clark, “Devices of the Heathen”, in The Moral Status of Animals, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 59:

(Christianity, philosophy) An attempt, or an argument attempting, to justify that human beings are fundamentally good despite the commission of evil acts by some people.

ანთროპოდიცეა

attempt, or argument attempting, to justify that human beings are fundamentally good


formator

The second sign is related to the infused theological virtue of charity, because the formator has to discover by observation if a candidate takes joy in serving others, especially in small or difficult ways

2011, Basil Cole, Formation of Novices and Seminarians: Nine Signs of Steady Growth, Ignatius Press:

(Christianity) A person who trains novices or seminarians.


celebret

Borrowed from Latin celebret (“may he celebrate”).

bor+

(Roman Catholicism) A letter signed by a bishop or other higher official stating that a certain priest is allowed to say Mass in a different diocese.


eternitarian

Describe the world as rays of the world beyond every serial-eternitarian or ideal alternative — posit the existential eternity — the eternal body.

1968, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, The Visible and the Invisible:

(religion, rare) One who believes in the eternity of the soul.


calceate

From Latin calceātus, participle of calceāre (“to shoe, to provide with shoes”), from calceus (“calceus, shoe”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), from calx (“heel”) + -eus (“-y”, adjective-forming suffix). Equivalent to Latin calceus + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

af

(rare) Synonym of shod: wearing shoes, particularly (Christianity) as opposed to the barefoot mendicant orders.


Krishnology

From Krishna + -ology. As a nonce word (attested 1929) used for illustrating the parallels between Christology and the theology of Krishnaism. Since the late 2000s also used by ISKCON authors in a more general sense.

Whether it be questions of Science or Philosophy, or of Christology or Krishnology (1929)http://books.google.com/books?id=HwgaAAAAMAAJ&q=Krishnology+-%22Webster%27s+Quotations%22&dq=Krishnology+-%22Webster%27s+Quotations%22&hl=en&ei=W5x3TJfMAp-g4Qbdm5zSBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCkQ6AEwATgK

Christology and Krishnology: a critical study of the concept of Avatora from the Christian standpoint (1952, title)http://books.google.com/books?id=YsEcHAAACAAJ&dq=Krishnology+-%22Webster%27s+Quotations%22&hl=en&ei=rJx3TJCeHpuP4gafyJy7Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA

The position of Krishna in Krishnaism viewed as a parallel of that of Christ in Christianity.


Reuel

These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 36:10:


Hygiea

From Latin Hygēa, Hygīa, from Ancient Greek Ὑγίεια (Hugíeia), Ὑγεία (Hugeía).

(Greek mythology) Ancient Greek goddess of health, cleanliness, and sanitation. Her Roman name is Hygēa/Hygīa or Salus.


diriment

(religion, of an impediment to marriage) Serving to invalidate an attempted marriage.


soulish

en-adj

soulish (comparative more soulish, superlative most soulish)

more soulish (comparative)
most soulish (superlative)

(Christianity) Relating to or involving the human soul.


karet

(Judaism) A severe punishment prescribed for certain offenses, interpreted variously as expulsion or extinction of the soul.


intercommunion

en-noun

intercommunion (countable and uncountable, plural intercommunions)

In Roman Catholicism, the theological principle which governs whether it is permissible for a Roman Catholic to partake of the Eucharist in a non-Catholic service, and vice versa


definitor

(Catholicism) One who oversees either an ecclesiastical property under a bishop or possesses an office in a religious order.


impedient

(religion, of an impediment to marriage) Serving to make a marriage illicit but valid.


mystagogue

From Latin mystagōgus, Ancient Greek μυσταγωγός (mustagōgós). By surface analysis, mystic + -agogue.

There is an overruling destiny above us, though not in the sense in which it was viewed by that wretched man, who, beguiled by some foreign mystagogue, used the awful word as the ready apology for whatever he chose to do—we must examine the packet.

1820, [Walter Scott], The Abbot. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC:

Philosophers themselves, the mystagogues in the temple of decorum, must approach it with reverence, and after all are allowed only to turn it aside a very little.

1838, Robert Sandeman, Letters on Theron and Aspasio: Addressed to the Author, page 162:

It is simply common sense, combined with uncommon courage, which includes uncommon honesty and uncommon patience; and if you will be brave, honest, patient, and rational, you will need no mystagogues to tell you what in science to believe and what not to believe; for you will be just as good judges of scientific facts and theories as those who assume the right of guiding your convictions.

1874, Charles Kingsley, Health and Education:

Yet again the thought of Death as the deliverer, the revealer, and the mystagogue, through whom the soul of man is reunited to the spirit of the universe, returns; and on this solemn note the poem closes.

1878, John Addington Symonds, Percy Bysshe Shelley:

A person who prepares an initiate for entry into a mystery cult, or who teaches mystical doctrines.


after Saturday comes Sunday

From Arabic مِن سَلَّف السَبت لاقا الحَدّ قَدّاموه (min sallaf es-sabt lāqā el-ḥadd qiddāmūh), literally "When Saturday is gone, one will find Sunday". The phrase is a classical proverb that means "the good or bad you do comes back to you".

der

مِن سَلَّف السَبت لاقا الحَدّ قَدّاموه

(politics, rare) A phrase sometimes attributed to fundamentalist Muslims, implying that they wish to kill the Jews, whose sabbath is Saturday, and then the Christians, whose sabbath is Sunday.


dubia

en-noun

dubia pl (normally plural, singular dubium)

Borrowed from Latin dubia, plural of dubium (literally “doubt”).

Coordinate term: responsa

The dubia began as a private letter, as is usual with such requests for doctrinal clarity. Francis offered no reply.

2016 November 26, Ross Douthat, “His Holiness Declines to Answer”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Eleven dubia, have been raised regarding the application of the Motu proprio Traditionis custodes through which in July 2021 Pope Francis promulgated new norms regarding the use of the liturgical books in use prior to the reform enacted by the Second Vatican Council.

2021 December 18, “Celebration of old rite: Holy See responds to questions presented by bishops”, in Vatican News:

On July 10, Cardinal Burke and other leading traditionalist cardinals sent a letter to Francis known as a “dubia” that conveyed their concerns about the Synod, and demanded that he clear up, among other issues, the blessing of same-sex unions.

[2023 October 3, Jason Horowitz, “Conservative Catholics, Relegated to Sidelines, Denounce Papal Gathering”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(Roman Catholicism) A set of questions on doctrine sent by Catholic bishops to the Holy See.


artos

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἄρτος (ártos, “leavened loaf”), probably from Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀵 (a-to), from the compound word 𐀀𐀵𐀡𐀦 (a-to-po-qo, “bakers”). Compare Greek αρτοποιός (artopoiós, “baker”).

bor

(Eastern Orthodoxy) a loaf of leavened bread that is blessed during services in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Catholic churches.


galero

A large, broad-brimmed, tasseled hat worn by Catholic clergy.


pneumatology

en-noun

pneumatology (countable and uncountable, plural pneumatologies)

From Ancient Greek πνεῦμα (pneûma, “breath”) + -logy.

These divine qualities migrated to Mary because of deficiencies in the theology of God, in Christology and in pneumatology. It makes no lasting sense to retain this as a permanent status quo, using Mary as a cover-up for defective notions of the divine.

2000 June 17, Elizabeth A. Johnson, “Mary of Nazareth: Friend of God and Prophet”, in America, volume 182, number 21:

(Christianity, theology) The study of the Holy Spirit as revealed in Scripture.


Gehenna

heaven

antonym(s) of “Christianity, uncountable”

Hawaiian: kehena

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin gehenna, from Ancient Greek γέεννα (géenna), from Hebrew גֵּיהִנּוֹם (ge'henom, “hell”, literally “valley of Hinnom”), named after the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, which was constantly filled with the waste of the city, which was then burnt. Heinous deeds are also associated with this valley, as during the time when Jerusalem was ruled by non-Jews (referred to in scriptures simply as 'pagans') child sacrifice was practiced there.

der

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Gehenna?

In rabbinical literature and Christian and Islamic scripture, the place where the souls of the wicked go after death, where they suffer eternal damnation or annihilation.


quatenus

(Lutheranism) Relating to the belief that the Book of Concord is authoritative insofar as it faithfully describes the Christian faith as revealed in the Bible; admitting the possibility that the Book of Concord might contradict the Bible.


ghostbusting

(informal) The activities of a ghostbuster; exorcism of ghosts.


washed in the blood

(Christianity) Whose sins have been forgiven due to the death of Jesus.


Russell's teapot

From a teapot described in an article written in 1952 by Bertrand Russell, Is There a God?.

(philosophy) A china teapot which hypothetically orbits the Sun between Earth and Mars, which is too small to be detected by telescopes but cannot be proven not to exist.


theophilic

en-adj

theophilic (comparative more theophilic, superlative most theophilic)

more theophilic (comparative)
most theophilic (superlative)


Baruch

Borrowed from Hebrew בָּרוּךְ (Barukh, “blessed”). Cognate with Arabic بَارَك (bārak, “Barak”).

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 36:4:

(biblical) Any of a number of Old Testament men, including the scribe and companion of Jeremiah.

A book of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canon of the Old Testament, considered apocryphal by Protestants.


eparchy

Via Late Latin eparchia from Koine Greek ἐπαρχία (eparkhía, “province; prefecture”), from Ancient Greek ἔπαρχος (éparkhos, “commander, governor; prefect, eparch”) from ἐπι- (epi-, “on, upon; over”) + ἀρχός (arkhós, “ruler”); equivalent to epi- + -archy.

af

(Christianity) In pre-schism Christian Church, a province under the supervision of the metropolitan.

(Christianity) In Eastern Christendom, a diocese of a bishop.


pasch

Borrowed from Latin pascha. Perhaps also influenced by Old Norse páskar and its derivatives.

And on the first day of the Azymes, the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the pasch? But Jesus said: Go ye into the city to a certain man, and say to him: the master saith, My time is near at hand, with thee I make the pasch with my disciples.

1749, The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. […] Newly reviſed, and corrected according to the Clementin Edition of the Scriptures (Douay–Rheims Bible, Challoner Revision), Matthew 26:17–18:

NOW the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the pasch, was at hand.

1749, The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. […] Newly reviſed, and corrected according to the Clementin Edition of the Scriptures (Douay–Rheims Bible, Challoner Revision), Luke 22:1:

Victor, bishop of Rome, A. D. 192, thus writes: ‘[…] (we find) the catholic church celebrate ^([sic]) pasch, not on the fourteenth of the moon, with the Jews, but from the fifteenth day to the twenty-first. […]’

1843, Thomas SMYTH (D.D., of Charleston, S.C.), Presbytery and not Prelacy the Scriptural and Primitive Polity ... Also, the Antiquity of Presbytery; including an account of the ancient Culdees, and of St. Patrick, etc, page 372:

That the pasch must be taken in its usual sense of paschal lamb is clear from the words of the evangelists […]. The foregoing writers impugned the Judaizing Quartodecimans, […] the very existence of their adversaries attests an ancient tradition in the church that Jesus had eaten the pasch on the fourteenth day of Nisan. This error on the part of the orthodox champions must have arisen from the principle that Jesus is our true pasch, stated by St. Paul […].

1898, A. J. Maas, The Gospel According to Saint-Matthew: With an Explanatory and Critical Commentary, page 262:

For this reason the Hundred and Fourteenth Psalm is written, because it is the recompense of love; whence the pasch of the Lord received its manner of celebration at the fourteenth moon; since, he who celebrates the pasch ought to be perfect;[…]

1925, Catholic University of America, Patristic Studies, page 77:

[…] after a few words in which the pasch has not as yet been mentioned by name, he adds, “And thus shall you eat it: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staffs in your hands; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the pasch of the Lord.”

1989 [c. 226–229 CE], Origen, translated by Ronald E. Heine, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Catholic University of America Press, translation of original in Ancient Greek, →ISBN, page 271:

(theology or archaic) The feast of Passover or (specifically) the Paschal Lamb, or (for Christians), Easter, seen as the fulfillment of Passover.

The Man-God had scarcely returned to His Father when the Apostles hastened to establish a solemn festival to commemorate His pasch, that is to say, His glorious passage from death to life.

1884, Jean Gaume, The Catechism of Perseverance; Or, An Historical, Dogmatical, Moral, Liturgical, Apologetical, Philosophical, and Social Exposition of Religion: From the Beginning of the World Down to Our Own Days, page 381:

The immediate future of his pasch is his saving death, through which humanity is reconciled. The long-term, eschatological future is found in the promise of his resurrection and embraces the whole future of the life of the Church […]

1999, Anscar J. Chupungco, Handbook for Liturgical Studies: The Eucharist, Liturgical Press, →ISBN, page 330:

Rather, an ecclesiology nourished in the book of Nehemiah continually returns to Christ's pasch, to the people of God's dependence upon divine mercy in Christ.

2007 10, Matthew Levering, Ezra & Nehemiah, Brazos Press, →ISBN, page 212:

They were alone with the Messiah of Israel and made up his paschal group, the “passahhaburah”; they were the companions of his pasch, “the Twelve,” the nucleus of the Israel of the future, that “remnant” of Israel […]

2013, F. X. Durrwell, In the Redeeming Christ, Ave Maria Press, →ISBN, page 114:

(2) Jesus' pasch, his death and resurrection (from which there is no reason to exclude his life), is gospel, to which we respond substantially in orthodoxy; […]

2015, Jon Sobrino, Christ the Liberator: A View from the Victims, Orbis Books, →ISBN:

(theology or archaic) The Paschal Mystery; the death and resurrection of Jesus.


softa

From Ottoman Turkish صوفته (“theology student”) (modern Turkish softa), from Classical Persian سوخته (sōxta).

bor

The softas, concerning whose exploits we have heard so much of late, are the theological students who wish to become ulemas, or, literally, learned men.

1896, Eliakim Littell, Robert S. Littell, Living Age, volume 208, page 330:

(Islam) A religious student, especially in Turkey


Gershom

From Hebrew גֵּרְשֹׁם (gershóm, “Gershom”), found in Exodus.

And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 2:21-22:


Chöd

Borrowed from Tibetan གཅོད (gcod, “to sever”), short for གཅོད་སྒྲུབ་ཐབས (gcod sgrub thabs), equivalent to Sanskrit छेद साधना (cheda sādhanā); both literally "cutting practice".

A spiritual practice primarily found in Tibetan Buddhism.


at church every time the doors are open

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-at church every time the doors are open.wav

I was at church every time the doors were open. I started learning more about the Bible and even got baptized in the back of the church in a toddler pool.

2007, Patrick Irish, The Day God Asked Me a Question:

I am ashamed to admit it now, but for years I operated under the assumption that Christians who didn't show up at church every time the doors were open were somehow lacking in spirituality.

2010, Mark Atteberry, Let It Go: Come Home from Your Guilt Trip, page 70:

at church every time the doors swing open

(of a Christian, somewhat colloquial) Religious to the point of excess; ridiculously religious.


misereatur

(Christianity) The first part of the absolution service in the Roman Catholic liturgy, beginning "Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus" (may almighty God have mercy on you).


preces

(Christianity) The alternate responsive petitions, as the versicles and suffrages, between the clergyman and the congregation in liturgical worship.


retreatant

(religion) a participant in a religious or similar retreat


exercitant

(religion) One who practises spiritual exercises, especially those of Ignatius of Loyola.


Church Latin

The Latin language as spoken, written, and used in the Christian church and in church services.


Judaica

Borrowed from Latin iūdaica, neuter plural of iūdaicus (“Jewish”), from Hebrew יְהוּדָה (Yehuda, “Judah”). By surface analysis, Juda + -ica. Doublet of giudecca.

Pertaining to the Jews, their culture or their religion.


moonblood

From moon + blood, as the lunar cycle is traditionally linked to menstruation.

When the menopausal woman was seen as holding her moonblood within her for greater power, menopause was not the trauma that modern society makes it today.

1990, Diane Stein, Casting the circle: a women's book of ritual, page 72:

Bring some of your saved moonblood and make blood drawings […]

1991, Shekhinah Mountainwater, Ariadne's thread: a workbook of goddess magic, page 133:

Your smile soothed each cramp when my moonblood was nigh.
You promised relief when enough years passed by.
I bury this symbol in honor of You.
With my thanks for Your gift as I start life anew.

1998, Dorothy Morrison, Everyday magic: spells and rituals for modern living, page 214:


Lollardy

en-noun

Lollardy (countable and uncountable, plural Lollardies)

From the popular derogatory nickname Lollard given to those without an academic background, educated if at all only in English. By the mid-15th century the term lollard had come to mean heretic in general.

(Christianity, historical) The political and religious movement of the Lollards.


evangelistary

The Exultet in sources related to southern Italy, in addition to its transmission in twenty-six rolls, is found in twenty-seven other manuscripts: eighteen missals, two evangelistaries, two pontificals, two rituals, two graduals, and one processional.

1996, Thomas Forrest Kelly, The exultet in Southern Italy, page 194:

(Christianity) A book containing selections from the Gospels, read during worship services.


Juventas

(Roman mythology) The goddess of youth, and a daughter of Jupiter and Juno. Juventas was the cupbearer of the gods until she married her paternal halfbrother, Hercules, with whom she had twin sons, Alexiares and Anicetus. She is the Roman counterpart of Hebe.


barret

From French barrette, Late Latin barretum (“a cap”), from birrus (“hooded cape”). See berretta, and compare biretta.

The flat cap worn by Roman Catholic ecclesiastics.


Baal-gad

Borrowed from Hebrew בַּעַל גַּד (bá`al gad, “lord of fortune”).

bor

(biblical) A city noted for Baal-worship, located at the most northern or northwestern point to which Joshua's victories extended.


interconfessional

The goal of this interconfessional endeavour is to bring harmony and understanding between these disparate churches.

(religion) Taking place between religious organisations that have different systems of formulated theology (confessions of faith)

idirchreidmheach

taking place between religious organisations that have different systems of formulated theology


Zionistic

en-adj

Zionistic (comparative more Zionistic, superlative most Zionistic)

more Zionistic (comparative)
most Zionistic (superlative)


jihadic

jihadic (comparative more jihadic, superlative most jihadic)

more jihadic (comparative)
most jihadic (superlative)

Kepel, however, refuses to surrender his belief that the jihadic firestorm reached its zenith long before, with the Soviet expulsion from Afghanistan in 1989.

2005, William H. Thornton, New world empire: civil Islam, terrorism, and the making of neoglobalism, page 4:


Jade Emperor

/ˈd͡ʒeɪd ˈɛmpəɹə/

/ˈd͡ʒeɪd ˈɛmpɹə/

/ˈd͡ʒeɪd ˈɛmpəɹɚ/

/ˈd͡ʒeɪd ˈɛmpɹɚ/

Calque of Chinese 玉皇 (Yùhuáng) or 玉帝 (Yù Dì, “Jade Emperor”).

(Chinese mythology) The lord of the Celestial Hierarchy, ruling over Heaven, Earth, and Hell.


Iblis

From Arabic إِبْلِيس (ʔiblīs, “Iblis”), possibly from the trilateral root ب ل س (b-l-s) with the general meaning of “despair”, بَلَسَ (balasa). Alternatively, perhaps from Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos).

beyond these mountains, Eblis and his accursed Dives hold their infernal empire.

1786, William Beckford, Vathek; an Arabian Tale:

I do believe that Eblis hath
A snare in ev’ry human path —

1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems:


neology

en-noun

neology (countable and uncountable, plural neologies)

From neo- + -logy. In the theological sense, originally implying its proponents were innovators departing from religious tradition.

What else can be the tendency of such miserably gratuitous assertions, but to plant the pernicious germs of Continental and Anglican neology and rationalism in the breasts of fledgling “ministers” of the Church?

1876, Moses Margoliouth, The Lord’s Prayer No Adaptation of Existing Jewish Petitions […], page 146:

Neology was the most influential religious movement during the second half of the eighteenth century in Protestant Germany. […] The adherents of the movement sought true Christianity, or natural religion, by way of historical-critical study of the Bible and critical examination of Christian doctrines.

1995, Sabine Roehr, A Primer on German Enlightenment […], →ISBN, page 69:

historical criticism
historical criticism

(historical, originally derogatory) A reformist school of 18th- and 19th-century Christian theology influenced by doctrinal rationalism and the methods of historical criticism.


Eurus

For a Tempeſt. Take Eurus, Zephyr, Auſter and Boreas, and caſt them together in one Verſe. Add to theſe of Rain, Lightning, and of Thunder (the loudeſt you can) quantum ſufficit. Mix your Clouds and Billows well together till they foam, and thicken your Deſcription here and there with a Quickſand. Brew your Tempeſt well in your Head, before you ſet it a blowing.

1714 June 10, [Alexander Pope], The Guardian, volume I, number 78, London: Printed for J[acob] Tonson, at Shakespear's-Head over-against Catherine-street in the Strand, page 332:

(Greek mythology) The god of the East Wind, autumn, protection, comfort, balance, preservation, change, adulthood and maturity.


Boreas

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Βορέᾱς (Boréās).

1714 June 10, [Alexander Pope], “A Receit to make an Epick Poem”, in The Guardian, volume I, number 78, London: Printed for J[acob] Tonson, at Shakespear's-Head over-against Catherine-street in the Strand, page 332:

BOREAS, one of the four Cardinal Winds, and one of the Deities of the Heathens, was the Son of Aſtræus and Aurora, and had his Seat at Thrace. Pindar calls him the King of Winds. [Footnote numbers omitted.]

1735, Pierre Bayle with Pierre des Maizeaux, The Dictionary Historical and Critical of Mr Peter Bayle. The Second Edition, Carefully Collated with the Several Editions of the Original; in which many Passages are Restored, and the Whole Greatly Augmented, particularly with a Translation of the Quotations from Eminent Writers in Various Languages. To which is Prefixed, the Life of the Author, Revised, Corrected, and Enlarged, by Mr Des Maizeaux, Fellow of the Royal Society, 2nd edition, volume II, London: Printed for J. J. and P. Knapton; [et al.], →OCLC, page 78:

Orithya was the daughter of Erectheus, and the prieſteſs of Boreas; for each of the winds has a preſiding deity, which the teleſtic art, or the art pertaining to ſacred myſteries, religiouſly cultivates. […] Orithya, therefore, becoming enthusiastic, being poſſeſſed by her proper God Boreas, and no longer energizing as a human being (for animals ceaſe to energize according to their own peculiarities, when poſſeſſed by ſuperior causes), died under the inſpiring influence, and thus was ſaid to have been raviſhed by Boreas.

1804, Plato, “The Phædrus”, in Floyer Sydenham, Thomas Taylor, transl., The Works of Plato, viz. His Fifty-five Dialogues, and Twelve Epistles, Translated from the Greek; Nine of the Dialogues by the Late Floyer Sydenham, and the Remainder by Thomas Taylor: with Occasional Annotations on the Nine Dialogues Translated by Sydenham, and Copious Notes, by the Latter Translator; in which is Given the Substance of nearly all the Existing Greek Ms. Commentaries on the Philosophy of Plato, and a Considerable Portion of such as are already Published. In Five Volumes, volume I, London: Printed for Thomas Taylor, by R. Wilks, Chancery-Lane; and sold by E. Jeffery, and R. E. Evans, Pall-Mall, page 293, footnote 2:

The promotion of Pan is matched by the new attention Athens paid to Boreas, god of the north wind, after he destroyed the Persian fleet off Artemision (Herodotus, 7.189) A tradition (λέγεται δε λόγος) held that the Athenians prayed to the god before the battle to assist them, the equivalent of the prebattle encounter between Pan and Pheidippides. As in the complaint of Pan, the god Boreas was remembered as assisting the Greeks before, in this case by having sent a storm off Mount Athos during the expedition under Mardonios (6.44.2).

1995, Sarah P. Morris, Daidalos and the Origins of Greek Art, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 322:

One very windy day, the god Boreas became a citizen of the town of Thurii, the new Sybaris in Magna Graecia. In more concrete terms, in 397 b.c. Dionysius of Syracuse, at war with the Carthaginians, launched an expedition of three hundred ships crammed with armed men – hoplites, men of bronze – against Thurii. The North Wind was blowing against them, and Boreas wrecked the ship. It was a disaster for Dionysius, but the citizens of Thurii, saved by the god Boreas, passed a decree granting citizenship to the wind.

2000, Giulia Sissa with Marcel Detienne, “When the Olympians Donned the Citizen's Costume”, in Janet Lloyd, transl., The Daily Life of the Greek Gods, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 137:

(Greek mythology) The god of the North Wind.


Yahuwah

Vocalization of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (יהוה) peculiar to some religious movements.

1998 "Seventh-Day Adventist Ministry Proclaiming YAHUAH Elohim and His Son YAHUSHUA (JESUS); Exposing Roman Catholicism and Her Daughters" (usenet post citing www.sda-online.com)

(religion) Proper Name of the tetragrammaton YHWH of the Abrahamic deity according to the Hebrew scriptures.


free grace

Justification is an act of God's free grace wherein he pardoneth all our sins. (the Westminster shorter catechism of 1647, question 33http://books.google.com/books?id=7gMNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA683&dq=%22Free+Grace%22&hl=en&ei=-pv_TLz3Hsrf4ga0-ISdCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Free%20Grace%22&f=false)

(theology) A concept of grace as a gift given freely by God, without regard to entitlement or merit.


Sunda

Indonesian Pasundan (“former Sunda Kingdom area such as West Java, Banten and western Central Java”)

uder

Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the western part of the Malay archipelago

Sunda Strait, the strait between Java and Sumatra

Sundaland, a biogeographical region of Southeastern Asia


hebdomadary

From Late Latin hebdomadārius, from hebdomas (“week”).

(Roman Catholicism) A member of a chapter or convent whose week it is to officiate in the choir and perform other services, which, on extraordinary occasions, are performed by the superiors.


higher consciousness

en-noun

higher consciousness (plural higher consciousnesses)

In 19th century philosophy, used by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (died 1831, höheres Bewußtsein), Petr Yakovlevich Chaadayev (died 1856, высшее сознание; literally, "highest consciousness").
The New Age sense appears in ca. 1970 in the publications of Sri Aurobindo and others
(The psychology of the unfoldment of higher consciousness (title), Swami Omkarananda, Divine Light Zentrum, 1970).

(New Age) a concept of mystical transcendence of human consciousness, especially in Hinduism-inspired New Age philosophy, Yoga and psychedelic drugs subculture


pernoctate

en-verb

pernoctate (third-person singular simple present pernoctates, present participle pernoctating, simple past and past participle pernoctated)

pernoctates (present singular third-person)
pernoctating (participle present)
pernoctated (participle past)
pernoctated (past)

To stay up all night; to pass the night (especially in prayer).


SPG

(historical, Anglicanism) Initialism of Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.


Gilgal

bor

Hebrew גִּלְגָּל

(biblical) The site of Joshua's encampment before the siege of Jericho.


nonjuring

William III of England
w:William III of England

(historical, Anglicanism) Describing the bishops, clergy and congregations that refused to swear allegiance to William III of England.


accessus

(Christianity, historical) In electing a pope, a method by which cardinals could change their most recent vote to accede to another candidate in an attempt to reach the necessary two-thirds majority and end the conclave.


Santa sack

A sack used for transporting Christmas presents.


tichel

From Yiddish טיכל (tikhl), compare German Tuch (“cloth”).

She knew that even with the formless skirts extending to her ankles, the billowing blouses with sleeves reaching her wrists, and her hair covered by the tichel, men turned when they passed her on the street.

2003, Jerome Groopman, The Anatomy of Hope, Random House, →ISBN:

The tichel was compared to hijab with suggestions of how Muslim women might adapt it. The contributor ‘mama-star’ was enthusiastic about her discovery, pointing out how the Muslim blogger had talked about her ‘orthodox Jewish sisters’.

2013, Reina Lewis, Modest Fashion: Styling Bodies, Mediating Faith, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

A headscarf often worn by married orthodox Jewish women in compliance with the code of modesty known as tzeniut, though individuals from other sects of Judaism also wear them depending on personal choice.


Ghost of Christmas Past

A fictional ghost in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, who visits Ebenezer Scrooge in order to show him his past, especially certain events of past Christmases that contributed to his later distaste for Christmas.


Aphroditus

From Ancient Greek Ἀφρόδιτος (Aphróditos), masculine form of Ἀφροδίτη (Aphrodítē).

(Greek mythology) A male Aphrodite, from Cyprus, represented as a herm with a phallus, who in later mythology became known as Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite.


Oriental Orthodox

Oriental Orthodox churches
Oriental Orthodox Church

Pertaining to the Oriental Orthodox churches, a branch of Eastern Christianity distinguished by their miaphysite Christology.


fall from grace

en-verb

fall from grace (third-person singular simple present falls from grace, present participle falling from grace, simple past fell from grace, past participle fallen from grace)

falls from grace (present singular third-person)
falling from grace (participle present)
fell from grace (past)
fallen from grace (participle past)

(Christianity) To lose God's favour through sins or wrongdoings.


Roman Rite

Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Latin rite used by the Roman Catholic Church.


Western Christianity

The form of Christianity traditionally practiced in Western Europe, consisting essentially of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, and Old Catholic traditions.


neo-charismatic

Charismatic Movement
Charismatic Movement

Describing any of several Churches, based upon the Charismatic Movement, that are part of a spiritual renewal movement


Ancient Church of the East

the Ancient Church of the East (canonical)

Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East

(Christianity) A church descended from the historical Church of the East, which split from the Assyrian Church of the East over differences concerning the calendar.


miaphysite

A modern coinage from Byzantine Greek μία (mía, “one”) + φύσις (phúsis, “nature, substance”) + -ite; see Miaphysitism for more.

The leaders of the Miaphysite cause across the empire still loudly proclaimed their loyalty to the imperial throne, and there is no reason to doubt that most were sincere.

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 233:

(theology) Of or pertaining to Miaphysitism; maintaining that Christ has a single, though composite, nature.


Chaldean Catholic Church

the Chaldean Catholic Church (canonical)

(Christianity) An Eastern Catholic particular church (sui juris), which uses the Chaldean rite, in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church.


Assyrian Church of the East

the Assyrian Church of the East (canonical)

Ancient Church of the East
Ancient Church of the East

(Christianity) A church descended from the historical Church of the East and seated in Erbil, distinguished from the Ancient Church of the East over issues concerning the calendar.


Hesychast controversy

(Eastern Orthodoxy, historical) A particular controversy concerning dogma in the 14th-century Byzantine Empire, over whether the idea of divine light was polytheistic, postulating two eternal substances, a visible and an invisible God.


Arminianism

(Christianity) A school of thought within Protestantism based on the theological ideas of Jacobus Arminius.


Anglican Communion

Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury

A worldwide network of Churches that are are in communion with the Church of England as represented by the Archbishop of Canterbury.


unapostolic

en-adj

unapostolic (comparative more unapostolic, superlative most unapostolic)

more unapostolic (comparative)
most unapostolic (superlative)

Yet I had not an easy conscience, nor can I now defend my compromise; for I believe that my repugnance to Infant Baptism was really intense, and my conviction that it is unapostolic as strong then as now.

1874, Francis William Newman, Phases of Faith:

The priority of the so-called gospel of Matthew, the Pauline purpose of "Luke," the second in date of our gospels, the derivative and second-hand character of "Mark," and the unapostolic origin of the fourth gospel, are points which may for the future be regarded as wellnigh established by circumstantial evidence.

1876, John Fiske, The Unseen World and Other Essays:

[7] Here, with an air of prophet-like boldness and infallibility, we have once again an announcement of the inadequacy of the Reformation, the formal and external character of prevailing types of religion, and the unapostolic nature of the existing churches.

1914, Rufus M. Jones, Spiritual Reformers in the 16th & 17th Centuries:

(Christianity) Not apostolic; unconnected to the apostles or contrary to their teachings.


Morning Star

In reference to Mary, mother of Jesus, cf. Star of the Sea.

As we now know, the Evening Star is the Morning Star.

1979, Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, “The Rainbow Connection”, The Muppet Movie, Henson Associates and ITC Entertainment
Who said that every wish would be heard and answered / When wished on the morning star? / Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it / And look what it's done so far.

Alternative letter-case form of morning star (“Venus, as seen in the eastern sky around dawn”).

morning star

(Christianity) Synonym of Mary, mother of Jesus, especially in Catholic contexts.

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you a this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.

1978, Bible (New International Version), Revelation 22:16

(Christianity, uncommon) Synonym of Jesus.


bhajan

"No, there was never a school," said the child; "but the patwaris bibi lets us come to her of a morning, and teaches us bhajans and our letters, and when we learn well she sometimes gives us fruit."

Did I detenct Father's deep and rumbling baritone in the chorus which accompanied my wife's first bhajan of the evening?

1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 396:

(music) A type of Indian devotional song.


Rule of Three

(religion, Wicca) A religious tenet held by some Wiccans, stating that whatever energy, positive or negative, a person puts into the world will be returned threefold.


rule of three

(religion, Wicca) A religious tenet stating that the energy a person puts out into the world, positive or negative, will be returned to that person threefold.


Al Hijrah

Borrowed from Arabic الهِجْرَة (al-hijra)

(Islam) The first day of the Islamic calendar; the first day of Muharram.


Orphism

From Orpheus + -ism; art sense coined by French poet Guillaume Apollinaire in 1912 as orphisme.

coin

Coordinate term: Pythagoreanism

1974, The Emerson Society Quarterly, Issues 74-81, Emerson Society, page 125,
Thoreau's acquaintance with Orphism dated from at least as early as the summer of 1840, when he read Ralph Cudworth's True Intellectual System of the Universe and took notes on some of Cudworth's references to the Orphic religion.

1995, Dan Urman, Paul Virgil McCracken Flesher, Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery, Part 2, E. J. Brill, page 355,
The oracular poems produced by Orphism and attributed to Orpheus himself, similarly reveal neither messiah nor messianic age.

The origins of Orphism are obscure, although they seem to date back at least to the sixth century B.C.E. Orphic ideology mainly concerned the mysteries of Dionysos, which many Greeks took very seriously.

2004, Stephanie L. Budin, The Ancient Greeks: New Perspectives, ABC-CLIO, page 307:

2010, Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui, Orphism and Christianity in Late Antiquity, De Gruyter, page 295,
The apologists' strategies distort the real image of Orphism, but they maintain a certain basis in reality in order to appear plausible.

(religion, Ancient Greece) A religious movement in antiquity, supposed to have been founded by Orpheus.


Durga

A female given name from Sanskrit, common in India. Another name of Parvati


old soul

An old soul will often change jobs not because of an inability to perform, but rather because the job is unfulfilling.

2010, Laurel Phelan, Healing Through Time, page 57:


downpress

en-verb

downpress (third-person singular simple present downpresses, present participle downpressing, simple past and past participle downpressed)

downpresses (present singular third-person)
downpressing (participle present)
downpressed (participle past)
downpressed (past)

That’s why the white man just downpress you so.

2014, Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings, Oneworld Publications (2015), page 156:


Kemetism

Neopagan revivals of Ancient Egyptian religions.


dukkha

en-noun

dukkha (countable and uncountable, plural dukkhas)

three marks of existence
three marks of existence

(Buddhism) The three main types of pain, suffering, or stress: physical and mental, impermanence, and conditioned states. One of the three marks of existence.


Ordinary

The part of the Roman Catholic Mass that is the same every day


pygarg

From Latin pygargus from Ancient Greek πύγαργος (púgargos), a compound of Ancient Greek πῡγή (pūgḗ, “rump”) + ἀργός (argós, “white”).

(biblical) An unidentified large animal with horns, possibly the addax, mentioned in the Bible (Deuteronomy 14:5) as one of the animals permitted for food.

pikareka

A large unidentified animal mentioned in the Bible.


Orunmila

An orisha in the Yoruba religion, the god of wisdom and divination.


Frigg

From Old Norse Frigg, from Proto-Germanic *Frijjō. Cognate with the native Old English Frīġ. Doublet of Priya.

(Germanic mythology, Norse mythology) The wife of Odin, and the Norse/Germanic goddess of married love, the heavens, home and hearth, after whom Friday is named (due to her being identified with Venus).


maror

(Judaism) A bitter vegetable, such as horseradish or Romaine lettuce, eaten at the Passover seder as a reminder of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.


andor

From Portuguese andor, from Malayalam, from Sanskrit हिन्दोल (hindola, “swinging cradle, hammock litter, dooly”). Compare dooly from Sanskrit दुल् (dul) via Hindi.

der

(Portugal, Roman Catholicism) Synonym of litter, used in religious processions of saints' figurines.


Deluge

(biblical) The Biblical flood taking place in the story of Noah in Genesis.


creationistic

en-adj

creationistic (comparative more creationistic, superlative most creationistic)

more creationistic (comparative)
most creationistic (superlative)


Saci

(Hinduism, mythology) The goddess of wrath and jealousy in Hindu mythology.


Donatist

From Medieval Latin Dōnātista, from Dōnātus, one of their leaders.

Faced with petitions from the Donatists, in 311 Constantine made a decision of great significance for the future.

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 211:

(Christianity, historical) One of a group of Christians in fourth-century North Africa who broke away as a group after opposing the appointment of Caecilianus as Bishop of Carthage, and who disputed the validity of baptisms performed by others.


fiery cross

A burning cross made of wood, historically used to rally troops.


zelatrix

en-noun

zelatrix (plural zelatrices or zelatrixes)

From Latin zelatrix (“female zealot; zealous female”).

uder

An intelligent and active zelatrix should be at the head of each circle, or one zelatrix may have several circles under her care.

1871, Jean Lyonnard, Perpetual Intercession to the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, Thomas Richardson and Son, Chapter XVIII, page 171

But, we still have to ask what benefits Teresa herself perceived in the chapter of faults and other similar corrective measures: the role of the zelatrix or monitor for instance?

2000, Ruth Burrows, Carmel: Interpreting A Great Tradition, →ISBN, page 88:

(ecclesiastical) A nun who oversees the behavior of young nuns.


here below

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow / praise Him, all creatures here below / praise Him above, ye heavenly host / praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

1674, Thomas Ken (lyrics and music), “Doxology”:

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow / The sun forbear to shine / but God who called me here below / will be forever mine.

1779, John Newton (lyrics and music), “Amazing Grace”:

And if the material of the firmament resembled that of bodies here below, a theory of motion built on experience with objects within our reach might apply also to the celestial regions.

2010, John L. Heilbron, Galileo, Oxford University Press, page 120:

(Christianity) In this world; in our mortal time on the earth.


apostolado

/əˌpɒstəˈlɑːdəʊ/

Borrowed from Spanish apostolado. Doublet of apostolate.

(Christianity, art) A series of portraits of the apostles, sometimes also including those of Jesus Christ or other close disciples of Christ.


Nun

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

(very rare) A male given name from Hebrew


Incarnation

(Christianity) The doctrine that the second person of the Trinity assumed human form in the person of Jesus Christ and is fully divine and fully human.


Hasidic

Next, R. Moskowitz brings us to the Slonimer Rebbe, a late 20th century Hasidic rabbi, who taught that the evil of Esav was that very sense of completion, the self-perception that he had no need for growth or further transformation.

2019, Rachel Timoner, “Book Review: Textual Activism by Rabbi Mike Moskowitz”, in Tikkun:


bodhisattva vows

Affirmations, similar to an oath, aligning a person with the specific set of rules of conduct consistent with a specific bodhisattva tradition (similar to a Catholic or Anglican order) within Buddhism, by which the person transforms and sanctifies their ontological status in the style of the corresponding tradition.


Buddha-dharma

The teachings, practices and states of consciousness transmitted by the former Prince Siddhartha, the Shakyamuni Buddha.


LaVeyan Satanism

Named for its founder, Anton Szandor LaVey.

The atheistic religion of the Church of Satan, which is characterized by materialism and rejects all things supernatural, such as body and soul dualism and the concept of life after death.


TULIP

unconditional election
unconditional election#English

limited atonement
limited atonement#English

irresistible grace
irresistible grace#English

perseverance of the saints
perseverance of the saints#English

(religion, mnemonic) Acronym for the Five Points of Calvinist doctrine: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, perseverance of the saints


five-point Calvinist

en-noun

five-point Calvinist (plural five-point Calvinists)

(Christianity) A Calvinist who believes in all five points of TULIP, including limited atonement.


sola gratia

(religion) The doctrine that salvation is conveyed by the grace and goodwill of God, as a free gift, without merit on the part of the sinner.


imamate

From imam + -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).

af

The Mahometans do not agree among themselves about this imamate, or dignity of the imam. Some think it of divine right, and attached to a single family, as the pontificate of Aaron. Others hold, that it is, indeed, of divine right, but deny it to be so attached to any single family, as that it may not be transferred to another.

1819, Abraham Rees, “Imam”, in The Cyclopaedia; Or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences and Literature, volume 18:

After mentioning these facts, Shahristâni adds that "whatever befell them was prognosticated by Jaafar as-Sâdik, who said that temporal dominion was not for their family, but that the Imâmate was to be a toy in the hands of the Abbassides."

1891, Syed Ameer Ali, The Life and Teachings of Mohammed: Or, The Spirit of Islam:

The government has accused the Houthis of trying to restore the traditional Zaidi-led imamate that largely ruled Yemen until 1962.

2009 September 21, Robert F. Worth, “Yemen’s North Hit by Bloodiest Fighting in Years”, in New York Times:

(Islam) The office or jurisdiction of an imam.


Dzogchen

In Dzogchen, the way of behaving is the key to the practice, not because there are fixed rules as to what one should and should not do, but because the principle is that one must learn to become responsible for oneself, working with one's own awareness.

1996, Kloṅ-chen-pa Dri-med-ʼod-zer, Dzogchen: The Self-perfected State, page 124:

(Tibetan Buddhism) The Great Perfection; the state of contemplation beyond the mind; not unconscious, but mental processes not conditioning of awareness.

(Tibetan Buddhism) The corresponding teachings found in Nyingmapa and the non-Buddhist Bonpo.


Amyraldism

Named after its formulator, Moses Amyraut, + -ism.

four-point Calvinism
four-point Calvinism

(theology) A form of Protestant belief also known as four-point Calvinism.


four-point Calvinist

en-noun

four-point Calvinist (plural four-point Calvinists)

(Christianity) A Calvinist who believes in only four of the five points of TULIP, rejecting the doctrine of limited atonement.


limited atonement

(Christianity, theology) A doctrine, one of the Five Points of Calvinism, stating that Jesus Christ's substitutionary atonement on the cross is limited in scope to those who are predestined unto salvation, which is conferred only to believers.


Pema

Borrowed from Tibetan པད་མ (pad ma), from Sanskrit पद्म (padma, “lotus”). Doublet of Padma.

A title indicating great respect, prefixed to the names of Tibetan Buddhists.


rinpoche

(Tibetan Buddhism) A title warranting great respect, prefixed to the names of Tibetan Buddhists.


kumari

Borrowed from Sanskrit कुमारी (kumārī, “princess; young girl”).

bor

Shakya […] reached puberty and 'retired' as a royal kumari, as the young Nepalese goddesses are known.

2011 February 14, Mark Magnier, “Living goddess' fall back to earth”, in Los Angeles Times, page 1:

(Hinduism, chiefly Nepal) A living goddess; a prepubescent girl worshipped as a manifestation of divine female energy.


perseverance of the saints

en-noun

perseverance of the saints (uncountable)

(Christianity, theology) A doctrine, one of the Five Points of Calvinism, stating that true believers in Jesus Christ's substitutionary atonement on the cross (the "saints") cannot relapse and are predestined to salvation.


total depravity

(Christianity, theology) A doctrine, one of the Five Points of Calvinism, that all human action is tainted by original sin.


irresistible grace

(Christianity, theology) A doctrine, one of the Five Points of Calvinism, stating that the salvific benefit of Jesus Christ's substitutionary atonement on the cross is extended to those predestined unto salvation, without any possibility of Satan or sin successfully defeating God's election.


unconditional election

(Christianity, theology) A doctrine, one of the Five Points of Calvinism], stating that Jesus Christ's substitutionary atonement on the cross is extended to those predestined to become a believer, at God's discretion and without condition.


anatman

(Buddhism) The doctrine that there is no transcendental ego or soul; that the perceived true self is an illusion. Corresponds to the Hinayana or Theravada Buddhist doctrine of anattā.

အနတ္တ

Buddhist doctrine that there is no transcendental ego or soul

(Hinduism) That which is other than the atman (self), such as the body.


tin tabernacle

(UK) A church, usually nonconformist, clad in corrugated iron.


Bodhipathapradīpa

/ˌbəʊdɪˌpɑːtəpɹəˈdiːpə/

From Sanskrit बोधि (bodhi) + पथ (patha) + प्रदीप (pradīpa).

An 11th-century Buddhist text, A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, written by Atiśa.


tulka

Since the Dalai Lama is a tulka, he can choose to be reborn as he pleases to serve humanity.

(Buddhism) In Tibetan Mahayana, a particular high-ranking lama who can choose their own manner of rebirth.


arahant

Borrowed from Pali arahant (“one who is worthy”). Doublet of arhat.

bor+

(Theravada Buddhism) Eminently high achiever who has attained enlightenment.


metemorphothe

From Ancient Greek μετεμορφώθη (metemorphṓthē), third person singular passive aorist of μεταμορφόω (metamorphóō, “to transform”) (thus meaning "he was transformed").

der

(theology) The Transfiguration of Christ.


darshan

en-noun

darshan (countable and uncountable, plural darshans)

From Sanskrit दर्शन (darśana, “vision”), from a root दृश् (dṛś, “to see”).

A common sight in India is a crowd of people gathered in the courtyard of a temple or at the doorway of a streetside shrine for the darshan of the deity.

2002, S. Brent Plate, Religion, Art, and Visual Culture: A Cross-Cultural Reader, →ISBN, page 171:

Hindus take darshan of a holy person, object, or place, believing that its mere presence, particularly the sight of it, conveys blessings.

2006, Linda Hess, chapter 8, in The Life of Hinduism, page 183:

When approaching a soul who is known to give darshan, be in the same area of the superconscious mind that you feel he must be in.

2007, Editors of Hinduism Today, What Is Hinduism?: Modern Adventures Into a Profound Global Faith, page 151:

(Hinduism, Buddhism) Hierophany, theophany; being in the presence of the divine or holy (as a person or object).


darshan

Borrowed from Hebrew דַּרְשָׁן (darshán).


Lotus Sutra

From a calque of Sanskrit सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्र (Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra).

cal

सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्र

(Hinduism, Buddhism) "Sūtra on the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra", a popular Sanskrit treatise which forms the basis of many forms of Buddhism.


sunyata

en-noun

sunyata (countable and uncountable, plural sunyatas)

From Sanskrit शून्यता (śūnyatā), from शून्य (śūnya, “zero, nothing”) + ता (-tā, “generalizing suffix”). Cognate with Pali suññatā.

1993, Sunyata, Emptiness and Self-emptying, Kenosis by Ven. Dr. Rewata Dhamma published in Buddhist - Christian Dialogue London, 27th March
However since emptiness empties itself and so cannot itself be an object of attachment, dynamic 'sunyata' empties itself out as just the things themselves.

(Buddhism) Emptiness, the absence of an intrinsic essence or nature which is stable and separable from other things.


obley

From Anglo-Norman obblé, oblei et al., Old French oblee, obleie et al., from Late Latin oblata (“light pastry; communion wafer”), noun use of the feminine past participle of Latin offerre (“to offer”).

uder

And than the bysshop made sembelaunte as thoughe he wolde have gone to the sakeryng of a Masse, and than he toke an obley which was made in lyknesse of brede [...].

1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XVII:


ecphonesis

en-noun

ecphonesis (usually uncountable, plural ecphoneses)

From Ancient Greek ἐκφώνησις (ekphṓnēsis, “pronunciation, exclamation”).

der

(Greek Orthodox Christianity) The part of the service spoken in an audible tone.


Hindian

From Hind + -ian, or a conflation of Hindi or Hindu and Indian. The term seems to have been coined several times independently.

(Hindutva) A native Indian of whatever religion, as a person of Hindu culture


Rota

en-proper noun

Rota (countable and uncountable, plural Rotas)

From Italian Rota, from Latin Rota, from Latin rota (“wheel”).

The Rota consists of twelve Doctors, chosen out of the four Nations of Italy, France, Spain, and Germany.

1728, Ephraim Chambers, Cyclopaedia, s.v. "Rota"

(Catholicism) A branch of the papal Curia which serves as an appellate court in ecclesiastical cases, including cases of marriage nullity.


vitki

(Germanic paganism) A sorcerer in Norse Heathen societies.


nigun

The Rebbe approached the bima and before responding, sang a nigun that was filled with intense dveykut.

2017, Velvel Pasternak, Behind the Music, Stories, Anecdotes, Articles and Reflections, page 95:

A type of Ashkenazi Jewish worship song.


thnetopsychism

From ecclesiastical Ancient Greek θνητόψῡχος (thnētópsūkhos), from θνητός (thnētós, “mortal”) and ψῡχή (psūkhḗ, “soul”) + -ism.

uder

On the contrary, the metaphor of “soul sleeping” bridges what for thnetopsychism amounts to two sharply polarized concepts: on the one hand, that of death and nothingness in all its finality, and, on the other, that of eternal life.

2012, Henry Weinfield, The Blank-Verse Tradition from Milton to Stevens: Freethinking and the Crisis of Modernity:

The doctrine that when the body dies, the soul also dies, and that both are to be called back to life at the Day of Judgement. This was first recorded as taught by the Thnētopsȳchītæ, a third century sect of Christianity in Arabia, and is based on 1 Timothy 6:16, an epistolary doxology addressed to the God who alone has immortality.


redemptrix

From Latin redemptrix; equivalent to redemptor + -trix.