Key Terms and Definitions in Abrahamic Religions

Key Terms in Abrahamic Religions

Zoroastrianism

Ahura Mazda: The God of Zoroastrianism, also known as Ohrmazd.

Zarathustra: Ancient Iranian prophet and poet, founder of the Zoroastrian religion.

70 CE: The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Judaism

Covenant: A biblical concept that describes the relationship between God and the Jews in contractual terms, often thought of as an eternal bond between the Creator and the descendants of the ancient Israelites.

Gentile: Not Jewish.

Midrash: Biblical exegesis by ancient Judaic authorities, using a mode of interpretation prominent in the Talmud.

Mitzvot: The Hebrew word mitzvah refers to precepts and commandments commanded by God.

Septuagint: A Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament), including the Apocrypha, made for Greek-speaking Jews in Egypt.

Shoah: Another term for the Holocaust.

Zionism: The nationalist movement of the Jewish people that supports the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the historic Land of Israel.

Christianity

Antitheses: A contrast or opposition between two things.

Gentile: Not Jewish.

Logos: In its most basic sense, the Greek logos means “word,” but it also means “rational principle,” “reason,” or “divine reason.”

Messianic Secret: A motif primarily in the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus is portrayed as commanding his followers to maintain silence about his Messianic mission.

Parable: According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus made extensive use of parables: short, fictional stories that use the language and imagery of everyday life to illustrate moral and religious truths.

Parousia: Second coming; presence, arrival, or official visit.

Paul: A first-century apostle who founded churches throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece. Paul was also the author of many of the letters, or epistles, found in the New Testament.

Synoptic: The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording.

Islam

Hadith: Literary tradition recording the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad.

Hijra: The migration of the early Muslim community from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE.

Jihad: Greater jihad is the struggle with one’s self to become a better person; lesser jihad is associated with military conflict in defense of the faith.

Mecca: The city in which Muhammad was born; a place of pilgrimage for Muslims.

Medina: The city to which Muhammad and his early followers migrated to escape persecution in Mecca.

Shari’a: The way to the water hole; specifically, Islamic Law.

Sufi: A follower of the mystical tradition of Islam.

Surah: A chapter of the Qur’an. There are 114 surahs in the Qur’an.

Shared Concepts

Gnosticism: A modern name for a variety of ancient religious ideas and systems, originating in Jewish-Christian circles.

Hellenism: The national character or culture of Greece.

Temple Mount (Jerusalem): Refers to the elevated plaza above the Western Wall in Jerusalem that was the site of both of Judaism’s ancient temples.