Library: Christian Studies by Credo Reference: General Information

General Information

God: Topic Page
Divinity of the three great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as many other world religions.
Jesus Christ: Topic Page
1st-century Jewish teacher and prophet in whom Christians have traditionally seen the Messiah [Heb.,=annointed one, whence Christ from the Greek] and whom they have characterized as Son of God and as Word or Wisdom of God incarnate.
Holy Spirit: Topic Page
Third person of the Christian Trinity, with God the Father and God the Son (Jesus); also known as the Holy Ghost or the Paraclete (Greek ‘comforter’), and usually depicted as a white dove.

Sects & Divisions

Baptists: Topic Page
Denomination of Protestant Christians holding a distinctive belief with regard to the ordinance of baptism. Since 1644 the name has been applied to those who maintain that baptism should be administered to none but believers and that immersion is the only mode of administering baptism indicated in the New Testament.
Christian Science: Topic Page
Religion founded upon principles of divine healing and laws expressed in the acts and sayings of Jesus, as discovered and set forth by Mary Baker Eddy and practiced by the Church of Christ, Scientist.
Church of England: Topic Page
Established form of Christianity in England, a member of the Anglican communion. It was dissociated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 under Henry VIII; the British monarch is still the supreme head of the Church of England today. The service book until November 2000 was the Book of Common Prayer. It is now Common Worship.
Lutheranism: Topic Page
Branch of Protestantism that arose as a result of the Reformation , whose religious faith is based on the principles of Martin Luther.
Mormonism: Topic Page
Member of a Christian sect, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded at Fayette, New York, in 1830 by Joseph Smith.
Protestantism: Topic Page
Form of Christian faith and practice that originated with the principles of the Reformation. The term is derived from the Protestatio delivered by a minority of delegates against the (1529) Diet of Speyer, which passed legislation against the Lutherans.
Roman Catholicism: Topic Page
Greek katholikos ‘universal’ [article] One of the main divisions of the Christian religion, separate from the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Rosicrucians: Topic Page
Members of an esoteric society or group of societies, who claim that their order has been in existence since the days of ancient Egypt and has over the course of time included many of the world's sages. Their secret learning deals with occult symbols—notably the rose and the cross, the swastika, and the pyramid—and with mystical writings containing kabbalistic, Hermetic, and other doctrines.

Sacred Literature

Bible: Topic Page
[Gr.,=the books], term used since the 4th cent. to denote the Christian Scriptures.
Old Testament: Topic Page
Christian name for the Hebrew Bible, which serves as the first division of the Christian Bible (see New Testament).
New Testament: Topic Page
The second part of the Bible , recognized by the Christian church from the 4th century as sacred doctrine.
Isaiah: Topic Page
Prophetic book of the Bible. It is a collection of prophecies from a 300-year period attributed to Isaiah, who may have been a priest.
Deuteronomy: Topic Page
Book of the Bible, literally meaning "second law," last of the five books (the Pentateuch or Torah) ascribed by tradition to Moses. Deuteronomy purports to be the final words of Moses to the people of Israel on the eve of their crossing the Jordan to take possession of Canaan.
Corinthians: Topic Page
Two letters of the New Testament. They were written to the church at Corinth by Paul whose stay in Corinth is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
Sermon on the Mount: Topic Page
In the New Testament, the summary of Jesus' teachings recorded in Matthew 5-7. It forms the basis of Christian teaching on discipleship, and includes the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11), that lay down the spiritual qualities held by a true Christian.
Ten commandments: Topic Page
The laws given by God to the Hebrew leader Moses on Mount Sinai, engraved on two tablets of stone.

Observances & Holidays

Baptism: Topic Page
Immersion in or sprinkling with water as a religious rite of initiation.
Christmas: Topic Page
‘Christ's Mass’ [article] Christian religious holiday, the second most important Christian festival after Easter.
Easter: Topic Page
Between March 22 and April 25 in the West and between April 4 and May 8 in the East; first Sunday after the first full moon.
Eucharist: Topic Page
Chief Christian sacrament, in which bread is eaten and wine drunk in memory of the death of Jesus.
Lent: Topic Page
[Old Eng. lencten, =spring], Latin Quadragesima (meaning 40; thus the 40 days of Lent). In Christianity, Lent is a time of penance and prayer.
Pentecost: Topic Page
Christianity a festival on Whit Sunday, the seventh Sunday after Easter, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.