Library: Religion by Credo Reference: Christianity

People and Places

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.
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.
Martin Luther: Topic Page
1483–1546, German leader of the Protestant Reformation, b. Eisleben, Saxony, of a family of small, but free, landholders.
Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint: Topic Page
In the New Testament, the mother of Jesus through divine intervention (see Annunciation and Virgin Birth), wife of Joseph.
Pope John Paul II: Topic Page
1920–2005, pope (1978–2005), a Pole (b. Wadowice) named Karol Józef Wojtyła; successor of John Paul I. He was the first non-Italian pope.
Purgatory: Topic Page
In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the state after death in which the soul destined for heaven is purified.
Sir Thomas More: Topic Page
1478-1535, English statesman and author of Utopia, celebrated as a martyr in the Roman Catholic Church.
Vatican City: Topic Page
vătʹĭkən or Holy See, officially Holy See (State of the Vatican City), independent state (2005 est. pop. 900), 108.7 acres.

Scripture

Bible: Topic Page
[Gr.,=the books], term used since the 4th cent. to denote the Christian Scriptures.
Corinthians: Topic Page
Two letters of the New Testament written to the church at Corinth by Paul, whose stay in Corinth is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
Dead Sea Scrolls: Topic Page
Ancient leather and papyrus scrolls first discovered in 1947 in caves on the NW shore of the Dead Sea. Most of the documents were written or copied between the 1st cent. b.c. and the first half of the 1st cent. a.d.
Gospel: Topic Page
In the New Testament generally, the message of Christian salvation; in particular the four written accounts of the life of Jesus in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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.
Vulgate: Topic Page
The most ancient extant version of the whole Christian Bible. Its name derives from a 13th-century reference to it as the "editio vulgata."
Trinity: Topic Page
In Christianity, the union of three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost – in one Godhead.

Holidays and Events

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.
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.
Epiphany: Topic Page
Festival of the Christian church, held on 6 January, celebrating the coming of the Magi (wise men) to Bethlehem.
Eucharist: Topic Page
Chief Christian sacrament, in which bread is eaten and wine drunk in memory of the death of Jesus.
Baptism: Topic Page
Immersion in or sprinkling with water as a religious rite of initiation.
Reformation: Topic Page
Religious and political movement in 16th-century Europe to reform the Roman Catholic Church.
Confirmation: Topic Page
Rite practiced by a number of Christian denominations, including Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox, in which a person who has undergone infant baptism confirms the promises made on their behalf, and is admitted to full membership of the Christian community.
Eucharist: Topic Page
Chief Christian sacrament, in which bread is eaten and wine drunk in memory of the death of Jesus.

Divisions

Amish: Topic Page
The Amish are an Anabaptist religious isolate. There are currently over 180,000 Amish residing in the United States and Canada, with about two thirds living in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.
Anglican Communion: Topic Page
The body of churches in all parts of the world that are in communion with the Church of England.
Church of England: Topic Page
Established form of Christianity in England, a member of the Anglican communion.
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.
Mennonites: Topic Page
Descendants of the Dutch and Swiss evangelical Anabaptists of the 16th cent.
Mormon: Topic Page
Member of a Christian sect, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Orthodox Church: Topic Page
Federation of national and regional self-governing Christian churches, mainly found in Eastern Europe and parts of Asia.
Pentacostalism: Topic Page
Pentecostalism, worldwide 20th-21st-century Christian movement that emphasizes the experience of Spirit baptism.
Protestantism: Topic Page
A of Christian faith and practice that originated with the principles of the Reformation.
Quakers: Topic Page
The Quakers, or the Religious Society of Friends, are a religious and political reform group that originated in England, whose American branch was influential in the abolition of slavery.
Roman Catholicism: Topic Page
Greek katholikos ‘universal’ [article] One of the main divisions of the Christian religion, separate from the Eastern Orthodox Church.