Early Christian Vocab

Front 1

Apollinairism

Back 1

Jesus fully God (partially human)

Front 2

Docetism

Back 2

Jesus wholly Divine (only seemed human)

Front 3

Gnosticism

Back 3

“Knowledge”

Front 4

Arianism

Back 4

Jesus less than God but more than human

Front 5

Septuagint

Back 5

translation of Hebrew scripture into Greek

Front 6

Diptych

Back 6

two-paneled work of art

Front 7

Hemicycles

Back 7

semi-circular room

Front 8

Apse

Back 8

a semicircular or polygonal projection of a building, esp. one at the east end of a church, with a domed or vaulted roof

Front 9

Nave

Back 9

that part of a church that is between the side aisles and extends from the chancel to the principal entrance, forming the main part of the building

Front 10

Transepts

Back 10

the part of a cross-shaped church at right angles to the long, main section, or nave

Front 11

Atrium

Back 11

open colonnaded courtyard

Front 12

Fountain

Back 12

it’s a fountain

Front 13

Canopy

Back 13

Covering over the altar

Front 14

Narthex

Back 14

in early Christian churches, a porch or portico at the west end for penitents and others not admitted to the church itself

Front 15

Altar

Back 15

structure meant for offerings and sacrifices

Front 16

Torah

Back 16

Scroll with the first 5 books of the Hebrew scriptures

Front 17

Pentateuch

Back 17

first 5 books of the Hebrew scriptures

Front 18

Eucharist

Back 18

bread and wine symbolic of the body and blood of Christ

Front 19

Catacombs

Back 19

vast subterranean networks of galleries and chambers designed as cemeteries for burying the dead Christians

Front 20

Cubicula

Back 20

small rooms carved out of rock

Front 21

Loculi

Back 21

openings cut out of the walls of the galleries

Front 22

Lunettes

Back 22

semicircular frames

Front 23

Prefiguration

Back 23

prophetic forerunner

Front 24

Orants

Back 24

praying figure

Front 25

Triumphal Arch

Back 25

divides the nave and the transept

Front 26

Relics

Back 26

body parts, clothing, or objects associated with a saint or Christ

Front 27

Baldacchino

Back 27

domical canopy over an altar

Front 28

Clerestory

Back 28

upper level of a Roman basilica

Front 29

Ambulatory

Back 29

ringlike barrel-vaulted corridor separated from the central dome cylinder by a dozen pairs of columns

Front 30

Nimbus

Back 30

halo

Front 31

Continuous

Back 31

figure is portrayed more than once

Front 32

Iconic

Back 32

lines come out into our space

Front 33

Sequential

Back 33

multiple images that tell a story

Front 34

Gestural

Back 34

the gestures of the figures guide you through the piece

Front 35

Camponile

Back 35

bell tower

Front 36

Longitudinal

Back 36

rectangle based church

Front 37

Ashlar Masonry

Back 37

utilizes dressed stones