Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
17 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Amillenialism
|
The denial of the theory or of the expectation of the millennium. While millennialists debate the order of events in Revelation 20:2-7, amillennialists simply declare that the thousand years mentioned there are not to be interpreted as a period of time, but rather as a metaphor for Christ’s final victory over all evil. Thus, for most amillennialists the discussion about the millennium is of little interest, and it tends to be millennialists who dub them “amillennialists.”
|
|
|
Beatific vision
|
Literally, the “joyful vision.” This is the vision of God, which according to much of Christian tradition is the goal of human life. Throughout history, there has been debate about its nature, its content, and its timing. Some have insisted that a full vision of God is not possible for the human intellect, even in paradise, for the finite cannot comprehend the infinite. Others have argued for a vision “in excess”—by which is meant a vision in which, rather than the intellect comprehending the divine, it is the divine that engulfs the human. As to the content of the beatific vision, the question is whether in heaven the intellect sees all things in God, or sees them directly. As to the timing, the question has been whether it is possible—in at least some exceptional cases—to attain such a vision during this life.
|
|
|
Chiliasm
|
From the Greek word for “thousand,” it is essentially the same as millennialism—the expectation that Christ will come and rule on earth for a thousand years. Sometimes the term “millennialism” is reserved for modern eschatological speculation, often trying to determine the time of the millennium, or the order of the final events. In that case, “chiliasm” is used for the common view in early Christian theology of a reign of God on earth, with emphasis on its joy and its abundance rather than on its time or its duration. These views soon fell into disrepute as theologians more influenced by Platonism declared them to be too materialistic, and not sufficiently spiritual.
|
|
|
Communion of saints
|
A phrase taken from the Apostles’ Creed (communio sanctorum), into which it was apparently incorporated in the fifth century. There is some debate as to its intended meaning when first added to the creed. There is no doubt that in this context communio still had its original meaning of sharing, common participation. The ambiguity is mostly in the meaning of sanctorum, which may refer to “the saints,” as it is commonly translated, or “holy things.” If the former, the phrase refers to the sharing that takes place among “saints,” or believers—apparently both living and dead. If the latter, it refers to the sharing in “holy things” and may well have been introduced into the creed as an affirmation of unity of Christians in the Eucharist and in other “holy things” such as ordination, against schismatics such as the Donatists.
Given its common translation as the communion of saints, this phrase became important at the time of the Reformation, when Protestants often understood it as an explanation of the previous phrase, “the holy catholic church.” In this case, what the creed says is that “the holy catholic church” that Christians confess, rather than a given institution subject to a single hierarchy, is the “communion of the saints.” |
|
|
Dispensationalism
|
Although there are several different dispensational schemes of history, they all agree that history is composed of a series of dispensations in which God reveals something to humankind, and which humans fail to fulfill, thus leading to a new dispensation and a new revelation. They also agree that much of Scripture—particularly Daniel and Revelation—is a prophetic announcement of future events, and therefore by reading the prophecies correctly one can determine in what stage we are, and what events are still to come. In Darby’s and Schofield’s schemes, there are a total of seven dispensations, and we are currently in the sixth, or “dispensation of the church,” which, like every other previous dispensation, is marked by a great apostasy. This will come to an end with the return of Christ, which will mark the beginning of his earthly reign of a thousand years (Millenialism), before moving on into the eternal kingdom of God.
|
|
|
Eternal life
|
A phrase that appears repeatedly in the New Testament, and one of the promises of the Christian faith. One could say that, strictly speaking, life after death, rather than “eternal,” is everlasting, for eternity belongs only to God. On the other hand, one could also interpret the phrase “eternal life” as referring not only to a life that goes on forever, but also to a life that is life in God, a sharing in the life of the Eternal One. At any rate, it is clear that Christianity, since its very inception and through its history, has held that there is life after death, and that this life is everlasting. On the other hand, such eternal or everlasting life in communion with God does not necessarily have to wait until death, and there is ample witness in the New Testament to an “eternal life” that begins during the present life. Finally, it should be noted that in early Christian eschatology life after death is closely related to the expectation of a final resurrection of the body, and that, in contrast with the Greek notion of the immortality of the soul, such life after death is not something that belongs to us by nature, but is rather a gift of God’s grace.
|
|
|
eternity
|
A relatively ambiguous term, usually referring to that which is not bound by time. Augustine (354-430) argued that, strictly speaking, only God is eternal, for God created time, and everything that God has created God has placed within the framework of time. In a less restrictive sense, “eternal” is that which does not end, as in the phrase “eternal life.” In order to distinguish between these two meanings, medieval theologians sometimes referred to the first as “eternity,” and to the second as “sempiternity.” Within the terms of this distinction, God is eternal, but the life of the believer is sempiternal.
Sometimes things are not affected by time are called “eternal.” This is particularly the case when speaking of “eternal truths”—such as mathematical truths, and in the case of some theologians, “theological truths.” Strictly speaking, however, there is a question as to whether any such truth is indeed eternal, or is part of God’s order for creation. (See Potentia Dei absoluta.) Finally, there is the question of whether eternity itself is conceivable. If, as Kant (1724-1804) argued, time itself is part of the structure of the mind, the mind cannot really conceive a reality without time. |
|
|
heaven
|
“heavens” refers to all that is above the earth – the atmosphere as well as the sun, the moon, and the starts. NT “heaven and earth” means universe, Judiasm reluctance to speak the name God so use heaven instead (ex. Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven), early Christian hope was not in “going to heaven” but in a “new heaven and new earth”, the metaphor of “heaven” has to be completed with other metaphors that reflect God’s care and love for all of creation
|
|
|
hell
|
- most common English term for Hades, derived from Old English helan, which means to conceal
|
|
|
merit
|
the value of good human actions as deserving divine reward, merit de condigno – refers to actions that in themselves merit a reward, merit de congruo – actions for which a reward is befitting although not truly earned or deserved, there can be no de condigno in regard to God because all that we are we owe to God, merit is always the work of grace – saints may produce more than is required of them (medieval theology – indulgences)
|
|
|
paradise
|
– original Persian usage, referred to an enclosed garden of pleasures, in this sense refers to the Garden of Eden , first rabbinic and Christian literature referred to place of blessedness reserved for the faithful as paradise, medieval theologians believed it was a place on earth , final paradise seen as higher than the original Eden
|
|
|
parousia
|
term of Greek origin, meaning “arrival” or “presence”, refers to second coming of Christ, some explain the delay by saying conditions of Parousia have not been met and we must spread the Gospel to every land, others believe that Jesus will not return until Israel is restored to its biblical boundaries, some say Parousia is just a symbol for the coming of the kingdom being established by Christian activity on the earth, majority of Christians think that return of Jesus is part of Christian hope and not for us to try and discover when that will be
|
|
|
postmillenialism
|
when millennium comes before Parousia, reject notion that the millennium will come after great evil, and such evil is to be seen as God’s preparation, many liberals dubbed postmillenialists because they seek to improve society and the world as if they were seeking to bring about the millennium and speak of “building the kingdom” or “bringing about the kingdom”
|
|
|
premillenialism
|
sees millennium coming after the Parousia, usually after a time of great corruption known as “the great tribulation”, their sense that millennium will come after the great tribulation often leads them to ignore social and political structures of evil, or not resist them, because such evil is necessary preparation for the coming of the Lord
|
|
|
rapture
|
common theme in premillennialist eschatology – derived from Latin for being “caught up”, doctrine of the rapture is based on 1 Thess. 4:15-17, claims that the church will be “caught up” into union with Christ at the time of the Parousia, three divergent opinions regarding the rapture and the great tribulation: 1. Posttribulationists – hold that the church will be part of the great tribulation and only then will be caught up into union with Christ; 2. Pretribulationists – believe that the rapture will come before the great tribulation and that the church will be spared the trials and pains of the tribulation (Left Behind series); 3. Midtribulationists – believe that the rapture will come during the great tribulation, after the rise of the antichrist, but before the more drastic trials and judgments
|
|
|
resurrection
|
notion that the dead will rise again – appeared in Jewish literature in late 3rd century BC, Pharisees believed in it, Saducees rejected it, for Christians the resurrection of Jesus is more than a “happy ending” but it is the beginning of the final resurrection, his resurrection is the dawning of the kingdom of God. Christians gathered on the first day of the week to celebrate the “day of the Lord” or the day of his resurrection and it eventually evolved into Easter Sunday
|
|
|
sheol
|
the place where the spirits of the departed go after death, not a place of reward or punishment, but rather a place of shadowy existence, in some passages it is a place distant from God, and with the advent of Christianity it was increasingly identified as Hades or Hell
|
