Beatitudes
Christ's promise of coming blessings in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (Mt. 5: 3–11) and the ‘Sermon on the Plain’ (Lk. 6: 20–22).
chiasmus
A figure of speech by which the order of the words in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second, e.g. ‘He saved others; himself he cannot save.’
Christian attitude to war
It has always been recognized that in a world wholly governed by Christian principles war would be ruled out; nevertheless, since Christians are members of a secular society in which the use of force ...
Commandments, the Ten
Precepts divinely revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai and engraved on two tablets of stone. The text is preserved in two closely similar versions (Exod. 20: 1–17 and Deut. 5: 6–21). Their dating has been ...
Didache
(Greek for ‘teaching’). The elements in primitive Christian apologetic of an instructional kind, as contrasted with kerygma or ‘preaching’.
discernment of spirits
Paul regards the ability to recognize gifts of the Spirit as itself a gift (1 Cor. 12: 10); it enables a person to establish the presence or the absence of God or, a worse case, the activity of an ...
disciple
A personal follower of Christ during his life, especially one of the twelve Apostles (see also beloved disciple). The word is recorded from Old English, and comes from Latin discipulus ‘learner’, ...
Gospel of Matthew
Traditionally held to be the oldest of the four Gospels, it stands first in the NT Canon. It was probably written c.ad 80–90. Though since the 2nd cent. it has been attributed to St Matthew the ...
halakah
Commentary or interpretation by the rabbis on the Law. The purpose was to bring the written commandments up to date by explaining how they referred to changed circumstances. In their original form ...
Kingdom of God
The conception of the Kingdom of God (or in Mt. the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’) is a central element in the teaching of Jesus Christ. Its origins lie in the OT. God's reign was expected to bring with it ...
Law
Translation of the Hebrew torah, though this word has a meaning much wider than the legal: ‘interpretation’ might be preferable. It is used in the Hebrew Bible for the Pentateuch, in which law as a ...
Letter of James
Outline. The letter of James is a literary composition (i.e., a letter designed to be published rather than dispatched like a true letter) and follows the conventions of the literary ...
Lord's Prayer
Name of the prayer given by Jesus to his disciples at their request (Matt. 6: 9–13, and in a slightly different and shorter version, Luke 11: 2–4). It is an essentially Jewish prayer, without ...
Marx and the Bible.
What did Karl Marx (1818–1883) make of the Bible? Was it a book that he knew and used? Did the Bible have any influence on him, a person who became ...
meek.
The English word “meek” is now largely archaic, and recent translations of the Bible use it far less frequently than earlier versions. Its connotations of gentleness and humility are not ...
moral theology
The study of moral questions and the foundations of morality in the light of Christian belief. From earliest times Christian thinkers were concerned with questions of morality, but moral theology ...
Mount of the Beatitudes
The name traditionally given to the place where the Sermon on the Mount is believed to have been delivered (cf. Mt. 5: 1). It has been identified since Crusading times ...
oath
N.A pronouncement swearing the truth of a statement or promise, usually by an appeal to God to witness its truth. An oath is required by law for various purposes, in particular for affidavits and ...
parable
A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. Recorded from Middle English, the word comes via Old French from an ecclesiastical Latin sense ...
perfection
In the OT perfection is ascribed to God (Job 37: 16) and in the NT to persons, signifying maturity (1 Cor. 2: 6). The command in the Sermon on the Mount to be perfect (Matt. 5: 48) is changed in Luke ...
