Abrahamic religious glossary

{{religion}}{{Expand}}The '''Abrahamic religious glossary''' is a glossary of important terms in the [[Abrahamic religion|Abrahamic religions]] as a whole and also within specific religions.

This glossary is about terms used by the majority of practitioners of Abrahamic religions — both sane and insane. If you're looking for racist fuckwits using religion to justify hurting people they don't like, see the [[Alt-right glossary]].

==General terms==
These terms are used by all the Abrahamic religions.
===Adam===
[[File:Blake Adam and Eve.jpg|thumb|right|165px|"Adam and Eve" by William Blake (1808)]]
{{main|Adam and Eve}}
Adam was the first human created by God. He lived in the [[Garden of Eden]] before he ate the forbidden fruit.

===Eve===
{{main|Adam and Eve}}
Eve was the wife of Adam and was created from his rib. She took the forbidden fruit and ate it when they lived in the [[Garden of Eden]].

===God===
[[Image:SistineGod.jpg|thumb|right|165px|God looks remarkably like an elderly Italian man from the Renaissance. Quite possibly because this was painted by one.]]
{{main|God}}
God is the most powerful entity of all in the Abrahamic religions. Christians call him (or her or it or them) God or their language's equivalent, though The Lord is a synonym. Jews call him ''Adonai'', because they will not say {{YHWH|his name}} when [[pray]]ing or reading the [[Torah]].<ref>[https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1443443/jewish/Why-Dont-Jews-Say-Gds-Name.htm Why don't Jews say G-d's name?]"</ref><ref group="notes">''{{wpl|Hashem}}'' is used in contexts outside of religious services.</ref> Muslims call him [[Allah]] among many other names.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Allah Britannica Encyclopedia on Allah]</ref><ref group="notes">The word ''Allah'' is a contraction of the Arabic word ''al-ilaha'' literally translated as "the god"</ref> He created the world.

===Heaven===
{{main|Heaven}}
Paradise in Abrahamic mythology. It's where the saved and holy go to rest in the afterlife. How one gets into heaven is a matter of debate amongst religious scholars and denominations, but usually involves some form of [[blind faith]].

===Hell===
{{main|Hell}}
Hell is the underworld in Abrahamic mythology; it's where sinners and nonbelievers (aka the "damned") go to dwell in the [[afterlife]]. There is some disputes over what the nature of Hell is like among the different Abrahamic religions and sects; all that can be agreed upon is that is is a place of "spiritual separation from God".<ref>{{wpa|Hell}}</ref>

===Heresy===
{{main|heresy}}
Heresy is any deviation from the official "orthodoxy" of any given religion, especially the Abrahamic ones. Ideas which are held to be heretical are called ''heterodox'', while those who adhere to such heresies are labeled ''heretics''.<ref>{{cite web|title=heresy - definition of heresy in English from the Oxford dictionary|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/heresy|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>

===Judgement Day===
[[File:Last judgement Bosch.jpg|thumb|right|''The Last Judgment'' by Hieronymus Bosch]]
{{main|Judgement Day}}
Judgement Day features heavily in the [[eschatology]] of the Abrahamic religions, being the eponymous day of judgement for sinners and saved alike. At the [[apocalypse|end of days]], all people will be resurrected and judged for their sins; those deemed worthy enter paradise, while those deemed unworthy are cast off into the [[Lake of Fire]] for all eternity.

===Satan===
{{main|Satan}}
Satan is the Big Bad of Abrahamic mythology. He seduces humans into committing [[sin]]s and into [[Deceit|believing falsehoods]], and, according to extra-Biblical sources, is responsible for the Fall of Man. Christians and Muslims see him as the former Prince of Angels who rebelled against heavenly authority, and therefore fell to Hell, where he leads the legions of Hell. Jews typically see him as a metaphor for ''yetzer hara'', or "evil inclination", or alternatively as an agent of God's will.

===Sin===
{{main|sin}}
A sin is a thing or action that is considered [[taboo]] by the Abrahamic religions. What counts as a "sin" differs from religion to religion, and even from denomination to denomination. Catholics hold that sinners who are repentant get sent to [[Purgatory]], while those who are not get sent to Hell.

==Christian terms==
===Immaculate Conception===
{{main|Immaculate Conception}}
The Immaculate Conception is the idea that the Virgin Mary was not conceived with original sin, as believed in by [[Catholics]].

===Holy Ghost===
[[File:Абраз "Сашэсце Святога Духа".JPG|thumb|right|165px|Depiction of the Holy Spirit as tongues of flame descending upon the heads of the [[Apostle]]s and [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]]]]
{{main|Holy Ghost}}
The Holy Ghost is one of the three "persons" of the Trinity or "Godhead" (explained below). The Holy Ghost or "Holy Spirit" typically refers to the more impersonal aspects of God, the more "spiritual" aspects as it were. [[Oneness Pentecostalism|Oneness Pentecostals]], being Unitarian, believe the Holy Ghost to be merely another aspect of the singular God.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20150817001820/http://www.upcbaypoint.com/onegodtruth.html THE TRUTH ABOUT ONE GOD]" - United Pentecostal Church of Bay Point</ref>

===Jesus===
{{main|Jesus}}
[[Jesus]] is the supposed [[Messiah]] according to [[Muslims]] and Christians, but is viewed as a fraud and impostor by the Jews.<ref>''Mishneh Torah'', Sefer Shofetim, Melachim uMilchamot, Chapter 11, Halacha 4. Chabad translation by Eliyahu Touge.</ref> Jesus is the central figure and namesake of Christianity and is the predecessor to [[Muhammad]] according to Muslims.<ref>{{cite book|last=Klauck|first=Hans-Josef Klauck|date=2003|title=The Apocryphal Gospels: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WoqXMHPY5EgC&printsec=fnd&pg=PA18|location=London|publisher=Bloomsbury T&T Clark|page=18|isbn=978-0567083906}}</ref> He was supposedly [[crucifixion|crucified]], went to [[Hell]] for three days, and resurrected to atone for mankind's sins.<ref group="notes">According to Christians, that is.</ref>
[[File:Jesus Image on a Manichaean Temple Banner.jpg|thumb|center|165px|[[Manichaeism|Manichaean]] Jesus, 10<sup>th</sup> century]]

===New Testament===
{{main|New Testament}}
The New Testament is the second half of the Christian Bible, and is meant to serve as a "new covenant" for the Chosen People of God to replace the "old covenant," that being the Old Testament.

===Purgatory===
{{main|Purgatory}}
The place that repentant sinners get sent to be ritually "cleansed" of their respective sins according to traditional Catholic dogma.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2N.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church]</ref>

===Redemptive suffering===
Redemptive suffering is a primarily [[Catholic]] concept that is derived from {{bible|Colossians|1|24}}, "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church." Pope [[John Paul II]] referenced this concept when he said, "Each man, in his sufferings, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ."<ref>{{wpa|Salvifici doloris|''Salvifici doloris''}}</ref> In practice, this concept can have rather unpleasant consequences for even non-Catholics. Because the Catholic Church is the single-largest healthcare provider in the [[United States]], with 668 hospitals (as of 2021) serving all religions, end-of-life decisions often occur within these hospitals.<ref name=callinan>[https://www.au.org/church-state/march-2021-church-state-magazine/viewpoint/medical-emergency-the-church-state-wall-has Medical Emergency: The Church-State Wall Has Collapsed When It Comes To End-Of-Life Care] by Kim Callinan (March 2021) ''Americans United for Separation of Church and State''.</ref> In these hospitals, terminally ill patients may wish to end their lives early because of extreme [[pain]], but doctors may refuse pain medication based on the hospital's redemptive suffering policy (and also to avoid [[euthanasia]]).<ref name=callinan/>

===Trinity===
{{main|Trinity}}
The Christian [[dogma]] that God is one essence, but is composed of three persons. These three are God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.<ref>"[https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm The Holy Trinity]" -- ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''</ref>  Commonly gets accused of being [[polytheistic]] by other Abrahamics. Muslims in particular call the Trinity ''shirk'', loosely translated as either "[[idolatry]]" or "polytheism."<ref>[http://www.quran4u.com/Tafsir%20Ibn%20Kathir/005%20Ma%27idah.htm Al Ma'idah 5:73]</ref> This dogma is rejected by some groups that practice a {{wpl|Nontrinitarianism|nontrinitarian}} variant of Christianity. [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] is one of the largest of such groups. Some groups do not believe in the Trinity, most of them [[Restorationism|Restorationist]] sects. A common way of explaining the Trinity to those who have trouble understanding it is comparing it to the 3 main states of matter, for instance like how water can be liquid, gas (steam) or solid (ice), so can God be the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

===Unitarianism===
{{main|Unitarianism}}
The somehow heterodox tenet that God is a singular person, with the three persons of the Godhead being merely different aspects of the same person: God. This is more classically [[monotheist]] than Trinitarian Christianity.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081210144542/http://unitarianministries.com/ Unitarian Ministries]</ref>

===Universalism===
{{main|universalism}}
Universalism in Christianity is the notion that all people are granted salvation by Christ, regardless of belief.<ref>"[https://christianuniversalist.org/resources/articles/where-universalists-gone/ Where have all the universalists gone?]"</ref>

==Jewish terms==
===Hanukkah===
{{main|Jewish holidays#Hanukkah}}
Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday commemorating when a small amount of oil burned until new oil could be made to supply a light in the Temple. ''Latkes'' and ''sufganiyot'' are often eaten over its eight days.

===Rosh Hashanah===
{{main|Jewish holidays#Rosh Hashanah}}
Rosh Hashanah is a [[Jewish]] holiday. It is on the first and second days of Tishrei.<ref>"[https://www.naqt.com/you-gotta-know/jewish-holidays.html You Gotta Know These Jewish Holidays]"</ref> White clothes are worn and apples and honey are eaten.

===Septuagint===
{{main|Septuagint}}
The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, and is known to be the translation used the most often by the writers of the New Testament.<ref>Nicole, Roger, [http://www.bible-researcher.com/nicole.html New Testament Use of the Old Testament] ''Revelation and the Bible'', ed. Carl. F.H. Henry (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1958), pp. 137–51.</ref>

===Sukkot===
{{main|Jewish holidays#Sukkot}}
Sukkot is the 15<sup>th</sup> day of Tishrei. It is a Jewish holiday that commemorates when the Jews lived in ''sukkot'', meaning "booths," after the [[Exodus]]. Booths are built in which the celebrants will live and eat.<ref>[http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday5.htm Judaism 101: Sukkot]</ref>

===Torah===
{{main|Torah}}
The first five books of the Old Testament, alternatively known as the ''Pentateuch'' after its Greek name.

===Yom Kippur===
{{main|Yom Kippur}}
Yom Kippur is the Jewish holiday on the 10<sup>th</sup> day of Tishrei. It is a day of atonement where Jews go and pray at the synagogue.

==Muslim terms==
===Ahl al-Kitāb===
''Ahl al-Kitāb'' refers to the {{wpl|People of the Book}}, or the Christians, Jews, and "[[Samaritans|Sabians]]."<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|author=Vajda, G | year= 2012 | title=Ahl al-Kitāb |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam| edition=2nd|publisher=Brill |editor=P. Bearman |editor2=Th. Bianquis |editor3=C.E. Bosworth |editor4=E. van Donzel |editor5=W.P. Heinrichs|volume=1|page=264| doi= 10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0383 }}</ref> It later came to be extended to [[Sikhs]], [[Hindus]], [[Zoroastrians]], and {{wpl|Mandeans}}.<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00bada The Oxford Dictionary of Islam]''</ref>

===Allah===
{{main|Allah}}
Allah is the word for God that all Arabic Abrahamic religious use, but it is especially in use among [[Muslims]]. Allah is considered the same god as [[YHWH]].

===Iftar===
The meal that ends the fast during [[Ramadan]] that is eaten every evening.<ref>[http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e979 Oxford Islamic Studies Online]</ref>

===Hajj===
{{main|Hajj}}
The ''Hajj'' is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca all Muslims who are able to and can support their families during the trip are expected to partake in at least once in their lifetimes. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nigosian |first=S. A. |title=Islam: Its History, Teaching, and Practices |url=https://archive.org/details/islamitshistoryt0000nigo |url-access=registration |year=2004 |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington, Indiana |isbn=0-253-21627-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/islamitshistoryt0000nigo/page/110 110]}}</ref><ref group="notes">The word ''Hajj'' itself means "journey" in Arabic.</ref>

===Jinn===
{{main|Jinn}}
The ''Jinn'' are supernatural spirits in Islamic lore that are extra-Islamic in nature. They originate from {{wpl|Pre-Islamic Arabian}} mythology. Interestingly, Muslims don't consider the Jinn to be supernatural beings like demons and angels, but rather as mortals like humans subject to the will of [[Allah]].<ref name="as-Samarqandi">Abu l-Lait as-Samarqandi's Commentary on Abu Hanifa al-Fiqh al-absat Introduction, Text and Commentary by Hans Daiber ''Islamic concept of Belief in the 4th/10th Century'' Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa p. 243</ref> They possess [[free will]] and, like humans, are able to accept or reject Allah's guidance at will.<ref name="as-Samarqandi" /> Also unlike demons, some jinn can be benevolent, and unlike angels, some jinn can be malevolent. This goes in line with their nature as entities possessing free will.<ref>Eichler, Paul Arno, (1889) ''Die Dschinn, Teufel und Engel in Koran'' [microform] p. 60 (German)</ref><ref group="notes">This also means they will be judged according to their deeds, again like humans.</ref>

===Mecca===
{{main|Mecca}}
Mecca is the holiest place in Islam, it's where Muhammad was born and where he started his religion.

===Muhammad===
{{main|Muhammad}}
Muhammad was the founder of [[Islam]] and the supposed "last [[prophet]]" fulfilling the prophecies put forth by Jesus or ''Isa'' according to Islamic lore. He was an illiterate merchant warlord who unified the Arabs and is ranked as being one of the most influential persons in history. Unlike Jesus he isn't viewed as divine, merely "divinely inspired."

===Qiblat===
The ''Qiblat'' is the direction to Mecca, and is also the direction where all Muslim burials are pointed at.<ref>
"[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1529663/The-cemetery-where-all-face-Mecca.html The cemetery where all face Mecca]"</ref>

===Quran===
{{main|Quran}}
The Quran serves as the holy scripture of Islam, alongside the many ''hadiths''.

===Ramadan===
{{main|Ramadan}}
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is famous for its month-long fasting ritual. It serves to commemorate Muhammad's first revelation.

===Tawhid===
''{{wpl|Tawhid}}'' is the Islamic doctrine that there is "no god but god," i.e. monotheism in a nutshell. It is a statement of pure monotheism, and henceforth they reject the Christian Trinity as being ''shirk'', or polytheistic.

==See also==
*[[Jehovah's Witnesses glossary]]

==Notes==
<references group="notes" />

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Glossaries]]
[[Category:Religious terms]]

Categories: Glossaries, Religious terms