TERMS TO KNOW

Literalist - People who read and interpret the Bible passages word for word based on the actual words in their ordinary meaning.

Contextualist - People who weave together the whole situation, background or environment relevant to a particular event, personality etc., when reading and interpreting the Bible.

Patriarch - One of the founders of the ancient Hebrew families in the Bible: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

Covenant - A binding and solemn agreement made by 2 or more individuals, the promises made by God to people, as recorded in the Bible.

Testament - An agreement or last will. It is also an affirmation of beliefs or convictions.

Gospel - Derived from the Old English godspel meaning "good news." The Good News of what God has done in and through Jesus and the cross is seen as the authentic fulfillment of the Old Testament expectations.

Christ - Derived from the Greek word christos, meaning "anointed one."

Resurrection - The rising of Jesus from the dead after his death on Good Friday and his burial. His manifestation was a different form.

Apostle - The Greek term means "one sent out" and is related to the Hebrew term siliah which translates "one who is to complete the task or acts in the place of the sender." The apostles give witness to Jesus' resurrection and so both announce and extend the work of the resurrection.

Disciple - From the Latin discipulus, meaning "student." It is the general term for any student or follower of a particular teacher. In the New Testament, the disciples are understood to be the 72 who received instruction from Jesus.

It is important to note the difference between Apostle and Disciple in the New Testament. After the Ascension (when Jesus went bodily into heaven) the Apostles had a singular mission to spread the good news of Jesus, while the disciples went out in pairs with the specific charge of preparing for the coming of Christ.

A.D. - Anno Domini (Year of the Lord) - term that was used to represent the period of time since Jesus' birth.

C.E. - Common Era - term now used to refer to the period of time since the birth of Jesus.

B.C. - Before Christ - term that was used to represent the period of time before the birth of Jesus.