Patriarch
Penance
Presbytery
Redemption
Ritual
Sacramental
Synod
Vestment
Vicar
An Eastern Orthodox bishop of highest rank, standing
above metropolitans and ruling patriarchates.
An ecclesiastical punishment inflicted for sin, or a
sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church.
A church court or assembly having the ecclesiastical or
spiritual rule and oversight of a district or the district
itself.
God’s deliverance of man from sin and death through
the sacrificial atonement of Christ.
Religious ceremony or its verbal form.
A religious rite composed of two elements, a physical
sign and a spiritual good.
An ecclesiastical council either of regular standing or
appointed as needed; in Presbyterian churches a body
between the presbyteries and the general assembly.
Article of clothing worn by a religious officiant.
Priest or incumbent of a parish; clergyman who serves
as the deputy or substitutes for another.
J U D A I S M
Judaism is the oldest of the three major western religions. For 4,000
years—first as Hebrews, then as Israelites, as Judeans, and finally as
Jews—the adherents of this faith have continued to develop religiously and
culturally.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Abraham is referred to as the first Jew although Jews were called
Hebrews in Abraham’s time. The age of Abraham begins around 2000 B.C.
It was during this generation that the idea of ethical monotheism was
established. Ethical monotheism is the belief in one God who demands that
people behave according to God-given rules of conduct.
During the period 2000 B.C. to 150 B. C., the Israelite community formed
as a family, as a people, and then as a nation in its own land—Israel. Many
Jews feel that the age of Moses— 1300 B.C.—is the most important in Jewish
history. Moses is considered to be a prophet, lawyer, military commander,
judge, sage, and political leader. The Jews believe that the first five books of
the Bible, which contain 613 commandments, were given to them by God
through Moses.
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