[uh-PAHK-uh-lips] In Jewish and early Christian thought, the expectation and hope of the coming of God and his final judgment; also closely identified with the last book of the New Testament, Revelation, in which many events are foretold, often in highly symbolic and imaginative terms.
canon
A set of principles or rules that are accepted as true and authoritative for the various arts or fields of study; in architecture, it refers to the standards of proportion; in painting, the prescribed ways of painting certain objects; in sculpture, the ideal proportions of the human body; in literature, the authentic list of an author's works; in religion, the approved and authoritative writings that are accepted as divinely inspired, such as the Scriptures for Jews and Christians; and in religious and other contexts, certain prescribed rituals or official rules and laws. In music, a canon is a composition in which a melody sung by one voice is repeated exactly by successive voices as they enter.
covenant
In Judaism and Christianity, a solemn and binding agreement or contract between God and his followers.
Diaspora
[dye-AS-puhr-uh] From the Greek, "to scatter"; the dispersion of the Jews from their homeland in ancient Palestine, a process that began with the Babylonian Captivity in the sixth century b.c. and continued over the centuries.
eschatology
[es-kuh-TAHL-uh-jee] The concern with final events or the end of the world, a belief popular in Jewish and early Christian communities and linked to the concept of the coming of a Messiah.
evangelists
From the Greek evangelion, a term generally used for those who preach the Christian religion; more specifically, the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who wrote about Jesus Christ soon after his death in the first four books of the New Testament.
Gospels
The first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that record the life and sayings of Jesus Christ; the word itself, from Old English, means good news or good tales.
liturgy
A rite or ritual, such as prayers or ceremonies, practiced by a religious group in public worship.
Messiah
A Hebrew word meaning "the anointed one," or one chosen by God to be his representative on earth; in Judaism, a savior who will come bringing peace and justice; in Christianity, Jesus Christ (Christ is derived from a Greek word meaning "the anointed one").
sarcophagus
[sahr-KAHF-uh-guhs] From the Greek meaning "flesh-eating stone"; a marble or stone coffin or tomb, usually decorated with carvings, used first by Romans and later by Christians for burial of the dead.
scripture
The sacred writings of any religion, as the Bible in Judaism and Christianity.
theology
The application of philosophy to the study of religious truth, focusing especially on the nature of the deity and the origin and teachings of an organized religious community.
