Christian Terms

Bible The sacred text which records the lives of major figures in Christianity, including Jesus. Contains Old and New Testaments.

Christianity The belief in Jesus Christ as Savior of the world.

Christmas The celebration of the birth of Jesus held on December 25th.

Cross Roman method of execution which took the life of Jesus. Now a symbol of Jesus' suffering and resurrection.

Easter The celebration of Jesus' triumphant return to life after dying on the cross.

Eastern Orthodoxy A branch of Christianity with national ties.

Jesus The central figure of Christianity, believed to be true God, who saved mankind from the torture of hell by dying on the cross to grant them salvation.

Lent The remembrance of the period of time leading up to and including Christ's death on the cross.

Mary Jesus' mother, who conceived him by the intervention of the Holy Spirit.

Pope The spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic church.

Protestantism The branch of Christianity which broke off from the Roman Catholic church at the time of the Reformation.

Reformation A movement which resulted in the formation of the Protestant branch of Christianity. A reforming of Christianity which eliminated certain doctrines and practices of Catholicism which were deemed incorrect.

Roman Catholicism The original Christian religion which descended from the original Christians in Rome at the time of Christ.

Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on Chrisitianity.

Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL of this page.

References

Shelley, Fred M. and Audrey E. Clarke, eds. Human and Cultural Geography. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1994.

Written by Sara Wenner, 2001