Vocab 1
What is a Abbot, abbess
The superior and spiritual leader of a monastery (masculine: abbot; feminine: abbess)
What is Charism
A special gift or grace of the Holy Spirit given to an individual Christian or community,
commonly for the benefit and building up of the entire Church.
What is Consubstantial
Having the same nature or essence.
What is Arianism
A heresy developed in the late third century that denied Christ’s full divinity, stating that Christ
was a created being who was superior to human beings but inferior to God.
What is Christendom
The Church’s sphere of power and authority, both politically and spiritually, during the
Middle Ages.
What is Logos
A Greek word meaning “Word.” Logos is a title of Jesus Christ found in the Gospel of John that
illuminates the relationship between the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. (See John 1:1,14.)
What is a Antipope
A person claiming to be Pope in opposition to the Pope chosen in accordance with Church
law.
What is Franks
A Germanic tribe that inhabited the Roman provinces of Gaul (roughly coinciding with modern-
day France) starting in the sixth century.
What is Feudalism
A system that evolved in Western Europe in the eighth and ninth centuries in which society
was ordered around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service and protection.
What is A Hermit
A person who lives a solitary life in order to commit himself or herself more fully to prayer and in
some cases to be completely free for service to others.
What is Ecumenical Council
A gathering of the Church’s bishops from around the world convened by the Pope
or approved by him to address pressing issues in the Church.
What is Iconoclasm
The deliberate destruction of religious icons and symbols.
What is Rule of Life
Constitution that clarifies the mission and directs the daily life of a religious community or
institute according to the spirit of the Gospel.
What is Theotokos
A Greek title for Mary meaning “God bearer.”
What is Fathers of the Church (Church Fathers)
During the early centuries of the Church, those teachers
whose writings extended the Tradition of the Apostles and who continue to be important for the Church’s
teachings.
What is Simony
Buying or selling something spiritual, such as a grace, a Sacrament, or a relic. It violates the
honor of God.
What is Viking
The Scandinavian explorers, merchants, and warriors who invaded and settled in Europe from
the late eighth to the eleventh centuries.
What is Doctor of the Church
A title officially bestowed by the Church on those saints who are highly esteemed
for their theological writings, as well as their personal holiness.
What is Hypostatic Union
The union of Jesus Christ’s divine and human natures in one Divine Person.
What is Vulgate
The version of the Bible translated from Hebrew and Greek into Latin by Saint Jerome and
which became the definitive version and officially promulgated by the Church.
What is Filioque
Latin for “and from the Son,” this phrase was added to the Nicene Creed in the Roman Church
to express that the Holy Spirit descended from the Father and the Son, rather than from the Father and
through the Son, as the Byzantine Church expressed.
What is Papal Bull
An official letter or charter issued by the Pope, named for the bulla, or wax seal, that was
used to authenticate it.
What is Illuminated Manuscript
A manuscript in which the text is supplemented with artwork such as decorated
initials, borders, and illustrations, often using gold and silver. During the Middle Ages, manuscripts were
copied and illuminated by hand, work often done by monks.
What is Patriarch (Eastern)
In the Old Testament, a patriarch is the father of a group or tribe. In the Eastern (or
Greek) Church, a patriarch is a spiritual father. The title is given to the highest ranking bishops in the
Church.
What is Papal States
An independent country ruled by the Pope until 1870, covering a wide strip of land in the
middle of the Italian Peninsula. The Papal States were awarded to the papacy in 756 in a formal deed
called the Donation of Pepin.