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Theology World Religions Vocabulary Essay

Decent Essays

Indigenous Religions
Complementary dualism –the concept that the universe contains life enhancing and life-diminishing forces that work together and are equally necessary to its survival.

Conflict dualism – the concept that the universe contains good and evil forces that are wholly separate and in constant opposition. Dogon – a member of a group of indigenous people of the mountains of central Mali.

Ghost dance - a group dance of a late 19th century American Indian (Iroquois) messianic cult believed to promote the return of the dead and the restoration of traditional ways of life.

Mana – a Melanesian term for a life-enhancing power that can be concentrated in people or objects.

Oral traditions – narratives, myths, …show more content…

Pentateuch – the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally ascribed to Moses but now regarded as the product of several centuries of later literacy activity.

Rabbi – a teacher, in Roman times an expert on the interpretation of Torah; since priestly sacrifices ceased with the destruction of the temple, the rabbi has been the scholarly and spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation.

Sabbath – the seventh day of the week, observed since ancient times as a day of rest from ordinary activity.

Seder – “order”; the term used for the ritual Passover supper.

Sephardim/Sephardic – the Jews premodern Mediterranean and Middle East.

Synagogue – from the Greek meaning “assembly” or “gathering”: the local place of congregational worship, which became central to Judaism after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple.

Tanakh – an acronym referring to the entire Hebrew Bible: Torah (law), Nevi’im (prophets), and Ketuvim (sacred writings).

Torah – a word meaning “teaching” or “instruction”; applied most specifically to the Law of Moses (the Pentateuch) but may also refer to the entire scripture, including commentaries.

Yarmulke – the Yiddish word for the kippah or skullcap.

Yiddish – the language spoken by central and eastern European Jews in recent centuries; thought it is

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