Related Words

Christian: A person who believes in Christianity; also an adjective.

Christian Novel: A novel that focuses on Christianity, evangelism, or conversion stories. Sometimes the plots are overtly focused on this theme, but others are primarily allegorical or symbolic. Traditionall . . . View Full Definition

Christianity: The religion based on the teachings and person of Jesus Christ.

Miracle Play: Not to be confused with medieval morality plays, a miracle play is a medieval drama depicting either biblical stories, the miracle(s) performed by a saint, or the martyrdom of a saint in Chr . . . View Full Definition

Mythography: The commentary, writings, and interpretations added to myths. Medieval writers, such as the four anonymous scribes collectively called the 'Vatican Mythographers,' would take Greek and Roman . . . View Full Definition

Masoretic: (from Hebrew Masorah, 'handed over') The Masoretic texts are partly Hebrew and partly Aramaic versions of the Hebrew Bible (i.e., what Christians call the Old Testament) with accompanying ex . . . View Full Definition

Miltonic Imagery: Imagery made famous by Milton's poetry--especially Paradise Lost. Examples include the dark angels or twisted demons laboring at Pandemonium's construction deep below the earth in fiery shad . . . View Full Definition

Original Sin: A theological doctrine arguing that all humans at the moment of conception inherit collective responsibility and guilt for the sins of Adam and Eve along with an innate tendency towards evil . . . View Full Definition

Petrine Doctrine: Roman Catholics (and pretty much all medieval Christians in western Europe) have traditionally believed the Petrine doctrine. The Petrine doctrine is the belief that Saint Peter was given sp . . . View Full Definition

Patrologia Latina: A famous (or perhaps infamous) scholarly collection of 228+ fat volumes of biblical and theological commentary that has been both a boon and bane to twentieth-century medieval scholarship. T . . . View Full Definition