Related Words

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

Puritan: Most familiar to modern Americans as the religious denomination of the Mayflower colonists, the Puritans were a Protestant sect particularly active during the sixteenth and seventeenth centu . . . 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

Relic: The physical remains of a saint or biblical figure, or an object closely associated with a saint, biblical figure, or a miracle. Sample relics might be Saint Veronica's veil, a sandal of the . . . View Full Definition

Treaty Of Wedmore: The agreement signed by King Alfred the Great and the Viking leader Guthrum in 878. This divided England into spheres of influence, with Alfred's kingdom of Essex safe from further Viking at . . . View Full Definition

Vita: The word vita has two common meanings in English scholarship. First, for medievalists, a vita is a medieval literary genre, one commonly called 'a saint's life' or a 'hagiography.' The saint . . . View Full Definition

Eremitic Tradition: An eremite is a hermit--one who deliberately lives alone seeking spiritual enlightenment in the desert, forest, or wilderness. The first five centuries of Christianity were marked by a numbe . . . View Full Definition

Test Act Of 1673: A law requiring all British officials holding public office to receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper in accordance with the rituals of the Established Church of England (the Anglican Ch . . . View Full Definition

Cyrillic: The alphabet used to write Russian, Serbian, and Bulgarian. The name comes from the Greek missionary Saint Cyril, who traveled from Byzantium to convert Slavic races to Christianity.

St Lucia Day: When people say the expression By George! they actually mean, By St. George. St. George was a famous knight who, according to legend, slayed a dragon and saved a princess! He also converted . . . View Full Definition