Introducing World Religions:
The eBook
Introducing World Religions Online:
Comprehensive Glossary of Terms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
East-West diptych |
A metaphor that emphasizes the orientalist view of the world as divided into two opposing flat plates. |
Eisai and Dōgen |
Two Buddhists who founded the Rinzai and Sōtō branches of Zen in Japan around the start of the thirteenth century CE. |
'El |
A word used in the Torah with reference to the Israelite God; general Semitic term for a god. |
Eliade, Mircea |
(1907-1986) Historian of religions who used the term homo religiosus to describe the fundamentally religious nature of human beings; he also referred to human beings as homo symbolicus because he felt that they have an innate propensity to manufacture cultural meaning through symbols. |
Elijah |
Hebrew prophet (ca. 800s BCE) famous for being taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, and will return to mark the coming of the Messiah on Judgment Day. |
emancipation |
The acquisition of equal legal status for Jews in 18th century Europe, starting with US and French citizenship after the American and French Revolutions. |
epistle |
Letter; twenty-one letters written in Greek attributed to Jesus' apostles to Christian communities threatened by loss of faith, and organizational difficulties; the earliest New Testament writings. |
eschatology |
Term used in Christian theology to mean the "last things" or the final condition of humanity and the cosmos; for a Greek word meaning "last." |
Eternal Beings of the Dreaming |
Supernatural beings discussed in the sacred lore of the Australian Aboriginal peoples. |
Eucharist |
The central ritual of Christian worship, based on the last meal shared by Jesus with his disciples prior to the crucifixion. Also known as Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper; from a Greek word meaning "thanksgiving." |
European colonialism |
Refers to Europeans in modern times (sixteenth to twentiety centuries) taking political and economic control of foreign territories to gain control of maritime trade. |
European Enlightenment |
A European cultural movement spanning the late 1600s to the late 1700s. |
Evangelical Christians |
Protestant Christians whose spirituality centers on experience of personal conversion and salvation through Jesus Christ, with an emphasis on millenarian expectations. |
evangelist |
Authors of the four New Testament gospels; more generally, Christians who dedicate themselves to preaching the word of God. |
existential value |
The intellectual or emotional weight of an experience that bears on a person's very existence. (Term from existentialist philosophy.) |
Exodus |
Exit; name of the Torah scroll that tells of the Israelite escape from bondage in Egypt (ca. thirteenth century BCE or later). |
expressive traditions |
Performance based traditions that rely on oral transmission of sacred lore, and many non-verbal expressions to build religious meaning. |
Ezra |
Hebrew priest and scribe who led the second wave of Judeans from Babylon for settlement in Jerusalem (ca. 458 BCE). |