The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology (Revised Edition) E-Book

Millard J. Erickson

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2001

Beschreibung

Seeks to bring the original dictionary up-to-date by supplementing it with pertinent ideas and biographies from the past fifteen years, with an emphasis on the historical figures and movements of the first nineteen centuries of Christianity.

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THE CONCISE DICTIONARY OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY

The Concise Dictionary of Christian TheologyOriginal edition copyright © 1986, 1994 by Millard J. Erickson. Published by Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MichiganRevised edition copyright © 2001 by Millard J. Erickson

Published by Crossway Books

a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers

1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

First Crossway edition, 2001

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Liita Forsyth

First printing 2001

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Erickson, Millard J.

The concise dictionary of Christian theology / Millard J. Erickson. — Rev. ed.

p.    cm.

ISBN 13: 978-1-58134-281-9 (trade pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN 10: 1-58134-281-0

1. Theology—Dictionaries. I. Title.

BR95 .E75             2001

2001002826

230'.03—dc21

To Wayne and Beverly Thompson good friends

PREFACE

Every teacher of theology has had students raise their hands during a lecture to ask for an explanation of a theological term. Sometimes, however, a student sits silently, puzzling over the meaning of such a word or the identity of a scholar mentioned in the lecture.

This book is intended to be a companion to the study of theology. It is planned as a resource to be kept close at hand during class sessions and inde- pendent reading, readily available for reference. It was first conceived of dur- ing the writing of Christian Theology, when it became apparent that inclusion of complete explanations would make the manuscript unduly cumbersome. At least in part, it is designed to be a supplement to that work.

Since the first edition of this book was published, much has happened in the world of theology and of intellectual endeavor in general. This edi- tion seeks to bring the original dictionary up to date by supplementing it with pertinent ideas and persons from the past fifteen years. At the same time, since I have found that most students have greater familiarity with recent thought than with earlier historical figures and movements, I have retained the emphasis upon the first nineteen centuries of the Christian era.

A number of persons have contributed to the production of this vol- ume. I must especially acknowledge the countless students whose spoken or unspoken question, “What does that mean?” has furnished impetus for the writing of this book. My research assistant, Bonnie Goding, did much of the work of compiling the original word list. Pat Krohn typed the entire man- uscript. Ray Wiersma edited the original edition and Ted Griffin the revised edition. I am appreciative to Crossway Books and its Vice President of Editorial, Mr. Marvin Padgett, for publishing this revised edition and once again making it available to students of theology.

Asking questions about theological matters is a very good thing. Getting correct answers to those questions is even better. May this book contribute to both of those ends.

Aa

Abba An Aramaic word for father that, like the Englishdaddy or papa, connotes familiarity and intimacy. It is used by Jesus in Mark 14:36. Paul says that by the Holy Spirit the Christian uses the term in addressing the Father (Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6).

Abelard, Peter (1079-1142) A scholastic philosopher and theologian who is best known for his view of the atonement, often referred to as the moral-influence theory, according to which the death of Christ is a demonstration of divine love that moves humans to turn to God.

Abolitionism A pre-Civil War movement opposing the practice of slavery.

Abomination of desolation An expression used by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 recalling Daniel 11:31 and 12:11. Some see it as a reference to the Antichrist, others to the practice of idolatry.

Abortion An intentional act of terminating a pregnancy with the aim of bringing about the death of the fetus.

Abortion, partial-birth A late-term procedure in which the fetus is partially delivered, the base of the baby’s skull punctured, and the brain removed.

Abraham’s bosom The place to which Lazarus was taken at his death (Luke 16:22-23).

Absolute In the thought of Georg Hegel (1770-1831) and some later idealist philosophers and theologians, a term for the ultimate reality. This is an all-encompassing reality, mental in nature, of which all finite entities are parts.

Absolute attributes See ATTRIBUTES OF GOD, ABSOLUTE.

Absolute inerrancy See INERRANCY, ABSOLUTE.

Absoluteness of God See GOD, ABSOLUTENESS OF.

Absolution The forgiveness of sins. Derived from a Latin word meaning “to set free,” the term refers in particular to the remission of sins by the Roman Catholic Church.

Absolutism A view that holds that certain conceptions are unconditional or nonrelative; in ethics, the idea that certain rules or judgments are unqualified or universally applicable.

Abstinence The withholding of oneself from certain practices, including sexuality. The term often refers to refraining from food or drink.

Accommodation of message The adaptation of a message to the context of the recipient, as in anthropomorphism.

Accommodation of revelation The adaptation of a statement or practice to certain situations. The term may mean simply that God expressed his truth in a form understandable by human beings, or it may mean that the truth has been distorted to be made suitable for fallible or erroneous human understanding.

Accountability, Age of The age at which a person becomes aware of issues of right and wrong and thus responsible for his or her actions.

Acts of God See GOD, ACTS OF.

Adam The first human being, a creation of God. Because the word adam in Hebrew also means “human being,” some believe that Adam was not an actual individual person but simply a representative or symbolic character.

Adam, In See IN ADAM.

Adam, Last or second A reference in 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 5 to Jesus Christ, contrasting him with Adam (the first Adam).

Adam’s sin See ORIGINAL SIN.

Adiaphora Matters regarded as nonessential to faith; especially in Lutheran theology, matters regarded as neither commanded nor forbidden.

Adiaphorists A group of Protestants who were willing to tolerate certain Roman Catholic practices for the sake of church unity.

Adonai A Hebrew name for God, meaning basically “Lord.”

Adoption That part of salvation in which God receives the estranged sinner back into the relationship and benefits of being his child. The term connotes positive favor, as contrasted with mere forgiveness and remission of sins.

Adoptionism A type of Christology according to which Jesus, a human being, was chosen by God to be elevated to divine sonship.

Adult baptism See BAPTISM, BELIEVERS’.

Advent The coming of Christ. The first advent refers to his initial coming in the incarnation. The second advent is the future Second Coming.

Adventism Belief in the second coming of Christ. The term is also used to refer to a denomination, the Seventh-day Adventists.

Aesthetic stage One of Søren Kierkegaard’s stages or ways of life. The aesthete lives for immediate satisfaction or pleasure.

Affusion The pouring of water upon the head as a method of baptism.

Afterlife A state or condition of existence following the cessation of physical or bodily life.

Agape A form of love that is essentially giving (rather than possessive), unselfish, and independent of the merit of the one loved.

Age-day theory The theory that the days of creation in Genesis 1 are long periods rather than twenty-four-hour days.

Age, This The present earthly structure of reality as ruled by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:12).

Age to Come A future order under Christ’s reign. This future divine rule is already partially present.

Agnostic Literally, “one who does not know”; in general, a person who professes uncertainty about whether God exists.

Agnosticism A view that professes inability to determine whether God exists.

Albertus Magnus (1193-1280) A Dominican scholar who attempted to integrate the thought of Aristotle with Christianity. He was a major influence upon Thomas Aquinas.

Alexandrian theology A school of theologians that flourished during the third through fifth centuries and attempted to utilize Platonic philosophy in the construction of Christian theology.

Allegorical interpretation A method of biblical interpretation that attempts to find a deeper meaning than the literal.

Allegory A literary device used to express a truth in a pictorial form.

Alms, almsgiving Acts of charitable giving to the poor.

Alpha and Omega The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Referring to the eternality of God, the phrase may be rendered “the first and the last” (Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13; cf. Isa. 44:6).

Ambrose (340-397) A theologian and church leader who was trained in both Greek and Latin. He had a special influence upon Augustine, whom he taught and baptized.

American Council of Christian Churches A fellowship of churches and denominations that was founded in 1941. Carl McIntire was a major force in the movement. Much of its activity related to opposing the National (originally Federal) and World Council of Churches.

Amillennialism The view that there will be no period of earthly reign of Christ either before or after his second coming. The thousand years of Rev. 20:1-7 are regarded as symbolic, either of the completeness of Christ’s reign or of believers’ bliss in heaven.

Amoral Pertaining to that which is neither moral nor immoral. The term refers either to matters that are not relevant to moral judgment or to persons who are insensitive to moral considerations.

Anabaptists Members of a radical wing of the Reformation who denounced infant baptism, insisting upon a believers’ church. They generally emphasized the authority of the Bible and the separation of church and state. From the Anabaptists have descended the Mennonites and various Brethren groups.

Analogia fidei See ANALOGY OF FAITH.

Analogy A method of reasoning in which one object, while not identical to another with respect to a given quality, is believed to possess a measure of that quality; also a method of inferring from the nature of the creation something of the nature of God.

Analogy of being The idea that there is a parallel or analogy between God and his creation, especially the human, so that inferences may be drawn regarding the former from a study of the latter.

Analogy of faith The idea that clearer passages of Scripture lend illumination to less clear portions.

Analogy of Scripture The belief that, Scripture being a unity, the meaning of one passage is illuminated by a study of other portions.

Analytical philosophy See PHILOSOPHY, ANALYTICAL.

Analytic statement A statement in which the predicate is logically contained within the subject.

Anathema An expression meaning “accursed.” It is also used of excommunication.

Angel A created spiritual being. The name literally means “messenger.”

Angel of the Lord, the A self-manifestation of the Lord in a perceptible form.

Angelology The study or doctrine of angels.

Angelophanies The assuming of visible form by angels for special occasions.

Angels, Fallen Angels who disobeyed God, fell from their place of service to God, and now serve Satan, the chief of such fallen angels.

Angels, Holy Those angels who have not fallen from their position of obedience.

Anglo-Catholicism High-Church Anglicanism, which feels a strong affinity for Roman Catholic beliefs and practices. John Henry Newman, an early leader of the movement, converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845.

Anhypostasia The belief that the Second Person of the Trinity, in becoming incarnate, did not assume the humanity of a specific individual but took on a generic or impersonal human nature.

Animal-nature theory of sin See SIN, ANIMAL-NATURE THEORY OF.

Animism The worship of physical objects in the belief that spiritual forces are present within them.

Annihilationism The belief that at least some humans will permanently cease to exist at death or some point thereafter.

Annihilationism proper The idea that those who do not believe, and thus are not saved, are to be obliterated by a direct act of God or as a result of sin.

Anointing An act dedicating a person through the applying of oil to his or her head.

Anonymous Christians The idea, found especially in the thought of Karl Rahner, that there may be persons who, without identifying themselves as Christians, may nonetheless be recipients of divine salvation.

Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) A medieval monk and theologian who had a strong influence upon Christian thought. He followed Augustine in using Platonic philosophy to construct theology. His major contributions included his view of faith and reason, his ontological argument for the existence of God, and his interpretation of the atonement.

Anthropic revelation Revelation given in human form or in forms familiar to humans.

Anthropocentrism The view that humans and human values rather than God and his values are the central fact of the universe.

Anthropological argument An argument that reasons from some characteristic(s) of human nature—such as the moral impulse—to the existence of God.

Anthropology The study of human nature and culture. Theological anthropology is a theological interpretation of humanity.

Anthropomorphism Conceiving of God as having human characteristics or existing in human form.

Anthropopathism Conceiving of God as having human emotions.

Anthroposophy A system of religious and philosophical ideas that combines conceptions from several different sources. It teaches that one can and should escape from the material world by discovering truths within humans.

Antiauthoritarianism Rejection of, and opposition to, any external authority.

Antichrist An opponent and impersonator of Christ. From 1 John 2:18, 22 and 4:3, Antichrist appears to be a spirit present throughout the age of the church. Some have sought to identify specific persons or offices as the Antichrist. The Reformers and others identified him with the papacy. It appears that there is a spirit or principle of rebellion at work in the world that will come to completion in personal form in the last days.

Anticlericalism Opposition to the authority of the clergy.

Antidenominationalism Opposition to the linking of churches into unions that are based upon common adherence to certain distinguishing beliefs.

Antilegomena A term referring to books about which there was dispute concerning whether they should be included in the New Testament.

Antimetaphysical Pertaining to opposition to raising metaphysical questions or attempting to give metaphysical explanations. See METAPHYSICS.

Antinatural Contrary to nature. The term is used by proponents of the view that miracles violate or break the laws of the physical universe.

Antinomianism An opposition to law; specifically, a rejection of the idea that the Christian’s life need be governed by laws or rules.

Antinomy A contradiction or tension between two or more laws, rules, or principles, each of which is held to be true.

Anti-Semitism Hostility toward, and often persecution of, Jews.

Antisubstantialism An aversion to belief in and use of categories denoting substance. It often involves emphasis on function rather than substance.

Antisupernaturalism Aversion to belief in the miraculous activity of God in the earthly and human realm.

Antithesis Opposition or contrast; in Hegelian thought, an event, idea, or movement that arises in contradiction to a preceding thesis.

Antitrinitarianism A belief system that rejects the doctrine of the Trinity.

Antitype New Testament realities of which certain Old Testament persons, objects, or practices are types or figures.

Anxiety of finiteness See SIN, ANXIETY-OF-FINITENESS THEORY OF.

Apocalypse The book of Revelation.

Apocalyptic literature A genre of literature presenting revelations regarding the end of the world.

Apocrypha, New Testament Books dating from the second century and later that, being judged by the church to be spurious, were not accepted into the canon of the New Testament.

Apocrypha, Old Testament Books dating from the intertestamental period that, being judged by the church to be spurious, were not accepted into the canon of the Old Testament.

Apokatastasis A Greek word meaning “restoration.” It refers to a restoration of all things in Christ (Acts 1:6; Rom. 8:18-25; 1 Cor. 15:24-28; 2 Peter 3:13). Origen and others taught that this restoration will involve the ultimate salvation of all humans.

Apollinarianism A fourth-century interpretation of the person of Christ: The divine Christ did not take on a complete human nature, but only its flesh; his human soul (rationality or nous) was replaced by the Logos or Word.

Apollinarius (ca. 310-ca. 390) Bishop of Laodicea who taught that in the Incarnation the divine Logos took the place of the human psyche, so that Jesus’ humanity was in effect restricted to his physical body. Apollinarius and his views were condemned by the Council of Constantinople in 381.

Apologetics That branch of Christian theology that has as its aim the reasoned advocacy of the Christian faith. It includes both positive arguments for the truth of Christianity and rebuttals of criticisms leveled at it.

Apologia A defense of a particular view.

Apologist One who engages in arguing for the truth of a view, especially of the Christian message; in particular, one of the secondand third-century theologians who vigorously defended Christianity.

Apophatic theology A way of relating to God according to the belief that God cannot be conceptualized in human categories.

Apostasy A “falling away,” usually a deliberate and total abandonment of the faith previously held.

Apostate One who departs from the faith.

“A posteriori” statements Statements that are logically posterior to, or dependent upon, sense experience.

Apostles’ Creed A brief early summary of the Christian faith, formerly believed to have been constructed by the twelve apostles. In its present form, the creed probably dates from aboutA.D. 700. Its predecessor, the Roman Creed, probably originated in the second half of the second century.

Apostolic fathers A group of early Christian writers following the apostles and preceding the apologists (approximately the first half of the second century).

Apostolicity Possession of apostolic sanction and authority.

Apostolic succession The teaching that authority in the church has been transmitted by ordination or laying on of hands from the apostles to present-day clergy.

Apothegm stories According to formcritical interpretation of the Bible, stories that provide a historical setting for sayings or pronouncements, particularly those of Jesus in the Gospels.

“A priori” statements Statements that are logically prior to, or independent of, sense perception.

Aquinas, Thomas See THOMAS AQUINAS.

Aramaic A Semitic language. A cognate of Hebrew, Aramaic was probably the language usually spoken by Jesus. Parts of Ezra and Daniel are written in Aramaic.

Archaeology The study of ancient culture through the investigation of ancient artifacts. Biblical archaeology has as its aim the illumination of the biblical text.

Archaizing The making of modern things ancient. The term is used to refer to attempts to get modern persons to think in the thought forms of earlier cultures.

Archangels Chief angels. The only one named in Scripture is Michael (Jude 9). The only other reference to “archangel” (1 Thess. 4:16) does not give a name. The other angel named in Scripture, Gabriel (Dan. 8:16; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26), is not identified as an archangel.

Archbishop In episcopal forms of church government, an official possessing higher authority than does a bishop. An archbishop presides over an archdiocese, which comprises a number of dioceses.

Arianism A view of the person of Christ according to which he is the highest of the created beings and is thus appropriately referred to as god, but not the God.

Aristotelianism An empirical philosophy that makes the form-matter distinction the key to metaphysics and holds that all knowledge is gained through sense perception.

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) Greek philosopher who, though a student of Plato, developed an empirical system of philosophy quite contrary to Plato’s ideas.

Arius A fourth-century theologian whose views of the person of Christ were condemned at the Council of Nicea (325).

Armageddon A place referred to in Revelation 16:16. It is most frequently identified with the mountain of Megiddo. The final battle between the forces of God and those of Satan will be at Armageddon.

Arminianism A view that contradicts the Calvinist understanding of predestination. Arminianism holds that God’s decision to give salvation to certain persons and not to others is based on his foreknowledge of who will believe. It also includes the idea that genuinely regenerate people can lose their salvation, and that some actually do. Arminianism often has a less serious view of human depravity than does Calvinism.

Arminius, James (1560-1609) A Dutch Reformed minister and theologian whose teachings gave birth to the theological system known as Arminianism.

Armstrongism See WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD.

Article of faith A particular doctrinal tenet. The specific doctrines in a creed or confession are often referred to as articles.

Articles of Religion The standards of doctrine of the United Methodist Church.

Asbury, Francis (1745-1816) Methodist minister who was largely responsible for the introduction of Methodism in the United States.

Ascension Day The day of Jesus’ return to heaven, the fortieth day after his resurrection (Acts 1:3, 9).

Ascension of Christ Jesus’ bodily departure from the earth and return to heaven on the fortieth day after his resurrection (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9).

Ascetical theology Theology dealing with the attempt to attain Christian perfection through various ascetic practices.

Asceticism The practice of self-discipline, especially the renunciation of certain bodily pleasures.

Aseity of God See GOD, ASEITY OF.

Ash Wednesday The day marking the beginning of Lent.

Asian theology Theology developed by Asians in attempts to conceptualize the Christian message in such a way as to be relevant to the Asian culture. Such attempts often stem from the perception that Western theology has corrupted the essence of the Christian message.

Assensus A Latin word referring to the aspect of faith that involves intellectual assent to certain propositions.

Assumption of Mary See MARY, ASSUMPTION OF.

Assumption of Moses An apocalyptic book purporting to be Moses’ farewell exhortation to Joshua.

Assurance (of salvation) The divinely given confidence of the believer that he or she is truly saved.

Atemporality God is outside of time, rather than being of infinite duration within it.

Athanasius (293-373) Bishop of Alexandria who was a champion of the orthodox view of Christ and, in particular, effectively opposed Arianism.

Atheism The belief that there is no God.

Atheism, Christian See DEATH OF GOD THEOLOGY.

Atman In Hinduism, individual parts of the whole of reality, which is called Brahma.

Atonement The aspect of the work of Christ, and particularly his death, that makes possible the restoration of fellowship between individual believers and God.

Atonement, Day of The day on which the Old Testament priest made atonement for all the sins of the people (Lev. 16).

Atonement, Example Theory of The view that the effect of the atonement was through the example Jesus gave us of dedication to the Father, which we then should emulate.

Atonement, Governmental theory of the The teaching that the major effect of the death of Christ was to demonstrate the holiness of God’s law and the seriousness of transgressing it.

Atonement, Limited The interpretation of the atonement that says Christ died only for the elect.

Atonement, Moral-influence theory of the The view that the effect of Christ’s death was to demonstrate to us the love of God and thus to induce us to respond to God’s offer of salvation.

Atonement, Particular See ATONEMENT, LIMITED.

Atonement, Penal-substitution theory of the The idea that Christ’s death is a sacrifice offered in payment of the penalty for our sins. It is accepted by God the Father as satisfaction in place of the penalty due to us.

Atonement, Ransom theory of the The idea that the blood of Christ was a ransom paid to Satan to deliver humans from his control.

Atonement, Satisfaction theory of the The view that Christ’s death was a sacrifice to God in payment of the penalty for the wrong we have done against him.

Atonement, Universal See ATONEMENT, UNLIMITED.

Atonement, Unlimited The doctrine that Christ died for all persons, whether elect or not.

Atonement, Vicarious The view that the atoning death of Christ was on behalf of sinners.

Attributes, Communication of See COMMUNICATION OF ATTRIBUTES.

Attributes of God The characteristics or qualities of God that constitute him as what he is. They should not be thought of as something attributed to or predicated of him, as if something could be added to his nature. Rather, they are inseparable from his being.

Attributes of God, Absolute Those characteristics of God that are independent of, or irrespective of, his relationship to created objects and persons.

Attributes of God, Communicable Attributes of God for which corresponding characteristics can be found in human nature.

Attributes of God, Emanant Qualities of God that relate to his creation.

Attributes of God, Incommunicable Attributes of God for which no corresponding characteristics can be found in human nature.

Attributes of God, Moral See MORAL ATTRIBUTES.

Attributes of God, Natural See NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.

Attributes of God, Transitive or relative Those attributes of God that are involved in his relationship to his creation.

Augsburg Confession The basic Lutheran confession of faith. Written by Philipp Melanchthon, it was presented to the Diet of Augsburg in 1530.

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Bishop of Hippo. A great theological synthesizer and interpreter of the Christian faith, Augustine is generally considered the greatest theologian of the early church.

Augustinian-Donatist controversy SeeDONATISM.

Augustinianism A theological system emphasizing the depravity of human nature, the necessity of divine predestination, and the priority of faith over reason. To a large extent, Augustinianism involved a synthesis of Platonic philosophy and Christian theology.

Augustinian theodicy An attempt to explain evil as a part of the creation that is necessary for its greater good.

Aulén, Gustaf Emanuel Hildebrand (1879-1978) Swedish theologian and bishop associated with the Lundensian school of theology, which emphasizes the primacy of love. He is best known for Christus Victor, his restatement of what he calls the classic view of the atonement, an earlier form of which is the ransom theory.

Authentic existence In existentialism, a way of life that asserts one’s own individuality and freedom. It is a secular equivalent of salvation.

Authenticity, Criteria of Criteria employed by form critics and redaction critics to assess whether words attributed to Jesus in the Gospels were actually spoken by him.

Authenticity, Question of The question of whether the words attributed to Jesus are actually from him.

Authoritarianism Forceful or dogmatic insistence upon blind adherence to a view or practice.

Authority The right to command belief or action.

Authority, Imperial The right to issue a decree because of the position that one holds.

Authority of the Bible See BIBLE, AUTHORITY OF THE.

Averroes (1126-1198) Islamic philosopher who attempted to recover the true essence of Aristotelian thought independently of theological considerations.

Averroism A view that seems to imply that a proposition true in theology may contradict one that is true in philosophy, and vice versa.

Azusa Street meetings Meetings held in a former Methodist church at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles in 1906 by a black holiness preacher named William I. Seymour. They are often considered the beginning of modern Pentecostalism.

Bb

Backsliding A temporary or partial diminution of one’s spiritual commitment. It is less serious or major than apostasy.