Bible Terms (Amen to Easter)

I was 20 years old and a new believer reading the Bible for the first time, when I encountered terms that I wasn’t familiar with. I thought the book of Job had something to do with employment. I will address a few of the terms that every Christian should know.

1. Amen – A friend of mine thought that this was the magic word that would shoot your prayer up to God. This word first appears in the Old Testament of the Bible. The Hebrew word Amen (אָמֵן) means; “So be it; truly; or verily”. We use it to express strong agreement. We get the New Testament word from the Greek word (ἀμήν) which translates into English as truly, amen or verily in the King James translation. Since the King James version was finished in 1611, verily seems a little strange to our ears.

2. Anointing – to pour or smear water, oil or other substances primarily on the head. In Judaism, it was used to set someone apart (consecration or holy) for religious purposes. It was used to initiate kings and priests. The word Messiah, translated to Christos in Greek, means “The Anointed One”.

3. Antichrist - in Christianity, the Antichrist, has come to mean a person, or an image of a person, that is an embodiment of evil. The word Antichrist is translated from the combination of two ancient Greek words (anti + Christos), which can mean "opposite" (of) Christos "anointed" therefore "opposite of Christ" (the meaning of Christ as the 'anointed one'.

4. Apocalypse – any prophetic revelation or so-called End Time scenario, or to the end of the world in general.

5. Apostle – Someone sent out. Jesus’ Disciples (followers) were trained in order to send them on specific missions.

6. Baptism – A religious act of purification by water usually associated with admission to membership or fullness of membership of Christianity. Baptism means to wash and was a requirement to convert to Judaism. John (the Baptizer), used this form of ritualized cleansing to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. In modern days, baptism is a way to publicly proclaim your faith in Jesus the Christ.

7. Christian – a person who follows and adheres to the teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament and prophesied in the Old Testament.

8. Church – Most English translations of the New Testament generally use the word church as a translation of the Ancient Greek term "ἐκκλησία" which means an assembly. We often use this term to represent a building or the place we assemble to worship. I will discuss church more in a later blog.

9. Circumcision – this practice began in the Old Testament when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Jesus and Paul and presumably the Jewish Christians were circumcised according to biblical tradition, the Council of Jerusalem made the practice optional for converts as is the case today among most Christians.

10. Covenant – is a formal agreement between two parties; usually between God and a person or persons. The first covenant mentioned in the Bible was between God and Noah. The covenant applies to all humanity and to all other living creatures. In this covenant, God promises never again to destroy all life on Earth by flood and creates the rainbow as the sign. Later, God made a covenanting with Abraham. God promised to bless Abraham and make a great nation that will bless all nations. God promised to give Abraham's descendants all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates. Later, this land came to be referred to as the Promised Land or the Land of Israel.

11. Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden beam and left to hang for several days until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. The crucifixion of Jesus is a central narrative in Christianity, and the cross is the main religious symbol for many Christian churches.

12. Easter – Is an important religious feast for Christians liturgical year. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus; which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33. Why is it always on a different Sunday every year? Because Jesus celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover (the Last Supper), his crucifixion and subsequent resurrections are linked. Since the Jewish holiday calendar is based on solar and lunar cycles, each feast day is movable, with dates shifting from year to year. It gets a little complicated because some denominations use different calculations. However, the most accepted method for calculating Easter is based on the following. Easter is the first day of the week (Sunday), after the first full moon following the first day of Spring (vernal equinox). For this reason, Easter can range from March 22 through April 25 in Western Christianity. Whew! Who knew that a holiday revolving around Jesus rising from the dead and the gathering of colored eggs could be so complicated; but that’s a topic for another blog!