Encyclopedia of Biblical Philology and Semitic Religious Studies

• Adonai — A Hebrew name used in the Old Testament (Torah) to designate the supreme divinity, literally translated as 'my Lord' or 'my Master'. This liturgical and theological term is traditionally used by Jewish communities as a pious and respectful substitute to avoid pronouncing the sacred Tetragrammaton (YHWH), whose name is considered ineffable.
• Angelus — A Christian devotional prayer (specifically within the Roman Catholic Church) commemorating the Incarnation, named after the opening words of the Latin text: 'Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae'. The term also denotes the specific tolling of church bells that announces the times for this prayer, three times a day (morning, noon, and evening), or an artistic representation inspired by this sacred spiritual moment.
• Ascesis — The voluntary, systematic, and persistent effort of spiritual perfection through rigorous exercises of mortification of desires, fasting, prayer, and self-imposed deprivations. It represents a fundamental practical method in the world's great religions and ascetic systems, aiming to free the soul from the dominance of biological instincts and achieve mystical union with the divine.
• Baha'i — An adherent of or a term referring to the Bahá'í Faith, an independent universal monotheistic religion founded in the 19th century in Persia by Bahá'u'lláh. Its core teachings promote the fundamental unity of God, the unified divine origin of all major world religions, and the essential unity of all humanity, actively advocating for the elimination of prejudice, racism, or nationalism.