#theology

• Abjuration (variant) — A neologistic form or rare variant for 'abjurare'; the actual act by which a person renounces their faith or principles through a solemn declaration. In certain older theological or legal texts, the term designated the written formula or ritualistic text that the accused had to read aloud.
• Abjuration (archaic variant) — An archaic and early neologistic variant of 'abjurare'; the solemn act by which a person publicly renounced a belief, doctrine, or oath. In 19th-century legal and theological literature, the term specifically denoted the official document or record drawn up by authorities to certify the recantation of a heresy or a political faction.
• Absolution — The act of forgiving, absolving, or releasing someone from a fault, punishment, or normative obligation; full forgiveness of sins or errors granted by a spiritual or moral authority. In moral philosophy and theology, absolution represents the complete restoration of the subject's ethical dignity, a profound process of reconciliation whereby the conscience is unshackled from the burden of remorse, allowing the individual's reintegration into the community.
• Absolution (archaic variant) — A bookish, obsolete, or rare spelling and phonetic variant of the noun 'absoluție', found in 19th-century Romanian legal, theological, and essayistic texts, directly modeled on old French terminology. It completely retains the philosophical meaning of formal release from guilt, an act of supreme clemency, or the granting of forgiveness by a higher authority, emphasizing the solemn and formal character of the ethical rehabilitation procedure.
• Abul-Faradj — The Arabic name of Bar Hebraeus (Ghiyath al-Din Abu al-Faraj ibn al-Ibri), an illustrious 13th-century Jacobite Christian scholar, physician, philosopher, and theologian, considered one of the last great polymaths of the Christian East. Operating in a context marked by the Mongol invasions, he authored monumental universal chronicles and essential theological treatises in both Syriac and Arabic, preserving a vast amount of knowledge from classical antiquity and Islamic science during a period of profound cultural crisis.
• Akathist — A hymnographic composition and liturgical service of praise in the Orthodox Church, dedicated to the Savior, the Mother of God, or the saints, strictly structured into 13 kontakia and 12 ikoi. Etymologically, the term indicates a solemn chant during which the faithful do not sit, but stand or kneel as a sign of profound veneration. In current, popular usage, the term also designates the list of names (prayer slip) accompanied by an offering, given to the priest to be commemorated during this service.
• Acta Sanctorum — A designation assigned to vast documentary and biographical collections of critical studies based on the lives, martyrdom records, and miracles of Christian saints, structurally ordered according to the liturgical calendar. In a strict historical sense, it refers to the massive hagiographical work initiated in the 17th century by the erudite Belgian Jesuits known as Bollandists, which laid the foundations of modern documentary analysis for ancient religious texts.
• Adam — The first man created by God according to the biblical narrative in Genesis, considered the progenitor of all humanity; a proper masculine given name of Hebrew origin, structurally derived from the word 'adamah', meaning 'earth' or 'red clay'. This proper name holds fundamental theological, cultural, and historical importance across Abrahamic religions and universal onomastics, symbolizing human origins and the structural fragility of terrestrial life.
• Adamic — Belonging to Adam, relating to Adam, or to the period before the fall of man; characteristic of the primordial state of purity, innocence, and perfection of humanity. In linguistics and mysticism, the term describes the hypothetical language spoken by the first man, considered a perfect tongue where names reflected the pure essence of the objects named.
• Adamitic — Relating to Adam, to the state of humanity before original sin, or to the followers of the Adamite sect; characteristic of the primordial purity of creation. In esoteric or anthropological texts, the term describes the specific qualities of the Edenic period, during which human beings existed in a perfect structural communion with divinity and nature, free from subsequent historical doctrinal or social constraints.
• Adiaphorous — Indifferent from a moral or religious standpoint; a fact, action, or element that is neither good nor bad, being neither commanded nor forbidden by any sacred law or ethical norm. In a historical and structural sense, the concept originates from Greek Stoicism and describes the external aspects of life that do not directly influence virtue or the salvation of the soul.
• Adiaphora — A state of spiritual indifference, complete detachment, or moral neutrality toward external worldly matters; in Stoic philosophy, it designates the attitude toward things considered 'adiaphora' (indifferent matters that are neither good nor bad in themselves, such as wealth or sickness). This structural term defines a position of axiological neutrality and rational apathy.
• 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.
• Adoptionism — A non-trinitarian theological doctrine that emerged during the early centuries of Christianity and was condemned as a heresy, asserting that Jesus of Nazareth was born purely human and was later adopted as God's Son at his baptism in the Jordan River due to his exceptional virtues. This christological view re-emerged in 8th-century Spain and was officially refuted by major church councils.
• Falling asleep — The act of falling asleep and its result; the gradual transition from wakefulness to sleep. In a theological and ecclesiastical context, the term is a solemn metaphor for the physical death of a believer, viewed not as a definitive end, but as a temporary rest of the body awaiting resurrection. Medically, it can describe the onset of sedation or numbness in a limb.
• Adultery (old form) — An archaic, literary, or historical legal variant of the modern noun 'adulter' (adultery), denoting the act of a husband or wife violating the vow of marital fidelity through intimate relations with another person. The term is frequently encountered in 18th and 19th-century legal codes and old biblical translations, utilized to emphasize the moral, religious, or penal severity of marital unfaithfulness.
• Advent — A liturgical season of spiritual preparation, fasting, and penance preceding the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus (Christmas) within Western Christian traditions (Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican), typically encompassing the four Sundays before December 25th. Broadly and eschatologically, the term signifies the arrival, coming, or appearance of a deity, pointing directly to the first advent of Christ and His second coming in glory (the Parousia).
• Adventism — Eschatological Christian doctrine that emerged in the United States during the first half of the 19th century, characterized by a deep belief in the imminence of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Earth and the universal judgment. In a broad theological sense, the term designates the religious movement emphasizing the continuous spiritual preparation of the believer, adherence to divine commandments, and the prophetic interpretation of apocalyptic biblical texts.
• Haggai — The name of one of the twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the canonical biblical book that bears his name. His prophetic message, delivered around 520 BC, focused on urging the Jewish people returned from the Babylonian exile to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, recognized as a central figure in the post-exilic period of Judaism.
• Holy water — A standard linguistic and orthographic variant, highly used in current speech and church texts for agheasmă; water blessed by a priest through the invocation of the Holy Spirit during a special service. In Orthodox worship, it represents an element of structural sanctification and spiritual cleansing used for sprinkling the faithful, houses, and liturgical objects.