GLOSSARY
of Terms relating to the Jewish People, Evangelical Christians,
and the relationships between them
- Abraham --
- an ancient Semite called out of ancient Babylon to serve the
One God, and become the father of the nation of Israel.
- Abrahamic Covenant --
- The contract (or "promise") God made with Abraham
as recorded in the book of Genesis, in which He promised to make
him a great nation and gave him the Land of Israel. See article.
- Aggadah --
- the narrative material in the Talmud.
- Anno Mundi --
- Latin for "In the Year of the World." The Jewish
year is given in terms of "Anno Mundi," meaning the
count is meant to reflect the number of years since the Creation
of the World.
- Anti-Semitism --
- Attitudes and actions directed against the Jewish people.
- aravah
-
Willow, one of the Four Species used in the ceremonial celebration of Sukkoth.
see article on Sukkoth.
- Ashkenazi --
- Jewish person of Eastern European descent. See also Sephardi.
- Atonement --
- Reconciliation with God through the expiation of sin. Hebrew
Kapparah. See also Yom Kippur.
- Beit ha-Mikdash or Beis ha-Mikdah--
- A Hebrew term for the Jerusalem Temple.
- Blackstone Memorial
--
- A petition resulting from a congress called by William E. Blackstone,
and presented to President Benjamin Harrison on March 5, 1891,
concerning Jewish persecutions in Russia. Blackstone proposed
an international conference with the goal of restoring the
land of Palestine to the covenant people Israel "and
to promote in all other just and proper ways the alleviation of
their suffering condition." The petition has come to be known
as the Blackstone Memorial. Click
Here to view text
- Bible Codes
-
Alleged messages hidden in consonantal text of the Hebrew Bible.
see article
- Blackstone, William E. --
- 19th century Christian teacher who championed the Zionist
cause (he was a Zionist before Herzl!) and founded the organization
which became known as American Messianic Fellowship and then AMF
International. Click Here to View
Portrait
- Book of Life --
- Divine ledger in which the names of those who will be granted
in life are recorded. See Article on Rosh
Hashana.
- born again --
- From the term used by Yeshua in the third chapter of the New
Testament book of John (John 3:3), meaning to receive salvation
by trusting in Yeshua, hence becoming a "new creature"
(2 Corinthians 5:17).
- Brit ha-Hadashah. --
- Hebrew for "the New Covenant" a phrase used by the
prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31). See New Testament.
Challah -- see hallah.
- Christ --
- from "Christos," the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew
term "Messiah." Both words literally
mean "Anointed One" This was the word used in the Septuagint,
an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures as prepared
by Jewish translators three centuries before the time of Jesus.
When early Christians believed they had found their Messiah, they
naturally referred to him as "the Christ." When Christians
say "Jesus Christ" they are actually saying "Jesus
the Messiah."
- Christian --
- according to the New Testament, this term was first used at
Antioch to describe the Jewish faction that believed they had
found the "Christ" (i.e., Messiah) in Yeshua. Today
it means anyone who trusts in "the Christ" (i.e., Yeshua/Jesus)
as his Savior.
- Christian Zionism --
- Activism on the part of Christians toward the establishment
of a homeland for the Jewish people. (William E.
Blackstone, founder of AMF International, is acknowledged
by the Encyclopedia Judaica as foremost among the early
Christian Zionists.)
- Church --
- 1) an assembly of Christian believers. 2) All Christian believers
everywhere.
- Crusades --
- campaigns on the part of the "Christian" nations of
Europe to liberate Palestine from the hands of
the Muslims, 1096-1271. The fervor against the "infidel"
Muslims easily spread to Anti-Jewish sentiments. Jewish money
was confiscated to help defray the expenses of the Crusades. Jewish
communities had to buy "protection" from their "Christian"
overlords.
- Diaspora --
- (Lit. the scattering of seed) the "scattering" of
the Jewish people across the earth.
- Dispensationalism --
- a theological view of Time as held by many evangelicals,
which divides the history of Mankind into periods called dispensations,
according the ways God related into Man in each period.
- Dreidl, or Dreidel
--
- a four-sided top with which games are played at Hanukkah.
Click here for more on the dreidl.
- Elijah's Cup--
- A cup with wine which is poured but not drunk during the Passover
Seder, between the third and fourth cups.
- Eretz Israel --
- Hebrew for "the Land of Israel" -- the Promised Land
as given to Israel by God.
- Esther --
- a Jewish girl who became the Queen of Persia and thus had opportunity
to overturn a wicked plot to destroy the Jewish people. Also,
the book of the Bible by the same name, which describes these
events and the establish of the holiday of Purim.
- etrog
-
The citron, one of the Four Species used in the ceremonial celebration of Sukkoth.
see article on Sukkoth.
- Evangelical --
- The word "evangelical" comes from the word "euangelion,"
which means "Good News," or "Gospel.". Briefly
stated, an evangelical is a Christian who believes, lives
and wants to share the gospel message.
- falafel --
- a Middle-Eastern snack made of balls of chick pea mush, which
are then deep fried and typically served in a pita with a variety
of toppings. Falafel is widely available in Israel and has
often been called the "national snack."
- Four Species
-
Arba'ah minim
Four plants used in the ceremonial celebration of Sukkoth, including the lulav (palm branch),
etrog (citron), hadas (myrtle) and aravah (willow). Based on Biblical requirement regarding the "Fruit of goodly trees"
in Leviticus 23:40.see article on Sukkoth.
- Gemara --
- (Lit. "Completion") A compilation of rabbinical commentaries
on the Mishnah. Written down by A.D. 500. See
Also Talmud.
- Ghetto--
- A portion of a city in which Jews were required to live separately
from the general populace.
- Gospel --
- (Literally "good news," a literal translation of the
Greek word "euangelion.") The story of Yeshua who "died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and . . . was buried
and . . . rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."
(I Corinthians 15:3,4)
- goy, goyim --
- Gentile(s), non-Jews. The plural form "goyim" is used
in the Hebrew Bible of "nations" in general. Later came
to mean all other nations (besides Israel), and thence to individuals
outside the fold of Israel.
- grogger --
- traditional noisemaker used at Purim to
drown out the name of Haman.
- haddas
-
Myrtle, one of the Four Species used in the ceremonial celebration of Sukkoth.
see article on Sukkoth.
- Halakhah --
- (lit. "walk") A general term for the proscriptive
material in the Talmud. (ie., the parts that
tell you what to do as opposed to the story parts). See also Aggadah.
-
- Hallah --
- a special sweet, braided braid served in pairs of loaves and
traditional for the Sabbath.
-
- Haman --
- the villain in the story of Esther, who plotted
the extermination of the Jewish people.
- Hamantashen --
- a traditional three-cornered pastry associated with Purim.
Sometimes called "Haman's Hats." In Israel, they are
called "Ozney Haman," or "Haman's Ears!"
- Hamas --
- terrorist group founded in 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian
branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Principal political rival Arafat's
Fatah (PLO) organization. Has tens of thousands of Palestinian
supporters and sympathizers, but number of hard-core terrorists
is unknown.
- Hanukkah --
- an eight-day holiday commemorating the rededication of the Jewish
Temple. See article
- Har ha-Bayit --
- Hebrew for Hill of the House, i.e, the Temple Mount.
- Haroset --
- One of the dishes featured in the Passover
Seder, typically made wiith apples and nuts, sometimes said to
represent the mortar used by the Jewish slaves in Egypt. (See
sample Recipe)
- HaShem --
- "the name"; Hebrew alternative for the divine name.
- Hasidism --
- Mystical movement in Judaism originating in the Middle Ages.
- Hebrew --
- 1) The ancient language of the Jewish people, and the modern
language of the State of Israel.
- 2) An Israelite
- Hebrews --
- A book of the Brit ha-Hadashah, addressed to
Jewish believers in Yeshua.
- Hezbollah --
- an umbrella organization of various radical Shiite groups, formed
following the 1982 Peace for Galilee War conducted under Ariel
Sharon to force the PLO, a terrorist organization, from Lebanon.
The war succeeded only in part. On Israel's departure from Lebanon
(under foreign pressure), they maintained, at the request of the
south Lebanese, a buffer zone south of the Litani River in Lebanon
to protect the panhandle of Israel and the civilian population
living there. That buffer zone is still patrolled by the Israeli
army and the South Lebanese forces, loyal to Israel. Roadside
bombs and other attacks are conducted against the Israeli and
South Lebanese forces in this zone.
- Holocaust --
- (from the Greek term for a burnt offering). The systematic Nazi
destruction of European Jewry which began in 1933 when Adolph
Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. This tragic event
reduced the world's Jewish population by over one third.
- Inquisition --
- A tribunal once set up by the Roman Catholic Church, intended
to weed out heresy from the realms of Christendom. Many Jews lost
their homes and livelihoods in this age of intolerance, as did
many gentiles who did not confess to the official doctrines of
the established Church..
- Isaiah 53 --
- A chapter of the Hebrew Bible which many think refers to the
Messiah in general and many to Yeshua in particular. Click here
to view it on-line in Hebrew and English.
-
- Jerusalem --
- Hebrew Yerushalayim. The capital of Israel since it
was taken from the Jebusites by King David (2 Samuel 5:6-10)
- Jesus --
- The name of a first century Jew of the Second Temple Period
known more fully as Yeshua benYosef ha-Notzri, the adopted
son of a carpenter from Nazareth, hailed by his followers as the
promised Jewish Messiah and Savior of the World.
(NOTE: The name Yeshua, when converted to Greek, which was the
lingua franca of the times, comes out IESOUS (Yay-soos). In Latin
spelling that would be Iesus or Jesus (still pronounced
(Yay-soos). The Latin spelling has been retained in most Western
European languages
using the Latin alphabet, although pronunciation varies according
to idiosyncrasies of each language, especially with regard to
the phonetic value of the letter "J" -- "dzh"
in English, "zh" in French, "h" in Spanish
and "y" in German! (See article Who
is Yeshua/Jesus, also New Testament books of Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John)
- Jew --
- from Greek Ioudaios, someone from Judea or "Judah."
Later used of anyone descended from Israel. In modern usage, according
to halakhah, one is a Jew if one has Jewish parents
(at least a Jewish mother), or has undergone conversion in accordance
with Jewish law.
- Josephus, Flavius --
- First century Jewish historian. One of the principal extra-biblical
historical sources of information on the Second Temple / New Testament
period. See article Josephus.
- Judah --
- Hebrew Yehudah. 1) One of the 12 patriarchs (sons of
Israel). 2) The tribe descended from him 3) That tribe's allotment
in the promised land.4) After the political division of the country
following Solomon's reign, the Southern Kingdom, consisting of
the tribes of Benjamin and Judah.
- Judaism --
- The religious system of the Jewish people, centered on the
belief in One God and his Covenant with the Jewish people as
described in the Torah..
See also Tanakh, Talmud.
- Kehilah --
- Community or Congregation. Synagogues and Messianic churches
are often called kehilot (plural of kehilah).
- Kibbutz --
- a (usually) rural community in Israel based on communal property,
in which members have no private property but share the work and
the profits of some collective enterprise, typically agricultural
but sometimes also industrial..
- Kippah --
- Hebrew name for the yarmulke, or skull cap
worn by observant Jewish males. (More.)
- Kitel --
- Special white garment worn on special occasions such as Pesach
or Yom Kippur, reminiscent of the garment the priest would have
worn in Temple times
- Kol Nidre --
- Hebrew prayer meaning "all vows" which ushers in Yom
Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
-
- Latkes --
- potato pancakes traditional at Hanukkah, often
served with applesauce or sour cream.
- Lord's Day --
- The first day of the week (Sunday), as the day the Lord Yeshua
was raised from the Dead. Celebrated as a day of worship by most
Christians since early times.
-
lulav
-
The palm branch, one of the Four Species used in the ceremonial celebration of Sukkoth.
see article on Sukkoth.
- Magen David --
- literally "shield of David," the Hebrew name for the
familiar six-pointed star which has become a universal sign of
Judaism. Featured on the modern Israeli flag.
- matzah, matzoh --
- Flat, unleavened bread used during the Passover.
One of the elements of the Seder.
- May Laws --
- legislation enacted in Russia, May 1882, prohibiting the Jewish
people from living in or acquiring property except in predetermined
locales. Repealed in effect in 1915, and legally in 1917 after
the Russian revolution. The May Laws caused local expulsions and
intolerable overcrowding and economic hardship, leading to massive
Jewish emigration.
- meshumad --
- Literally "one deserving of extinction." A traitor
to Judaism, a heretic.
- Messiah --
- the long-awaited deliverer of the Jewish people, as foretold
by the Hebrew prophets. See the article Messianic
Hope and Disappointment
- Messianic --
- Pertaining to the person or concept of "Messiah."
(q.v.) Jewish people who believe Yeshua to be the Messiah
sometimes use this term to describe thier particular kind of
faith. It is the etymological equivalent of the word Christian,
which is derived from Chritos the word used
by ancient Greek-speaknig Jews for messiah.
- Messianic Age --
- a time of peace and prosperity as foretold by the Hebrew prophets.
Traditional thinking is that Messiah will bring this about. Reform
Judaism hold this to be an ideal to be reached through human endeavor,
and does not expect a personal Messiah at all. We who believe
in him believe that Yeshua ha-Mashiach will usher in the Messianic
Age when he returns (see Millennium).
- mezuzah --
- A small, elongated decorative box, usually of metal or ceramic
attached to the doorframe of a Jewish home. Inside the mezuzah
is a tiny handwritten scroll on which are written Deuteronomy
6:4-9 and 11:13-21. Both of these passages mention writing
the precepts of God on the doorposts. The mezuzah is a way
of fulfilling this literally. (See also tefillin).
- Millennium --
- Literally a period of a thousand years. Also used as common
shorthand for "Millennial Reign, " the thousand-year
reign of the Messiah, a time of universal peace and prosperity
on the earth. (Rev. 20, Isaiah 11, etc.)
- Mishnah --
- Lit. "Repetition". A compilation of the rabbinical
oral laws or traditions. These oral laws were written down by
200 AD. See also Gemara, Talmud
- Neilah--
- The closing service of Yom Kippur, which ends
with a blast of the shofar and the exclamation "Next Year
in Jerusalem!"
- New Covenant --
- The prophet Jeremiah predicted a time when God would make a
"New Covenant" with Israel, unlike the first Covenant
made at Sinai. See article on Rosh
Hashana.
- New Testament --
- a collection of documents composed within the first two or three
generations after Yeshua, comprised of the four Gospels (biographies
of Yeshua), a history of the early church, several letters from
the apostles addressed to various churches and addressing assorted
issues of concern, and the book of John's vision of things to
come. We believe this new way is the "New
Covenant" spoken of by Jeremiah the prophet. (Jeremiah
31:31)
- Nicea, Council of --
- A council of the early church which convened at Nicea in the
year 365, in which (among many other decisions) Christians were
prohibited from celebrating the Passover with
the Jewish people. (We at AMFI do not consider this particular
decision valid!)
- Oral Law --
- other instruction beyond the written Torah,
which is nevertheless considered by some Jewish people as the
Word of God.
- PA --
- The Palestinian Authority
- Palestine --
- A name given to Eretz Israel after the conquest
of Judea in 70 AD. It is derived from the word "Philistines,"
a people who had occupied the coastal areas of the land in ancient
times, but who had long since passed from history.
- Passover --
- the celebration on the 15th of Nisan of the liberation of the
Jewish people from their bondage in Egypt as described in the
book of Exodus. For a discussion of Passover customs as seen from
a Messianic perspective, see Messiah in
the Passover
- Pesach --
- Hebrew for "Passover"
- Phylacteries --
- see Tefillin
- Pilgrim Festivals --
- The three feasts of Israel which required a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
by all who were able. These are Passover,
Shavuot and Sukkoth.
- Pogroms --
- organized massacres of Jewish communities carried out in 19th
century Russia.
- Premillennialism --
- the view within Christianity that the Rapture
of the Church will occur before the Millennium.
- Purim --
- The Jewish holiday observed each year on the 14th of Adar, celebrating
the deliverance of the Jewish people from the wicked Haman
in the days of Queen Esther of Persia, as described
in the book of Esther. (Esther 9:18-28) See article.
- Qohelet --
- A book of wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible, known in English
as Ecclesiastes.
- Quiet Time --
- A term used among evangelicals to denote a time set aside for
personal meditation and communion with God.
- Rapture --
- the supernatural "catching up" of all believers into
the air to meet Yeshua/Jesus, as alluded to in
First and Second Thessalonians, especially 1 Thess. 4:17. See
Rosh Hashana article
- Reform Judaism --
- One of the three major branches of Judaism, and the most liberal.
- Romans 11 --
- A Chapter of the New Testament written by the apostle Paul,
in which he upholds the continuing importance of the Jewish people
in God's plan for the universe.
- Rosh Hashana --
- Jewish New Year, celebrated on the First of Tishri (September/October),
the same as what the Bible calls "the Feast of Trumpets"
(Lev. 23:23-25, Num. 29:1-6). See article.
- Sabbath --
- The seventh day of the week, holy to the Jewish people by the
commandment of God. (Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15)
- Savior --
- Another title for the Messiah as the one who saves men's souls.
- Seder --
- Hebrew for "order" A ceremonial meal eaten at Passover.
see Messiah in the Passover
- Sephardic --
- (from the ancient Biblical name "Sepharad", which
came to be associated with Spain.) Pertaining to Jews whose ancestors
came from Spain and Portugal before the expulsion of the Jews
from those lands in 1492/7.
- Shabbat --
- Hebrew for "Sabbath"
- Shabbes / Shabbos --
- Yiddish for "Sabbath"
- Shalom --
- Hebrew. Peace, Hello, and Goodbye.
- Shavuot --
- One of the three Pilgrim Festivals required in the Torah. Also
known as The Feast of Weeks and Pentecost, celebrated seven weeks
after Passover.
- Shoah --
- The Hebrew term for the Holocaust.
- Shofar --
- a ram's horn. The rams horn makes a very impressive noise, and
has been used since ancient times to summon troops to battle or
the people to assemble. Also used to mark approach of Sabbath
and other Holy Days. Especially associated with Rosh
Hashana.
- Shul --
- Yiddish for "synagogue"
- sufganiyot --
- Israeli jelly doughnuts eaten at Hanukkah.
- Sukkah--
- a "booth" or shelter made for the holiday of Sukkoth.
- Sukkoth --
- Lit. "booths." One of the three Pilgrim Festivals
marked by the building of makeshift shelters called "sukkot"
to commemorate the wandering of the Israelites in the wilderness
on the way to the Promised Land. (see article).
- svivon--
- the Hebrew name for dreidl.
- synagogue --
- a meeting place of the Jewish people, from a Greek word meaning
"lead together".
- tabernacle --
- from Latin tabernaculum, "tent." The word used
in many English translations of the Torah for the Tent of Meeting,
the portable forerunner of the Temple which God commanded Moses
to build when the Israelites were wandering in the Wilderness.
This word is also used for sukkah, a
temporary structure built yearly for the holiday of Sukkoth,
which is therefore also called The Feast of Tabernacles.
- tallt, or "talis"--
- the prayer shawl worn by Jewish males during prayer and in synagogue.
- Talmud --
- The Mishnah and Gemara taken
together.
- Tanakh --
- The Jewish Scriptures, which are exactly the same canon as the
Protestant "Old Testament". The Hebrew term is an acronym
derived from the Hebrew words Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim; i.e.,
The Law, The Prophets and the Writings (poetry and wisdom literature)
(Compare the New Testament term, "the Law and the
Prophets" to stand for the Scriptures as a whole)
- tashlikh --
- A Rosh Hashana service in which observant Jews go to a body
of water such as a stream or an ocean, and toss the contents of
their pockets into it while reciting passages such as Micah 7:19,
("And thou wilt cast (Tashlikh) all their sins into
the depths of the sea.") as a symbol of sin being swallowed
up in forgiveness. See Rosh Hashana article
- tefillin --
- Small boxes containing verses of Scripture which religious Jewish
males bind to the wrist and forehead by means of leather straps,
in obedience to Ex. 13:9, 16 and Deut. 6:8, 11:18
- Temple --
- The holy place of worship in Jerusalem which replaced Moses
Wilderness Tabernacle on land purchased for it by King David,
and originally built by Solomon. In Reform Judaism, this word
can also mean synagogue.
- Temple Mount --
- The artificially expanded hill in Jerusalem on which the First
and second temples stood, now occupied by the Muslim Dome of the
Rock.
- Tish'a b'Av --
- or the "Ninth of Av". A Jewish holy day commemorating
the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar
King of Babylon. (Zech. 7:5, 8:19) According to tradition, it
was on this same date in 70 AD that the Romans under Titus destroyed
the Second Temple. Many other national disasters have been associated
with this date, including the Spanish Inquisition and the Holocaust,
and so Tish'a b'Av has come to stand for national calamity in
general. See article.
- Torah --
- The Pentateuch. The first five books of the Bible. Literally
"teaching" or "instruction" or "guidance."
Often translated "the Law" in English Bibles, as in
"the Law of the LORD is perfect" (Psalm 19:7 [verse
8 in Hebrew])
- Torah Codes
-
Alleged messages hidden in Hebrew text of the Torah.
see article
- Tu Bi-Shevat --
- A minor Jewish holiday marking the blossoming of the first trees
and the beginning of Spring. Also known as Hag ha-Ilanot,
or "New Year of the Trees" More.
- tzimmes -
- One of the elements of the Passover
Seder. See sample Recipe.
- tzitzit --
- The fringe on a tallit, based on the Torah
passages of Num. 15:37-41 and Deut. 22:12.
-U- -V-
- Wailing Wall --
- see Western Wall
- Western Wall --
- a portion of the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount,
regarded by the Jewish people as a holy place owing to its proximity
to the site of the Holy of Holies on the platform above it.
- xenophobia --
- the irrational fear of strangers or of persons
different from oneself. One of the roots of Anti-Semitism.
- yarmulke --
- A Yiddish word for the skull-cap worn by observant Jewish males.
See also kippah.
- yeshiva --
- An academy for study of the Talmud.
- Yeshua --
- From the Hebrew word for "salvation." Jesus'
original Hebrew name. See Article.
- Yeshua ha-Mashiach --
- Hebrew for "Yeshua the Messiah"
- Yiddish --
- A Germanic dialect written with Hebrew characters and the language
of the shtetl and other Jewish communities in Central and Eastern
Europe.
- Yiddishkeit --
- Roughly translated, "Jewish-hood," i.e., everything
that goes into being Jewish, from music to food to berakhot.
- Yom Ha'Atzmaut --
- Israeli Independence Day. See Article.
- Yom Kippur --
- The Day of Atonement. The holiest and most solemn day in the
Jewish calendar. In temple times, this was the day the High Priest
would approach the throne of God in the Holy of Holies to seek
atonement for the sins of the people.
Marked by fasting and abstinence from marital relations and use
of cosmetics and toiletries. See Article
- Zion --
- Originally another name for Mt. Moriah, the hill just north
of David's Jerusalem which he purchased from Araunah the Jebusite
as the site for the first Temple as built by Solomon. By extension,
the name is used of Jerusalem, and by further extension, the Land
of Israel.
- Zionism --
- The movement to restore the Jewish people to a sovereign homeland
of their own.
 Are
there other terms you'd like to see here? Send us e-mail!
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