The Case for God (65 page)

hilm
(Arabic). Forbearance; mercy; patience; tranquillity.

Holy Spirit
. Translation of the Hebrew
ruach
(“spirit”); term used by the rabbis, often interchangeably with Shekhinah, to refer to God’s presence on earth; distinct from God itself, the essence of the Godhead that exceeded human understanding or experience. The early Jewish Christians used the term to
describe the immanent divine force within them that filled them with an empowering energy and enabled them to understand the deeper meaning of Jesus’s mission.

hypostasis
(Greek); plural
hypostases
. Used in a secular context to express the exterior expression of a person’s inner nature; an object or person viewed from the outside; the Greeks used the term to describe the external, earthly manifestations of the unknown God as Logos and Holy Spirit.

hypothesis
(Greek derivation). A proposition put forward as the basis for discussion; a supposition or conjecture that accounts for known facts and serves as a starting point for further investigation that may or may not be proved.

idolatry
. The worship or veneration of a human or humanly constructed reality instead of the transcendent God.

ilam
(Akkadian). “Divinity,” which, in Mesopotamia, referred to a radiant power that lay beyond the gods and transcended any particular deity; a fundamental reality that could not be tied to a distinct form. The gods were not the source of
ilam
, but like all other creatures, they participated in this holiness.

iman
(Arabic). Translated as “faith,” but this does not mean “belief” in the modern sense. The
mu’min
(“faithful,” often misleadingly translated “believers”) are those who live up to the Muslim ideal, pray regularly, give alms, help the poor, perform the works of justice, and free their slaves.

incarnation
(Latin derivation). The embodiment of the divine in a human bodily form; see
avatar
.

intellectus
(Latin). “Intellect,” the most refined region of our reasoning powers, where reason, pushed as far as it can go, subverts itself and experiences the divine. Not dissimilar to
buddhi
.

Islam
(Arabic). An existential “surrender” of one’s entire being to God.

jahiliyyah
(Arabic). Traditionally translated as “time of ignorance” and used in Muslim sources to refer to the pre-Islamic period in Arabia. In English translations of the Qur’an, the noun
jahl
and the adjective
jahili
are often rendered as “unbelief” or “unbelieving.” This is not accurate. In the early sources, the primary meaning is violent and explosive; irascible; arrogant; chauvinist.

jihad
(Arabic). Struggle; endeavor; effort.

Kabbalah
(Hebrew). “Inherited tradition;” the mystical tradition of Judaism.

kaddosh
(Hebrew). Holy; literally “separate; other.”

kafir
(Arabic); plural
kafirun
. Traditionally translated as “unbeliever;” but more accurately it refers to somebody who ungratefully, churlishly, and aggressively rejects God; refuses to translate his belief in God’s creation of the world into benevolent and generous action; hoards wealth to build up a private fortune; and does not care for the poor and deprived.
Kufr
is not “unbelief” but “ingratitude” and “insolence.”

kenosis
(Greek). “Emptying;” the emptying of the self; the dismantling of egotism.

kerygma
(Greek). The public teaching of the Church, that, unlike
dogma
, can be expressed clearly and rationally and understood by people who do not participate in the rituals and ethical practices of Christianity.

lectio divina
(Latin). “Sacred study;” the monastic practice of reading scripture slowly and meditatively, identifying with the action, and experiencing moments of
ekstasis
.

logos
(Greek). “Dialogue speech;” reasoned, logical, and scientific thought. Ancient Greek philosophers used the term to denote the pragmatic, accurate mode of thought that was distinct from
mythos
. In Stoicism,
Logos
referred to the underlying
rational, ruling processes of nature that were also called “God” or “Spirit.” Christians identified the Logos with the Word and Wisdom of God that brought everything into being and had given human beings intimations of the divine throughout history. In the prologue to his gospel, Saint John claimed that the Logos (“Word”) had taken flesh in the person of Jesus. As Christian theology developed, the Logos would become one of the
hypostases, prosopoi, dunamis
, and
energeiai
of the otherwise unknown and unknowable God.

messiah
. From the Hebrew
messhiach
(“anointed one”); originally the term referred to the king of Israel, who was anointed during the coronation ceremony and achieved a special, cultic intimacy with God. He became a “son of God” and had a particular divine task. Priests and prophets were also given this title to denote their special mandate and closeness to Yahweh. By the time of Jesus, some Jews were looking forward to a future redeemer, possibly a king in the line of King David, who would usher in the Kingdom of God, an era of peace and justice.

midrash
(Hebrew). Jewish exegesis; derived from the verb
darash
(“to study, investigate, go in search of”). Jewish interpretation always retained the sense of a quest for something fresh, expectant inquiry; the investigation of something that was not immediately self-evident.

miqra
(Hebrew). “Call to action;” the early rabbis’ name for the scripture.

Mishnah
(Hebrew). Literally “learning by repetition;” a Jewish scripture composed between 135 and 200 CE that consisted of a collection of oral traditions and rabbinical legal rulings.

monotheism
. The form of religion that has only a single god as its chief symbol of the divine.

Muslim
(Arabic). A man or woman who has made the surrender of
islam. musterion
(Greek). “Mystery;” derived from the verb
muein
(“to close the eyes or the mouth”), it refers to an obscure reality, hidden from ordinary sight, that exists beyond the reach of language. It was also linked to the related word
myein
(“to initiate”) and
myesis
(“initiation”), hence the Mystery Cults that developed in the Greek world during the sixth century BCE, notably at Eleusis, secret rites that gave participants an overwhelming experience of the sacred. The term
musterion
was later applied by Greek Christians to describe the initiations of baptism and the Eucharist. Exegesis, the quest for the hidden meaning of scripture, was also a
musterion
, a transformative, initiatory process. Therefore
musterion
was not something that one was obliged to think and “believe” (in the modern sense) but was something that one did. This was particularly evident in the
dogma
of the Trinity, which was not simply a doctrinal formulation but also a meditative exercise.

mystes
(Greek); plural,
mystai
. An “initiate;” somebody who takes part in a Mystery
(musterion)
.

mythos
(Greek); plural
mythoi
. Myth; a story that was not meant to be historical or factual but expressed the meaning of an event or narrative and encapsulated its timeless, eternal dimension. A myth can be described as an occurrence that in some sense happened once but also happens all the time. Myth can also be seen as an early form of psychology, describing the labyrinthine and obscure world of the psyche. Derived from the verb
muein
(“to close the eyes or the mouth”), it is related to “mystery” and “mysticism” and has connotations of darkness and silence. It refers to experiences and convictions that cannot be easily put into words, that elude the clarity of
logos
and are different from the discourse and thought habits of practical, everyday reality.

Nirvana
(Sanskrit). “Extinction;” “blowing out;” the extinction of the self in Buddhism that brings enlightenment and liberation from pain and suffering; a sacred haven of peace discovered in the depths of the self; an indefinable reality, because it corresponds to no concept and is incomprehensible to those still enmeshed in the toils of selfishness and egotism.

nous
(Greek). “Mind.”

ontos
(Greek). “Being;” “nature.” Hence the
ontological proof
of Saint Anselm, which argues from an examination of the workings of human nature and the nature of the divine.

orthodox; orthodoxy
(Greek derivation). “Right teaching.”

otiosus
(Latin). “Useless;” “superfluous.”

ousia
(Greek). Essence; nature; that which makes a thing what it is; a person or object seen from within; when applied to what we call God, the term denotes that divine essence, nature, or substance that will always elude human understanding or experience.

Pentateuch
(Greek derivation). The first five books of the Bible, also called the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

persona
(Latin); plural

personae
. “Mask;” “face;” the translation of the Greek
prosopon;
the mask worn by an actor to enable the audience to recognize his character and make his voice audible (the “sound”
[sonus]
was amplified as it went “through” [per] it). Hence in English, the
hypostases
of the Trinity have been called the three divine “persons.”

pesher
(Hebrew). “Deciphering;” a form of exegesis used by the Qumran sect and by the early Christians, who saw the whole of scripture as a code, referring to their own community in the last days.

philosophia
(Greek). “The love of wisdom”
(sophia)
.

phusikoi
(Greek). The “naturalists” of Miletus and Elea, who developed a purely physical and material vision of the cosmos and laid the foundations of Western science.

pistis
(Greek); verbal form
pisteuo
. Trust; loyalty; commitment; often translated as “faith.”

polis
(Greek). The Greek city-state.

prosopon
(Greek); plural
prosopoi
. “Face;” “mask;” also used of a facial expression that reveals one’s inner thoughts or a role that one has decided to play in either life or the theater. Often used by the Greek fathers as an alternative to
hypostasis
.

Purusha
(Sanskrit). “Person;” the term was first applied to the primordial human “Person” who voluntarily allowed the gods to sacrifice him in order to bring the world into being.

ren
(Chinese). Originally “human being.” Confucius gave the word new significance, but refused to describe it because it transcended any of the intellectual categories of his time. It was a transcendent value, the highest good.
Ren
would always be associated with the concept of humanity and has been translated as “human-heartedness.” Later Confucians specifically associated
ren
with compassion and benevolence.

revelation
(Latin derivation). “Unveiling;” the Latin translation of
apokalypsis;
it was not regarded as a set of unalterable truths, doctrines, or propositions, but as an ongoing process that depended on human ingenuity and innovation.

Rig Veda
(Sanskrit). “Knowledge in Verse;” the most sacred part of the Vedic scriptures of the Aryans, consisting of over a thousand inspired hymns.

rishi
(Sanskrit). “Seer;” the term applied to the inspired poets of the Rig Veda; also a visionary, mystic, or sage.

secundum imaginationem
(Latin). “According to the imagination;” an idea presented hypothetically.

sefer torah
(Hebrew). The “Scroll of the Law,” discovered by the seventh-century reformers in the time of Josiah, which purported to be the document written by Moses on Mount Sinai.

shalom
(Hebrew). Often translated as “peace,” but more accurately “wholeness; completion.”

Shekhinah
(Hebrew). From the Hebrew verb
shakan
(“to pitch one’s tent”); the rabbinic term for God’s presence on earth, distinguishing a Jew’s experience of God from the ineffable reality itself. Originally the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence had been enshrined in the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple; after the temple’s destruction in 70 CE, the rabbis taught Jews to experience the Shekhinah when two or three sat together and studied the Torah. Jewish Christians experienced the Shekhinah in the person of Jesus when they studied scripture together and in the Eucharist.

Sky God
. See
High God
.

symbol
(Greek derivation). A material object, person, icon, or idea that stands for something immaterial. The Greek
symbalon
indicates something that is “thrown together.” Human beings have never experienced the unknowable reality that we call God directly but always in an earthly object, such as a human person, a scripture, a law code, a mountain, a temple, an idea, or a doctrine. The creeds of the Church were originally called “symbols.” In the premodern world, the earthly symbol and the reality to which it pointed were experienced as inseparable. They had indeed been “thrown together” and fused, like gin and tonic in a cocktail. In the sixteenth century, however, as the scientific quest for accuracy and univocity took hold, people started to see the symbol as distinct from the transcendent reality to which it pointed. Thus the Protestant reformers claimed that the Eucharist was
only
a symbol. The gods and
devas
were “symbols” of the transcendent reality of Being. The idea of God was also a symbol, directing our attention to a transcendent reality beyond itself.