Medieval History Glossary

• Terms glossary from c.650 C.E - c.1750 C.E

Terms and definitions

• Abbey: Building occupied by a community of monks or nuns.
• Abbess: The female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey.
• A.D.: Medieval Latin term "anno Domini" meaning "in the year of the Lord".
• Often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord".
• Taken from "anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi", translating to "in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ".
• Alleluia: Expression meaning "God be praised," uttered in worship or rejoicing.
• Agnus Dei: Figure of a lamb bearing a cross or flag, as an emblem of Christ.
• Invocation beginning with the words ‘Lamb of God' forming a set part of the Mass.
• B.C.: Abbreviation for Before Christ, used in the Christian calendar to refer to a year before Jesus Christ was born.
• The Battle of Actium took place in 31 BC.
• Cathedral: Principal church of a diocese, with which the bishop is officially associated.
• C.E.: Stands for "common" or "current" era".
• BCE: Stands for "before the common (or current) era".
• These abbreviations have a shorter history than BC and AD, dating back to at least the early 1700s.
• Censure: Expression of severe disapproval of someone or something, especially in a formal statement.
• Council: Advisory, deliberative, or administrative body of people formally constituted and meeting regularly.
• Example: "an official human rights council".
• Catacombs: Underground cemetery consisting of subterranean gallery with recesses for tombs, as constructed by the ancient Romans.
• Crusade: Medieval military expeditions made by Europeans to the Holy Land in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries.
• Deacon: Ordained minister in Catholic, Anglican & Orthodox Churches with an order below the priest.
• Divine / Divinity: Religious being, like a god or angel.
• Divinity: Study of religion. Divine means holy or sacred.
• Divine Office: Also known as the Liturgy of the Hours or the Work of God (Opus Dei).
• Daily prayer of the Church, marking the hours and sanctifying the day with prayer.
• Hours are a meditative dialogue on the mystery of Christ, using scripture and prayer.
• Ecumenical: Representing a number of different Christian Churches.
• Eucharist: Christian service/ceremony/sacrament commemorating the Last Supper.
• Bread and wine are consecrated and consumed.
• Excommunication: Officially excluding someone from participation in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church.
• Gentile: Not Jewish.
• Heresy: Belief/opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine.
• Heretic: Person believing in or practicing religious heresy.
• Holy War: Declared war in support of a religious cause.
• Humanity: Human beings collectively.
• Inquisition: Period of prolonged and intensive questioning.
• Kyrie Eleison: Ecclesiastical tribunal established by Pope Gregory IX c. 1232 for heresy suppression.
• Active in northern Italy and southern France, becoming notorious for torture use.
• Revived in 1542 to combat Protestantism, eventually becoming an organ of papal government.
• Liturgy of the Hours: Also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei).
• Daily prayer of the Church marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer.
• Maranatha: Two Aramean word phrase, Maran'athah, meaning "our Lord comes," or is "coming".
• Signifies "Our Lord is coming, and he will judge those who have set him at nought.".
• Miracle and Mystery Plays: Miracle Plays told stories of Catholic saints miracles.
• Mystery plays performed classic Bible stories.
• Monasticism: Religious way of living, isolated from others, and self-disciplined.
• Monks and nuns practice monasticism.
• Mystic: Person seeking unity with Deity by contemplation/self-surrender, or believes in spiritual apprehension of truths beyond intellect.
• Orthodox: Following/conforming to the traditional or generally accepted rules/beliefs of religion, philosophy, or practice.
• Pharisee: Member of ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of traditional/written law.
• Held to have pretensions to superior sanctity.
• Persecution: Hostility/ill-treatment, especially based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or political beliefs.
• Pilgrim: Person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons.
• Pilgrimage: Pilgrim's journey.
• Pogrom: Violent riot incited to massacre/expel an ethnic/religious group, particularly Jews.
• Term came from Russian to describe 19th/20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russian Empire.
• Repent: Feel/express sincere regret/remorse about one's wrongdoing/sin.
• Reverence: Deep respect for someone/something.
• Synagogue: Building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction.
• Schism: Split between opposed sections/parties, caused by differences in opinion/belief.
• Scholastic: Of/concerning schools and education.
• The Black Death: Bubonic plague spread by infected fleas on rodents, killing millions of Europeans during the Middle Ages.
• Prevention involves reducing exposure to infected animals.