RELS 002. Religions of the West
Glossaries for Technical Terms
Here are some glossaries that will be useful for understanding new terms in this course.
Glossary of Technical Terms in Religious Studies
As we bring up technical terms used by scholars in Religious Studies, we'll try to add them here.
- aetiological (or etiological) myth (see
OED)
- A myth that explains the reason for something's existence
- (Greek: aetia = cause; logia = discourse)
- asceticism
(see OED)
- The practice of rigorous self-denial, usually for a religious reason
- axis mundi
- The center of the world, usually marked with a sacred tree
- (Latin: axis = center pole; mundi = of the world)
- cosmogony
(see OED)
- Account of the generation of the world
- (Greek: cosmos = world; gonia = begetting)
- cosmology
(see OED)
- View of the structure of the world
- (Greek: cosmos = world; logia = discourse)
- cult
(see OED)
- System of worship
- deus otiosus
- a god who is promoted into transcendent irrelevance as a newer god
takes his place. For example, En-lil is replaced by Marduk
as the hero in the Enuma Elish.
- (Latin: deus = god; otiosus = unemployed. See
"otiose")
- eschatology
(see OED)
- Religious concepts of the end of the world or of the present age
- (Greek: eschaton = end; logia = discourse)
- immanence (See OED)
- The presence of the divine to the natural world
(usually used in comparison to transcendence).
- mysticism
- a conscious (and usually disciplined) quest for direct experience of
union with the divine.
- myth
- A sacred story that conveys a religious worldview. Especially, a story
about primeval times that involves supernatural figures and events.
- numinous
(see OED)
- inspiring awe and reverence
- reductionism
(see OED)
- the practice of explaining complex phenomena in terms of an apparently
more "basic" process; reducing one phenomenon to another that is too simple to
explain it;
for example, the concept that all religious phenomena can be
accounted for as the claims of a society upon its members.
- ritual
- a formal religious act
- transcendence
(see OED)
- The "wholly other" nature of the divine in comparison to the natural world
(usually used in comparison to immanence)
Jay C. Treat, Ph.D.