(Sanskrit: abhiṣeka.) The sprinkling of water over the manifestation of a divinity in a temple setting.
An Adventist believes in the imminent second coming of Christ.
From the Latin aedicula, an architectural term for a small shrine or niche, typically with columns and pediment, for housing a representation of a divinity or other important personage.
Also referred to as a bimah, an almemar is a raised platform in the centre of the synagogue from which the Torah is recited, prayers are read, and most rituals are performed.
Ambo is a term used for both lecterns and pulpits, from which the clergy may give a sermon, read the bible, or speak during the order of service (the liturgy).
(Sanskrit: añjali; Tamil: añcali.) The cupping or pressing of the palms of the hands together in reverence or greeting.
(Tamil: aṉṉatāṉam, from the Sanskrit annadānam.) The giving of food, often at the conclusion of ritual days and events.
From the Greek apostolos, ‘messenger’, one of the twelve disciples chosen by Christ, and sometimes others (e.g., Paul). The ‘office of apostle’ represents a direct line of apostolic succession back to the original apostles. Joint apostles shared the one office of apostle. Independent apostles occupied the office of apostle in their own right.
The doctrine that human beings can be reconciled to God through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
(Malayalam: Ayyappaṉ.) A god popular in South India (especially Kerala) and Sri Lanka. Regarded as the son of Shiva and Vishnu in his form as the goddess Mohini, Ayyappan is often depicted as a celibate warrior and is associated with righteousness.
A separate side chapel which contains the baptismal font, within which the sacrament of baptism is celebrated. However, many cathedrals and churches incorporate a space for the baptismal font within either the sanctuary or nave, to enable the whole congregation to observe this sacrament.
Jewish coming-of-age ritual for boys at the age of 13.
A cathedral or church with a rectilinear-shaped hall, featuring the sanctuary at one end (the liturgical-east) and the entry at the other (the liturgical-west).
A service for the blessing of the congregation with the consecrated 'body of Christ' after a period of adoration.
Devotion, typically to a deity or a guru. It evokes notions of piety, faith, and love.
(Pāli: Bhikkhunī; Sanskrit: Bhikṣuṇī.) A woman religious mendicant. In Buddhism, a woman monastic, or nun.
The ficus religiosa, a fig tree also known as the bo or peepul tree. According to Buddhist tradition, Gotama the Buddha became 'awakened' (buddha) beneath the branches of a bodhi tree. Buddhist temples typically include a bodhi tree in their grounds.
(Pāli: bodhisatta; Sanskrit: bodhisattva.) A being resolved upon enlightenment (bodhi). In early non-Mahayana traditions and Theravada, the term bodhisatta (bodhisattva) typically refers to the Buddha in his many lives prior to the life in which he becomes the enlightened Buddha Gotama. In Mahayana traditions, bodhisattva can refer to any being who resolves to develop the perfections required for enlightenment, a path typically taking many, many lives. In Mahayana, bodhisattvas often manifest certain characteristic powers, for which they are sometimes referred to in English as 'celestial bodhisattvas' or 'deities'.
A 17th century text which describes the liturgy of the Anglican Church.
Bride of Christ refers to Christians who believe that they are being prepared as a mystical body (the Church) by the Holy Spirit for marriage with Christ in Heaven following His return. Sometime’s also referred to as ‘Christ’s Elect’.
The branch of Protestantism that follows the teaching of John Calvin in the sixteenth century.
In the Church of England (now the Anglican Church, in Australia), a Canon was a cleric who lived at the Cathedral Precinct.
The opposing sides of a church’s east end where choristers are placed.
A instructor, usually a layperson, who teaches religious doctrine by the recitation of prescribed questions and answers.
Typically a large church and the centre of religious life of a diocese. A bishop has a ‘cathedra’ or seat in a cathedral.
(Pinyin: Chénghuángshén. lit.'lord of the wall and moat'.) The City God, so called because he protects a city's walled defences.
Also, Zhang Fei.
In Christian contexts, spiritual gifts granted by the Holy Spirit to individual Christians for the benefit of others (e.g., 1 Corinthians 12).
A junior minister in the Anglican Church, usually an assistant to a priest.
In the Church of England (now the Anglican Church in Australia), the Cathedral Dean is a senior cleric who heads the Cathedral's Chapter and sometimes takes on other diocesan roles.
Now the Department of Education and responsible for the administration of education in Queensland, especially in schools.
Originally cooking vessels used also for ritual offerings to gods and ancestors. In temples they came to be used as incense burners.
A geographic unit of a Church overseen by a bishop.
(Sanskrit: dīpāli or dīpāvali, 'row of lights'.) Also known as Divali and Deepavali, this popular festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and usually takes place in October or November.
Established in 1984, the Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) system was developed in Queensland for the administration of former Aboriginal reserves and missions. DOGITs, which own the land they administer, are governed by local elected representatives. There are currently 31 DOGITs in Queensland.
A brief hymn of praise, most frequently used in traditional Protestant liturgies.
A style of Hindu temple architecture, commonly known as the 'southern' style for it's development and prevalence in South India. One of its defining architectural features is the pyramidal forms of its towers.
(Pāli: dukkha; Sanskrit: duḥkha.) Often translated into English as 'suffering', though it is a more subtle idea than that. A key term in South Asian religious traditions for a diagnosis of the fundamental ailment of existence. A central term in Buddhist doctrine where it is caused by the false notion that phenomena can be permanent.
(Sanskrit: Durgā.) A goddess of the Hindu tradition, particularly popular in Bengal. Durga is the focus of an annual festival known as Navaratri.
The doctrine of the church.
(Sanskrit: aṣṭamaṅgala; pinyin: Jíxiáng bā bǎo.) In Buddhism, the eight auspicious symbols usually include an endless knot, a lotus flower, a conch, two fish, a parasol, a treasure vase, the wheel of law (dharma), and a victory banner.
(Pinyin: bābǎo.) Also, the ‘eight treasures’. Eight auspicious symbols often used in Chinese art and on coins used as charms.
A day of patriotic celebration throughout the British Empire.
(Latin: ‘wandering bishops’.) A historical term for independent bishops in the history of Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, holding valid orders but not associated with a see or bishopric.
The church service in which the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Evening service in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
'Facing East' or 'facing the Lord' is when the priest faces the altar with his back to the people.
Mentioned in Revelations 20:4-6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, the First Resurrection refers to the resurrection and translation into glorified bodies of the Bride of Christ, both living and deceased, for the purpose of meeting Christ in the air when He returns.
(Arabic: arkān al-Islām.) The five basic activities incumbent upon Muslims that are articulated in the Quran and systemised in the Hadith. They include: Shahadah (the declaration of faith), salat (five daily prayers), fasting during Ramadan, zakat (charity), and the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
Bishops were appointed to oversee a particular diocese. In the Anglican tradition, a flying bishop was one appointed to minister within any diocese, especially to those who would not accept the ordination of women.
A low Church in the Anglican tradition founded in England in the middle of the nineteenth century to oppose the Oxford Movement.
Sanskrit: Gaṇeśa; Hindi: Gaṇeś.) The Hindu god typically represented with an elephant’s head and corpulent body. Associated with prosperity, he is the son of Shiva and the mountain goddess Parvati. Also known as Vinayaka (Sanskrit: Vināyaka, ‘remover of obstacles’) and Ganapati (Sanskrit: Gaṇapati). The annual Ganesha Chathurthi festival is dedicated to him.
(Sanskrit: Gaṇeśacaturthī.) A popular festival to the god Ganesha, held on the fourth day (chaturthi) of the light half of the month of Bhadra (Bhādra; mid-August to mid-September).
One of the spiritual gifts (charismata) mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12: 8-10.
(Wylie: dgon pa.) A ‘remote place’, a common term in Tibetan Buddhism for a temple or monastery. The term 'ling' is a synonym.
Gateway tower, the main entrance into a Dravida-style Hindu temple complex.
In Christian eschatology, the time on earth when the seven vials of God's wrath (plagues) will be poured out upon apostate Christendom.
(Arabic: Ḥadīt. Also, Ḥadīth.) The gathered collections of the sayings and activities of the Prophet Muhammad as recounted by his followers.
(Arabic: Ḥajj.) One of Islam’s Five Pillars, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that is incumbent on all able Muslims at least once in their lifetime.
Based on John 14:2, some Christians believe that Christ has prepared mansions or rooms in heaven for his disciples.
An Anglo-Catholic or Roman Catholic celebration of the Eucharist with full ceremonial, including music, incense, and often a deacon and subdeacon along with the priest.
Pinyin, Hóu Wáng.
(Pinyin: Huángdi.) The Yellow Emperor.
An informal grouping of individuals and churches practicing forms of sacramental worship independently of mainstream Christianity. The possession and transmission of 'valid orders' through ordination and consecration is regarded by members as key to ecclesiastical legitimacy.
A pidgin-English term for a Chinese temple, derived from the Portuguese word for ‘god’ (deos).
A canticle or sung text starting ‘Jubilate Deo’ (‘O be joyful in the Lord’) included as part of matins in the Book of Common Prayer.
(Pinyin: Kǒngzǐ.) Also, K'ung Fu-tzu and Kong Fuzi. Confucius, the founder of the Confucian tradition.
Jewish piety restrictions, such as those concerning cuisine, are governed by the laws of kashrut.
(Pāli and Sanskrit: Kaṭhina.) A Theravada Buddhist festival occurring at the end of the three-month rains retreat during which lay people present gifts, especially robes, to monastics. Kaṭhina can refer to those robes, but also the frame used to make the robes.
A brimless cap, worn by Jewish men as a requirement for entering a synagogue, but also worn at other times by Orthodox Jews.
Foods prepared and deemed acceptable to eat according to Jewish piety restrictions. A kosher household also keeps meat and dairy foods separate.
(Tamil: kōyil; sometimes kōvil.) A temple.
(Pinyin: Guāndi.) Also, Guan Yu. A 3rd c. general from the Eastern Han dynasty later deified. Often regarded as the God of War.
(Pinyin: Guānyīn.) Also, Guan-yin. Japanese: Kannon. In East Asian Buddhist traditions, Kuan-Yin is the female bodhisattva epitomising compassion. Known as the male bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit and Chenrezig in Tibetan.
A chapel dedicated to 'our Lady', Mary, the mother of Jesus, within a larger church.
(Sanskrit: Lakṣmī.) A goddess associated with good fortune and prosperity.
An annual Christian religious observance preceding Easter, Lent commemorates Jesus Christ's fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry.
(Sanskrit: liṅga.) A representation or manifestation of the God Shiva in aniconic (abstract) form.
A public act or ritual of worship.
(Sanskrit: Mahāyāna, the 'great vehicle'.) The name used for the type of Buddhism that is today predominant in China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Tibet, Bhutan, and Mongolia. Emerging around 2000 years ago in India in different Buddhist orders, It is associated with the bodhisattva path as a universal objective, the perfection of wisdom literature, and the popular worship of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
(Hindi, from the Sanskrit mandira.) A temple.
An ecclesiastical residence, especially used in the Church of Scotland.
(Sanskrit: Mantrayāna.) The ‘mantra vehicle’, a synonym for Vajrayāna, a form of esoteric Mahayana associated with Tantra. See Vajrayana.
A sign that identifies those who worship the beast, who is usually identified as the antichrist.
Morning service in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
A city in western Saudi Arabia. The birth place of the Prophet Muhammad considered the holiest city in Islam.
Versified translations of the Psalms in the Bible.
Literally meaning ‘doorpost,’ a mezuzah is traditionally affixed to the entrance of a Jewish home. It contains a small scroll of parchment of which have two specific passages from the Torah.
A bath used for bathing to achieve or restore ritual purity.
Beliefs associated with the prophetic return of the Christian messiah, Jesus Christ, and thus the Christian 'millennium'.
The minimum number (10) of Jewish males over the age of 13 required to constitute a quorum for Jewish religious services and other obligations
Relating to the study and practice of Christian missionary activity.
A vessel in which the consecrated bread as the body of Christ is carried in processions or displayed in a devotional ceremony known as Benediction.
(Sanskrit: mudrā, literally, a ‘seal’.) Hand positions that represent specific traits often used in the iconographies of deities and bodhisattvas in many Asian religious traditions.
(Sanskrit: mūrti; Tamil: mūrtti.) A material manifestation of a deity; the form of a deity in a temple setting regarded as that deity's manifestation. Sometimes also known as a cilai in Tamil.
One of the most popular gods among Tamil speaking Hindus. Also know as Murugan, Kumāra, Guha, Skanda, Subrahmaṇya and Kārttikeya.
(Sanskrit: navarātri, lit. 'nine nights'.) A festival devoted to the goddess Durga (Durgā), the Great Goddess (Mahadevī), or sometimes Ram (Rāma), lasting nine nights and ten days. The last day celebrates the deity's victory over a demon. Also known as Dussehra or Daśahrā (Hindi), both of which mean 'ten days', and vijayadaśamī (Sanskrit, Hindi: the 'tenth day, of victory').
The part of a church where the congregation assembles.
A wall recess, most often with an arched top detail. Niches are often included in church and temple architecture to display statues of significant people, deities, beings, or objects.
The texts of the liturgy (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Angus Dei) which are unchanging throughout the church year. They have been set to music countless times.
Orthodox Judaism is a style of Jewish worship that follows traditional practices and commandments from the Torah and later scriptural interpretations.
A religious movement within the Anglican Church in the 19th century that emphasised a more elaborate liturgy than was then normal.
(Pāli.) The language of the early Buddhist textual tradition (the 'Pali Canon'), associated today with Theravada Buddhism.
The doctrine that the Pope is the head of the church.
(Pāli: parinibbāna; Sanskrit: parinirvāṇa.) The final or complete enlightenment of the Buddha or another enlightened being which occurs at death and after which there is no further rebirth. To be distinguished from nibbāna (nirvāṇa; enlightenment), after which enlightened individuals remain alive until their store of karma is exhausted. The Buddha's parinibbana is popularly depicted in Buddhist iconography by the 'reclining Buddha'.
(Pāli: pāṭimokkha; Sanskrit: prātimokṣa.) The code of conduct for Buddhist monastics contained within a Vinaya, a larger corpus of monastic rules constituting one of the three main sections of a Buddhist canon (the Vinayapiṭaka, 'basket of discipline').
A theme in the history and philosophy of religion that views various theologies and practices as outward expressions of an underlying, esoteric truth that has thus persisted through time. Popularised in the mid-1940s by Aldous Huxley's book The Perennial Philosophy.
A musical instrument, normally large, played from keyboards and where sound is produced by blowing wind up tuned pipes.
Pre-millennial religious bodies believe that Christ’s return will initiate an earthly thousand years of peace. Post-millenarians, on the other hand, believe that there will be a spiritual millennium consisting of the universal triumph of the gospel in the thousand years before the return of Christ.
A regional unit of church governance.
A church used in place of a cathedral.
(Sanskrit: pūjā.) Honour, worship, respect, reverence, ritual worship or adoration of a god or gods.
Also Qur'ān and Koran. Literally, 'recitation'. The scriptures of Islam understood to be the word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.
A trained and religiously ordained minister who acts as spiritual leader and religious teacher of a Jewish community or congregation.
An inside corner, in this instance of 90 degrees.
The practice of preserving a portion of the bread and wine from the eucharist for the communion of the sick or other purposes.
The doctrine that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion.
A text on the rituals and ceremonies of worship in Anglo-Catholicism.
The first of the Jewish 'High Holidays'. During this holiday it is customary to dip bread in honey and wish others a good and sweet year. The ten days beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly considered the most important Jewish holy days.
A term used in Christianity for certain solemn rites through which participants may experience divine grace. Within Anglo-Catholic, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions, the sacraments are baptism, the eucharist, confirmation, confession, holy orders, marriage, and unction. Protestant traditions tend to observe only two, baptism and the eucharist.
Administered by the laying on of hands of a living apostle, the sacrament of Sealing was believed to bestow on the candidate the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through this sacrament, the anointed had an opportunity to become the elect of God and so belong to the first-fruits, which number 144,000 according to Rev. 14.
(Tibetan, Wylie: Sa skya) One of the four main schools of 'Tibetan' Buddhism. An adherent of Sakya is known as a Sakyapa (Wylie: Sa skya pa).
An 1857 hymnbook favoured by Anglo-Catholics.
(Pinyin: sān jiào.) A collective term for the ‘three teachings’ of the Buddha, Confucius, and Lao Tzu.
The part of a religious building typically containing an altar and/or the object of worship.
(Sanskrit: saṃgha; Pāli: saṅgha.) A 'community' or 'congregation'. The order of Buddhist monastics.
A South Asian women’s garment consisting of a fitted bodice and long unstitched cloth.
The ritual scroll containing the Jewish religious scripture of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew bible.
Judaism observes Shabbat, or the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Shabbat observance requires that Jews refrain from work and engage in rest during this period each week.
(Sanskrit: Śaiva; Tamil: Caivam; Hindi: Śaiv.) A Shaiva is a worshipper of, or something relating to, the Hindu god Shiva (Śiva). The English word Shaivism denotes a tradition in which Shiva, or sometimes a member of his family, is the principal focus of worship.
(Sanskrit: Śaivasiddhānta.) An originally South Indian form of Shaivism oriented towards the Tamil devotional poems known as the Tirumurai composed from the 6th to 12th centuries.
In the Church of England (now the Anglican Church in Australia), a sub‑Dean is an assistant to the Dean of the Cathedral.
A week-long Jewish holiday commemorating God’s protection of the Israelites in the desert after their exodus from Egypt. Jewish communities celebrate Sukkot by eating ritual meals in a small shelter of bamboo, pine or palm branches, called a Sukkah.
The head of the Sangha, the community of monks in Cambodia.
A Jewish house of worship.
From the Greek synodus (‘assembly, meeting’), in Christian usage a council convened to consider a matter of doctrine, administration, or practice.
In Anglo-Catholicism and Catholicism, a fixed, locked box in which the consecrated communion 'bread' is stored. When set in a wall it is called an aumbry.
The 12 Vaishnava bhakti poets named the Alvars, and the 63 Shaiva bhakti poets named the Nayanars, are collectively known as the Tamil bhakti saints. These poets, who lived during the 6th to 9th centuries and who composed their poems in Tamil, were influential for the developmental of devotional traditions in Hinduism.
Taoism and Daoism refer to the same tradition with different spelling conventions. In pinyin, Dàojiào, the ‘religion of the way’.
A canticle (or sung text) beginning in Latin ‘Te Deum Laudamus’ or ‘We Praise Thee’ included as part of matins in the Book of Common Prayer.
(Tamil: taippoṅkal, 'boiling [rice in cow's milk] in January'.) A Tamil harvest festival held in mid-January.
The doctrine that Jesus was divine.
The Anglican hymn book published in 1906 and often associated with the Anglo-Catholic movement.
(Pāli: Theravāda, the 'doctrine of the elders'.) The name used today for the type of Buddhism predominant in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. It is associated with the texts of the Pāli Buddhist canon.
(Tamil: tiruviḻā.) A festival, often the annual festival marking the anniversary of the dedication of a South Indian or Sri Lankan temple.
The transverse arm of a cruciform church.
The doctrine in Christianity of three distinct but united aspects of God, typically the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
(Sanskrit: utsava.) A festival, often dedicated to a particular god.
(Sanskrit: utsavamūrti, lit. a 'murti of a festival'.) A portable representation or manifestation of a divinity paraded during a festival.
(Sanskrit: Vaiṣṇava; Tamil: Vaiṣṇavam; Hindi: Vaiṣṇav) A worshipper of, or something relating to, the Hindu god Vishnu (Viṣṇu). The English word Vaishnavism denotes a tradition in which Vishnu (or a manifestation of Vishnu) is the principal focus of worship.
(Sanskrit: Vajrayāna, the 'diamond or thunderbolt vehicle.') A form of esoteric Mahayana associated with Tantra, and therefore distinct especially by virtue of its rituals and methods. Sometimes it is called Mantrayana (Mantrayāna), 'the mantra vehicle'. In English-speaking contexts, it is often simply called 'Tibetan Buddhism'. Originating in the north-east of the Indian subcontinent, today it is predominant in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia, and parts of Nepal, though it was historically influential also in Japan and Southeast Asia.
(Tamil: vēṣṭi or vēṭṭi.) A lower body garment worn by men in Sri Lanka and South India; known as a dhoti (dhotī) in Hindi.
(Sanskrit: vimāna; Tamil: vimāṉam.) A chariot of the gods or a seven-storied palace, vimana came to be a term used for the stepped pyramidal tower above the 'womb-house' (the garbhagṛha) housing the main murti of a South Indian temple.
(Tamil: Vināyakaṉ, from the Sanskrit Vināyaka, lit. 'Remover [of obstacles]'.) A common name given to the elephant-headed Hindu god often called Ganesha (Gaṇeśa) or Ganapati (Gaṇapati).
(Pāli: vipassanā; Sanskrit: vipaśyanā.) 'Insight' meditation, one of the two main types of Buddhist meditation.
The doctrine that Jesus was born of a virgin.
(Sanskrit; Tamil: viratam.) A religious or solemn vow.
The Jewish day of atonement. One of the 'High Holidays' and commonly considered the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
One of the Five Pillars of Islam, zakat is a form of almsgiving considered a religious obligation among Muslims and seen as a purifying act of charity towards the poor and needy.