Glossary

Terms beginning with A

Abbey

1)     An abbey is a monastic house under the rule of an abbot of a prior. Sometimes the building is used as a Cathedral as at St. Albans, or a parish church, or even as a ‘royal peculiar’ as at Westminster Abbey

Advent

1)     The season of Advent is made up of the four weeks before Christmas when Christians prepare for the festival. Often a ring of four candles is lit on each of the four Sundays to symbolise the coming of Jesus as the ‘light of the world’.

Altar

1)     The altar represents the table of the Last Supper at which Jesus blessed bread and wine to be his body and blood. Christians regularly share in this meal through which they are strengthened to become the Body of Christ in the world.

Ambulatory

1)     A processional passage way often around the east end of a church.

Anglican

1)     An Anglican is a member of the Church of England or a member of a church belonging to the world wide ‘Anglican Communion’. Members of this church acknowledge the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury and accept the three-fold ministry of bishops, priests and deacons. They also accept that doctrine has to be founded on scripture, tradition and reason.

Archbishop Of Canterbury

1)     Today the holder of this post is regarded as the first among equals among the bishops of the world wide Anglican Communion. Although the Archbishop’s seat is in Canterbury Cathedral his chief residence is in Lambeth Palace in London.

Ascension

1)     The belief that after the Resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. The doctrine is an attempt to express the elevation of Jesus into the divine presence at the ‘right hand of God’.

7 Terms with 7 Definitions