[dye-cawt’-uh-mee]
(Greek dicha, “two parts,” and Greek temnein, “to cut”)
The philosophical teaching about the constitution of man that humans are made up of two essential parts: material and immaterial. Material: all that is physical (body). Non-material: all that is non-material (spirit/soul/heart/mind). Adherents include Augustine, John Calvin, Hodge, along with most of historic orthodox Christianity. This belief […]

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[trye-cawt’-uh-mee]
(Greek trikha, “three parts,” and Greek temnein, “to cut”)
The philosophical teaching about the constitution of man that humans are made up of three essential parts: body, soul, and spirit. Body: all that is physical. Soul: reason, emotions, will, memories, personality, dispositions. Spirit: the seat of our being, that which relates to God. Adherents include Clement […]

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[hye’-puh-stat‘-ik]
(Greek hupo-, “under” + Greek stasis, “standing” = “underlying reality” or “essence”)
A Christological term used to describe the union of natures in the person of Christ during the incarnation. According to the definition of Chalcedon, Christ’s constitution is that of God and man, with the nature of each being fully represented in one person. This […]

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(Greek ana, “again” or “twice” + Greek baptizo, “baptize”)
A term derived from the Greek for “re-baptizer,” and used to refer to those groups associated with the so-called “Radical Reformation” of the 16th century. The Anabaptists were labeled according to their belief in believers’ baptism (see credobaptism), but this practice has deeper roots in their general […]

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(from Greek psyche, “soul” + Greek pannuchizein, “to last the night”)
The belief that upon death the soul does not depart in a conscious form to heaven, hell, or any other waiting place, but “sleeps” or is in an unconscious state of existence until the resurrection of the body. This position is held by the Seventh-day […]

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(Latin, “mother of the faithful”)
Held by Roman Catholics, mater fideium is description of the institution of the Church in relation to those who are her members. The institutional Church is the mother of the saints, keeping them pure and administering grace through the sacraments. This concept was popularized by Cyprian in the third century who […]

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(Latin, the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit)
The belief that the Spirit who inspired Scripture also authenticates and proves its divine origin through the Scripture itself. This is especially emphasized by Calvinists. Cf., Heb. 10:15; 1 John 5:7-8

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A theological system that organizes theological history through a paradigm of three implied covenants: 1) Covenant of Redemption, 2) Covenant of Works, 3) Covenant of Grace. The Covenant of Redemption refers to the eternal covenant among the members of the Godhead to redeem fallen humanity through the sacrifice of God the Son on the cross. […]

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(Greek hairesis, “a taking or choosing, faction”)
An opinion, belief, or doctrine that is in variance to an established belief of a particular tradition. In Christianity, an individual heresy can have historic value (more serious) or traditional value. In other words, a belief can be considered heretical to Baptists (e.g., paedobaptism), but is not heretical in […]

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[iye-rehn’-iks or iye-ree’-niks]
(Greek eirene, “peace”)
Irenics is a method of discourse in which a peaceful approach of engagement is sought as opposed to a more polemic, war-like approach. In theology, this involves seeking to accurately understand and represent all positions, even when there is strong disagreement among them. The irenic method seeks to engage in […]

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