[doo‘-uh-liz’-um]
(Latin duo, “two”)
Early philosophical system which sees the universe in terms of two antithetical forces which are continually at odds. These two forces are responsible for the origin of the world. Often the dualist worldview produced a metaphysical separation between the spiritual and physical, with the spiritual being good and physical being evil. Christianity has […]

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[doe‘-suh-tiz’-um]
(Greek dokeo, “to seem”)
Early Christian heresy heavily influenced by Gnosticism that affirmed Christ as God, but not man. Because of their dualistic philosophy (i.e., spiritual is good, physical is evil), docetism promoted that Christ could not have been truly man, for that would mean that he was physical, and hence, evil. Therefore, it only “seemed” […]

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A biblical interpretation paradigm common in conservative fundamentalist and Evangelical Christian theology. Originating from the Plymouth Brethren in the nineteenth century and popularized in the Scofield Reference Bible in the twentieth century, dispensationalism has three primary characteristics: 1) the call for a consistent literal or “normal” hermeneutic, particularly regarding biblical prophecy, 2) the separation of […]

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[dawk’-trin]
(Latin docere, “to teach”)
A theological formation that summarizes belief about a particular theological subject or discipline. Doctrine is often a corpus of dogma endorsed by a particular religious institution or tradition. For example, the “doctrine of Christ” refers to one’s belief about the person and work of Christ which results in a “Christology.”
For the best […]

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[dawg’-muh]
(Greek dogma, “decree or ordinance”)
An established, settled, and often authoritative opinion concerning a matter. With respect to Christian belief, dogma expresses a statement of belief which carries with it the authority of a particular religious institution or tradition.

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[did’-uh-kay]
(Greek, “teaching”)
also, The Teaching of the Lord Through the Twelve Apostles
Possibly the first Christian catechism, the Didache is an early Christian document dated in the late first century or early second century which informed the early Christian community concerning moral instruction and liturgical practice.
Read the Didache

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The theory of translation that seeks to represent the original text by translating in a thought-for-thought paradigm, rather than a word-for-word paradigm (see Formal Equivalence). Dynamic Equivalence translations would include, among others, the NIV, NLT, NJB, and GNB.
Enroll in The Theology Program today. Classes begin June 3.

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[dih-taw’-gruh-fee]
(Greek dittos, “double” + Greek graphos, “written”)
A term used by textual critics which describes the unintentional duplication of material in the transcribing process of the Scriptures. Often a scribe would accidentally write a word or sentence twice. This could happen for many reasons (fatigue, misplacement of marker, or negligence in copying). A dittograph is relatively […]

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[doo’-tuh-roe’-kuh-naw‘-nik-ul]
(Greek deuteros, “second” + Greek kanon, “rule” or “canon” = “second canon”)
Often referred to as the Apocrypha and the “Greek Old Testament canon,” this describes the collection of books that were present in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (LXX), but absent from the Hebrew Bible. Roman Catholics accept many of the Deuterocanonical books […]

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