(Latin, “arise Lord”)
This refers to the papal bull written by Pope Leo X on June 15, 1520. The bull intended to bring an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther and his rebellion to a halt by the threat of excommunication from the Church. In it, the demand was made that Luther retract 41 errors within 60 […]

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(Latin, “the work [of God,] proper”)
The work of God which comes from his essential character that is not mediated through sin. These are works that are natural to who God is, such as creation, grace, love, providence, mercy, and justice. This is in contrast to the opus alienum (the work of God, alien) which are […]

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(Latin, “the work [of God,] alien” or “the work of another”)
The works of God that seem to militate against his proper character, but which are nevertheless an act of his decree as he uses secondary means. We see the opus alienum when God works through sin to accomplish his will (see 1 Kings 22:20-23). […]

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(Lat. “the privation of good”)
The theological belief about the existence of evil normally associated with St. Augustine. In this belief, evil is not an entity or a substance, but the (de)privation of a substance, namely goodness or righteousness. Therefore, God did not create evil since evil is not an actual “thing.” As darkness has no […]

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(From Lat. liber, “book” or “document”)
The Libellatici were those Christians who, during the persecutions of Decius (A.D. 250-251), purchased certificates (libelli) which (falsely) indicated that they had made the proper sacrifice in order to avoid persecution and martyrdom. The Libellatici were admitted back into the church after repentance was made. The sacrificati were those who […]

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(Latin, “appeal to the people”)
This type of argument is an oft-used fallacious argument where one will appeal to the popularity of a position as evidence of its truthfulness. For example, one may say that aliens must exist since so many people believe in them. This does not mean that one should not take into account […]

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(Latin ad, “to” + Latin hominem, “the man”)
In rhetorical argumentation, an ad hominem is a method of argumentation in which a person attacks the character of the opponent(s) instead of dealing with the evidence or the substance of the argument. If someone were to attack the credibility of Reformation appealing to the character of Martin […]

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(Latin, “analogy of being”)
Also, “analogy of imitation” or “analogy of participation.”
The belief that there exists an analogy or correspondence between the creation and God that makes theological conversation about God possible. While many would say that finite beings with finite language cannot describe an infinite God, theologians of the medieval era discussed this problem, seeking […]

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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, “the Calvinistic extra”)
The belief among Calvinists that Christ’s humanity is not infinite or omnipresent and therefore can only be at one place at one time, even after the ascension. This, according to adherents, is the historic view as espoused by the Chalcedonian definition since, according to the definition, Christ’s human nature cannot share attributes […]

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