[nawg haw-maw’-dee]
Name given to the library of 52 ancient books found in 1945 just outside of Nag Hammadi, Egypt. These books date from the mid-fourth century and contain primarily gnostic “Christian” teachings including the Gospel of Thomas. While studies of this library are still considered to be in the infant stages by most scholars, it […]

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(Greek narth?x, “giant fennel,” “cane,” or ”casket”) 
In church archetecture, the “narthex” of the church refers to the area serving as an entry point to the “nave” (the main area). This entry point can be a simple portico, foyer, or a welcome lobby. Ancient churches used to use the narthex as a anvenue of participation for those […]

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[noe-eht’-ik]
(Greek noesis, “understanding” from Greek nous, “mind”)
The concept in Christian theology that argues for the negative effect of sin on the minds of all people. This effect changes man’s thinking and ability to understand. It is not that the mind is incapacitated, but that sin has a deteriorating effect on our ability to think and believe. This effect […]

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The belief first attributed to Nestorius (c. 386–c. 451), Archbishop of Constantinople, that Christ existed after the incarnation as two seperate persons, Jesus, a man, and the Son of God. Although there is quite a bit of debate as to whether the issues involved in this controversy were legitimate or linguistic and political (and as […]

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Any evil that comes about that cannot be attributed to a personal agent such as man or God. Natural evils included weather disasters, cancer, and starvation. They stand in direct contrast to “moral evils” which are attributed to the volition of man. Sometimes natural evils are known as “surd evils.” Surd is the Latin translation […]

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(Latin, “necessity of nature”)
The belief that the thoughts and/or actions of a person are born out of the necessity of his or her nature. People act according to who they are, they cannot act according to who they are not. People will choose according to their greatest desire and this desire is in accordance with […]

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(Latin, “necessary by force”)
An action that is produced not by the agency of a “free will” decision, but by forces that exist outside a person which cause them to make a decision. A necessitas coactionis destroys the ability of a person to make a choice which is not coerced. When it is believed that all […]

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[nye‘-uh-liz’-um or nee‘-uh-liz’-um]
(Latin nihil, “nothing”)
Nihilism is the philosophy that believes all of existence is without purpose, meaning, or hope. It is often called the philosophy of despair since there is no foundation upon which one can build motives for living. Many believe that nihilism is the necessary outcome of atheism since the atheist finds no […]

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Also, “general revelation.”
Revelation of God that is natural and evidenced by all creation (in contrast to special revelation). Because of this general medium of revelation, natural revelation is available to all people of all times in all places. Examples of natural revelation are the human cell (evidencing God’s complexity), the sunset on the beach (evidencing […]

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