Archives: Glossary Terms

Idolatry is the worship of something other than the true God. An idol may be a cult image, an idea, or an object made of…

According to the book of Genesis, humans were created in the likeness, or the image, of God (Latin: imago dei). The phrase is generally taken…

ImmanuelImmanuel means “God with us.” Immanuel is foretold in Isaiah as one who embodies God’s promise and protection. The angel, addressing Mary in Matthew’s gospel,…

IncarnationIncarnation literally means “embodied in flesh.” It is a Christian doctrine, based on the witness in John’s Gospel, that God’s Word was made flesh in…

Inclusio is a literary device in which a writer places similar material at the beginning and ending of a work or section of a work.…

InterpolationInterpolation means to add to or alter a text by introducing new material closely related to the material already present in the text. When Martin…

The time period from the book of Malachi in the Old Testament to the opening of the book of MatthewA tax collectorTax collectors, sometimes called publicans, were unpopular because they were thought to be greedy and unscrupulous. Jesus, however, not only ate with tax collectors but also treated them sympathetically. The fact that he favored such tax collectors as Zacchaeus and Matthew annoyed many pious persons. ... More who became one…