antinomian: a person who maintains that Christians are freed from the moral law by virtue of grace as set forth in the gospel

apostasy: a total desertion of or departure from one's religion

catechism: a summary of religious doctrine often in the form of questions and answers

conversos: falsely converted Jew [C-E, 24]; a Spanish or Portuguese Jew who converted outwardly to avoid persecution or expulsion, though often continuing to practice Judaism in secret

dissenter: see nonconformist

eschatology: a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind; specifically: any of various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgment

episcopacy: ecclesiastical rule by bishops [Pestana, 119]; apostolic succession

hagiography: the writing and critical study of the lives of the saints

heathen: an unconverted member of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible

heretic: a dissenter from established religious dogma; especially : a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church who disavows a revealed truth

heterodox: contrary to or different from an established religion

iconoclast: a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration

liturgy: a form of public worship; ritual

millennialism: the belief in the imminent end of the present world as foretold in Revelation [Pestana, 90]

nonconformist: one who does not conform to the Church of England

orthodox: conforming to established, approved doctrine

pagan: a person or community observing a polytheistic religion

patristic: of or pertaining to the fathers of the Christian church or their writings

Pentateuch: first five books of the Old Testament

predestination: the belief that the individual sinner deserved eternal life in hell, but that God had predestined some for salvation [Pestana, 35]

preternatural: out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal; supernatural

religion: beliefs or practices that made sense of the human place in the larger scheme of things [Pestana, 30]

sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Holy Eucharist, confession, marriage, Extreme Unction, ordination

uniformity: the condition that results when one state religion or denomination is accepted to the exclusion of all other religions and denominations