A Glossary of Christian Terms
Christians have their own jargon
and it sometimes puts off non-Christians. Terms like sin, redemption, salvation
and witnessing aren't clearly understood by non-Christians. Christians have a
responsibility to evangelize, but we can't be effective if we are not
understood. We need to be sure that we are clear when we talk about things that
have to do with our faith. If you're seeking answers about Christianity and
don't know the language yet, here's a short glossary to help you get started.
Abba – The Aramaic word for
“father”. It was used by Jesus in his prayer in
Abomination – This has to do with
activities that are offensive in a moral, religious, or even a natural sense of
repulsion. God declares the following to be abominations:
·
Incest: Lev.
18:6-18; Dt. 27:20
·
Sex with a
woman during her period: Lev.
·
Adultery:
(Lev.
·
Crossdressing: dt.
22:5
·
Homosexuality:
Lev.
·
Bestiality:
Lev.
·
Idolatry: Dt. 7:25-26; 27:15; 32:16-42
·
Divination,
sorcery, interpreting omens, witchcraft, casting spells, mediums or spiritists, those who consult the dead: Dt.
18:9-15
·
Offering
children in sacrifice to idols: Dt. 18:10 cp. Lev.
18:21
·
Using the
earnings of prostitution to pay a vow: Dt. 23:18
·
Remarriage of
a defiled wife: Dt. 24:1-4
·
Dishonesty in
business: Dt. 25:13-16; Pr. 11:1; Pr. 20:10
·
Lying: Pr.
6:17, 19;
·
A false
witness: Dt. 19:15-21; Pr. 6:19;
·
Perverseness:
Pr. 3:32;
·
False Pride:
Pr. 6:17; 16:5
·
Murder: Pr.
6:17
·
A deviser of
wickedness: Pr. 6:18
·
Wicked
imaginations or the thoughts of the wicked: Pr. 6:18;
·
Wickedness:
Pr. 8:7
·
The sacrifice
of the wicked: Pr. 15:8;
Accountability - Most Christian
denominations teach that we are to be accountable for our actions. We should
also be accountable to a spiritual authority, usually our pastor.
Accountability begins when a child is able to reason and discern right from
wrong. Before that age, the child's parents are accountable for his or her
actions.
AD – Latin: "anno domini" ("year of the Lord"). See CE.
Agnostic - (from Greek, "not knowing"). A general term to indicate suspension of judgment regarding the existence of God/deity (compare atheism, theism)
Alms – A gift of money, food, or clothing to help the poor. (Mt. 6:2; Ac. 3:2)
Analysis - The process of taking apart, examining, and finding the meaning of the various parts of a book of the Bible, including the development of analytical outlines, paragraph analyses (paragraph overviews and displays), word studies, etc...
Angel - (Greek, lit. "messenger"). Came to be used specifically for a class of extrahuman ("spiritual") beings, both good (usually) and bad ("demons") who become involved in human affairs.
Anthropomorphism - Greek term for the attribution of human behavior or characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or God.
Apocalypse - From the Greek, meaning "revelation." A genre of literature in which the author claims to have received revelation(s), usually about the end-time, and expresses them in vivid symbolism. The final book of the NT canon is particularly known as such a piece.
Apocalyptic - A type of literature that contains mysterious revelations, usually veiled in symbolic language and interpreted by an angel, Biblical examples of which are Daniel 7-12 and the book of Revelation.
Apocrypha - Those books which are not included in any canon list. Note that Protestants often include the Deuterocanon in the term 'Aprocrypha'. From the Greek, meaning "to hide" or "to uncover." It is used in a technical sense to refer to certain Jewish books written in the Hellenistic-Roman period that came to be included in the Old Greek Jewish scriptures (and thus in the Eastern Christian biblical canon) and in the Latin Vulgate Roman Catholic canon, but not in the Jewish or Protestant biblical canons.
Apostle - An apostle is a
messenger, someone sent out to take a message to the people. Jesus' disciples,
except for Judas, became His apostles after the crucifixion. All Christians are
apostles of Christ and our job is to spread the message of Christ.
Atheism - (from Greek, "no deity"). A general term for the position that there is no God (compare agnosticism, theism).
Baptism - In earliest Christianity, the rite of ritual immersion in water which initiated a person (usually as an "adult") into the Christian church. Very soon, pouring or sprinkling with water came into use in some churches, and the practice of baptizing infants.
BC - "before
Christ" See
Blasphemy - (Greek, "speak
ill, defame"). Blasphemy is the act
of swearing using God's name, saying bad things about God, or doing
disrespectful things against God. Blasphemy is a sin and in the Old Testament,
it was punishable by stoning the blasphemer to death.
CE - or ce, "common era"; an attempt to use a neutral term for the period traditionally labeled "AD" (Latin- "anno domini" or "year of the Lord") by Christians. Thus 1992 CE is identical to AD 1992.
Canon - Official list of individual books that make up the Scriptures, from the Greek word meaning "measuring rod," and later the rule by which something was judged.
Canonical - Included within the canon.
Circumcision - (from Latin, to cut around). The minor surgical removal of the male's foreskin covering the tip of the penis. In Judaism, it is ritually performed when a boy is eight days old.
Clergy - In Christian contexts, the body of ordained men (and in some churches women) in a church, permitted to perform the priestly and/or pastoral duties, as distinct from the laity to whom they minister. The Bible has no such distinction, as all are called to minister.
Concordance - An alphabetical index of the words of the Bible, with a reference to the passage in which each occurs and usually some part of the context.
Confess - Confess is used in two
major ways in the Bible. The first type of confession is the confession or
admission of sin. The second kind of confession is the confession of faith.
This is where the Christian declares his or her faith, usually publicly, or
declares his or her faith as a part of witnessing.
Covenant - A binding contract between two parties, often given by an
overlord to a vassal guaranteeing the vassal benefits and protection but also
obligating the vassal to sole loyalty to the overlord; or often given from one
party to another in other circumstances. A covenant is an agreement or pact.
It's a contract of sorts. In the Bible, it refers to an agreement between God
and man. The Old Testament Covenants included the rules that Jews lived by to
stay in grace with God. The major covenants in the OT are God's covenant with
Abraham (Genesis 15), and the Sinai/ Moses covenant (Exodus 19-24) between God
and
Creed - A general term (from Latin) for "belief" declarations or summaries such as the Apostles' or Nicene creeds.
Decalogue - A
Greek term referring to the ten commandments received by Moses on
Deuterocanon - The additional books held to be canonical by the Roman Catholic Church, also called the Apocrypha.
Disciple - Though disciple is
often used interchangeably with apostle, they are not the same thing. What
confuses people is probably the fact the Jesus' disciples were the first
apostles. A disciple is a student and Christians are disciples or students of
Christ.
Doctrine - A general term for a formally defined belief (e.g. the doctrine of the resurrection in Christianity), or for the total system of beliefs ("Christian doctrine").
Dynamic Equivalent Translation - A translation seeking to keep accuracy on historical and factual matters, but updates matters of language, grammar, and style; as opposed to literal on the one hand and free on the other.
Eisegesis -
Election - A term used theologically to indicate God's choice (of the recipient of God's grace and blessing) -- a choice not based on the superiority or previous accomplishments of people, but on God's graciousness. In predestinarian doctrine, "the elect" are those whom God has chosen (in advance) to have eternal life.
Elohim - Hebrew general term for deity. See also YHWH.
Epistle - An epistle is a letter;
a genre of Greco-Roman public correspondence. Most of the New Testament is
composed of letters from apostles to churches in different areas and from
apostle to apostle. The letters of Paul are called the Pauline Epistles.
Eschatology - (adj. eschatological; from Greek- "eschaton", "last" or "the end-time"). Refers in general to what is expected to take place in the "last times"; thus the study of the ultimate destiny or purpose of humankind and the world, how and when the end will occur, what the end or last period of history or existence will be like.
Essenes - The name of a Jewish sub-group in the 1st century AD according to Josephus, Philo and other sources.
Etymology - The study of the historical origin or derivation of a word.
Exegesis - The derivation and explanation of the (original) meaning of a biblical text.
Exodus - (from
Greek "to exit or go out"). Refers to the event of
the Israelites leaving
Faith - A general term for religious belief used both of an attitude (to have faith) and of a collection of doctrines (the faith).
Free Translation - A translation seeking to translate the ideas from one language to another with less concern about the exact words of the original; the purpose being to better stimulate your thinking on the thrust of the text.
Fundamentalism - A term sometimes applied to conservative Bible-centered Protestant Christians, sometimes used to refer all genuine Christians everywhere, and sometimes used to refer to those favoring on a very literal interpretation of Scripture and a strict adherence to certain traditional doctrines and practices. It is very often best to avoid use of the word since people carry contradictory ideas of what the word means, and yet not realize what others mean by the word. Instead, use other words to say what you mean.
Genre - A type or form of literature. Biblical genres include oracles, laments, hymns, parables, letters, gospels and apocalypses.
Gospel - Good news, especially the message of Christ and the salvation He brings. Or one of the narratives of Christ's life and teachings, as a book or literary genre.
Gentile(s) - Used to refer to non-Jewish peoples.
Gnostic - Gnosticism. Derived from the Greek- "gnosis", meaning "knowledge." Refers to various systems of belief characterized by possession of secret knowledge that frees a person from the evil material world and gives access to the spiritual world.
Grace - Grace refers to God's
love and mercy towards us even though we are undeserving. We cannot earn His
grace; it's His gift to us when we accept the sacrifice that Christ made for us
on the cross.
Hellenism - (adj.
hellenistic; Greek word for "Greekish").
The civilization that spread from
Hermeneutics - Broadly, the science of interpretation. Used to describe the process in which the applicability or contemporary relevance of a text is determined.
Historical Context - The setting, occasion, or circumstances in the ancient world in which a book of the Bible was written and first received, which is generally essential for a correct understanding of its meaning and teaching.
Holy Spirit - (= "holy
ghost" [archaic]). Christian denominations teach that God is triune, or three beings in one. The Godhead is made up of
God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the Holy
Ghost. Some Christians describe the trinity as God as the Mind, Jesus as the
Body and the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of God. God in the
third person in the divine Godhead, God's non-corporal presence of God here on
Earth, The Spirit of God. He now plays an active guiding role in the the church through its members, those who are true
believers, who the Spirit lives in.
Humanism - A modern term used of the position that focuses on human values and needs without concern for God, of traditional values.
Idolatry - A Greek term for the worship of what are perceived to be "idols" or false "gods," forbidden in the Bible
Intertestamental period. The period in which early Judaism develops, between about 400 BC (end date for OT) and the 1st century AD (composition of the NT). The Jewish intertestamental literature includes the Apocrypha (mostly preserved in Greek) and the Pseudepigrapha (works from this period ascribed to ancient authors like Enoch, the patriarchs, and Moses). This literature provides important background for understanding the period of the NT.
Koine - "Common" Greek
(300bce-550ce) of
Lamb of God - Jesus refers to
Himself as the Lamb of God several times in the New Testament. In Old Testament
times, lambs were used as sacrifices and their blood washed away sins. Jesus
came as the final sacrifice, taking the place of the lamb.
Lexicon - A dictionary or wordbook for another (usually ancient) language.
Literal Meaning - The ordinary sense of a text, whether historical, instructional or otherwise, in opposition to the allegorical meaning.
Literal Translation - A translation seeking to keep as close as possible to the exact words and phrasing in the original language; the advantage being that it'll give you confidence as to what the Greek or Hebrew actually looked like.
Literary Context - The larger portion of Scripture in which a passage, verses, or word appears.
Lord's Supper or Communion - The
night of His arrest, Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples. This is
known as the Last Supper. He offered them bread as a symbol of His flesh that
would be sacrificed for us. The wine was a symbol of the blood He would shed
for us. When we take the sacrament of communion, we do it in remembrance of
Christ's sacrifice for us.
Manuscript -
In textual criticism this refers to the hand-written document in
the original language, abbreviated MS and
Martyr - A general term for persons who endure persecution, usually leading to death, for the sake of their religious witness.
Messiah -
"anointed one"; Greek- "christos"
(Christ). Ancient priests and kings (and sometimes prophets) of
Millenarian - From the Latin for "1000." Having to do with the expected millennium, or thousand-year reign of Christ prophesied in the NT book of Revelation, a time in which the world would be brought to perfection.
Miracle - A general term for special events that seem inexplicable by normal (rational) means. Reports of miracles are frequent in OT and NT scriptures.
Oracle - A message from God to a prophet, and the prophet to others, often in response to an inquiry, usually in poetical form, which make up the prophetic books.
Orthodox - From the Greek for "correct outlook," as opposed to heterodox or heretical. Over the course of history, the term "orthodox" has come to denote the dominant surviving forms that have proved themselves to be "traditional" or "classical."
Orthopraxy - From the Greek for "correct action/activity." In contrast to orthodoxy (right belief), the emphasis in this term concerns conduct, both ethical and liturgical.
Passover - The
major Jewish spring holiday (with agricultural aspects), also known as festival
of unleavened bread, commemorating the Exodus or deliverance of the Hebrew
people from
Patriarchs - A patriarch is a father. When the Bible refers to
patriarchs, it usually is referring to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the twelve
tribal figureheads of
Pentecost - Pentecost is a Jewish
feast day celebrated 50 days after Passover. It has significance to Christians
because that first Pentecost after the crucifixion was when the Holy Spirit was
sent to the Christians as the Comforter.
Pentateuch - The five books attributed to Moses - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; known in Hebrew as "Torat Mosheh" (the teaching of Moses), or simply the Torah.
Pericope - A designated portion or unit of Scripture, that may be quite brief or relatively long, particularly the self-contained literary units or sections of the Gospels.
Pharisee - The Pharisees were a
group of extremely devout Jews who were intent on obeying the Laws of Moses to
the letter. Their error was in missing the spirit of the laws. Today when
Christians talk about someone being like a Pharisee, they are talking about a
person who is rigidly applying the Scripture to their lives and missing the
spirit of love that Jesus wants us to have.
The Pharisees believed in the immortality of souls, resurrection of the
dead, and in authoritative oral law. Pharisees are often depicted in the NT as
leading opponents of Jesus. He criticized them for (vainly) trying to earn
God's blessing by doing works among other things. They are often linked with
"scribes" but distinguished from the Sadducees.
Piety - A general term for religious devotion.
Predestination - The understanding that one's (eternal) destiny is determined beforehand, from the beginning of time, by God.
Priest - A functionary usually associated, in antiquity, with temples and their rites (including sacrifice).
Prophecy - A message from God, often but not necessarily containing future or unknowable events; or the literary genre or record thereof.
Prophet - (from Greek, to "speak for" or "speak forth"). Name given to accepted spokespersons of God.
Pseudepigrapha - (adj. pseudepigraphical), from Greek- "pseudos", "deceit, untruth," and Greek- "epigraphe", "writing, inscription." A name given to a number of intertestamental apocryphal writings that are implausibly attributed to an ancient worthy such as Adam/Eve, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Ezra, etc.
Purim - A
Jewish festival commemorating the deliverance of Jews in
Rabbi - An authorized teacher of the classical Jewish tradition.
Redactor - An editor, especially with reference to ancient books such as the Scriptures.
Reconcile - To reconcile is to
restore a relationship. We are separated from God by our sin. When we accept
the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins on the cross, we are reconciled with
God. Reconciliation is an important part of Christian doctrine.
Redemption - A term from ancient
economic vocabulary concerning the freeing by purchasing of slaves, applied to
the salvation from slavery to sin (being "redeemed"). Redemption
refers to the work that Jesus did to redeem our souls. To redeem is to purchase
for a price. The price paid for our redemption was Jesus' life. We didn't have
to pay the price of our sin Jesus did it for us. This is why He is called the
Redeemer.
Reformation - Name given to the Protestant Christian movements (and the period itself) in the 16th century in which Roman Catholicism was opposed in the interest of reforming Christianity to the form of the New Testament.
Relativism - The modern position that affirms that everything is relative to the particularities of the given situation.
Remnant - Remnant refers to a
small, leftover portion. It generally refers to the small group of Jews who
remained faithful to God through the Old Testament times. In the Book of
Revelation, it refers to those who become or remain faithful to God during the
tribulation.
Repent - Repent means to turn
away. When Christians talk about the need to repent from sin, they're saying
that we need to turn away from those things that we know offend God.
Repentance - A term used indicate the state of sorrow and concern over sin, turning from sin, and the way to salvation.
Resurrection - The resurrection
of Christ is the foundation of Christianity. When Christ sacrificed Himself on
the cross, He shed His blood for our sins. When He came back to life, He proved
that He had conquered the penalty of sin, which is death.
Revelation - A general term for self-disclosure of the divine (God reveals to humans), which is often considered to be focused in the revealed scriptures.
Sabbath - The seventh day of the week. In the Jewish faith it is a day of rest. Christians sometimes apply the term to Sunday, which is actually the first day of the week.
Sacrament - Especially in classical Christianity, a formal religious rite (e.g. baptism, eucharist) regarded as sacred.
Sacrifice - A general term for the giving up of things of value for religious purposes, such as (1) liturgical sacrifices of animal life or of other valuables (grain, wine, etc.), and (2) personal sacrifices of time or money or talents or potential (e.g. taking holy orders). In Christianity, the death of Jesus is the
sacrifice for sin on behalf of humankind.
Sacrilege - A general term for violation of that which is considered sacred.
Sadducees - An early Jewish sub-group whose origins and ideas are
uncertain. It probably arose early in the 2nd century BC and ceased to exist
when the
Salvation - Salvation is the gift
of eternal life that God offers us. In order to claim the gift, we accept the
sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins. We ask Jesus to wash away our sins so
that we can come before God blameless. The price of sin is eternal death but
the gift of salvation is eternal life. By taking the penalty for all our sins,
Jesus can offer us the gift of salvation.
Samaritans - A
group of half-Jews and residents of the district of Samaria north of
Sanhedrin - A legislative and judicial body from the period of early Judaism and into rabbinic times. Traditionally composed of 70 members.
Sect - A general designation for a definable sub-group, often with negative overtones.
Secular - (Latin, "of this world"). A general term for non-religious, or the opposite of religious.
Sensus Plenior - Fuller meaning; an
interpretation that assumes that a text has a secondary and hidden meaning
underlying its primary meaning. We generally shun this method of interpretation
unless Scripture provides the second interpretation; e.g. Gal
Septuagint -
Strictly speaking, refers to the ancient Greek translation of the
Hebrew Pentateuch, probably made during the reign of Ptolemy II, Greek ruler of
Sheol - (Heb.). Place of departed dead in
(some) ancient
Sin - Sin means to miss the mark.
Sin is what separates us from God; it's those things we do that we know are
wrong but do them anyway. Our goal as Christians is to strive to eliminate sin
from our lives; to hit the mark every time and do those things that please and
honor God.
Tabernacles - Seven-day Jewish fall festival beginning on Tishri 15 commemorating when Israel lived in the wilderness after the Exodus; also known as the Festival of Ingathering.
Strong's numbers - Reference numbers in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.
Synagogue - The central insitution of Jewish communal worship and study since antiquity and by extension, a term used for the building, the place of gathering.
Synthesis - The process of "putting together" or viewing and studying as a whole a particular book of the Bible, a precursor for analysis, and involving repeated reading and background study of the author, recipient, date, purpose, etc.
TaNaK - (Tanakh). An Jewish acronym for the OT Scripture, made up of the names of the three parts Torah (Pentateuch or Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
Testament - Term for an agreement between two (or more) parties, such as a "last will and testament." The covenant concept played an important role, and was translated as "testament," in references to the Scriptures of the "old covenant" (OT) and the "new" (NT).
Tetragrammaton - (Greek, "four lettered [name]"). See YHWH.
Textual Criticism - The discipline of reconstructing the original text of the Bible by evaluating and comparing the ancient Hebrew or Greek manuscripts.
Theism - The position that affirms the existence of deity.
Theology - From Greek, "study of deity"; a general term for discussions and investigations of things pertaining to God, and by extension, to religious matters. One who engages formally in theological studies is called a "theologian."
Torah - (Heb., "teaching, instruction"). In general, torah refers to study of the whole gamut of Jewish tradition or to some aspect thereof. In its special sense, "the Torah" refers to the "five books of Moses" in the Hebrew scriptures (Gen, Ex, Lev, Nu, Deut).
Translation - Transferring thoughts or writings from one language to another, while preserving the original meaning and intent of the author or speaker.
Volition - Of the will, your ability to use your will.
Wisdom Literature - The name given to a type of literature common to the ancient Near East. Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes are wisdom books of the Old Testament, but wisdom writing is found elsewhere in the Bible.
Witness - A witness tells what he
or she has seen. When Christians talk about witnessing, we mean that we are to
tell people what we have seen Christ do in our lives. Witnessing is one of the
fundamental responsibilities of a Christian. See Confession.
YHWH (Yahweh) - The sacred name of God in Jewish scriptures and tradition; also known as the tetragrammaton. Since Hebrew was written without vowels in ancient times, the four consonants YHWH contain no clue to their original pronunciation. They are generally rendered "Yahweh" in contemporary scholarship. In traditional Judaism, the name is not pronounced, but Hebrew- "Adonai" ("Lord") or something similar is substituted. In most English versions of the Bible the tetragrammaton
is represented by "LORD" (or less frequently, "Jehovah").
Zealot - (from
Greek, to be enthusiastic). A general term for one who
exhibits great enthusiasm and dedication to a cause. Specifically,
a member of an early Jewish group or perspective that advocated Jewish
independence from
Abbreviations
1Ch - First Chronicles.
1Co - First Corinthians.
1Jn - First John.
1Ki - First Kings.
1Pe - First Peter.
1Sa - First Samuel.
1Th - First Thessalonians.
1Ti - First Timothy.
2Ch - Second Chronicles.
2Co - Second Corinthians.
2Jn - Second John.
2Ki - Second Kings.
2Pe - Second Peter.
2Sa - Second Samuel.
2Th - Second Thessalonians.
2Ti - Second Timothy.
3Jn - Third John.
ABD - The Anchor Bible Dictionary.
Ac - Acts (of the Apostles).
Ams - Amos.
AV - Authorized Version (aka KJV).
BDB - Brown, Driver, Briggs _Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament.
BGD - Bauer, Arndt Gingrich _Greek Lexicon of the New Testament.
of the Hebrew/Aramaic OT.
BTW - By The Way.
CE - Common Era (used by scholars instead of AD).
cf - confer (Latin) compare.
Dan - Daniel.
Darby - Darby's Translation of the Bible .
DNTT - Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 4 vols, Colin Brown ed.
Essene Jewish sect.
Dt - Deuteronomy.
Ecc - Ecclesiastes.
ELCA -
Eph - Ephesians.
Est - Esther.
Ex - Exodus.
Ezk - Ezekiel.
Ezr - Ezra.
Gal - Galatians.
Gen - Genesis.
GNB - Good News Bible (aka TEV).
GThom - Gospel of Thomas.
GW - GraceWeb
Hab - Habakuk.
Hag - Hagai.
Heb - Hebrews.
Hos - Hosea.
ie - id est (Latin) that is.
IMHO - In My Humble Opinion.
Isa - Isaiah.
Jam - James.
JB -
Jde - Jude.
Jdg - Judges.
Jer - Jeremiah.
Jl - Joel.
Jn - (Gospel of) John.
Jnh - Jonah.
Job - Job.
Jos - Joshua.
JPS - Jewish Publication Society's TaNaKh - a translation of the OT (equivalent
to the Protestant OT Canon).
JW - Jehovah's Witness.
Kittel - see TDNT, there is also an abridged 1 volume version.
KJV - King James Version (aka AV).
L&S - Liddell and Scott's Classical Greek lexicon.
Lam - Lamentations.
LB - Living Bible.
Lev - Leviticus.
Lk - (Gospel of) Luke.
LXX - Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT).
M&M - Moulton and Milligan's Greek lexicon.
Mal - Malachi.
Mk - (Gospel of) Mark.
MS/
Mt - (Gospel of) Matthew.
MT - Masoretic Text, the official Jewish Scriptures (OT).
Nah - Nahum.
Neh - Nehemiah.
NIV - New International Version Bible.
NJB - New Jerusalem Bible.
NKJV - New King James Version.
NRSV - New Revised Standard Verision.
NT - New Testament.
Num - Numbers.
NWT -
Obd - Obadiah.
OT - Old Testament.
Phm - Philemon.
Php - Philippians.
Prv - Proverbs.
Psm - Psalms.
Q - Hypothetical Sayings-Source used by Matthew & Luke. Q stands for 'Quelle'
(==source).
Rahlfs - Septuaginta, a scholarly redaction of the extant Greek LXX texts.
RCC - Roman Catholic Church.
REB - Revised English Bible (1989).
Rev - Revelation.
Rom - Romans.
RSV - Revised Standard Version.
Rth - Ruth.
LXX - The Septuagint
SS - Song of Solomon.
Strong's - Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.
SV - Scholar's Version.
Tanakh - The Jewish Bible (equivalent to the Protestant OT Canon).
TDNT - Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 10 vols + index, ed. by
Gerhard Kittel and translated into English by Geoffery Bromiley.
TEV - Today's English Version (aka GNB).
Tit - Titus.
TR - Textus Receptus, the 'received' Greek NT text used in KJV.
TWBOT - Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols.
denoted with a version number. Version 4 is current.).
UCC - United
Vg - Vulgate, the official RCC Latin Bible.
Zch - Zecheriah.
Zph - Zepheniah.
For
more help, consult a good study Bible with a concordance and dictionary. A
helpful study Bible is the "Life Application Study Bible" published
by Tyndale. An excellent companion reference is "What the Bible is All
About" by Dr. Henrietta C. Mears, published by Gospel Light.