Glossary of Religious Words and Terms
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- Nave
- This is the central part of a church where the congregation, or lay people sit. It comes from the Latin word for a ship ("navis" - compare our word 'navy'). Possibly the idea is that Christians are safe from the 'sea' of evil and sin that surrounds them in the world, secure in the 'ship' of the church.
- Ner Tamid
- The eternal light which burns above the holy ark in a synagogue.
- Nevi'im (or, Nebi'im)
- The second section of the Jewish scriptures, the Tenakh. This section is The Prophets
- New Testament
- The collection of 27 books which complete the Christian Bible when added to the 39 books of the Old Testament. The NT contains the four Gospels, the book of Acts (Early Church), letters to people and churches from Paul and other apostles, and the apocalyptic book, The Revelation.
- Non-Conformist
- This is the description applied to Protestant church denominations, which historically rejected the teachings and legal requirements of the Church of England. Many prefer to be called Free churches, which signifies that they are free from state control.
- Numinous
- A word first coined by a German theologian, Rudolf Otto in his work "The Idea of the Holy". It describes that sense of awe-inspiring wonder, which one might feel in certain places or situations where one senses the presence of God or spiritual beings - the sense of 'other-ness' about the situation.
These pages will be added to in the future. If there is a religious term or word you do not understand, why not e-mail us? It can then be added to the glossary.