Glossary
supernatural: In Roman Catholic theology, especially Thomism, the
concept of grace as not only assisting, healing, and restoring human nature
but also elevating it so as to make it capable of a happiness or beatitude
beyond the natural capacity of any created being. In this Catholic context, the
term has nothing to do with ghosts, demons, or miracles. When used in later
Protestant contexts, it usually refers to miracles, understood as acts of divine
intervention in nature that contravene natural law, such as the virgin birth
of Jesus.Supernatural Existential: Advocated by Roman Catholic theologian Karl
Rahner, a concept of a supernatural, graced component of human existence
meant to explain how all people can experience a divine call to supernatural
happiness or beatitude, even though that call does not belong to pure
human nature.supralapsarianism: From the Latin phrase supra lapsum meaning “prior
to the Fall.” In the Calvinist theology of the eternal decrees of God, this
is the view that the decree of double predestination logically precedes
and determines the decree to create the world and permit the Fall.
(Contrast infralapsarianism.)Sursum Corda: Latin for “lift up your hearts,” it is the name of the opening
prayer of the eucharistic liturgy, which includes these words.synod: A regional meeting of clergy from more than one local church.Synoptic Gospels: The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, so called
because they tell the story of Jesus’s life in roughly the same order, so that
making a synopsis covering all three is relatively easy. The Gospel of John
tells the story differently, and is not one of the Synoptics.Tabor, light of (Sometimes spelled “Thabor”): In Eastern Orthodox
theology, the light of the glorious energies of God shining from the
trans¿ gured body of Christ on the Mount of Trans¿ guration, traditionally
identi¿ ed as Mount Tabor; this is the light of the beati¿ c vision, as the
Eastern Orthodox understand it.