Glossary

Terms starting with J — browse A–Z or jump to the blog.

Terms — J

19 terms

Glossary
Jacob

Jacob is the third patriarch of Israel — the son of Isaac whose name God changed to 'Israel,' making him the father of the twelve tribes and a model of persistent prayer.
Glossary
Jehovah's Witnesses

A restorationist group with nontrinitarian beliefs.
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Jeremiah

Jeremiah is the 'weeping prophet' of the Old Testament who announced the New Covenant written on the heart — fulfilled in Jesus Christ — and typifies the rejected prophet.
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Jerusalem

The holy city for Jews and Christians.
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Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the Son of God — true God and true man — who became human, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead to open the way to eternal life.
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Job

Job is the righteous Old Testament figure who suffered catastrophic loss without cause, argued honestly with God, and ultimately encountered him in the whirlwind — a model of prayer in affliction.
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John the Apostle

John the Apostle — the Beloved Disciple — stood at the cross, received Mary into his care, first believed in the Resurrection, and wrote the Gospel, letters, and Revelation that bear his name.
Glossary
John the Baptist

John the Baptist is the last prophet of the Old Covenant — the herald who prepared Israel for the Messiah, baptized Jesus, and identified him as the Lamb of God.
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Jonah

Jonah is the prophet swallowed by a great fish for three days — a type of Christ's three days in the tomb, cited by Jesus himself as 'the sign of Jonah' pointing to his death and resurrection.
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Jordan River

The site of the baptism of Jesus.
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Joseph (Son of Jacob)

Joseph, son of Jacob, was sold into slavery by his brothers, rose to lead Egypt, and forgave those who betrayed him — one of the richest types of Christ in the entire Old Testament.
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Joshua

Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land — and his name (identical to Jesus in Hebrew) marks him as a type of Christ, who leads his people through Baptism's waters into the eternal inheritance.
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Judaism

The religion of the Jewish people based on the Old Covenant.
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Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot is the Apostle who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver — one of the Twelve, whose story is Scripture's gravest warning about freely choosing evil and closing the heart to mercy.
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Judgment

In Catholic teaching, judgment refers to God's definitive assessment of every soul — occurring first at the moment of death in the Particular Judgment, and finally at the end of time in the Last Judgment.
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Judgment (Rash)

A fault against the eighth commandment committed by one who assumes the moral fault of the neighbor to be true without sufficient foundation (CCC 2477).
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Judith

Judith is the devout widow who saved Israel by beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes — a type of Mary, through whom God defeats the ancient enemy and saves his people.
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Just War Theory

Just War Theory is the set of criteria used by the Church to determine when the use of military force is morally permissible.
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Justification

Justification is God's act of forgiving sin and actually making the sinner righteous through the infusion of grace — received through faith and Baptism, not earned by works.