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Athanasian Creed
[Doctrine & Theology]The Athanasian Creed is a confession of faith of the Western church that sets out the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation of Christ. Together with the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, it is known as one of the "three ecumenical creeds."
Armenian Apostolic Church
[Denominations]The Armenian Apostolic Church is the traditional church of the Armenian people. It belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches, which did not accept the Christological definition of the Council of Chalcedon. It traces its origins to the tradition that the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew founded it.
Rule of Faith
[Doctrine & Theology]The rule of faith (regula fidei) is a summary of the content of the faith that the early church regarded as received from the apostles; it served as a standard for judging whether teaching was sound.
Omnipotence of God
[Doctrine & Theology]The omnipotence of God is the doctrine that God has the power to accomplish everything He wills. It is widely known through the Apostles' Creed's confession of "God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."
Cessationism and Continuationism
[Controversies]Cessationism and continuationism are opposing positions in the debate over whether gifts of the Holy Spirit such as tongues, prophecy, and divine healing have continued beyond the apostolic age. Some conservative Presbyterians hold that these gifts have ceased, while Pentecostal churches, such as the Assemblies of God (Full Gospel), hold that they continue today.
Gospel of Luke
[Bible]The Gospel of Luke is the third book of the New Testament and one of the four Gospels, recording the life of Jesus Christ from his birth to his ascension. It is regarded as the first volume of a two-part work, continued in the Acts of the Apostles by the same author.
Bethsaida
[Bible]Bethsaida was a town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Gospels identify it as the hometown of the apostles Philip, Andrew, and Peter, and it is where Jesus healed a blind man and rebuked the town for failing to repent.
Simony
[History]Simony is the buying or selling of spiritual things, such as church offices or sacraments, for money or material goods. The term derives from Simon the sorcerer in the Acts of the Apostles.
Judas of Galilee
[People]Judas of Galilee was a Jew who led an uprising against a Roman census in the early first century AD. In Acts 5:37, Gamaliel cites him as an example of a failed movement.
Judas of Galilee
[People]Judas of Galilee is a figure mentioned by Gamaliel in Acts 5:37. According to the account, he rose up in the days of the taxing (the census) and drew people after him, but he perished, and those who followed him were scattered.
Theophilus
[People]Theophilus is the person to whom the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles addresses each book at its opening. Both books are dedicated to him, and in the Gospel of Luke he is called "most excellent Theophilus."
Creation
[Doctrine & Theology]Creation is the Christian teaching that God made the world and everything in it out of nothing. It is a foundation of the faith confessed at the opening of the Apostles' Creed.
Pontius Pilate
[People]Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea who tried Jesus Christ and sentenced him to crucifixion. He appears in all four Gospels, and his name is included in the Apostles' Creed.
Acts 2:42–47
[Bible Verses]Acts 2:42–47 summarizes the life of the first community of believers in Jerusalem after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It describes their devotion to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer, and their sharing of possessions. The passage is frequently cited as a model for the church, though interpreters differ on the sharing of property and the meaning of "the breaking of bread."
Acts 1:4–5
[Bible Verses]In this passage the risen Jesus, before his ascension, tells the apostles not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, saying that they will soon be baptized with the Holy Spirit. It is frequently cited as the starting point for the differing ways denominations understand "baptism in the Holy Spirit."
Acts 5:1–4
[Bible Verses]In this passage Peter rebukes Ananias, a member of the early church, for secretly keeping back part of the price of his land while presenting the rest as a gift. Because Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God, the passage is often cited as evidence for the deity of the Holy Spirit. It is also frequently quoted in sermons on giving and honesty.
Thyatira
[Bible]Thyatira was a city in the region of Lydia in western Asia Minor. In the Acts of the Apostles it appears as the hometown of Lydia, and in the Book of Revelation it is the site of the fourth of the seven churches.
Signs and Wonders
[Bible]"Signs and wonders" is a biblical word pair referring to the marvelous works God performs to reveal his will and power. The Old Testament applies the phrase mainly to the Exodus, and the New Testament to the ministry of Jesus and the apostles.
Phrygia
[Bible]Phrygia is the name of an inland region of west-central Asia Minor (modern Türkiye). It is mentioned three times in the Acts of the Apostles, and Paul passed through it on two occasions.
Stephen
[People]Stephen was a leader in the early church in Jerusalem whose story is told in the Book of Acts. Chosen as one of the seven men entrusted with the daily distribution to those in need, he was stoned to death after addressing the council and is commonly called the first Christian martyr.