Monster Vocabulary Words

Renaissance rebirth of interest in art and learning in European history, 1350=1550

Secular people were more interested in this world than in religion and getting into heaven

Diplomacy art of negotiating with other countries

Humanism based on values of ancient Greeks and Romans; believed individual and human society important

Vernacular Common language of the people of a certain area

Reformation movement to reform/change the Catholic Church; led to creation of Protestantism

Indulgences a pardon from the Church for a person’s sins

Theology the study of religion and God

Seminary special school for training and educating priests

Heresy religious beliefs that conflict with Church teachings

Protestant person who joined Christian Churches that had separated from the Catholic Church

Ninety-Five Theses Martin Luther’s list of 95 arguments against indulgences

Anglican Church official Church of England

Domestication taming animals and breeding plants for human use

Irrigation method of bringing water to a field from another place to water crops

Currency system of money

Aqueduct human made channel built to carry water

Barter to exchange goods without using money

Direct Democracy people gather at mass meetings to decide on government matters. Every citizen can vote.

Oligarchy government where a small group of people holds power

Tyrant Someone who takes power by force and rules with total authority

Veto To vote or say “NO” to an idea

Representative Democracy citizens choose a smaller group to make laws and governmental decisions on their behalf

Dictator in ancient Rome, a person who ruled with complete power temporarily during emergencies

Socratic Method Developed by Socrates, used questions and answers to have students use their reason to see thing for themselves.

Monotheism The belief in one god

Torah Laws Moses received from God on Mount Sinai, later became the first part of the Hebrew Bible

Covenant agreement

Prophet A person who claims to be instructed by God to share Gods words

Synagogue Jewish house of worship

Messiah In Judaism, a savior sent by God

Apostle Early Christian leaders who helped set up churches and spread the message of Jesus

Oasis green area in desert fed by underground water

Caravan group of traveling merchants and animals

Quran holy book of Islam

Shiite One of two groups that came about after the quarrel over who should succeed Muhammad. They are Muslims who believe that Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law should succeed him and that all future caliphs (successors) should be his descendants

Sunni who outnumbered Shiites, a Muslim group who accepted the Umayyad dynasty as rightful rulers of Muslims

Mosque Muslim house of worship

Caste System social group someone is born into and cannot change

Hinduism one of the oldest religions in the world and today is the third largest; grew out of the religion of the Aryans in ancient India

Export to sell to another country

Import to buy from another country

Scientific Method an orderly way of collecting and analyzing data

Hypothesis An educated guess, a theory

Plague disease that spreads quickly and kills many people

Crusades Holy wars between European Christians and Muslims

Feudalism political system based on bonds of loyalty between lords and vassals

Cathedral large new churches built during the Middle Ages

Monastery where men called monks banded together in religious communities