The terminology of Jehovah's Witnesses is the terminology used by Jehovah's witnesses in the course of his religious activities. Below is an incomplete list of its concepts with explanations.
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Common Christian Terminology in Terms of Jehovah's Witnesses
- The Old Testament is the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures or the Hebrew Scriptures.
- The New Testament - "Christian Greek Scriptures" or "Greek Scriptures."
- The Church (World) is a religious organization ( Jehovah's Witnesses ). In relation to Christian churches, the terms “church” and “Christian denominations” are used.
- Church (building) - Kingdom Hall .
- Parish - meeting.
A
Armageddon (in the “ Translation of the New World ” “Har-Magedon” , translated from Hebrew - “Mount Megiddo”, the name found in the book of Revelation ) is the final phase of the “great disaster” , during which God will destroy the modern political system and destroy all the wicked . After Armageddon, the reign of the kingdom of God must be established on earth and Paradise restored.
B
Brother / Sister is a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses meeting; This treatment may sometimes also apply to unbaptized publishers and to some interested ones . In relation to the elders and members of the Governing Council, the term “brother” is also used.
To
The Great Disaster (also the “Great Tribulation” ( Matthew 24:21 )) is an event that begins with the authorities annihilating a false religion, then the authorities will attack the Jehovah's Witnesses themselves, and at the end of the great disaster Armageddon will occur.
A great many - only those of other sheep , who will see with their own eyes the "great calamity" and survive it.
A faithful and prudent slave is the collective name for members of the governing council . It is based on the current interpretation of the verses from Matthew 24: 45-47. Until 2012, it was used for the whole class of anointed ones from among the witnesses of Jehovah [1] .
Bethel - a transcription of the Hebrew word "Bet-El" (found in the Bible) - "House of God." The complex of residential, industrial, and office buildings and structures, on the territory of which the branch of Jehovah's Witnesses and / or the printing house is most often located.
Vefilets is a volunteer who serves at Bethel and performs work related to the activities of either Bethel himself or the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. Bethelites work in printing houses, on farms, in various branches of branches , etc. The employees of Bethel do not receive wages, but are provided with all the most necessary things (housing, clothing, food, and little money for pocket expenses).
The Lord’s Supper, or Supper, is the memory of the death of Christ — an annual memorial meeting connected with the death of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated once a year on the day of the Jewish Easter after sunset (14 Nisan on the Jewish calendar, corresponds to March-April) [2] . This is the only day of the year marked by all of Jehovah’s witnesses. On this day, all of Jehovah's Witnesses, and some of those invited, gather for solemn meetings at which you can hear a speech that illuminates the life, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ . At the meeting, they hand over unleavened bread and dry red wine, which are eaten and drunk only by those who consider themselves anointed .
An announcer is one who participates in the organized preaching activities of Jehovah's Witnesses and delivers reports about her.
Meeting for the preaching service - meeting Jehovah's Witnesses before the preaching service , which lasts 5-7 minutes.
R
Gilead is a school that prepares missionaries for a five-month course.
The preaching group is part of a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, which consists of about 10–20 publishers who meet in a preaching meeting once a week. As a rule, there are several such groups in the meeting . The group is led by an overseer or minister (in the event that he is not an elder ).
D
Other sheep are faithful servants of God who, after Armageddon, will live on the paradise earth under the rule of Jesus Christ. These include members of the “great multitude,” as well as resurrected pre-Christian servants of God with “earthly hope . ”
E
The Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures or the Hebrew Scriptures is the name of the first part of the New World Translation , which includes books from Genesis to Malachi, traditionally called Old Testament in Christianity. See also the “New World Translation” structure .
W
Interested or Interested - a person who has shown an interest in preaching Jehovah's Witnesses, with whom they maintain a relationship, as a rule, visiting him at his place of residence and conducting conversations on Bible topics or studying the Bible.
The Kingdom Hall is a structure resembling a lecture hall with a capacity of about 100 seats and intended for holding meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The congress hall is a structure resembling a lecture hall with a capacity of up to several thousand seats and intended for holding congresses of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Earthly hope is the hope of living on the paradise Earth after Armageddon or the resurrection.
And
Bible study at the meeting is part of the program at the general weekly meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses, during which a Bible study is conducted according to one of the publications of Jehovah's Witnesses. The study takes place as well as the study of the Watchtower .
The Watchtower Study is part of the program at a general weekly meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses, during which a discussion of one of the articles of the Watchtower magazine is held using issues published in the journal. Anyone interested can participate in the discussion, except for publishers who are under restrictions and excluded from the meeting.
Exclusion (from the meeting) - exclusion from the organization of the baptized witness of Jehovah. It is carried out on the conclusion of the legal committee . It is used in cases where a Jehovah's witness commits a grave sin and does not show (from the point of view of the elders - members of the legal committee) the fruits of repentance. A similar penalty is applied in case of apostasy .
To
John's class - see the anointed
The congress is a great meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses of a particular region. For congresses, as a rule, a roomy room or a stadium is rented, or they are held in specially designed congress halls . Congresses are district, regional, special and international. As a rule, the congress program is designed for 1-3 days, international up to 5 days. During the congress, meeting elders , overseers, and branch managers make speeches, the summaries of which are provided by the Governing Council through the branches .
Baptism is a rite during which a person is immersed in water once. The baptism of Jehovah's Witnesses symbolizes dedication to God and joining the organization.
L
Deprivation of communication - this term is no longer used, the word “exception” is now used instead.
M
A missionary is a Jehovah's Witness, moving to another country to distribute their teachings. [3]
H
The warden is the same as the elder . Translation of the Greek word meaning “to pay attention”, “to keep order”, “to look after” (in the synodal translation “bishop”) [3] . This word is related to the responsibility of the elders to supervise the Christian congregation. In the New Testament has a shade of care and care. Usually it is not used independently, but in a phrase that indicates a certain range of duties that you need to keep an eye on. For example, a service warden, a district warden , a print shop warden , etc.
A group overseer for preaching is the elder who leads one or more groups for preaching .
An inactive Christian is a Jehovah's Witness who does not participate in a sermon and does not give a report about her for 6 months.
Heavenly hope is the hope of the anointed (144,000) to live in the “heaven” in a spiritual body and to reign with Jesus Christ.
An unbroken publisher is one who participates in the organized preaching work of Jehovah's Witnesses and delivers reports about her, but has not yet been baptized .
New World - Paradise restored on Earth.
The irregular publisher is a Jehovah's Witness who has not participated in the preaching service or who has not submitted a report in at least one of the last six months.
O
A region is a territorial unit of Jehovah's Witnesses, which existed until 2014, consisting of several districts and under the supervision of a regional overseer [3] .
A regional warder is a traveling warder who serves as the chairman of district congresses in several districts forming the region . He also attends meetings with the district overseer , delivering speeches and participating in the field ministry with local Jehovah's Witnesses. This post was abolished in 2014, due to the liquidation of areas .
The general pioneer is a pioneer who preaches at least 840 hours a year. The term is obsolete. At the moment, this publisher is called "Pioneer".
Apostasy - “spreading false doctrines, supporting or encouraging false religion and its holidays, or interfaith activities; actions against the true worship of Jehovah or the order that He established among His people dedicated to him ” [4] . In the light of this definition, people who deliberately spread the teachings (stubbornly sticking to the teachings and stubbornly speaking about the teachings), contrary to biblical truth (as represented by the “faithful and prudent slave” and as professed by Jehovah’s witnesses) are considered apostates, ie, it is not necessary to confess an apostate your beliefs in public; to accuse one of Jehovah's Witnesses of the sin of apostasy is sufficient if the latter informs at least two members of the congregation, including the elders, about his convictions. If the fact of apostasy is confirmed, a legal committee meets. If a Jehovah’s Witness suspected of apostasy does not wish to renounce his convictions, he will be excluded from the meeting.
Report - the individual monthly report of the publisher in writing on a special form on the work done: the number of hours of preaching , magazines, books, brochures, repeat visits, studies with interested .
N
A pioneer is one who voluntarily assumed the obligations of an expanded preaching service , devoting a certain number of hours to him per month [3] .
Auxiliary pioneer is a pioneer who preaches 50 hours a month.
The Anointed One is one of 144,000 people anointed by the Holy Spirit of God from the day of Pentecost 33 years old. er Only anointed ones have the right to receive from symbols during the Supper the memories of the death of Jesus Christ (the Lord's Supper). Only the anointed ones have hope for life after death in "heaven". The term “John’s class” is sometimes used.
The Legal Committee is an internal judicial body in the assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses. He is engaged in investigating misconduct of members and making decisions on the application of disciplinary measures to them ( exclusion or reprimand), he also deals with the restoration of previously excluded. The legal committee is composed of elders and its composition varies depending on the specific case of the offense. At meetings, the elders use the book “Listen to yourself and the whole flock,” as well as (if necessary) guidance letters from the branch .
Take from the symbols (also participate in the Supper ) - eat bread and drink wine at the Memorial of the death of Jesus Christ . Symbols are accepted only by those Jehovah's Witnesses who consider themselves anointed by the holy spirit of God. The total number of people who received memories from the characters at the Evening in 2008 was 9,886 people worldwide, while the number of those present was 17,790,631 people [5] .
Preaching service or field service - talking about God with those who are not Jehovah's Witnesses. This term is not used in the sense of church worship.
The public meeting is part of the program at the general weekly meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses, during which a biblical speech is made. Plans for speeches delivered at a public meeting are provided by the organization.
P
The traveling overseer is a zonal , regional and district overseer [3] . Elders who constantly move from one place to another. Like the special pioneers , they belong to the group of full-time ministers. They are maintained by a religious organization [3] .
A district is a territorial unit of Jehovah's Witnesses, consisting of several, usually from 15 to 20 meetings , under the supervision of a district overseer [3] .
The circuit overseer is a traveling overseer who serves in the assemblies constituting one district , visiting each of them twice a year for one week. He checks the documentation of the meeting , speaks with speeches, participates in preaching service with local Jehovah's Witnesses, and meets with pioneers , elders, and service assistants .
The governing board is the highest governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses [6] .
C
Sectarianism is a type of apostasy (Titus 3: 10-11, NM) [7] .
The system of things or the unholy system of things or the evil system of things is the reality around us. Sometimes, a translation of the biblical term “this world,” that is, a world that lies in the power of the Devil (1 John 5:19).
The service meeting is part of the program at the general weekly meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses, during which various issues related to their preaching activities are discussed.
The meeting staff committee is the executive body of the meeting , consisting of a coordinator, a secretary of the meeting, and an official overseer. He is engaged in solving the current organizational issues of the congregation — keeping various documents, ordering literature, forming groups for the preaching service, and so on.
The attendant is a man appointed to help the elders of the congregation [8] carry out duties related to servicing the Kingdom Hall , maintaining documentation, ordering and issuing literature. Capable service assistants may be involved in the duties associated with the training and spiritual instruction of the members of the congregation (the term “deacon” is used in the synodal translation of the Bible).
A servant of a group for preaching is the leader of one of the groups for preaching , if he is not an elder . As a rule, servants of a group for the preaching service are service assistants or other capable witnesses of Jehovah.
The assembly is the primary organization consisting of Jehovah's Witnesses living in the same district, numbering from 70 to 120 people. The assembly is presided over by a council of elders . Each meeting holds two general meetings during the week, organizes a sermon in its territory. It is subordinated to the head religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses ( branch office ) in its state.
A special pioneer is a pioneer who preaches at least 140 hours a month [3] . It is based on the organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
An elder is a spiritually mature man who performs the role of leader, mentor, and shepherd [3] . Translation of the Greek word meaning older by age or by position (in the synodal translation “Presbyter”).
Article to study - an article from the Watchtower magazine , intended for study at one of the weekly meetings of a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. In this article, all the paragraphs are numbered, one or more questions are attached to each paragraph, in the discussion of which all interested persons from those present at the meeting participate.
T
Theocracy - a way to exercise power (from the Greek. Θεος - God and κρατειν - to manage), in which the supreme ruler is God, and on earth there is his authorized representation, which exercises power. In the case of Jehovah's Witnesses, this is the Governing Council (as a representative of the “loyal and prudent slave” class ) and its representatives ( regional , regional and district overseers , members of branch committees and overseers of local assemblies ). The non-biblical term, however, has biblical precedents ( ancient Israel , a collection of first-century Christians ).
A branch is an administrative structure in the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, leading the activities of assemblies in the territory of a country (or several countries). The branches supervise the work of preaching , the ministry of elders , service assistants , pioneers and traveling overseers . The branch conducts correspondence with meetings , translates literature into the languages of the country in which it is located, coordinates its orders and delivery. In relations with government bodies, he acts as a representative of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, deals with all legal issues and cases related to her activities. It reports directly to the Governing Board of Jehovah's Witnesses.
X
"Christian Greek Scriptures" or "Greek Scriptures" - the name of the second part of the " Translation of the New World ", which includes books from Matthew to Revelation, traditionally referred to in Christianity as the " New Testament ." See also the “New World Translation” structure .
C
The kingdom is the "heavenly" government headed by Jesus Christ, implementing the principle of theocracy. According to the doctrine, Jehovah's Witnesses have existed since 1914, now rule in “heaven”, and after Armageddon, they will take over the government and above the earth and will consist of Jesus Christ and 144,000 anointed ones raised in “heaven” (Revelation 14: 1).
Ш
The Theocratic Ministry School (STS) is a part of the program at a general weekly meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses, during which each individual student is helped to develop skills in public reading, public speaking and teaching skills.
The Pioneer Service School is a six-day special theoretical and practical course for pioneers . It takes place once a year.
The school of sacred service is a special theoretical course for elders (in a shortened version, and for official assistants ) of Jehovah's Witnesses. It usually takes 1 time in 2-3 years. Until January 2015, the name “School of Royal Service” was used in Russian.
The School of Advanced Ministry (SHUS) is the old name for the “Bible School for Unmarried Brothers” (BSHB).
The Kingdom Evangelists School (SBC) is a two-month course designed for full-time ministers (regardless of marital status or gender).
Notes
- ↑ Report on the 2012 annual meeting
- ↑ In some years, the date of the Memorial of the Memories differs from the date of Jewish Passover; The governing board of Jehovah's Witnesses explains this by the fact that, unlike the Jews, they do not adhere to the solar-lunar calendar (established in 359 AD by Patriarch Hillel II), but calculate the date of the Supper strictly according to the lunar calendar. (See: “Articles for study”, part 2., 1992. - p. 17.)
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ivanenko, 1999 , p. 20.
- ↑ Cit. by: "Listen to yourself and the whole flock." - P.94-95.
- Еж “Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses” (2009), p.31.
- ↑ Ivanenko, 1999 , p. 10-11.
- ↑ Christ speaks to the congregations // Watchtower, 2003. - May 15, p. 14.
- ↑ Ivanenko, 1999 , p. 21.
Literature
- in Russian
- Ivanenko S. I. About people who never part with the Bible . - M .: Art Business Center, 1999. - 271 p. - 100 030 copies - ISBN 5-7287-0176-0 . Archived March 4, 2016. Archived copy of March 4, 2016 on Wayback Machine
- in other languages
- George D. Chryssides . Jehovah's Witnesses . - Scarecrow Press, 2009. - 242 p.
- Andrew Holden. Glossary // Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait Of A Contemporary Religious Movement. - Psychology Press, 2002. - p. 185-188. - 206 s.