University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
Concise Dictionary of Religion


expand section
A
expand section
B
expand section
C
expand section
D
expand section
E
expand section
F
expand section
G
expand section
H
expand section
I
expand section
J
expand section
K
expand section
L
expand section
M
expand section
N
expand section
O
expand section
P
expand section
Q
expand section
R
expand section
S
collapse section
T
 
T'AI-CHI:
 
T'AI-I:
 
T'AI SHAN:
 
TA HSÜEH:
 
TABERNACLE:
 
TABU:
 
TABULA RASA:
 
TAGORE, Rabindranath (1861-1941):
 
TAMMUZ:
 
TANTRA:
 
TANTRIC BUDDHISM:
 
TAO:
 
TAOISM:
 
TAO TE CHING:
 
TAO TSANG:
 
TAT TVAN ASI:
 
TATAGATA:
 
TAWHID:
 
TAYLOR, James Hudson (1832-1905):
 
TAYLOR, Jeremy (1613-1667):
 
TE:
 
TE DEUM:
 
TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, Pierre (1881-1955):
 
TELEOLOGY:
 
TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT:
 
TELEOLOGICAL:
 
TEMPLARS:
 
TEMPLE:
 
TEMPLE, William (1881-1944):
 
TENDAI BUDDHISM:
 
TENGALAI:
 
TENRI-KYO:
 
TERESA OF ÁVILA (1515-1582):
 
TERMINUS A QUO:
 
TERMINUS AD QUEM:
 
TERTIUM QUID:
 
TERTULLIAN, Quintus Septimius Florens (160-225):
 
THALES OF MILETUS (640-546 B.C.):
 
THEISM:
 
THEODICY:
 
THEOLOGY:
 
THEOPHANY:
 
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY:
 
THEOSOPHY:
 
THERAVADA BUDDHISM:
 
THETAN:
 
THOMAS á KEMPIS (1380-1471):
 
THOMAS, GOSPEL OF:
 
THOMAS, M. M. (?):
 
THOMPSON, Francis (1859-1907):
 
THOREAU, Henry David (1817-1862):
 
THUCYDIDES (450-400 B.C.?):
 
TIBETAN BUDDHISM:
 
T'IEN-T'AI:
 
TILLICH, Paul (1886-1965):
 
TIPIAKA [TRIPIAKA -Sanskrit]:
 
TIRTHANKARAS:
 
TOCQUEVILLE, Alex de (1805-1859):
 
TOLAND, John (1670-1722):
 
TOLEDOTH YESHU:
 
TOLSTOY, Leo, (1828-1910):
 
TORII:
 
TORQUEMADA, Tomás de (1420-1498):
 
TOTAL DEPRAVITY:
 
TOTEMISM:
 
TOYNBEE, Arnold Joseph (1889-1975):
 
TRACTARIANISM:
 
TRACTS FOR THE TIMES:
 
TRADITION:
 
TRADITION DIRECTION:
 
TRADITIONAL:
 
TRADITIONAL RELIGION:
 
TRADITIONALIST:
 
TRANSCENDENCE:
 
TRANSCENDENT:
 
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION [TM]:
 
TRANSCENDENTALISM:
 
TRANSMIGRATION:
 
TRANSUBSTANTIATION:
 
TRENT, COUNCIL OF:
 
TRI-RATNA:
 
TRINITY:
 
TROELTSCH, Ernst (1865-1923):
 
TROTSKYITE:
 
TRUTH:
 
TURNER, Witter Victor (1920-1986):
 
TWICE BORN:
 
TYCHE:
 
TYLOR, Edward Burnett, Sir (1832-1917):
 
TYNDALE, William (1494-1536):
 
TYRRELL, George (1861-1909):
expand section
U
expand section
V
expand section
W
expand section
X
expand section
Y
expand section
Z

collapse section Collapse All | Expand All expand section
previous section Concise Dictionary of Religion
next section

CIRCUMCISION:

a practice common in many CULTURES of cutting away the foreskin as a SYMBOL of INITIATION or manhood. In JUDAISM it became the symbol of GOD'S COVENANT with the PEOPLE OF ISRAEL. The HEBREW BIBLE, speaks about the "circumcision of the HEART," an idea which is taken up in the NEW TESTAMENT as a spiritual state rather than an outward symbol Deuteronomy 10:16 thus transforming a physical act into an inner, spiritual, commitment Philippians 3:3.

previous section Concise Dictionary of Religion
next section