Data source: Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2024).
| Glossary item | Definition |
|---|---|
| apostolic delegate | An ecclesiastical plenipotentiary representing the Holy See (by means of an apostolic delegation) in a country without diplomatic relations with it. |
| apostolic exhortation | A papal document or letter published from the Vatican, hortative and pastoral in purpose rather than strictly dogmatic or legal; occasionally issued by popes since 1917. |
| Apostolic Fathers | Early Fathers who flourished and published writings in the times of the Apostles immediately following the New Testament period, and whose writings have survived: Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Hermas, Papias, Ignatius, Polycarp, et alii. |
| apostolic force | In Catholic usage, the total full-time workers dedicated to the apostolate (bishops, priests, brothers, sisters, catechists, and other lay workers) available for mission in a particular situation. |
| apostolic region | One of several areas into which a Catholic country has divided itself in order to provide more meaningful pastoral areas than the traditional ecclesiastical provinces. |
| apostolic succession | The dogma that uninterrupted succession or bishops from the Apostolic era is necessary for valid sacraments and transmission of orders. |
| apostolic work | A term in use in Catholic circles for pioneer or outstanding missionary work. |
| apostolicity | The quality or character of being apostolic. |
| Apostolics | Pentecostal Apostolics (qv). |
| appropriate technology | Intermediate technology (qv). |
| Arab | Middle Eastern ethnolinguistic family. |
| Arabian Gulf | Also termed Persian Gulf. |
| Arabic/Greek | An Eastern Orthodox liturgical tradition dating back to the Apostolic era. |
| archbishop | (Greek: leading bishop). A metropolitan or primate having jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province; occasionally an honorary title only. |
| archdeacon | In Anglican usage, a senior cleric with administrative charge over part of a diocese (archdeaconry). There are 103 archdeacons in the Church of England. |
| archdiocese | (symbol AD). A diocese presided over by an archbishop. |
| archetype | In Jungian psychology, an inherited idea or mode of thought derived from the experiences of the race and present in the unconscious of each. |
| archimandrite | In the Eastern Church, a high administrative official next in rank after bishop. |
| architecture, religious | The art or practice of designing and building churches and temples to convey impressions and ideas basic to religion or Christianity. |
| archive | A repository for documents and other materials of historical value: diaries, photographs, correspondence, etc. |
| archpriest | In the eastern Church, the highest title of honor given a member of the secular clergy. |
| Arctic Mongoloid | One of the 13 ethnic regions of mankind. With 7 languages. |
| areligious, a-religious | Noncommittal or professedly neutral concerning religious matters. |
| argot, religious | A special vocabulary and idiom used by a religious group as a means of private communication within the group. |
| arithmetic mean | The sum of a number of quantities divided by their number. |
Data on 18 categories of religion, including non-religious, by country, province, and people.
Data on all religions, Christian activities, and trends.
Membership data, year begun, and rates of change.
Population and religion data on all major cities & provinces.
Detailed information covering religion, culture, and geography.
A repository of historical data, including a chronology of Christianity from the 1st to 21st centuries.