Culture Context

1. Many Christian churches have bells, and these are rung on Sundays, to tell people that the church service is about to begin. They are also rung, often making pleasant tunes, when people are getting married in a church. A single bell is rung repeatedly to show that someone has died.

In a Christian service there are usually prayers, readings from the Bible, hymns (religious songs), and a sermon (talk by a priest). In the Christian church, the main services are on Sundays. There are special services for weddings and funerals, and for Christmas.

In Britain, few people now go to church regularly, although more people go at the special religious times of Christmas and Easter. Many churches are very beautiful old buildings and many people like to visit them to admire them, even if they are not Christians.

In the Bible, there is a story in which Jesus performed a miracle by changing water into wine. There is also a story in the Bible in which Jesus walked on water.

Cross – an upright post with a bar crossing it near the top, on which people were tied or nailed and left to die as a punishment in ancient times; this shape as the sign of the Christian faith (because Christians believe that Jesus Christ was killed on a cross).

5. Saint – a person who is officially recognized after death by (a branch of) the Christian church as being specially holy and worthy of formal honour in the church.

Saint Andrew – (first century AD) a fisherman who became a fol­lower of Jesus, the national saint of Scotland, St Andrew's Day, 30th November, is celebrated as the Scottish national day.

Saint David – (died? 601) a Welsh bishop and the national saint of Wales, St David's Day, 1st March, is celebrated as the Welsh national day.

Saint George – (fourth century AD?) the national saint of England, a soldier in the Roman army who was martyred in Asia Minor. He is said to have saved the life of a woman by killing a dragon. St George's Day, 23rd April, is celebrated as the English national day.

Saint Patrick – (389? – 461) the national saint of Ireland. St Pat­rick's Day, 17th March, is celebrated in Ireland and the US, where people often wear green clothes, to honour St Patrick.

6. In the Christian religion people believe that when you die your soul goes to Heaven if you believe in Christ or to Hell if-you have been wicked and do not believe in Christ. In the Christian religion, Heaven is thought of as a place full of light and the home of angels, servants of God with wings, who play musical instruments (harps). People are said to go up to Heaven and down to Hell, and Heaven is often thought of as high in the sky. The gates of Heaven are guarded by Saint Peter, who holds the keys to Heaven. When people arrive at the gates of Heaven, Saint Peter asks them questions to find out whether they have been good enough to be let in.

Hell is thought of as a place full of darkness and fire, where people burn for ever. Hell is often thought of as deep below the ground. Satan ['seitn], the devil, has control of the people in Hell. " Get thee behind me, Satan" – phrase from the Bible – do not encourage me to do something wrong.

7. Jesus Christ, Jesus – the man on whose life, death, and teachings Christianity is based. According to the Bible, the holy book of the Christians, Jesus was the son of God, born on Earth to the Virgin Mary. He died on a cross to save all men and women from their sins.

8. Angel – a servant of God, who is believed by religious people to appear sometimes to people and bring them messages from God.

Angels are usually represented as a person with wings and dressed in white.

9. Protestants – (a member of) a part of the Christian church that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. There are many divisions within the church but in general Protestants believe in the authority of the Bible, rather than in the authority of tradition of the Pope. They also believe in the importance of preaching and studying God's word in the Bible. Protestant ser­vices are rather plain compared to Catholic services. In Britain and the US most Christians are Protestant.

BIBLE

The dictionary will help you to understand the meaning of some important world in the Bible.