Glossary: I - J

Immaculate Conception

The belief that before the birth of Mary (the mother of Jesus) was born, she was preserved from original sin at the time of her conception, circa 20 BCE. It is widely but incorrectly believed to refer to Jesus' conception, circa 5 to 8 BCE.

In situ In the original place.

Isis

The Egyptian counterpart to Osiris, and considered to be the paradigm for Goddess worship and the embodiment of the Sacred Feminine.

Jesus

The founder of Christianity. As a newborn, Jesus was given the name Yehoshua, which means "God Salvation." In 1st century AD, he was known as Yeshua of Nazareth. Yeshua is translated as Iesous in Greek, Iesus in Latin, and Jesus in English.

Jewish-Christian

One part of the early Christian movement, regarded themselves to be a reform group within Judaism. They followed Jewish laws concerning circumcision and diet, regarded Jesus as a prophet who was not divine, and tried to follow his teachings.

Judaism

This is often regarded as the earliest monotheistic religion. The Christian religion was founded by Jews -- mainly by Yeshua of Nazareth and Paul of Tarsus, and is the original Abrahamic religions. The Roman army drove Jews out of Palestine and scattered them throughout the known world.