RELIGION TERMS
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Rabbi (Judaism)
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Rabbi is a teacher (Jesus was 'Rabbi') but has a more specific meaning of rabbinic Judaism being the Oral tradition (as well as the written tradition) coming from Moses. Moses received the Torah from Sinai, he gave it to Joshua, Joshua handed it to the elders, the elders then gave it to the prophets, and the prophets handed it down to the men of the 'Great Assembly' (which ruled about 500-300 BCE). Thus there is the Talmud. These days Rabbinic Judaism means Orthodox Judaism.
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Rag Mala (Sikhism)
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This is the last composition in the Guru Granth Sahib. It is a listing of 84 rags used in Indian music in the early seventeenth century. A Rag is a tune, or the series of five or more notes upon which it is based.
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Ragi (Sikhism)
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A musician who sings the hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib in gurdwaras.
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Rahiras (Sikhism)
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The nine hymns, four by Guru Nanak, 3 by Guru Ram Das and 2 by Guru Arjun which are read at sunset as part of Nitnem.
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Rahit Nama (Sikhism)
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Any manual of many regarding conduct for Khalsa Sikhs which began to be produced from the eighteenth century. The Rahit Maryada is the Sikh Code of Conduct conceived by the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which gained control in 1925 and ended the governance of gurdwaras by corrupt officials. Their oversight is especially Punjab, Haryana & Himachal Pradesh.
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Raj Karega Khalsa (Sikhism)
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The concluding line of the daily prayer Ardas. It comes from the battle cry translated as "The Khalsa shall rule" during the rule of Banda Singh Bahadur.
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raja yoga (Hinduism)
- Patanjali taught this meditation as in the Yoga Sutras (the Royal Path).
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rajas (Hinduism)
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Energy or passion being one of the three guna qualities making up phenomena.
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Rama (Hinduism)
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An incarnation of Vishnu being the son of Dasharatha (king of Ayodhya), the prince who killed the evil demon Ravana to get his wife Sita back (Rama is Prince of Joy).
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Ramadan (Islam)
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Ninth month of the Muslim calendar, being the month of fasting.
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Rashi R. Shlomo ben Yitzhak (1040-1105, France) (Judaism)
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He wrote extensive and authoritative commentaries on most books of the Hebrew Bible and Babylonian Talmud and his biblical commentary emphasises both literal and midrashic interpretations.
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Rasul (Islam)
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A class of prophets who bring a message for a particular humanity.
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Reformation (Christianity)
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The movement to reform the Western Church (Roman Catholic) starting with Martin Luther that led to the Protestant denominations.
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Resurrection (Judaism, Christianity)
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In the time of Jesus, The saduccess did not believe in a general resurrection but the pharisees did. Resurrection is a general Jewish belief today and this belief justifies burial over cremation in a near Eastern religions. Resurrection is a belief in the rising of bodies on the last day to face the last judgment. Jesus as a miracle worker is said to have resurrected Lazarus, and this story follows resurrection in the Old Testament. He was then, according to the Gospels and Paul, resurrected. There are two elements: the earliest is the appearances in a spiritual body, and then the rising on the 3rd day of the actual body, an important biblical tradition and number. These are not necessarily the same thing though of course the Christian narrative places them together. For Jesus to have been resurrected, he did have to die first, and the important point of the resurrection is that people believed a cause of death was the weight of sin, and of course Jesus being sinless did not have to die. That he did, so that humanity was saved of its sin, leads on to resurrection and its point. However, even though he was resurrected, and indeed is in the Church, he still has to come again. The contemporary argument often heard is that something happened to re-inspire the disciples, and of course there are even today accounts of visions of the dead as if close and alive that comfort and restore the bereaved, but they give this a more spiritual meaning without the language of resurrection readily available if radical at the time of Jesus and beyond.
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Rig Veda (Hinduism)
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Oldest revealed Hindu scriptures of hymns, compiled in the second millenium BCE. Literally 'Royal knowledge'.
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Rik (Hinduism)
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Oldest of the four Vedas.
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Rishi (Hinduism)
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Hindu seers who received the revelations of the Vedas.
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Romalla (Buddhism)
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A square of silk cloth to cover the Guru Granth Sahib. Sometimes this is given by Sikhs to show gratitude or suggest God's care after a bereavement or before going on a long journey.
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Roman Catholics (Christianity)
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Christians who acknowledge the Pope as successor of St. Peter and is the vice-regent of Christ.
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Rosary (Christianity)
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Beads used by Roman Catholics in their private devotions. The use of beads goes far further than Christians.
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Rosh Hashanah (Judaism)
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The Jewish New Year.
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Rudras (Hinduism)
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Either a group of gods or a single one dealing with destruction which replaced Shiva in later Hinduism.
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Rumala (Sikhism)
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The cloth which covers the Guru Granth Sahib.
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Rupa (Buddhism)
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A form or body used for images of the Buddha.
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