List of Christian terms in Arabic
The following list consists of concepts that are derived from both Christian and Arab tradition, which are expressed as words and phrases in the Arabic language. These terms are included as transliterations, often accompanied by the original Arabic-alphabet orthography. Although Islam is the dominant religion among Arabs, there are a significant number of Arab Christians in regions that were formerly Christian, such as much of the Byzantine empire's lands in the Middle East, so that there are over twenty million Arab Christians living around the world. (Significant populations in Egypt, Lebanon, Brazil, Mexico, Jordan, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, USA, Canada, UK and Australia.) Christianity has existed in the Arab world since the 1st century. Readers should also note that Arabic is written with the Arabic alphabet, and that different individuals and Christian groups may transliterate certain Arabic words into the Latin alphabet in various ways.
A
- al-Āb (الآبُ)
- God the Father
- al-ʿAhd al-Qadīm (اَلْعَهْد اَلْقَدِيم)
- Old Testament
- al-ʿAhd al-Jadīd (اَلْعَهْد اَلْجَدِيد)
- New Testament
- Allāh (الله)
- literally "God"; is also used as a religious term by Arab Muslims and Arab Jews.
- Roman Catholics in Malta call God Alla in the Maltese language. The name Allah is also used by Christians in predominantly Islamic countries and countries where both faiths exist side by side regularly such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, etc.
- Aiqūna (أَيْقونة)
- Icon
B
- Bābā (بَابَا)
- Pope
- Bābā Nuwayl (بَابَا نُوِيل)
- Santa Claus (from French "Papa Noël")
- Bismi l-Ābi wa l-Ibni wa r-Rūḥi l-Qudus (بِاسْمِ الآبِ وَالاِبْنِ وَالرُّوحِ الْقُدُسِ, also spelled بِسْمِ الآبِ وَالاِبْنِ وَالرُّوحِ الْقُدُسِ)
- "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" (See also: Trinitarian formula, Basmala). Sometimes followed by ألإلهِ الْوَاحِد al-Ilāhi l-Wāḥid "The One God", to emphasize monotheism.
- Brūtistāntī (بْرُوتِسْتَانْتِي)
- Protestant (a more foreign-imitating pronunciation is Prōtistāntī)
I
- ‘Īdu Jamī‘il-Qiddīsīn (عِيدُ جَمِيعِ الْقِدِّيسِين)
- All Saints' Day
- ‘Īdu l-‘Anṣarah (عِيدُ الْعَنْصَرَة)
- Pentecost
- ‘Īd al-Burbara (عيد البربارة)
- Literally "the Day of Barbara". It is the equivalent of Halloween for the Middle Eastern Christians (who generally do not celebrate said holiday), although it is held on December 4.
- ‘Īdu l-Fiṣḥ (عِيدُ الْفِصْح) or ‘Īdu l-Qiyāmah (عِيدُ الْقِيامَة)
- Easter
- ‘Īdu l-Jasad (عِيدُ ْالجَسَد)
- The Catholic feast of Corpus Christi
- ‘Īdu l-Mīlād (عِيدُ الْمِيلاد)
- Nativity of Jesus
- ‘Īdu ṣ-Ṣu‘ūd (‘Īdu Ṣu‘ūdil-Masīḥ) (عِيدُ الصُّعُود)
- Feast of the Ascension
- Sabtul-l-Amwāt (سَبْتُ الأَمْوَات)
- All Soul's Day
- Injīl (إنجيل)
- One of the four gospels (from Greek Ευαγγελια "Good News"); Muslims use it to refer to the entire New Testament, or rather to the hypothetical "uncorrupted" gospel of Jesus.
- Intiqāl al-ʿAḏrā (انتقال العذراء)
- Assumption of Mary (literally: "Assumption of the Virgin")
K
- Kanīsa (كَنِيسة)
- Church, similar to the Hebrew Knesset literally "Assembly". See Alcañiz for a Spanish cognate through Mozarabic.
- Kārdināl (كاردينال)
- Cardinal
- Kathūlīkī (كَاثُولِيكِيّ)
- Catholic
- Kātidrā'iyyah (كَاتِدْرَائِيَّة)
- Cathedral
- al-Kitāb al-Muqaddas (اَلْكِتَاب اَلْمُقَدَّس)
- Bible (literally "the Holy Scriptures")
M
- Maryamu l-‘Adhra' (مَرْيَمُ الْعَذْرَاء)
- Virgin Mary
- al-Masīḥ (أَلْمَسِيح)
- Christ or Messiah
- al-Masīḥiyyah (أَلْمَسِيحِيَّة)
- Christianity
- Masīḥī (مَسِيحِيّ)
- Christian (literally "of the Messiah")
- Mubaššir (مُبَشِّر)
- Christian missionary (positive sense, literally means "carrier of good news")
- Munaṣṣir (مُنَصِّر )
- Christian missionary (neutral sense, literally "Christianizer")
N
- an-Naṣīra (اَلنَّاصِرَة)
- Nazareth
- Naṣrānī (نَصْرَانِيّ)
- A traditional Islamic term for Christians (literally "Nazarene"). Arab Christians do not use it to refer to themselves. It can have a negative connotation in some contexts.
- Nāṣirī (نَاصِرِيّ)
- Person from Nazareth (also a follower of Gamal Abdel Nasser)
O
- Orthodoksī (أُرْثُوذُكْسِيّ)
- Orthodox Christianity
Q
- Qibti, Qubti (قُبْطِيّ)
- Coptic
- Quddās (قداس)
- Mass
- Qiddīs, Muqaddas (قديس - مقدس )
- Saint, holy, sacred
R
- ar-Rūḥu l-Qudus (الرُّوحُ الْقُدُسُ)
- The Holy Spirit
S
- Ṣalīb (صليب)
- Cross
- Šahīd (شهيد)
- Martyr (The same term is used in Islamic terminology for the "martyrs of Islam", but the meaning is different)
- Sim‘ānu l-Ghayūr (سِمْعَانُ الْغَيُور)
- Simon the Zealot
- Sim‘ānu Butrus (سِمْعَانُ بطرس)
- Simon Peter
T
- Tabšīr (تَبْشِير)
- literally "the Spreading of Good News" - Christian missionary work
- Talāmīḏ al-Masīḥ (تلاميذ المسيح)
- The Twelve Apostles (literally "Disciples of the Messiah")
- Tanṣīr or Ta‘mīd (تَنْصِير or تَعْمِيد)
- literally "making someone Naṣrānī i.e. Christian, or baptizing him/her" - To confer the Christian Sacrament(or Mystery) of Baptism سر العماد أو المعمودية Sirr al-‘imād or al-ma‘mūdiyyah.
- Tajassud (تَجَسُّد)
- Incarnation (of Jesus Christ)
- ath-Thālūth أَلثَّالُوث)
- The Holy Trinity
U
- Ūrasalīm (أُورَسلِيم)
- Christian Arabic version of Jerusalem (as opposed to the Islamic Arabic term al-Quds أَلْقُدْس). Also the official Arabic name for Jerusalem used by the Israeli government.
- Ūsquf (أُسْقُف)
- Bishop (pl. أَسَاقِفَة), Archbishop (رَئِيسُ الْأَسَاقِفَة)
Y
- Yasū‘ (يَسُوعَ)
- Christian Arabic version of the name of Jesus (as opposed to the Islamic Arabic term Isa عيسى)
- Yasū‘u l-Masīḥ (يَسُوعُ المسيح)
- Jesus Christ
- al-Jum‘atu l-Ḥazīna (أَلْجُمْعَةُ الْحَزيِنَة)
- Good Friday Popular usage
- al-Jum‘atu l-‘Aẓīma (أَلْجُمْعَةُ الْعَظِيمَة)
- Good Friday Official usage
- Yahūḏā al-Isḫaryūṭī (يهوذا الإسخريوطي)
- Judas Iscariot
- Yuḥanna (يُوحَنَّا)
- Christian Arabic version of the name of John (as opposed to the Islamic Arabic term Yaḥya يَحْيَى)