Staff of Life

Glossary

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Glossary

This glossary gathers the words that carry the book’s textual argument. The romanized form comes first because that is how most readers meet the term in the chapters. The original script follows in parentheses, so the word can be seen as well as sounded.

The glosses are deliberately brief. They are not full dictionary entries. They are handrails for reading The Staff of Bread, Our Daily Bread, The Aramaic Reading That Lost, This Is My Body, and The Schism Over Leaven. Each entry below links to its own page; chapters may wikilink either to the entry page (e.g. [[Lehem]]) or to any of its aliases (e.g. [[leḥem]], [[לֶחֶם]]).

Hebrew

Romanized FormOriginal ScriptPlain GlossMain Use
[[Lehem|leḥem]]לֶחֶםbread, food, provisionThe broad biblical word behind many bread texts.
[[Matteh|maṭṭēh]]מַטֶּהstaff, rod, supportThe support image in The Staff of Bread.
[[Matteh Lehem|maṭṭēh leḥem]]מַטֵּה לֶחֶםstaff of breadA famine idiom where bread is life support that can be broken.
[[Lehem Min Ha Shamayim|leḥem min ha-shamayim]]לֶחֶם מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִםbread from heavenThe wilderness phrase behind Manna and the Forgotten Lesson.
[[Minhah|minḥah]]מִנְחָהgift, tribute, grain offeringThe cultic grain vocabulary in The Cultic Vocabulary.
[[Mishan|mishʿān]]מִשְׁעָןsupport, stayA support word related to the staff-of-bread image.
[[Saad|saʿad]]סָעַדto support, sustainA verbal cousin of the book’s support vocabulary.

Aramaic / Hebrew

Romanized FormOriginal ScriptPlain GlossMain Use
[[Mahar|mahar]]מָחָרtomorrowJerome’s reported reading behind The Aramaic Reading That Lost.

Greek

Romanized FormOriginal ScriptPlain GlossMain Use
[[Artos|artos]]ἄρτοςbread, loafThe ordinary Greek word for bread in the New Testament.
[[Epiousios|epiousios]]ἐπιούσιοςdaily, necessary, coming-day, or supersubstantialThe disputed word in Our Daily Bread.
[[Ton Arton Hemon Ton Epiousion|ton arton hēmōn ton epiousion]]τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιονour epiousios breadThe Greek form of the Lord’s Prayer petition in Matthew.
[[Sterigma|stērigma]]στήριγμαsupport, propThe Septuagint’s support language for the staff-of-bread idiom.
[[Sterigma Artou|stērigma artou]]στήριγμα ἄρτουsupport of breadA Greek rendering of the Hebrew staff-of-bread phrase.
[[Artous Ek Tou Ouranou|artous ek tou ouranou]]ἄρτους ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦbreads from heavenThe Septuagint wording linked to manna.
[[Soma|sōma]]σῶμαbodyEucharistic language in This Is My Body.
[[Sarx|sarx]]σάρξfleshBodily language important for sacramental and Johannine readings.
[[Eucharisteo|eucharisteō]]εὐχαριστέωto give thanksThe verb that gives Eucharist its later name.
[[Azyma|azyma]]ἄζυμαunleavened thingsThe term behind the medieval azymes dispute.
[[Prosphora|prosphora]]πρόσφοραoffering loavesGreek Orthodox eucharistic bread prepared for the Divine Liturgy.

Latin

Romanized FormOriginal ScriptPlain GlossMain Use
[[Panis|panis]]panisbreadThe basic Latin word for bread.
[[Baculum Panis|baculum panis]]baculum panisstaff of breadThe Vulgate form of the staff-of-bread idiom.
[[Quotidianum|quotidianum]]quotidianumdailyJerome’s daily rendering in Luke’s version of the prayer.
[[Supersubstantialem|supersubstantialem]]supersubstantialemsupersubstantialJerome’s Matthew rendering, with Eucharistic and theological afterlives.
[[Crastinum|crastinum]]crastinumof tomorrowJerome’s gloss for the reported mahar reading.

The point of the glossary is modest but important. Translation is not decorative in this book. The argument depends on when a word means ordinary bread, when it means support, when it means sacred offering, and when it opens a theological question that cannot be reduced to a food rule.

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