Contents |
Etymology
The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas". English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States [1]
Originally in Latin the word caritas meant preciousness, dearness, high price. From this, in Christian theology, caritas became the standard Latin translation for the Greek word agapē, meaning an unlimited loving-kindness to all others, such as the love of God. Agapē (ˈægəpiː ( Gk αγάπη) is one of several Greek words translated into English as love. This much wider concept is the meaning of the word charity in the Christian triplet "faith, hope and charity", as used by the King James Version of the Bible in its translation of St Paul's Letter to the Corinthians. However the English word more generally used for this concept, both before and since (and by the "King James" Bible at other passages), is the more direct love. Whether religious love can be expressed in similar terms to interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate (See the article Charity (virtue))
St Paul's agapē was not primarily about good works and giving to the poor (And though I feed the poor with all my goods, and though I give my body, that I be burned, and have not love [agapē], it profiteth me nothing - 1 Cor 13:3, Geneva translation, 1560), although in English the word "charity" has steadily acquired this as its primary meaning, wherein it was first used in Old French at least since the year 1200 A. In Christian Theology charity, or love ( Agapē) means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others The Geneva Bible was a Protestant translation of the Bible into English. D. .
Almsgiving
Almsgiving, the act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate, either directly or by means of a charitable trust or other worthy cause, is described as charity or charitable giving. Alms or almsgiving exists in a number of religions In general it involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue Raja Ravi Varma ( April 29, 1848 - October 2, 1906) was an Indian painter who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes The poor, particularly widows and orphans, and the sick and disabled, are generally regarded as the proper objects of almsgiving. Some groups regard almsgiving as being properly directed toward other members of their group.
Donations to causes that would benefit the unfortunate indirectly, as donations to cancer research hope to benefit cancer victims, are also charity.
The name stems from the most obvious expression of the virtue of charity is giving the objects of it the means they need to survive.
Most forms of charity are concerned with providing food, water, clothing, and shelter, and tending the ill, but other actions may be performed as charity: visiting the imprisoned or the homebound, dowries for poor women, ransoming captives, educating orphans. A dowry (also known as trousseau or tocher) is the money goods or estate that a woman brings to her soon to be husband in marriage
Although giving to those nearly connected to oneself is sometimes called charity -- as in the saying "Charity begins at home" -- normally charity denotes giving to those not related, with filial piety and like terms for supporting one's family and friends. In Confucian thought filial piety ( is one of the Virtues to be cultivated a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors Indeed, treating those related to the giver as if they were strangers in need of charity has led to the figure of speech "as cold as charity" -- providing for one's relatives as if they were strangers, without affection.
The recipient of charity may offer to pray for the benefactor; indeed, in medieval Europe, it was customary to feast the poor at the funeral in return for their prayers for the deceased. Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious order established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, which consists of over 4500 Nuns Institutions may commemorate benefactors by displaying their names, up to naming buildings or even the institution itself after the benefactors. If the recipient makes material return of more than a token value, the transaction is normally not called charity.
Originally almsgiving entailed the benefactor directly giving the goods to the receiver. People who could not support themselves -- or who feigned such inability -- would become beggars. "Beggar" redirects here Distinguish from Begga and Bega.
Institutions evolved to carry out the labor of assisting the poor, and these institutions are called charities. These include orphanages, food banks, religious orders dedicated to care of the poor, hospitals, organizations that visit the homebound and imprisoned, and many others. An orphanage is an institution devoted to the care of children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable to care for them A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion usually A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for Such institutions allow those whose talents do not lend themselves to caring for the poor to enable others to do so, both by providing money for the work and supporting them while they do the work. Institutions can also attempt to more effectively sort out the actually needy from those who fraudulently claim charity. Early Christians particularly recommended the care of the unfortunate to the charge of the local bishop.
In Sunni Islam this is called Zakat, and is one of the five pillars upon which the Muslim religion is based. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence. Zakaat ( زكاة zækæːh zakaat or zakāh, has the implied The Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic أركان الإسلام is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim. Charity is also used as a forename, intended to evoke the idea that one so named is a giving person.
References to Charity
- Charity is the first and foremost principle of the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization
See also
- Altruism
- Charity badge
- Charitable trust
- Charity fraud
- Evangelical counsels
- Foundation (charity)
- Tzedakah
- Dāna
- Zakat
- List of most charitable countries
References
- ^ The Online Etymology Dictionary
External links
- Educational Network for the special needs of the underprivileged
- Catholic Encyclopedia "Charity and Charities"
- Jewish Encyclopedia "Alms"
- Jewish Encyclopedia "Charity and Charitable Institutions"
- Charity in Judaism
- Concept of Charity in the Quran
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic