Holiness, or sanctity, is the state of being holy or sacred, that is, set apart for the worship or service of gods. This article refers to the religious act For the album by Michael W See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always It could also mean being set apart to pursue (or to already have achieved) a sacred state or goal, such as Nirvana. In sramanic philosophy Nirvana (निर्वाण| Nirvāṇa; निब्बान Nibbāna; Prakrit: णिव्वाण It is often ascribed to people, objects, times, or places.

The sacred in comparative religion

The French sociologist Emile Durkheim emphasized the social nature of religion, in contrast to other leading thinkers of his day such as William James, who emphasized individual experience. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Émile Durkheim ( April 15, 1858 – November 15, 1917) was a French Sociologist whose contributions were instrumental For other people named William James see William James (disambiguation William James (January 11 1842 – August 26 1910 was a pioneering Based on studies of Indigenous Australians, Durkheim proposed that most central to religion was not deity but the distinction between sacred and profane: "religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always The Dichotomy between the sacred and the Profane has been identified by French Sociologist Émile Durkheim as the "^[1] In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represented the interests of the group, especially unity, which were embodied in sacred group symbols, totems. A totem is any supposed entity that watches over or assists a group of people such as a family Clan or tribe ( Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Webster's The profane, on the other hand, involved mundane individual concerns. Durkheim explicitly stated that the dichotomy sacred/profane was not equivalent to good/evil: the sacred could be good or evil, and the profane could be either as well. The Dichotomy between the sacred and the Profane has been identified by French Sociologist Émile Durkheim as the ^[2]

The German theologian Rudolf Otto, in The Idea of the Holy (originally in German, Das Heilige), defined the holy as an experience of something "wholly other," most famously mysterium tremendum et fascinans, a frightening and fascinating mystery. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Rudolf Otto ( September 25 1869 – 6 March 1937) was an eminent German Lutheran theologian and Scholar ^[3] (He was following the tradition of Friedrich Schleiermacher, who defined religion as a feeling or experience rather than adherence to doctrine. Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (ˈʃlaɪɐmaxɐ ( November 21, 1768 &ndash February 12, 1834) was a German theologian ) Otto claimed that this experience was unlike any other; the subject experienced the spirit (the numinous, in Otto's terminology) as overwhelming, sublime, truly real, while he or she was nothing.

Mircea Eliade, among the most influential twentieth-century scholars of religion, adopted Durkheim's terminology, but Otto's idea. Mircea Eliade ( – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion fiction writer philosopher and professor at the University of Chicago Eliade defined the sacred as "equivalent to a power, and in the last analysis, to reality. "^[4] Like Otto, Eliade insisted that this experience was not reducible to any other experience: in other words, that the sacred is not a mere experience, such as a hallucination, but it really exists. Eliade's analysis of religion focused on the sacred, especially sacred time and sacred space, and very many comparative religion and religious studies scholars in the twentieth century followed him, though scholars such as Jonathan Z. Smith and Russell McCutcheon have challenged his theories. Comparative religion is a field of Religious study that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes myths rituals and concepts among the world's religions Religious studies, or Religious education, is the academic field of multi-disciplinary Secular study of religious beliefs behaviors and institutions Jonathan Zittell Smith ( J Z Smith) is a Historian of Religions He has researched the theory of Ritual, Hellenistic religions

Etymology

Main article: Hailag

The word "sacred" descends from the Latin sacrum, which referred to the gods or anything in their power, and to sacer, priest; sanctum, set apart. Hallow is a word usually used as a verb meaning "to make Holy or sacred to sanctify or consecrate to venerate" Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It was generally conceived spatially, as referring to the area around a temple. A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites

The origin of the word "holy" comes from the 11th Century Old High German hulis and Old English holegn meaning Holly as in Holly Tree, considered a sacred plant to both pre-Christian Celtic and Roman worship. Holly ( Ilex) is a Genus of about 600 Species of Flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only The word hulis originates from an even older proto-Germanic word khuli a shortened derivation of the ancient Gaelic cuilieann both meaning Holly. The distinction of the word holy appeared around the 13th Century with the Old English word hālig derived from hāl meaning health, happiness and wholeness. Hallow is a word usually used as a verb meaning "to make Holy or sacred to sanctify or consecrate to venerate" As “wholeness”, holiness may be taken to indicate a state of religious completeness or perfection.

In non-specialist contexts, the term "holy" is used in a more general way, to refer to someone or something that is associated with a divine power, such as water used for Baptism. In Christianity, divine Grace refers to the sovereign favour of God for humankind — especially in regard to Salvation — irrespective of actions In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted

Holiness in Judaism

The Hebrew word for "holiness," "kedushah" (Hebrew: קדושה) has the connotation of "separateness. " That which is holy in Judaism is set apart, and the separation is maintained by both legal and spiritual measures.

Certain places and times are intrinsically sacred, and strictures are placed on one's actions in those situations. However, holiness is not a single state, but contains a broad spectrum. The Mishnah lists concentric circles of holiness surrounding the Temple in Jerusalem: Holy of Holies; Temple Sanctuary; Temple Vestibule; Court of Priests; Court of Israelites; Court of Women; Temple Mount; the walled city of Jerusalem; all the walled cities of Israel; and the borders of the Land of Israel. The Mishnah or Mishna (he משנה "repetition" from the verb shanah he שנה or "to study and review" is a major work of Rabbinic Judaism Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which referred to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem which could be entered The Temple Mount ( הַר הַבַּיִת, Har haBáyit) also called the Noble Sanctuary ( الحرم القدسي الشريف, al-haram Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the For other uses see Israel (disambiguation The Land of Israel ( Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל Eretz Yisrael) is Distinctions are made as to who and what are permitted in each area. Likewise, the holidays, including and especially the Sabbath, are considered to be holy in time; the Torah calls them "holy [days of] gathering. Work is not allowed on those days, and rabbinic tradition lists 39 categories of activity that are specifically prohibited. See also Shabbat See also Shomer Shabbat, Rabbinically prohibited activities of Shabbat The commandment to keep Shabbat as a

The Torah describes the Aaronite priests and the Levites as being selected by God to perform the Temple services; they, as well, are called "holy. A kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן "priest" pl כּהנִים kohanim or cohanim) has a separate status in Judaism. In the Jewish tradition a Levite ( is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. " A righteous person (tzadik) is also considered to be holy. For the Hebrew letter "Tzadik" see Tsade. Tzadik ( צדיק, "righteous one" pl

Beyond the intrinsically holy, objects can become sacred through consecration. Any personal possession may be dedicated to the Temple of God, after which its misappropriation is considered among the gravest of sins. The various sacrifices are holy; those which may be eaten have very specific rules as to whom may eat which of their parts, and time limits on when the consumption must be completed. Korban ( Hebrew: "sacrifice" קרבן (plural Korbanot קרבנות in Judaism, is the term for a variety of sacrificial offerings Most sacrifices contain a part to be consumed by the priests - a portion of the holy to be consumed by God's holy devotees.

The encounter with the holy is seen as eminently desirable, and at the same time fearful and awesome. For the strongest penalties are applied to one who transgresses in this area - one could in theory receive either the death penalty or the heavenly punishment of karet, spiritual excision, for mis-stepping in his close approach to God's domain.

Thus, in Judaism holiness denotes the realm of the divine, which is to be set apart, and whose power is particularly evident when the separation is not properly maintained. There are various stories in the Hebrew Bible of disease and destruction resulting from improper contact with or handling of holy things such as the Ark. The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic V02p111001 Aronjpg|thumb|150px| Modena, Italy ( 1505)]]V02p109001 Aron Holiness seems to be a direct result of the manifestation of the Divine Presence. This conception of holiness expresses the distinctively scriptural perception of God as both transcendent (utterly separate) and powerfully immanent in His relationship with the world.

Holiness in Catholicism

Catholicism has adopted much of the Jewish vision of the world in terms of holiness, with certain behaviour appropriate to certain places and times. The calendar gives shape to Catholic practice, which tends to focus on the Eucharist, in which the Real Presence of Christ is manifested. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those The Real Presence is the term various Christian traditions use to express their belief that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is really present in what was Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " Many features of the Jewish temple are imitated in churches, such as the altar, bread, lamp, incense, font, etc, to emphasise the extreme holiness of the Eucharistic elements, which are reserved in a tabernacle. An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place Incense is composed of Aromatic biotic materials It releases fragrant Smoke when burned In typography a font (also fount) is traditionally defined as a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular Typeface. A Tabernacle is the fixed locked box in which in some Christian churches the Eucharist is "reserved" (stored In extension of this focus on the Sacrament as holy, many objects in Catholicism are also considered holy. They are called sacramentals and are usually blessed by a priest. Sacramentals are material objects or things ( sacramentalia) set apart or blessed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Such items include rosaries, crucifixes, medals, and statues of Jesus, angels and saints (Virgin Mary). The Rosary (from Latin rosarium, meaning "rose garden" or "garland of roses" is a popular traditional Roman Catholic devotion. A crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning "(one fixed to a cross" is a cross with a representation of Jesus ' body or corpus Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary

People in a state of sanctifying grace are also considered holy in Catholicism. Actual grace is in Catholic Theology, a supernatural help of God -- Divine grace -- for salutary acts A central notion of Catholicism as articulated in contemporary theology is the "[personal] call to holiness," considered as a vocation shared by every Christian believer. A vocation is an occupation for which a person is suited trained or qualified Profound personal holiness has traditionally also been seen as a focus for the kind of contagious holiness primarily associated with the Sacrament. So the communion of saints in Catholicism is not only the acclamation of their piety or morality, but also reverence for the tangible holiness that flows from their proximity to the divine. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Hence the places where saints lived, died, performed miracles, or received visions frequently become sites of pilgrimage, and notable objects surviving a saint (including the body or parts of it) are considered relics. In Religion and Spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or Search of great Moral significance A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial The holiness of such places or objects, resulting from contact with a deeply holy person, is often connected with the miraculous long after the death of the saint.

Holiness in Protestantism

The Protestant Reformation stood in opposition to the beliefs of tangible holiness in the Catholic Church and rejected most of its teachings regarding devotional practice, language and imagery. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time The early Reformers, who were often scholars of ancient Greek and also borrowed from Jewish scholarship, recognized that holiness is an attribute of God, and holiness is always part of the presence of God. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Presence of God is a term used in Catholic theology and devotion Yet they also recognized that practical holiness was the evidence of the presence of God in the converted believer. Martin Luther, viewed God's grace (and therefore God's holiness), as an invasion of the life. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer Actions that demonstrated holiness would spring up, not premeditated, as the believer focused more and more on his or her relationship with Christ. This was the life of faith, according to Luther, a life in which one recognizes that the sin nature never departs, yet grace invades and draws the person after Christ. Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in

Calvin, on the other hand, formulated a practical system of holiness that even tied in with culture and social justice. John Calvin (or Jean Calvin) (10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564 was a French Protestant theologian during the Protestant Reformation and JUSTICE is a Human rights and law reform organisation based in the United Kingdom. All unholy actions, Calvin reasoned, resulted in suffering. Suffering, or pain, is an individual's basic Affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm Thus he proved out to the city fathers of Geneva that dancing and other social vices always ended with the wealthy oppressing the poor. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking A holy life, in his outlook, was pietistic and simple, a life that shunned extravagance, excess, and vanity. On a personal level, Calvin believed that suffering would be a manifestation of taking on the Cross of Christ, but suffering was also part of the process of holiness. A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other dividing one or two of the lines in half He expected that all Christians would suffer in this life, not as punishment, but rather as participation in union with Christ, who suffered for them. And yet, socially, Calvin argued that a holy society would end up as a gentle, kindly society (except to criminals), where the poor would be protected from the abuses of the wealthy, the lawyers, and others who normally preyed upon them.

In Protestantism, especially in American branches of Protestantism of the more Pentecostal variety, holiness has acquired the secondary meaning of the reshaping of a person through spiritual rebirth. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism The term owes its origin to John Wesley's concept of "scriptural holiness" or Christian perfection. John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Christian Perfection is a Christian doctrine which maintains that after conversion but before death a Christian's soul may be cleansed from the stain of Original sin

The Holiness movement began within Methodism in the United States, among those who thought the church had lost the zeal and emphasis on personal holiness of Wesley's day. The Holiness movement in Christianity is composed of people who believe and propagate the belief that the carnal nature of humanity can be cleansed through Faith Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In the latter part of the 19th century revival meetings were held, attended by thousands. In Vineland, N.J in 1867 a camp meeting was begun and the National Holiness Camp Meeting Association, which went on to establish many holiness camp meetings across the nation. Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The camp meeting as a Christian gathering originated in the United States of America. Some adherents to the movement remained within their denominations; others founded new denominations, such as the Free Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, and the Church of God (Anderson). The Free Methodist Church, is a denomination of broader Methodism. The Church of the Nazarene, often referred to as the Nazarene Church is an International evangelical Christian denomination that began in The Church of God (Anderson is a non-denominational Holiness movement believing group of Christians with roots in Wesleyan Pietism and also Within a generation another movement, the Pentecostal movement was born, drawing heavily from the Holiness Movement. Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Around the middle of the 20th century, the Conservative Holiness Movement was born - a conservative offshoot of the Holiness movement. The Conservative Holiness Movement is a term that loosely defines a group of conservative Christian denominations that withdrew from the mainstream Holiness movement

The Higher Life movement appeared in the British Isles during the mid 1800's. The Higher Life movement was a movement devoted to Christian holiness in England.

In the contemporary Holiness movement, the idea that holiness is relational is growing. In this thought, the core notion of holiness is love. Love is any of a number of Emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong Affection. Other notions of holiness, such as purity, being set apart, perfection, keeping rules, and total commitment, are seen as contributory notions of holiness. These contributory notions find their ultimate legitimacy one when love is at their core (Thomas Jay Oord and Michael Lodahl). Thomas Jay Oord (b 1965) is a Philosopher and Theologian who specializes in research related to love, relational thought (including relational

Holiness in Buddhism

In Theravada Buddhism one finds the designation of 'noble person' or ariyapuggala (Pali). History Origin of the school The Theravāda school is ultimately derived from the Vibhajjavāda (or 'doctrine of analysis' grouping which was a continuation Pali ( ISO 15919 / ALA-LC: Pāḷi is a Middle Indo-Aryan language or Prakrit of India. The Buddha described four grades of such person depending on their level of purity. This purity is measured by which of the ten fetters (samyojana) and klesha have been purified and integrated from the mindstream. In Buddhism, a mental fetter or "chain" or "bond" ( Pāli: samyojana, saŋyojana, saññojana) shackles a person Mindstream is a compound Lexical item composed of Mind and Stream used to translate a term from Buddhist philosophy. These persons are called (in order of increasing sanctity) Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahant. In Buddhism, the Sakadagami ( Pali for "returning once" is a partially- enlightened person, who has cut off the first three chains with In the sramanic traditions of ancient India (most notably those of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha) arhat ( Sanskrit) or arahant The latter term designates an enlightened human being and is sometimes rendered into English as the Holy One.

Hierology

For the study of hieroglyphics, see hieroglyphology. Egyptian hieroglyphs (ˈhaɪərəʊɡlɪf from Greek grc-Grek ἱερογλύφος " sacred carving " also hieroglyphic = grc-Grek For the study of sacred writings, see hierographology.

Hierology (Greek ιερος, hieros, "sacred" or "holy", + λογος, logos, "word" or "reason") refers to analysis and explanation through reasoned discourse of the sacred traditions or religions of the peoples of any time or place that tries to reconcile faith with reason. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Philosophical analysis is a general term for techniques typically used by philosophers in the analytic tradition that involve "breaking down" (i An explanation is a description which may clarify causes context, and Consequences of a certain object and a phenomenon such as a process, a Reason involves the ability to think understand and draw Conclusions in an Abstract way as in Human thinking Discourse (L discursus, "running to and from" means either "written or spoken communication or debate" or "a formal discussion A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in Reason involves the ability to think understand and draw Conclusions in an Abstract way as in Human thinking It especially refers to philosophical speculations about religion that involve the traditions of multiple cultures or belief systems. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic It differs from theology in that a god or gods are not necessarily a focus and in that it may include sources with no origin in Western philosophy or religion. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always Western philosophy is a term that refers to philosophical thinking in the Western or Occidental world, as distinct from Eastern or Oriental philosophies

Notes

References

• Durkheim, Emile (1915) The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. Émile Durkheim ( April 15, 1858 – November 15, 1917) was a French Sociologist whose contributions were instrumental London: George Allen & Unwin (originally published 1915, English translation 1915).
• Eliade, Mircea (1957) The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. Mircea Eliade ( – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion fiction writer philosopher and professor at the University of Chicago Translated by Willard R. Trask. (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World).
• Thomas Jay Oord and Michael Lodahl (2006) Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love. Thomas Jay Oord (b 1965) is a Philosopher and Theologian who specializes in research related to love, relational thought (including relational Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill.
• Pals, Daniel (1996) Seven Theories of Religion. New York: Oxford University Press. US ISBN 0-19-508725-9 (pbk).
• Sharpe, Eric J. (1986) Comparative Religion: A History, 2nd ed. Eric John Sharpe ( September 19, 1933 &ndash October 19, 2000) was the founding Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney , (London: Duckworth, 1986/La Salle: Open Court). US ISBN 0-8126-9041-9.

See also

• Buddhology
• Joseph Campbell
• Neopaganism
• New Age
• Reconstructionist faiths
• sacred place
• sacred text
• Theology
• Theosophy
• Traditionalist School
• weoh, a concept in Germanic paganism similar to "sacred" or "holy. "Buddhology" may mean * Buddhist Studies (the academic study of Buddhism or *the study of Buddhas and Buddhahood (on analogy with Joseph John Campbell ( March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American Mythology Professor, Writer Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature Polytheistic reconstructionism, or simply Reconstructionism, is an approach to Neopaganism first emerging in the late 1960s to early 1970s and gatherig momentum Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective This article is about the philosophy introduced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky The Traditionalist School of thought also known as Integral Traditionalism (in the sense of Integralism) or Perennialism (in the sense of Perennial Hallow is a word usually used as a verb meaning "to make Holy or sacred to sanctify or consecrate to venerate" "