The English word saint is from the Latin sanctus, in origin a term in indigenous tradition connected to the name of the god Sancus, but in Christian context used to translate the Greek ἅγιος (hagios), derived from the verb ἁγιάζω (hagiazo), which means to set apart, to sanctify or to make holy.The word appears 229 times in the Greek New Testament, and 60 times in the corresponding text of the King James Version. As used by the apostolic authors of scripture, saint did not refer to deceased persons who have been granted sainthood, but rather to living persons who had dedicated themselves to God. The word was originally a technical term in ancient Roman religion, but due to its globalized use in Christianity, the modern term (in English or Romance languages) is now also seen as translation of comparable terms for people worthy of veneration for their holiness or sanctity in other religions. Many religions also use similar concepts but different terminology to venerate individuals worthy of honor in some way, Author John A. Coleman (Society of Jesus, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California) wrote that saints across various cultures and religions have the following family resemblances: exemplary model extraordinary teacher wonder worker or source of benevolent power intercessor a life often refusing material attachments or comforts possession of a special and revelatory relation to the holy. The anthropologist Lawrence Babb in an article about Sathya Sai Baba asks the question Who is a saint?, and responds by saying that in the symbolic infrastructure of some religions, there is the image of a certain extraordinary spiritual kings miraculous powers, to whom frequently a certain moral presence is attributed. These saintly figures, he asserts, are the focal points of spiritual force-fields, exerting powerful attractive influence on followers but touch the inner lives of others in transforming ways as well.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 20:30:19 +0000