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Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires
awe Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous. On Robert Plutchik's wheel of emotions awe is modeled as a combination of surprise and fear. One dictionary definition is "an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., ...
or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a " sacred artifact" that is
venerated Veneration ( la, veneratio; el, τιμάω ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Etym ...
and
blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...
), or places (" sacred ground"). French sociologist
Émile Durkheim David Émile Durkheim ( or ; 15 April 1858 – 15 November 1917) was a French sociologist. Durkheim formally established the academic discipline of sociology and is commonly cited as one of the principal architects of modern social science, al ...
considered the dichotomy between the sacred and the profane to be the central characteristic of
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
: "religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to ''sacred things'', that is to say, things set apart and forbidden." Durkheim, Émile. 1915. ''
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life ''The Elementary Forms of Religious Life'' (french: Les formes élémentaires de la vie religieuse), published by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim in 1912, is a book that analyzes religion as a social phenomenon. Durkheim attributes the deve ...
''. London: George Allen & Unwin. .
In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represents the interests of the group, especially unity, which are embodied in sacred group symbols, or using team work to help get out of trouble. The profane, on the other hand, involve mundane individual concerns.


Etymology

The word ''sacred'' descends from the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
'' sacer'', referring to that which is ' consecrated, dedicated' or 'purified' to the gods or anything in their power, as well as to '' sacerdotes''.


Distinction from "holy"

Although there are similarities between the terms ''sacred'' and ''holy'', which are also sometimes used interchangeably, there are subtle differences.Difference Between Sacred and Holy
" ''Difference Between''. 26 September 2013.
''Holiness'' is generally the term used in relation to persons and relationship, whereas ''sacredness'' is used in relation to objects, places, or happenings. Thus, a saint may be considered as holy, but would not be viewed as sacred. Nonetheless, some things can be both holy and sacred, such as the Holy Bible. While both words denote something or someone set apart to the worship of God and therefore worthy of respect and in some cases veneration, ''holy'' (the stronger word) implies an inherent or essential character. Holiness originates in God and is communicated to things, places, times, and persons engaged in His Service. Thus
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wit ...
defines ''holiness'' as that virtue by which a man's mind applies itself and all its acts to God; he ranks it among the infused moral
virtue Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standards ...
s, and identifies it with the virtue of religion, but with this difference that, whereas religion is the virtue whereby one offers God due service in the things which pertain to the Divine service, holiness is the virtue by which one makes all one's acts subservient to God. Thus holiness or sanctity is the outcome of sanctification, that Divine act by which God freely justifies a person, and by which He has claimed them for His own.


Etymology of 'holy'

The English word ''holy'' dates back to at least the 11th century with the
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
word ''
hālig To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". The adjective form ''hallowed'', as used in '' The Lord's Prayer'', means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered. The noun form ''hallow'', as used in '' Hallowtide ...
'', an adjective derived from ''hāl'' ('whole'), which was used to mean 'uninjured, sound, healthy, entire, complete'. The Scottish ''hale'' ('health, happiness, wholeness') is the most complete modern form of this Old English root. The word ''holy'' in its modern form appears in Wycliffe's Bible of 1382. 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 Omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one of ...
, such as
water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...
used for
baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
.


In academia


Hierology

Hierology (
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: ιερος, ''hieros'', 'sacred or 'holy', + -logy) is the study of sacred literature or
lore Lore may refer to: * Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs * Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions Places * Loré, former French commune * Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in La ...
. The concept and the term were developed in 2002 by
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n art-historian and
byzantinist Byzantine studies is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the history, culture, demography, dress, religion/theology, art, literature/epigraphy, music, science, economy, coinage and politics of the Eastern Roman ...
Alexei Lidov Alexei Mikhailovich Lidov ( Russian: Алексей́ Михай́лович Ли́дов) is a Russian art historian and byzantinist, an author of the concepts ''hierotopy'' and '' spatial icon'', member of the Russian Academy of Arts. Life ...
.


History of religions

Analysing the dialectic of the sacred,
Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religiou ...
outlines that religion should not be interpreted only as "belief in deities," but as "experience of the sacred." The sacred is presented in relation to the profane; the relation between the sacred and the profane is not of opposition, but of complementarity, as the profane is viewed as a
hierophany A hierophany is a manifestation of the sacred. The word is a formation of the Greek adjective ''hieros'' ( gr, ἱερός, 'sacred, holy') and the verb ''phainein'' (φαίνειν, 'to reveal, to bring to light'). Mircea Eliade The word ''hier ...
.


Sociology

French sociologist
Émile Durkheim David Émile Durkheim ( or ; 15 April 1858 – 15 November 1917) was a French sociologist. Durkheim formally established the academic discipline of sociology and is commonly cited as one of the principal architects of modern social science, al ...
considered the dichotomy between the
sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
and the profane to be the central characteristic of
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
: "religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to ''sacred things'', that is to say, things set apart and forbidden." In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represented the interests of the group, especially unity, which were embodied in sacred group symbols, or
totems A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the wo ...
. 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 In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...
or evil, and the profane could be either as well.


In religion


Indic religions

Indian religions, Indian-origin religion, namely Hinduism and its offshoots Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, have concept of revering and conserving ecology and environment by treating various objects as sacred, such as rivers, trees, forests or groves, mountains, etc.


Hinduism

Sacred rivers and their reverence is a phenomenon found in several religions, especially religions which have animism, eco-friendly belief as core of their religion. For example, the Indian religions, Indian-origin religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikism) revere and preserve the Sacred groves of India, groves, List of Banyan trees in India, trees, Sacred_mountains#India, mountains and rivers as sacred. Among the most sacred rivers in Hinduism are the Ganges, Yamuna, Sarasvati River, Sarasvati rivers on which the rigvedic rivers flourished. The vedas and Gita, the most sacred of hindu texts were written on the banks of Sarasvati river which were codified during the Kuru Kingdom, Kuru kingdom in present day Haryana. Among other secondary sacred rivers of Hinduism are Narmada and many more. Among the sacred mountains, the most sacred among those are Mount Kailash (in TIbet), Nanda Devi, Char Dham mountains and Amarnath temple, Amarnath mountain, Gangotri mountain. Yamunotri mountain, Bandarpunch, Sarasvotri mountain (origin of Sarasvati River), Dhosi Hill, etc.


Buddhism

In Theravada Buddhism one finds the designation of ''Ariya-Puggala, ariya-puggala'' ('noble person'). Buddha described the Four stages of awakening of a person depending on their level of purity. This purity is measured by which of the ten ''Fetter (Buddhism), samyojana'' ('fetters') and ''Kleśā (Buddhism), klesha'' have been purified and integrated from the mindstream. These persons are called (in order of increasing sanctity) ''Sotāpanna'', ''Sakadagami'', ''Anāgāmi'', and ''Arhat, Arahant''.


Abrahamic religions


Christianity

More traditional Christian denominations, denominations, such as the Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist Churches, believe in Holy Sacraments that the clergy perform, such as Holy Communion and Holy Baptism, as well as strong belief in the Four marks of the church, Holy Catholic Church, Bible, Holy Scripture, Holy Trinity, and the Covenant (biblical), Holy Covenant. They also believe that angels and saints are Universal call to holiness, called to holiness.


=Wesleyan-Arminian

= In Methodism, holiness has acquired the secondary meaning of the reshaping of a person through Entire Sanctification. It is understood as the purity of heart that occurs in a second definite instantaneous work. The term owes its origin to John Wesley, who stressed "scriptural holiness," as well as Christian perfection. John Wesley stated in The Plain Account of Christian Perfection that:
On January 1, 1733, I preached before the University in St. Mary's church, on 'the Circumcision of the Heart;' an account of which I gave in these words: 'It is that habitual disposition of soul which, in the sacred writings, is termed' holiness; and which directly implies, the being cleansed from sin 'from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit;' and, by consequence the being endued with those virtues which were in Christ Jesus the being so 'renewed in the image of our mind', as to be 'perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.'
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. In the latter part of the 19th century, revival meetings were held, attended by thousands. In Vineland, New Jersey, in 1867 a camp meeting was begun, and the National Holiness Camp Meeting Association went on to establish many holiness camp meetings across the nation. 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). Within a generation another movement, the Pentecostal movement, was born, drawing heavily from the Holiness movement. Around the middle of the 20th century, the Conservative Holiness Movement, a conservative offshoot of the Holiness movement, was born. The Higher Life movement appeared in the British Isles during the mid-19th century. Commonly recognized outward expressions or "standards" of holiness among more fundamental adherents frequently include applications relative to dress, hair, and appearance: e.g., short hair on men, uncut hair on women, and prohibitions against shorts, pants on women, make-up and jewelry. Other common injunctions are against places of worldly amusement, mixed swimming, smoking, minced oaths, as well as the eschewing of television and radio.


Islam

Among the Names of God in Islam, names of God in the Quran is ''Al-Quddus'' (): found in Q59:23 and , the closest English translation is 'holy' or 'sacred'. (It shares the same triliteral Semitic root, Q-D-Š, as the Hebrew ''Holy of Holies, kodesh''.) Another use of the same root is found in the Arabic name for Jerusalem: ''al-Quds'', 'the Holy'. The word ''Haram, ħarām'' (), often translated as 'prohibited' or 'forbidden', is better understood as 'sacred' or 'sanctuary' in the context of places considered sacred in Islam. For example: * the ''Masjid al-Haram'', or the 'Sacred Mosque in Mecca', constituting the immediate precincts of the Kaaba; * ''Haram (site), al-Haramain'', or 'the (two) Sanctuaries', a reference to the twin holy cities of Mecca and Medina; and * the ''Haram ash-Sharif'', or 'Noble Sanctuary', the precincts of the Dome of the Rock and Qibli Mosque, al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.


Judaism

The Hebrew word ''kodesh'' () is used in the Torah to mean 'set-apartness' and 'distinct' like is found in the Jewish marriage ceremony where it is stated by the husband to his prospective wife, "You are ''made holy'' to me according to the law of Moses and Israel." (). In Hebrew, ''holiness'' has a connotation of ''oneness'' and ''transparency'' like in the Jewish marriage example, where husband and wife are seen as one in keeping with Genesis 2:24. ''Kodesh'' is also commonly translated as 'holiness' and 'sacredness'. The Torah describes the Kohen, Aaronite priests and the Levites as being selected by God to perform the Temple services; they, as well, are called "holy." 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. Distinctions are made as to who and what are permitted in each area. Likewise, the Jewish holidays and the Shabbat 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 prohibited on Shabbat, 39 categories of activity that are specifically prohibited.Mishna, Shabbat 7:2 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 Korban, sacrifices are holy. Those that may be eaten have very specific rules concerning who may eat which of their parts, and time limits on when the consumption must be completed. 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 ''kareth'', spiritual excision, for mis-stepping in his close approach to God's domain.


See also


References


Works cited

* Émile Durkheim, Durkheim, Emile (1915) ''The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life.'' London: George Allen & Unwin (originally published 1915, English translation 1915). * Mircea Eliade, Eliade, Mircea (1957) ''The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion.'' 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.'' Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill. * Pals, Daniel (1996) ''Seven Theories of Religion.'' New York: Oxford University Press. US (pbk). * Eric J. Sharpe, Sharpe, Eric J. (1986) ''Comparative Religion: A History'', 2nd ed., (London: Duckworth, 1986/La Salle: Open Court). US .


External links

{{wikiquote, Sacredness *
The Sacred and the Profane
by Carsten Colpe (Encyclopedia of Religion) Attributes of God in Christian theology Holiness Religious belief and doctrine