Saint
A
saint is a term used to refer to someone who is a
holy person. The term comes from the
New Testament, where the Greek word "hagios" ("holy" or "saint") is used to refer to those in the church. This was translated by
St. Jerome in the
Latin Vulgate as "sanctus," which also means "holy." Over the years it has grown to be used and accepted in other Christian, religious, and even secular contexts, to refer to those who are considered to be exceptionally
virtuous or glorified in
heaven.Hence a "saint" (
cont. with sinner) is a (usually deceased) person whose life is regarded by a community as a good example, and their life story is remembered for sake of inspiring others. It is important to note that Saints are not "worshipped" according to strict Christian terminology.
Worship is reserved for God alone, whereas Saints are venerated (see
veneration), respected, and viewed as role models.
Abbreviation for the term Saint is usually
"St." or
"St"; in cases where multiple Saints are referenced SS. is the norm.
Roman Catholicism
The older term for saint is
martyr, meaning
witness, or more specifically, witness for
God. However, as the word martyr took on more and more the meaning of "one who died for the Faith," the term
saint, meaning holy, became more common to describe the whole of Christian witnesses, both martyrs and
confessors. The Catholic Church recognizes that it does not, in fact, make anyone a saint. Rather, it recognizes a saint. In the
Roman Catholic church, the title of Saint - with a capital 'S' - refers to a person who has been formally
canonized (officially recognized) by the Church. This particular form of recognition formally allows the person so canonized to be listed in the official
Litany of the Saints during
Mass. Formal canonization is a lengthy process often taking many years, even centuries. The process includes a thorough investigation of the candidate for Sainthood. This investigation examines and confirms (or disproves) any number of
visions or
miracles attributed to candidate, or of the general holiness or specific good deeds that he or she may have done while alive. The Church, however, places special weight on those
miracles or instances of intercession that happened after the individual died and which are seen to demonstrate the Saint's continued special relationship with God after death. Also, by this definition there are many people believed to be in
heaven who have not been formally declared as Saints (most typically due to their obscurity and the involved process of formal canonization) but who may nevertheless generically be referred to as saints (lowercase 's'). Anyone in heaven is, in the untechnical sense, a saint. Unofficial devotions to thus far non-canonized saints do exist in certain regions.
The veneration of saints, in Latin,
cultus, or the
cult of the saints, describes a particular popular devotion to the saints. Although the term "worship" is often used, it is meant in the old sense meaning to honor or give respect (dulia). Divine Worship properly reserved only for God (latria) is never given to the Saints. In Roman Catholic theology, since God is the God of the Living, then it follows that the saints are alive in Heaven. As "special friends of God," they can be asked to intercede or pray for those still on earth. A Saint may be designated as a
Patron saint of particular causes or professions, or invoked against specific illnesses or disasters. They are not thought to have power of their own, but only that granted by God.
Relics of Saints are respected in a similar manner to holy images and
icons of Saints.
Ahistorical saints
Some Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians believe that many people venerated as Saints never actually existed. The polite term for such "Saints" is
ahistorical. Sorting out exactly which Saints are
ahistorical is difficult, because of the larger difficulty of
proving a negative: the absence of independent records of a Saint's existence doesn't prove she or he never existed; indeed there are no specific records of the existence of
many people who lived before the
20th century. The
Acta Sanctorum (
hagiographical work) of the
Bollandists forms a major part of the
historiography of named Saints.
There are a large number of
Christian saints with what appear to be
pagan names. Most likely they were pagans who converted to Christianity and subsequently became Saints. However, it is possible that some pre-Christian
deities (especially in
Rome's area) were accidentally adopted as saints. It is thought that some
cults were "Christianized" in a fairly direct manner. The basis for this is usually a similarity of names. For example, it is now commonly asserted that
Saint Brigid was based on the
Celtic goddess Brigid. The goddess was popular long before Christianity reached
Ireland. Another possibility is the melding of the actual life of the Saint with
myths related to pre-Christian gods and heroes (see
Comparative religion). There are some striking parallels to the events portrayed in the lives of certain saints and fables such as
Androcles and the Lion.
Eastern Orthodoxy
In the
Eastern Orthodox Church a Saint is defined as anyone who is in
Heaven, whether recognized here on earth, or not. By this definition,
Adam and Eve,
Moses, the various
Prophets, the
Angels and
Archangels are all given the title of "Saint".
The Orthodox believe that
God reveals his Saints to us, often by answered prayers and other miracles. For the Orthodox, the formal recognition of a Saint often happens many years after they have been recognized by a localized community. There are numerous small local followings of countless saints that have not yet been recognized by the entire Orthodox church. It should be re-emphasized that such recognition is not necessary anyway, a Saint revealed even on a small scale is still a saint. There are, however, often cases where God reveals His saint on a much larger scale, even a world wide scale. In such cases, after a careful process of deliberation by a synod of Bishops, there is a formal service of
Glorification in which a Saint is given a day on the church calendar to be celebrated by the entire church.
Such was the case with the sainthood of Tsar
Nicholas II of Russia and his family. At first the members of the Royal family were recognized as martyrs by the
Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1981, after which many believers in Russia began to pray to the Tsar and his family. Miracles were reported, including one miraculous icon which prompted an immediate local glorification. In 2000, the Tsar and his family were officially Glorified by the
Russian Orthodox Church.
It is believed that one of the ways in which God reveals the holiness (saintliness) of a person can be the unusual and supposedly miraculous condition of their relics (remains). In some Orthodox countries (such as Greece, but not in Russia) it is often the custom to re-use graves after 3 to 5 years because of the limited space. Bones are respectfully washed and placed in an
ossuary, often with the person's name written on the skull. Occasionally when a body is exhumed something 'miraculous' occurs. There have been numerous occurrences where the exhumed bones are reported to have suddenly given off a wonderful fragrance, like flowers; or sometimes the body remains whole and free of decay, just as it was on the day the person died, despite having not been embalmed (traditionally the Orthodox do not
embalm the dead) and having been buried for 3-5 years in the earth.
The reason relics are considered sacred is because, for the Orthodox, the separation of body and soul is unnatural. Body and soul both comprise the person, and in the end, body and soul will be reunited; therefore, the body of a saint shares in the "Holiness" of the soul of the saint. As a general rule only
clergy will touch relics in order to move them or carry them in procession, however, in
veneration the faithful will kiss the relic to show love and respect toward the saint. Every
altar in every Orthodox church contains relics, usually of
martyrs. The Church building interiors are covered with the
Icons of saints.
Because the Church shows no true distinction between the living and the dead (the Saints are alive in Heaven), the Orthodox treat the saints as if they were still here. They venerate them and ask for their prayers, and consider them brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Saints are venerated and loved and asked to intercede for our salvation, but it should be clearly understood that they are not Worshiped; but rather are treated with the natural respect due anyone who has fought the good fight and won. This places the saints in a position where they can help mankind through their direct communion with God, through their intersession for our salvation, and even occasionally with their direct interaction. It is believed that many saints have appeared in order to assist people in time of need.
When a person is baptized in the Orthodox Church, he or she is given a new name, always the name of a saint. Regardless of the name a person was born with, the person begins to use his saints name as his own during
Communion. This saint becomes one's personal patron, and his saint's day is also celebrated as a personal holiday.
Protestantism
In many
Protestant churches, the word is used more generally to refer to anyone who is a
Christian. This is similar in usage to
Paul of Tarsus's numerous references. In this sense, anyone who is within the Body of Christ (a born-again believer) is "Holy" because of their relationship with Jesus. A number of Protestant Churches believe that the dead will not rise until the
Last Judgment, so they do not accept the Catholic/Orthodox belief that saints are in heaven. Indeed some consider prayers to the saints to be
idolatry or
necromancy. However,
high-church Anglicans and
Episcopalians use the term "saint" similarly to the manner in which other Catholics use it.
See also: Priesthood of all believersAnglicanism
Main article: Saints in Anglicanism
In the
Anglican Church, the title of Saint - with a capital 'S' - refers to a person who has been elevated by popular opinion as a pious and
holy person.Saints are asked to intercede with the Lord
Christ. The honor given to saints is fundamentally distinct from the worship given to God. The Church calls the worship due to God "latria", and the honor due to saints "dulia". In honoring the saints, the faithful give glory to God, in the same sense in which one gives glory to an artist by admiring his handiwork. The saints are seen as models of holiness to be imitated, and as a 'cloud of witnesses' that strengthen and encourage the believer during his or her spiritual journey (
Hebrews 12:1). The saints are seen as elder brothers and sisters in Christ, and just as believers may ask their fellow brothers and sisters on earth for intercessory
prayer, the prayers of the saints in
heaven can be requested as well.
Once a person has been declared a Saint, the body of the Saint is considered holy. In past centuries, the remains of Saints were distributed as holy artifacts. In modern times, however, there is a growing trend to respect the body of a Saint, leaving it alone and buried. Some of the saints have a
symbol that represents their life.
Members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints beliefs are similar to the Protestant tradition described above. In the New Testament the saints are all those who by baptism have entered into the Christian covenant. Therefore members refer to themselves as "Latter-day Saints", or simply "Saints", most often among themselves. Outside the church some still refer to themselves as Mormon because non-LDS members tend to recognize it better. However, "Latter-day Saints" is usually preferred over the nickname "
Mormons".
Islam has, traditionally, had a central place for saints within its
cosmology and saints [Arabic: awliya " literally, Friends of Allah (singular: wali)] are mentioned in verses of the
Qur'an. Although there is no formal canonization process in Islam, there do exist traditions of the Prophet (hadith) and sayings of the scholars of Islam about what the qualities of a true saint are. These include soundness of faith (aqidah), a strict adherence to the Prophetic traditions (sunnah) and Shar'iah Law, an upright moral character, the performance of charismatic marvels (Ar.: karamat) and, crucially, the acknowledgment by consensus of the orthodox that such and such a person is a saint. i.e. if the Muslim masses consider someone a Saint, he or she is one. Theoretically too a saint is said to have the ability to perform any miracle which the Prophet performed and there is also a spiritual hierarchy of saints in Islam with the
Kutb or
Ghawth (Pole or Succour) at the apex. This hierrarchy is detailed in the work of the great Andalusian
Sufi Muhyuddin
Ibn Arabi, who is considered one of the great Saints of Islam, as well as many others. Indeed, amongst orthodox, traditional, Muslims, those referred to as
Sufis by Orientalist scholars of Islam are considered Saints and the two terms are virtually synonyms. Traditionally, the veneration of saints and
tombs or
shrines in
Islam is very widespread and includes all geographical areas of the
Muslim world, including the conservative
Arabian peninsula. Saints are believed to have a power of intercession with
God (
Allah), and thus the ability to perform
miracles and to give power or
blessings known as baraka.
In most
Muslim countries there are religious festivities associated with saints, such as Urs festivals in
India and
Pakistan or the annual Mawlid in
Egypt. A great Urs is yearly held in the valley of
MohraSharif where great saints still live. On these days, the local saint(s) is/are venerated, and blessings are expected. Believers are nevertheless careful to distinguish between the blessings of the
prophets (particularly
Moses,
Jesus and
Muhammad) and those of the saints.
Saints are an important component of
popular Islam and are associated with
Sufism, which includes many of the mystical branches of Islam. Sufism has several orders with precepts (
tarika) for students (
murid) who seek to follow the teachings of a saint. Although saints are acknowledged by many sufis, Sufism distances itself from the more
animistic and
cultic aspects of the
veneration of saints, which includes, as in popular Christianity, all types of religious paraphernalia and popular
rituals.
The closest notion in
Judaism is the
tzadik, a righteous person. The
Talmud says that at any time at least 36 tzaddikim are living among us: they are anonymous, but it is for their sake that the world is not destroyed. The Talmud and the
Kabbalah offer various ideas about the nature and role of these 36 tzaddikim. The term can also be used generically to mean any righteous or saintly person.
Saints are recognized in
Hinduism although it does not require canonization or similar formal process to acknowledge a person as one. Generally a holy or saintly person is referred to as a
mahatma,
paramahamsa, or
swami, or given the prefix
Sri or Srila before their name.
*
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486"1534), famous
Bengali Saint known for his ecstatic devotion to
Krishna. Original founder of the modern
Hare Krishna movement.
*
Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj, the founder of the Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, an organization which propagates
Raganuga Bhakti, a form of selfless devotional practise and loving service to
Radha Rani and
Lord Krishna*
Paramahansa Yogananda (January 5,
1893 " March 7,
1952), a modern day saint who brought the spiritual science of Kriya Yoga to the west, successfully disseminating eastern wisdom all over North America and Europe, and personally initiating many thousands of spiritual aspirants. Disciple of
Sri Yukteswar Giri.
*
Raghavendra Swami, one of the most famous Hindu saints was believed to have performed miracles during his lifetime and continues to bless his devotees. He espoused
Vaishnavism monotheism (worship of
Vishnu as Supreme God) and
Dvaita philosophy.
*
Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa*
Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi*
Chandrashekarendra Saraswati (Sage of Kanchi) (1894"1994) Jagadguru Sankaracharya of
Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Revered by many as an avatara of Adi Sankara [
1]
*
Akkalkot Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth (around 1275 A.D) considered to be the Guru of Great Saints, supposed to be the direct manifestation of the supreme power - God.
*
Shirdi Sai Baba (c.
1838 -
October 15,
1918) was an
Indian
fakir/
guru who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim followers as a saint.
*
Tukaram was a great saint who was believed to have performed miracles and was a devotee of
Krishna.
* Sant Shiri Nunuram Sahib (1898"1973), a great saint whose aashram is situated in Islamkot city of
Sindh Province in
Pakistan.[
2]
The "Sant" term is derived from the
Sanskrit sat (सद) (truth, reality) has overlapping usages, its root meaning being "one who knows the truth" or "one who has experienced Ultimate Reality". It differs from the
false cognate "Saint" as it is often translated. The term Sant has taken on the more general ethical meaning of "good person", but is assigned specifically to the poet-sants of medieval India.
[Schomer, Karine, The Sant Tradition in Perspective, in Sant Mat:Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India in Schomer K. and McLeod W.H. (Eds.)ISBN 0-961-22080-5 ]See also
sant and
Hindu Gurus and SaintsThe
Dhamma or path of purification as outlined by the
Buddha leads the disciple eventually to the status of an ariya, a noble-hearted person, of which there are four levels of increasing sanctity and
holiness. These are,
Sotāpanna or ‘stream-winner';
Sakadāgāmī or ‘once-returner';
Anāgāmī or ‘non-returner'; and finally
Arahant or ‘Worthy One' " a human being who is free from all
defilements.
Arahants are those who attain
Nibbāna. The term
Buddha, is used for someone who rediscovers the four noble truths and teaches others about it.
Arahant is frequently used as an epithet of
Buddha Gotama and his students in the
liturgy of
Theravāda Buddhism.
In the development of Mahāyāna Buddhism the arhat ideal as the goal of the religious life was replaced with that of the
Bodhisattva.
In many of the more obscure religions of the world, a saint is a man or a woman who has a direct personal link or connection with
God and who can put a person on the way back to God. Many
gurus overtly or covertly claim to be saints, which followers may believe to be true, even if the objective evidence doesn't match a formal definition of a saint.
Santeria - Voodoo
The
veneration of
Catholic saints forms the basis of the Cuban
Santería religion. In Santería, saints are
syncretised with
Yoruban deities, and are equally worshipped in churches (where they appear as saints) and in Santería religious festivities, where they appear as
deities (
orishas); however, this practice is condemned by the Roman Catholic Church.
Santeria, Haitian
Vodoun, Brazilian
Umbanda and other similar religions adopted the Roman Catholic Saints, or the images of the saints, as representations of their own spirits/deities or 'Orishas' in Santeria and 'Lwa' in Vodoun. Although there are many similarities between Vodoun and Santeria, they are different in respect to origin and language (Vodou is French, Santeria is Spanish). The adoption of Catholic Saints was fairly common in the religions that were adapted by the slaves in the New World. It can be understood as a more recent example of the absorption of pre-Christian elements into European "Catholicism" " although with Santeria and Vodoun the native religion seems to be more dominant. Different regions of the world where Catholicism is practiced have varying ways of practicing their faith.
The Catholic Church has not always condemned the practices of these "religions" or sub-sects (although there were brief local movements against Vodoun by the Church in Haiti). Perhaps the adoption of the Catholic saints is more of a testament to the durability and adaptability of religions like Vodoun. It is remarkable that Vodoun practitioners can consider themselves Catholic and Vodounists at the same time. Perhaps it is more realistic to say that elements of Catholicism were adapted into Vodoun and Santeria.
The term
Saint is derived from the
Latin Sanctus meaning "Holy". This is a direct translation from the
Greek word
άγιος (hagios) also meaning "Holy". In its original scriptural usage it simply means "Holy" or "Sanctified". In this form it can be applied to a "Holy" person, a place (άγιον όρος; The
Holy Mountain,
Athos), a thing " such as
Scripture itself (αγιογράφικα " Holy Writing), or even God (άγιον πνεύμα; -
The Holy Spirit). But very soon the early Christians began to using the term "Saint" more narrowly to refer to a specific, exemplary individual. (For a lexical explanation, see Liddel & Scott. [
3])
The earliest known occurrence of άγιος as "Saint" seems to be in
The Shepherd of Hermas, chapter 5 (or 13, depending on how chapters are counted), verse 2. "The Shepherd" was authored sometime in the second century.
*
Calendar of saints*
Catholic calendar of saints*
Communion of Saints*
Congregation for the Causes of Saints*
List of saints*
Martyrology*
Patron saint*
Intercession of saints*
Secular saint*
Hagiography*
Symbology of the Saints* Cunningham, Lawrence S.
The Meaning of Saints. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1980.
* Hawley, John Stratton, ed.
Saints and Virtues. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987.
* Hein, David. "Saints: Holy, Not Tame."
Sewanee Theological Review 49 (2006): 204-17.
* Hein, David. "Farrer on Friendship, Sainthood, and the Will of God." In
Captured by the Crucified: The Practical Theology of Austin Farrer. Edited by David Hein and Edward Hugh Henderson. New York and London: T & T Clark / Continuum, 2004. 119-48.
* Perham, Michael.
The Communion of Saints. London: Alcuin Club / SPCK, 1980.
* Woodward, Kenneth L.
Making Saints. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
