Saint

In traditional Christian iconography, the sanctity of holy figures is often represented with a glowing nimbus or halo.

Saint is a term used to refer to someone who is a holy person. The term comes from the New Testament, where it is used to refer to all Christian believers. Over the years the term 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.

Abbreviation for the term Saint is usually “St.” or “St”; in cases where multiple Saints are referenced SS. is the norm.

Etymology

The term saint is derived from the Latin word "sanctus" meaning "holy" or "consecrated". 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. [2])

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.

Christianity

Roman Catholicism

Statues of Saints

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.

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 teaches 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.

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.

Ahistorical saints

Due to the fact that many cults emerged from popular worship/veneration, Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians acknowledge that some of the individuals venerated as saints never actually existed. Such "saints" are often termed ahistorical, though determining which traditions lack historical verifiability is next-to-impossible because of the logical difficulty of proving a negative. Indeed, there are no specific records of the existence of many people who lived before the 20th century. Thus, our only evidence for the existence of many of these figures is the Acta Sanctorum, a non-critical hagiographical record of the lives of saints collected by the Bollandists.

Among the earliest recognized Christian saints, many have what appear to be pagan names. Though it is likely that some were pagans who converted to Christianity and were subsequently martyred, it is certainly possible that some pre-Christian deities (especially in Rome's area) were accidentally (or syncretistically) included in Christian worship. Further, it is thought that some cults were “Christianized” in a fairly direct manner. Given the paucity of historical data from the period, the basis for such speculation is usually derived from 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".

Orthodox belief considers that God reveals his Saints through answered prayers and other miracles. The formal recognition of Saints can happen after they have already been recognized by local communities. Many local saints are not recognized by the entire Orthodox church. The formal process of recognition involves deliberation by a synod of Bishops. If successful, this is followed by a service of Glorification in which the Saint is given a day on the church calendar to be celebrated by the entire church.

This was the case with the sainthood of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family. The members of the Royal family were recognized as martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1981. Believers in Russia began to pray to the Tsar and his family. Miracles were reported, including a '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 the holiness (saintliness) of a person is revealed is through the condition of their relics (remains). In some Orthodox countries (such as Greece, but not in Russia) graves are often reused after 3 to 5 years because of limited space. Bones are washed and placed in an ossuary, often with the person's name written on the skull. Occasionally when a body is exhumed something miraculous is reported as having occurred; exhumed bones are claimed to have given off a fragrance, like flowers, or a body is reported as having remained free of decay, despite not having been embalmed (traditionally the Orthodox do not embalm the dead) and having been buried for some 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. Church interiors are covered with the Icons of saints.

Because the Church shows no true distinction between the living and the dead (the Saints are considered to be alive in Heaven), saints are referred to as if they were still alive. Saints are venerated but not worshipped. They are believed to be able to intercede for salvation and help mankind either through direct communion with God, or by personal intervention.

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 saint's 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 "saint" is generally used to refer to anyone who is a Christian, in a similar manner to Paul of Tarsus's use of the term in the New Testament. In this sense, anyone who is within the Body of Christ (a born-again believer) is Holy because of their relationship with Jesus. Though high-church Anglicans and Episcopalians use the term "saint" in a similar manner to the Catholics, a number of Protestant Churches decry the Catholic practice, as they believe that the dead will not rise until the Last Judgment. As a result, they deny the Catholic/Orthodox belief that saints are in heaven and some go so far as to consider prayers to the saints as idolatry or necromancy.

Anglicanism

The provinces of the Anglican Communion commemorate many of the same saints as those in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, often on the same days. There are several people commemorated in the modern Anglican calendars who were opposed to the reformation of the English Church. Of particular note are John Fisher and Thomas More, executed by Henry VIII for not assenting to his Act of Succession. These two were later canonised by Pope Pius XI, and their presence in Anglican calendars demonstrates the inclusive breadth of Anglicanism, its sympathy for the victims, both Catholic and Protestant, of its formation, and its view of itself as 'both Catholic and Reformed'.

Anglican Churches also commemorate various famous (often post-Reformation) Christians. The West front of Westminster Abbey, for example, contains ten niches with statues of the 20th century martyrs Maximilian Kolbe, Manche Masemola, Janani Luwum, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, Martin Luther King, Oscar Romero, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Esther John, Lucian Tapiedi and Wang Zhiming. English and local saints are often emphasized, and there are differences between the provinces' calendars. Some Anglicans consider Charles I to be a martyr and saint (see Society of King Charles the Martyr).

Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold similar beliefs to the Protestant tradition with regards to the concept of sainthood. Given the New Testament usage of the term saints to refer to all those who have entered into the Christian covenant by immersion baptism. Likewise, members of their tradition follow this usage, referring to themselves as "Latter-day Saints" (or simply "Saints") among themselves.

Sainthood in a Comparative Perspective

It is common journalistic (or even scholarly) shorthand to refer to any ethically ideal (or idealized) human being as a "saint," regardless of their tradition of origin. This is, in actuality, a questionable practice. As suggested by Clifford Geertz, we must acknowledge the context of figures, beliefs and practices before we can generalize about them or consider them in light of other cultural systems — and even then, those generalizations must be acknowledged as being both contingent and tenuous. In this light, we must note the undeniable early Christian context of the term "saint" and its related understanding of sanctity (including (but not limited to) such elements as sexual chasitity, posthumous efficacy, and unshakable devotion to God (even under pain of death)). As such, the purpose of this proviso is to highlight the fact that the figures identified and discussed below are only partially congruent with the Christian notion of sainthood introduced above. This means that, while these brief comparative mentions are sufficient to note the presence of some similarities, a deeper understanding of these holy figures will require a more in-depth analysis of the respective traditions from whence they emerged.

Islam

Traditionally, Islam has had a central place for awaliya [Arabic: literally, "Friends of Allah" (singular: wali)] within its cosmology; a traditon venerable enough that these figures are specifically mentioned in verses of the Qur'an. Although there is no formal canonization process in Islam, a typological schema for ascertaining sanctity has been derived from the traditions of the Prophet (hadith) and the sayings of the scholars of Islam. These revered qualities include soundness of faith (aqidah), an upright moral character, a strict adherence to the Prophetic traditions (sunnah) and to Shar'iah Law, the performance of charismatic marvels (karamat) and, most crucially, consensus of the faith community that the person is a saint. To put this final point more bluntly, if the Muslim masses consider someone a Saint, he or she is one.

The veneration of the awaliya, especially at their tombs or shrines, is a very widespread practice in Islam, and is common throughout the Muslim world, including the conservative Arabian peninsula. Saints are believed to have the power of intercession with God (Allah), which yields the ability to perform miracles and to give power or blessings (known as barakah). In most Muslim countries, there are religious festivities associated with these holy figures, such as the Urs festivals in India and Pakistan, and the annual Mawlid in Egypt. For example, a great Urs is held annually in the valley of MohraSharif, where great awaliya are still believed to live. During this festival, the local saints are venerated, with the expectation of future blessings. Believers are nevertheless careful to distinguish between the blessings of the prophets (particularly Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad) and those of the saints.

There is also a spiritual hierarchy of awaliya in Islam, with the Kutb or Ghawth at the apex. This hierarchy is described in detail in the work of the great Andalusian Sufi Muhyuddin Ibn Arabi, who is considered one of the great saints of Islam.

Finally, the awaliya 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 these holy exemplars. Although these figures are acknowledged by many sufis, Sufism distances itself from the more animistic and cultic aspects of the veneration of saints, which include, as in popular Christianity, all types of religious paraphernalia and popular rituals.

Judaism

The Jewish notion that most clearly resembles the Christian saint is the tzadik, or a "righteous one". 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.

This tradition is particularly vibrant in modern Morocco, where the veneration of tzaddikim remains an important part of overall religious adherence:

Veneration of saints plays a central role in Moroccan Jewish life and is an important component of their ethnic identity (Ben-Am 1984:207-13; Bilu 1984:44; Goldberg 1983:67). The tzaddik is a pious man, well versed in the Torah and kabbalistic studies, charismatic and spiritually compelling (Bilu:1984:44, 1987:285), deeply religious, honest, and innocent. As a saint, he possesses supernatural powers which enable him to influence events and people and to intercede with God on their behalf (Weingrod 1990:13). These powers do not fade when the saint dies and can continue to benefit his adherents (Bilu 1987:285). Among Moroccan Jews, faith in saints is strongly entwined with the Jewish mystical tradition and with the Maraboutistic element that characterizes North African Islam (Goldberg 1983:6768). However, unlike Islam, Jewish custom centered around the graves of deceased saints (Bilu 1987:285; Ben-Ami 1984:190), although there also were living saints in Morocco (Ben-Ami 1984:46-55). What differentiated these tzaddikim from ordinary mortals was their ability to perform miracles; to cure the sick, eliminate danger, protect, and rescue (Weingrod 1990:13-14). A person who had received a miracle often became the saint's "slave": that is, a special relationship developed between the saint and the "slave" who submitted completely to the saint and accepted his every pronouncement (Ben-Ami 1984:54-55) (Darin, 352-353).

Hinduism

"Saints" are recognized in Hinduism, although, like the Muslim tradition, they do not require canonization or similar formal process to be acknowledged as such. Generally, these holy or saintly individuals are referred to as mahatma, paramahamsa, or swami, or given the prefix Sri or Srila before their name.

It should be noted that these various terms all possess different valences of meaning than the Christian understanding of sainthood. Swami, for example, is an honorific title that is loosely akin to "master" or "lord". It is derived from the Sanskrit language and means "owner of oneself," denoting complete mastery over instinctive and lower urges. It is a title added to one's name to emphasize learning and, of course, mastery of a specific field of knowledge, most often religious and/or spiritual. Another common epithet for holy people is sant, a term derived from the Sanskrit sat ((सद) (truth, reality)) whose root meaning is "one who knows the truth" or "one who has experienced Ultimate Reality." It differs from the false cognate "saint," though this translation still persists. The term sant has taken on the more general ethical meaning of "good person", but is most often assigned specifically to the poet-sants of medieval India.

Some examples of the variety of individuals accorded this particular honour:

• 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.
• 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 Vaishnava monotheism (worship of Vishnu as Supreme God) and Dvaita philosophy.
• Chandrashekarendra Saraswati (Sage of Kanchi) (1894–1994) Jagadguru Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Revered by many as an avatara of Adi Sankara [3]
• Akkalkot Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth (around 1275 C.E.) 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.

Buddhism

The Dhamma (path of purification) 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. Though parallels are often drawn between the arahant and the Christian saint, one must note that the Buddhist figure is primarily characterized by inward spiritual achievement — a far cry from the emphasis on effacaceous presence found in popular Christian veneration.

With the development of Mahāyāna Buddhism, the arhat ideal was largely replaced with that of the Bodhisattva, a being of impeccable spiritual achievement who has vowed to postpone nirvana (and remain in this world) until all beings attain enlightenment. Given this emphasis on compassion and worldly involvement, many features of the cults of bodhisattvas are similar to the popular cults of Christian saints. Indeed, though the bulk of Indian bodhisattvas represent ideals (i.e. Avalokitesvara symbolizes compassion and Manjusri symbolizes wisdom), East Asian Buddhist sects often developed involved biographies of these figures, identifying them with historical individuals of particular spiritual potency. These individuals were then thought, in keeping with the vow described above, to intercede on behalf on individuals, such that adherents "will be swiftly and miraculously rescued from danger by [them]"

Santeria / Voodoo

The veneration of Catholic saints provides one of the foci for the Cuban Santería and Haitian Vodoun religion. In both, saints are syncretised with earlier deities, and are equally worshipped in churches (where they appear as saints) and in Santería religious festivities, where they appear as deities (Orishas in Santeria and Lwa in Vodoun). Although there are many similarities between Vodoun and Santeria, they do differ in respect to their origins and source languages (Vodou uses a creolized French, while Santeria is based on Spanish). Indeed, this adoption of Catholic Saints was fairly common in the fusion religions generated by slaves transplated in the New World. Further, parallels can certainly be drawn between this process and the absorption of pre-Christian elements into European "Catholicism" — although with Santeria and Vodoun, the native religion seems to be more dominant.

Though the Catholic Church has publicly spoken out against these New World syncretisms, they have not always condemned the practices of such groups. Perhaps the adoption of the Catholic saints is more of a testament to the durability and adaptability of both religions. As a contrast to the Western model of discrete membership religious traditions, it is remarkable that Vodoun practitioners can consider themselves Catholic and Vodounists at the same time.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Saints

• Calendar of saints
• Catholic calendar of saints
• Communion of Saints
• Congregation for the Causes of Saints
• List of saints
• List of canonizations
• Martyrology
• Patron saint
• Intercession of saints
• Secular saint
• Hagiography
• Symbology of the Saints

Bibliography

• The Commemoration of Saints and Heroes of the Faith in the Anglican Communion: The Report of a Commission Appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. London: S.P.C.K., 1957.
• Cunningham, Lawrence S. The Meaning of Saints. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1980.
• Daryn, Gil. "Moroccan Hassidism: the Chavrei Habakuk community and its Veneration of Saints." Ethnology 37(4), Fall 1998. 351-73.
• Jean-Luc Deuffic (éd.), Reliques et sainteté dans l'espace médiéval [4]
• 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.
• Schomer, Karine. "The Sant Tradition in Perspective" in The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India. Edited by K. Schomer and W.H. McLeod. Delhi: Motilal Banaridass; Berkeley, Calif.: Berkeley Religious Studies Series, 1987. ISBN 0-961-22080-5
• Woodward, Kenneth L. Making Saints. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.

References

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