Meta tags:

Headings (most frequently used words):

of, church, orthodoxy, canonization, saint, contents, etymology, general, characteristics, history, by, denomination, comparative, religion, see, also, references, further, reading, external, links, old, testament, apostolic, age, catholic, eastern, oriental, evangelical, lutheranism, anglicanism, methodism, other, protestantism, the, jesus, christ, latter, day, saints, african, diaspora, druze, faith, islam, judaism, new, religious, movements, citations, sources, stages, process, baptist,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (652), saints (225), and (202), church (109), saint (92), for (67), are (66), #catholic (65), god (58), with (54), holy (53), that (48), from (43), their (39), all (38), who (38), christian (37), #orthodox (35), edit (33), new (32), roman (30), not (30), was (29), have (29), this (28), christ (26), testament (25), they (25), articles (23), but (23), retrieved (22), eastern (22), jesus (22), other (21), also (20), john (20), holiness (20), veneration (20), has (20), used (20), may (19), people (19), day (19), use (18), calendar (18), christians (18), paul (18), one (17), term (17), person (17), isbn (16), word (16), his (16), been (16), which (16), canonization (15), press (15), religion (15), article (15), some (15), often (15), many (15), confession (14), faith (14), history (14), pope (14), believers (14), them (14), english (13), augsburg (13), religions (13), islam (13), list (13), does (13), title (12), old (12), lutheran (12), great (12), see (12), liturgy (12), anglican (12), process (12), general (12), islamic (12), such (12), hagioi (12), 2025 (11), sainthood (11), orthodoxy (11), worship (11), churches (11), theology (11), latter (11), bible (11), intercession (11), dictionary (11), university (11), doctrine (11), cor (11), special (11), through (11), only (11), however (11), wikipedia (10), october (10), june (10), evangelical (10), catholicism (10), prayer (10), original (10), christianity (10), heaven (10), miracles (10), archived (10), invocation (10), there (10), according (10), org (9), liturgical (9), portal (9), religious (9), body (9), world (9), early (9), life (9), sunni (9), relics (9), ones (9), more (9), those (9), were (9), official (9), greek (8), latin (8), divine (8), xxi (8), sin (8), baptism (8), protestant (8), apostolic (8), 978 (8), group (8), encyclopedia (8), called (8), prayers (8), way (8), certain (8), vatican (8), because (8), than (8), both (8), being (8), after (8), living (8), references (7), links (7), united (7), states (7), common (7), good (7), catechism (7), venerated (7), baptist (7), love (7), law (7), tradition (7), second (7), salvation (7), canon (7), members (7), age (7), prophets (7), martyrs (7), anglicanism (7), book (7), further (7), berkeley (7), california (7), 2012 (7), april (7), particular (7), acts (7), information (7), apart (7), lives (7), refers (7), community (7), moral (7), its (7), usually (7), refer (7), recognized (7), given (7), toggle (6), view (6), text (6), language (6), lutherans (6), lutheranism (6), practices (6), lord (6), what (6), iii (6), father (6), mary (6), related (6), movement (6), self (6), popular (6), druze (6), true (6), methodist (6), communion (6), protestantism (6), traditions (6), coptic (6), 2010 (6), jewish (6), 2009 (6), scripture (6), rather (6), either (6), two (6), had (6), 2013 (6), apology (6), set (6), believer (6), virtue (6), peter (6), revelation (6), jude (6), these (6), him (6), when (6), identity (6), means (6), muslim (6), while (6), main (6), became (6), similar (6), within (6), can (6), any (6), sometimes (6), canonized (6), candidate (6), about (5), terms (5), page (5), category (5), sources (5), biblical (5), sidebar (5), high (5), works (5), will (5), son (5), creed (5), america (5), anglo (5), martyr (5), four (5), blessed (5), piety (5), universal (5), oriental (5), modern (5), first (5), fathers (5), apostles (5), virtues (5), lawrence (5), images (5), among (5), medieval (5), 2019 (5), part (5), romish (5), upon (5), times (5), former (5), glorification (5), 2020 (5), january (5), various (5), anyone (5), every (5), consecrated (5), applied (5), rom (5), idea (5), designation (5), plural (5), name (5), century (5), even (5), belief (5), others (5), including (5), individuals (5), include (5), found (5), well (5), before (5), spiritual (5), figures (5), therefore (5), generally (5), between (5), earth (5), move (5), local (5), table (4), contents (4), search (4), additional (4), using (4), commons (4), containing (4), citation (4), britannica (4), reference (4), unsourced (4), wayback (4), different (4), movements (4), confirmation (4), service (4), free (4), sacraments (4), patron (4), place (4), seven (4), titles (4), venerable (4), dicastery (4), causes (4), gospel (4), spirit (4), judaism (4), ethics (4), philosophy (4), council (4), western (4), state (4), resurrection (4), prophet (4), methodism (4), bishop (4), beatification (4), dead (4), calendars (4), should (4), 1999 (4), theological (4), meaning (4), muhammad (4), 2008 (4), oxford (4), cult (4), centuries (4), family (4), december (4), concerning (4), request (4), regarded (4), themselves (4), hebrews (4), steps (4), during (4), newman (4), alive (4), time (4), become (4), corinthians (4), baker (4), class (4), calling (4), letters (4), hagios (4), corporate (4), appearing (4), collective (4), thus (4), loved (4), zondervan (4), recognizes (4), kami (4), referred (4), bishops (4), traditional (4), anglicans (4), then (4), scholars (4), needed (4), specific (4), contexts (4), due (4), influence (4), honor (4), miraculous (4), following (4), having (4), pray (4), intercede (4), own (4), our (4), help (4), usage (4), thy (4), distinction (4), make (4), catholics (4), examples (4), grace (4), believed (4), worthy (4), recognition (4), persons (4), denomination (4), sanctus (4), hide (4), subsection (4), topic (3), contact (3), you (3), wikimedia (3), last (3), edited (3), wikidata (3), statements (3), march (3), cs1 (3), american (3), index (3), authority (3), sign (3), ecclesiastical (3), eucharist (3), apostle (3), central (3), europe (3), england (3), order (3), mother (3), stages (3), criticism (3), literature (3), lists (3), trinity (3), art (3), orders (3), folk (3), coming (3), covenant (3), mariology (3), marks (3), born (3), again (3), hell (3), east (3), witnesses (3), years (3), reformation (3), papal (3), ecumenical (3), councils (3), nicene (3), period (3), ascension (3), crucifixion (3), writers (3), equivalent (3), places (3), hagiography (3), translation (3), relic (3), ancient (3), books (3), media (3), kenneth (3), york (3), making (3), 1980 (3), extraordinary (3), david (3), hawley (3), stratton (3), 1987 (3), 520 (3), 06163 (3), eds (3), 2003 (3), sanctity (3), taylor (3), christopher (3), publishers (3), righteous (3), jonathan (3), friends (3), ibn (3), faithful (3), sufi (3), alexander (3), august (3), 2000 (3), smith (3), com (3), participation (3), city (3), 2016 (3), year (3), study (3), 2001 (3), xxii (3), read (3), fond (3), thing (3), vainly (3), invented (3), grounded (3), repugnant (3), authors (3), simple (3), blessings (3), machine (3), synod (3), february (3), pdf (3), declared (3), 2011 (3), september (3), col (3), saved (3), merrill (3), pious (3), eph (3), here (3), uses (3), frequently (3), ben (3), james (3), originally (3), something (3), whom (3), master (3), seen (3), terminology (3), associated (3), just (3), clark (3), addresses (3), altar (3), present (3), trebilco (3), crossley (3), 129 (3), identified (3), though (3), phil (3), dimension (3), adjective (3), once (3), individual (3), although (3), consecration (3), saintly (3), morocco (3), shintō (3), concerned (3), death (3), nation (3), men (3), considered (3), attribute (3), hindu (3), buddhist (3), bodhisattva (3), guru (3), ḥasīd (3), george (3), devotion (3), names (3), like (3), days (3), citations (3), hallow (3), developed (3), tzadik (3), most (3), twentieth (3), whose (3), honoring (3), exceptional (3), classical (3), practice (3), power (3), druzes (3), appear (3), african (3), diaspora (3), comparative (3), sanctified (3), sense (3), purgatory (3), believe (3), version (3), mediator (3), intercessor (3), ask (3), diocese (3), attributed (3), whether (3), still (3), example (3), honored (3), canonize (3), syriac (3), armenian (3), lived (3), personal (3), icons (3), entire (3), recognised (3), required (3), stage (3), deacon (3), reserved (3), later (3), create (3), vulgate (3), tools (3), languages (2), legal (2), privacy (2), policy (2), site (2), non (2), 2026 (2), categories (2), tagalog (2), link (2), 1911 (2), encyclopaedia (2), wikisource (2), tajik (2), volume (2), needing (2), off (2), sections (2), minor (2), pov (2), problems (2), specifically (2), marked (2), weasel (2), worded (2), phrases (2), url (2), pages (2), child (2), written (2), november (2), 2022 (2), short (2), description (2), czech (2), confessional (2), neo (2), cross (2), cause (2), xviii (2), judgment (2), xvi (2), xiv (2), repentance (2), viii (2), office (2), justification (2), sacrament (2), luther (2), sweden (2), virtuous (2), pagan (2), michael (2), archangels (2), joseph (2), apparition (2), assumption (2), perpetual (2), virginity (2), immaculate (2), conception (2), theotokos (2), virgin (2), servant (2), views (2), miracle (2), evil (2), anti (2), traditionalist (2), mission (2), evangelism (2), charismatic (2), music (2), marriage (2), cathedrals (2), architecture (2), mercy (2), anointing (2), sick (2), penance (2), pilgrimage (2), monasticism (2), priest (2), politics (2), evolution (2), science (2), homosexuality (2), poor (2), social (2), suffering (2), natural (2), atonement (2), venial (2), sins (2), mortal (2), deadly (2), kingdom (2), man (2), ecclesiology (2), christology (2), ecumenism (2), denominations (2), land (2), french (2), war (2), era (2), discovery (2), west (2), middle (2), role (2), society (2), timeline (2), mount (2), key (2), glossary (2), outline (2), women (2), patristic (2), martyrology (2), companions (2), passion (2), tridentine (2), biographies (2), indian (2), legends (2), selection (2), today (2), external (2), 2004 (2), vol (2), reading (2), woodward (2), simon (2), 1996 (2), london (2), expert (2), 217 (2), review (2), 2023 (2), edition (2), beyond (2), moroccan (2), studies (2), brown (2), 2015 (2), publishing (2), renard (2), commitment (2), servanthood (2), taymiyyah (2), house (2), 603 (2), editor (2), ghost (2), egypt (2), muslims (2), jews (2), 2017 (2), francis (2), 12th (2), lindsay (2), jones (2), 2005 (2), macmillan (2), 8033 (2), thomson (2), gale (2), russell (2), 2007 (2), idolatry (2), concept (2), teacher (2), discipline (2), points (2), warranty (2), doctrina (2), bicknell (2), mean (2), things (2), ora (2), pro (2), nobis (2), benefit (2), come (2), condemned (2), affirmed (2), 1530 (2), missouri (2), byzantine (2), 2024 (2), archdiocese (2), www (2), becoming (2), july (2), pontificate (2), cardinal (2), 565 (2), cambridge (2), leonard (2), foley (2), messenger (2), published (2), how (2), someone (2), 2018 (2), exhortation (2), call (2), consider (2), thorsen (2), made (2), godly (2), unger (2), heb (2), etc (2), donald (2), abingdon (2), witherington (2), intervarsity (2), false (2), teachers (2), pauline (2), reflects (2), priestly (2), roles (2), judging (2), angels (2), significance (2), eschatological (2), past (2), designations (2), εἰς (2), τοὺς (2), τῶν (2), 130 (2), openings (2), communities (2), unity (2), corinth (2), rare (2), belonging (2), chosen (2), work (2), ethical (2), important (2), himself (2), 235 (2), tenney (2), silva (2), moisés (2), illustrated (2), singular (2), hebrew (2), qādôš (2), ideally (2), ceremonial (2), defilement (2), babb (2), sathya (2), sai (2), baba (2), coleman (2), ἅγιος (2), oca (2), creeds (2), continues (2), kamis (2), elevated (2), historians (2), zoroastrian (2), daoist (2), shinto (2), shengren (2), arahant (2), fravashi (2), tsaddiq (2), especially (2), feast (2), recognizing (2), recent (2), formal (2), powers (2), claim (2), distinct (2), thought (2), syed (2), abdul (2), qadir (2), importance (2), popularity (2), followers (2), mainly (2), follow (2), teachings (2), direct (2), known (2), tariqa (2), jilani (2), tariqat (2), millennium (2), streams (2), over (2), manner (2), itself (2), particularly (2), existence (2), presence (2), visiting (2), salafism (2), came (2), defined (2), recognize (2), relationship (2), requirement (2), acknowledged (2), innovators (2), schools (2), quran (2), karāmāt (2), wali (2), above (2), behalf (2), impossible (2), besides (2), arabic (2), rank (2), unlike (2), officially (2), accepted (2), elijah (2), priests (2), least (2), deities (2), worshipped (2), where (2), santería (2), teaching (2), lds (2), entered (2), into (2), letter (2), section (2), learn (2), material (2), cite (2), emphasize (2), protestants (2), application (2), methodists (2), whole (2), venerate (2), named (2), locations (2), observe (2), encourage (2), now (2), let (2), ord (2), translates (2), king (2), redemption (2), beseech (2), asking (2), celebrating (2), level (2), cloud (2), rebutted (2), side (2), insofar (2), author (2), approved (2), saying (2), ways (2), depicted (2), detail (2), alexandria (2), must (2), malankara (2), eremitic (2), mankind (2), touch (2), show (2), contains (2), venerating (2), image (2), celebrated (2), definition (2), model (2), complete (2), humility (2), moses (2), eve (2), investigation (2), granted (2), proof (2), symbol (2), instance (2), sullivan (2), hours (2), recovery (2), never (2), permitted (2), total (2), outside (2), likeness (2), surrender (2), always (2), perfect (2), denotes (2), formally (2), exemplary (2), emphasis (2), same (2), speaks (2), across (2), appears (2), union (2), characteristics (2), hallows (2), etymology (2), scholasticism (2), college (2), appearance (2), upload (2), file (2), changes (2), norsk (2), bahasa (2), беларуская (2), log (2), account (2), donate (2), menu (2), add, mobile, cookie, statement, statistics, developers, code, conduct, safety, contacts, disclaimers, available, under, apply, agree, registered, trademark, profit, organization, foundation, inc, creative, attribution, sharealike, license, rendered, parsoid, utc, hidden, incorporating, long, value, webarchive, template, unfit, parameter, dmy, dates, https, php, oldid, 1377991249, catholic_church, i̇slâm, ansiklopedisi, israel, spain, republic, japan, bnf, data, france, national, fast, gnd, international, control, databases, laestadianism, pietism, ubiquitarians, sacramentarians, philippists, crypto, calvinism, gnesio, wreath, easter, vigil, vespers, matins, xix, xvii, return, civil, affairs, usages, xiii, xii, supper, vii, obedience, preaching, chief, ten, commandments, small, south, oceania, caribbeans, asia, africa, continents, wales, scandinavia, northumbria, hen, ogledd, cornwall, catalonia, canary, islands, brittany, regions, serbia, russia, poland, philippines, mexico, malta, ireland, iran, india, iceland, saxon, croatia, canada, brazil, australia, argentina, countries, couples, champions, militant, miles, christianus, athleta, christi, military, founders, servite, charity, fourteen, helpers, marshals, luke, mark, matthew, evangelists, raphael, gabriel, zechariah, elizabeth, joachim, anne, husband, marian, nominal, abrahamic, sentiment, opposition, terrorism, supremacy, prosperity, pacifism, mysticism, right, left, liberation, fundamentalism, existentialism, environmentalism, democracy, anarchism, crusading, flag, crucifix, symbolism, mythology, requiem, psalm, pop, introit, hymn, choir, chant, buildings, christmas, culture, flagellant, flagellation, sabbath, hygiene, water, pastor, open, air, catechesis, ablution, violence, paganism, hinduism, buddhism, alcohol, worldview, values, option, poverty, wealth, destination, goods, mortgage, redemptive, apostasy, magdalene, asylum, fallen, woman, cupio, dissolvi, unlimited, stewardship, cry, vengeance, eternal, satan, flesh, mortification, final, judgement, garden, eden, forbidden, fruit, fall, apathy, angel, afterlife, beliefs, nondenominationalism, alliance, charta, oecumenica, universalism, christendom, cooperation, nestorian, miaphysite, rite, iglesia, cristo, jehovah, restorationist, reformed, quakers, pentecostal, anabaptist, adventist, independent, influences, emigration, revolution, enlightenment, thirty, auto, crusades, investiture, controversy, schism, ages, empire, chalcedon, ephesus, nicaea, constantine, late, antiquity, ante, christianization, spread, cultural, persecution, commission, commandment, parables, sermon, ministry, nativity, chronology, scriptures, foundations, country, phallic, patristics, topics, bearers, diocletian, confessors, levitation, symbology, royal, catacomb, equal, gurus, library, look, wiktionary, trigilio, brighenti, wiley, 470, 53358, dummies, hebert, alber, illinois, tan, 89555, 798, raised, stories, 400, gallick, sarah, 2014, wise, b007ui2lde, asin, everyone, know, 11th, 1011, 1010, encyclopædia, delehaye, hippolyte, schuster, perham, alcuin, club, spck, malley, vincent, 87973, 893, ordinary, jean, luc, deuffic, décoration, haut, gamme, reliques, sainteté, dans, espace, médiéval, hein, tame, 2006, 204, sewanee, cunningham, san, francisco, harper, row, beyer, jürgen, mainz, philipp, von, zabern, 1550, 1800, kaczynski, north, atlantic, 265, 55643, 899, perdurabo, revised, expanded, aleister, crowley, exoticism, syncretism, situating, oren, kosansky, 9004110465, brill, vicinity, oneworld, publications, 254, misquoting, juan, eduardo, campo, infobase, 600, madani, mukhtasar, fatawa, masriyya, dissenters, skepticism, 123, journal, radtke, qurʾān, jane, dammen, mcauliffe, georgetown, washington, idem, tales, winkler, hans, riders, upper, josef, meri, oup, 2002, 9780191554735, syria, beaurepaire, pierre, yves, 314, 9781351722179, 310, interactions, mediterranean, coexistence, dialogue, 20th, usa, ballard, nov, ensign, facts, fruits, pearl, price, philvaz, iconic, salt, lake, utah, 150, manual, beloved, 104, 501, 83321, cokesbury, reach, britain, daily, sokol, iuniverse, 1556, romanensium, substituted, scholasticorum, school, 1563, bring, condemnation, date, subsequent, trent, writes, 595, 19171, ceum, corach, eskimo, bookofconcord, confutation, lcms, cyclopedia, smalcald, presented, princes, cities, imperial, majesty, charles, trans, kolb, wengert, arand, minneapolis, fortress, cotsonis, 1994, dumbarton, oaks, 9780884022282, figural, processional, crosses, hopko, frawley, syosset, newadvent, howstuffworks, mic, canonizations, jenna, marshfield, answer, query, boston, globe, 1913, cbs, news, keeping, 1956, mike, william, samuel, cheetham, murray, 1875, 283, antiquities, luscombe, riley, 1024, 1198, knights, columbus, ofm, cincinnati, anthony, 86716, 535, chapter, paragraph, 111, 1963, accessed, sacrosanctum, concilium, scborromeo, kevin, cotter, focusoncampus, step, gaudete, exsultate, patte, daniel, cup, 1123, understandings, reformers, don, barbour, described, live, pocket, erickson, millard, 1986, 147, genuine, concise, moody, positionally, experientially, eminent, israelites, pss, qādôsh, elsewhere, position, refutes, senior, harrington, 190, another, boring, 206, ecclesiological, absent, commentaries, easley, kendell, morgan, broadman, holman, identical, vocabulary, precedent, parallels, homilies, socio, rhetorical, commentary, ivp, academic, 289, implied, rectitude, contrasting, audience, basic, affinities, morally, corrupt, interesting, calls, despotes, pet, probably, based, believoners, disowning, words, deeds, treat, gracious, offer, opportunity, perversity, mcknight, cohick, gupta, primary, corpus, applies, implying, essential, characteristic, sumner, tilling, 325, explaining, handbook, barton, stephen, 201, connotations, 131, ἁγίους, abbreviation, πτωχοὺς, ἁγίων, ἱερουσαλήμ, designate, readers, emphasising, ness, oneness, clearly, elwell, 236, almost, exclusively, fundamental, separation, objective, inchrist, objects, thess, subjective, hood, secondary, less, bound, separated, corresponding, survived, g41, noun, gospels, matt, epistles, character, dubiously, constituting, rev, harrison, 1960, 468, synonym, brother, except, jenni, ernst, westermann, claus, 1997, hendrickson, notion, occur, canonical, noncanonical, lexicon, primarily, render, h7705, substantivally, translated, focus, subject, involved, play, 168, 170, 214, conclusion, strong, sacred, ami, issachar, 1998, wayne, phenomenon, monotheistic, polytheistic, contain, 8143, 2198, radio, archive, martyrdom, native, japanese, nature, ancestor, standards, perfection, exceptionally, meritorious, performance, becomes, supernatural, beneficial, bad, pernicious, status, privilege, peculiar, qualities, mythical, ōkuninushi, sukuma, bikona, dwarf, deity, discoverers, patrons, medicine, magic, brewing, rice, gustav, mensching, 2nd, liberated, narrower, associations, employed, rsi, waliy, commemorations, bebis, sachier, russian, retains, vigorous, occasions, monks, grafted, onto, maintain, mechanism, informally, recommend, hammarskjold, dietrich, bonhoeffer, xxiii, additions, thanksgiving, remembrance, familiar, figure, continuous, highly, rationalized, 684, 81530, secular, sage, pharaohs, deified, lifetime, mar, devil, advocate, roger, bacon, thelema, similarities, colonial, unified, consisted, sufficiently, resist, imperialism, meanings, contrast, talmudic, rabbinic, famous, ghazali, arabi, rumi, gilani, gawth, pak, despite, attempts, salafis, minimise, huge, millions, descendants, sheikhs, habib, qadiri, pir, ali, imam, shah, muffakir, shadhili, yaqoubi, alawi, umar, bin, hafiz, naqshbandi, mehmet, adil, hisham, kabbani, nazim, haqqani, eventually, widespread, opposed, regard, backwards, integral, tried, curtail, remarked, throughout, vital, strains, pronounced, nineteenth, resisted, acknowledging, altogether, viewed, unacceptable, deviations, seeking, graves, shia, salafi, rich, literally, friend, declined, parts, very, form, eighth, endowed, gifts, ability, close, critics, ubiquitous, emphatically, declaring, absolutely, correct, pointed, instructed, wisdom, sanctify, mentioned, whoever, denies, vast, majority, mystics, belonged, sufis, hadiths, grave, visitation, awliyāʾ, traits, floating, lights, tomb, decaying, pleasant, odor, dreams, normally, knowledge, possess, بركة, baraka, perform, كرامات, lower, limited, compared, tombs, visited, seek, advice, quest, fulfilment, said, public

Text of the page (random words):
degree of holiness likeness or closeness to god however the use of the term saint depends on the context and denomination 1 official ecclesiastical recognition and veneration is conferred on some denominational saints through the process of canonization in the catholic church or glorification in the eastern orthodox church after their approval 2 3 the saints are honored in the liturgical calendars of evangelical lutheranism and anglicanism 4 in other nonconformist denominations such as the plymouth brethren and following from pauline usage saint refers broadly to any holy christian without special recognition or selection while the english word saint deriving from the latin sanctus originated in christianity historians of religion tend to use the appellation in a more general way to refer to the state of special holiness that many religions attribute to certain people referring to the hindu rishi sikh bhagat or guru the shintoist kami the taoist immortal or zhenren the jewish tzadik the islamic walī fakir and the buddhist arhat or bodhisattva also as saints 5 6 depending on the religion saints are recognized either by official declaration as in catholicism oriental orthodoxy or eastern orthodoxy or by popular acclamation see folk saint 7 8 etymology edit the word saint derives from the latin sanctus meaning holy or consecrated and entered english through old french seint and middle english saint retaining its meaning as a holy person and historically used to refer to individuals regarded as holy the word hallow is synonymous with saint the former derived from the old english hālig the same root as holy and refers to holy individuals it is preserved in certain names and traditions celebrating saints such as allhallowtide a period that includes all hallows eve halloween and all hallows day general characteristics edit the greek equivalent of the latin sanctus is ἅγιος hagios holy 9 this greek word appears 235 times in the greek new testament the king james version of the bible translates 191 times as holy or holy and 61 times as saints 10 the word sanctus was originally a technical one in ancient roman religion but due to its globalized use in christianity the modern word saint is now also used as a translation of comparable terms for persons worthy of veneration for their holiness or sanctity in other religions many religions also use similar concepts but different terminology to venerate persons worthy of some honor 5 author john a coleman of the graduate theological union berkeley california wrote that saints across various cultures and religions have the following family resemblances 11 exemplary model extraordinary teacher wonderworker 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 indian guru 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 person s miraculous powers to whom frequently a certain moral presence is attributed these saintly figures he asserts are the focal points of spiritual force fields they exert powerful attractive influence on followers but touch the inner lives of others in transforming ways as well 12 history edit old testament edit in the hebrew bible english saints most often renders terms of holiness especially the adjective qādôš set apart consecrated holy and in the plural it appears as holy ones or saints with emphasis on consecration and ideally the absence of moral and ceremonial defilement 13 the old testament does not present a fixed category of individual saints though related ideas appear in prophet and martyr traditions in later narratives 14 apostolic age edit in the apostolic age new testament writers use saints predominantly in the plural as a collective designation for christians in a given locality the only clear singular instance is distributive in philippians 4 21 every saint so the term marks the church as a people set apart for god rather than an elite subgroup 15 16 17 paul makes this corporate sense explicit by identifying the saints with you in 1 corinthians 6 2 so that oi hagioi functions as a self designation for all christians he also addresses communities as saints in letter openings closings and often speaks of all the saints to emphasize corporate unity across locations romans 1 7 1 cor 1 2 2 cor 1 1 phil 1 1 colossians 1 2 18 19 in practical matters he urges service and aid for the saints including the jerusalem poor sometimes with abbreviated phrasing that presumes this shared self designation e g 1 cor 16 1 2 cor 8 4 9 1 12 rom 15 26 20 scholars also observe covenantal eschatological and temple priestly overtones in such language e g judging the world angels participation in christ s altar 21 22 23 24 other new testament writers vary calling believers hagioi is common in hebrews and jude 25 it is frequent in revelation with an emphasis on prayer endurance and is used for the same group as believers christians 26 while 1 peter does not use hagioi as paul does even as it speaks extensively of holiness 27 28 standard reference works concur that hagioi designates all believers not a special class that the plural collective usage predominates and that the underlying idea is consecration belonging to god 29 30 31 later christian traditions e g eastern orthodoxy catholicism protestantism developed distinct practices of recognizing exemplary figures but this stands apart from the new testament s collective usage 32 17 16 by denomination edit catholic church edit further information list of catholic saints and general roman calendar a portrait depicting saint francis of assisi by the italian artist cimabue 1240 1302 according to the catholic church a saint may be anyone whether recognized on earth or not who forms part of the great cloud of witnesses hebrews 12 1 33 34 these may include our own mothers grandmothers or other loved ones cf 2 timothy 1 5 who may have not always lived perfect lives but amid their faults and failings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the lord 33 the title saint denotes a person who has been formally canonized that is officially and authoritatively declared a saint by the church as holder of the keys of the kingdom of heaven and is therefore believed to be in heaven by the grace of god there are many persons who the church believes to be in heaven who have not been formally canonized and who are otherwise titled saints because of the fame of their holiness 35 sometimes the word saint also denotes living christians 36 the second vatican council noted that some saints are commemorated by the whole church because they are truly of universal importance while many others have significance for a particular church or nation or family of religious and their lives should be celebrated within those particular contexts 37 according to the catechism of the catholic church the patriarchs prophets and certain other old testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the church s liturgical traditions 38 in his book saint of the day editor leonard foley says that the saints surrender to god s love was so generous an approach to the total surrender of jesus that the church recognizes them as heroes and heroines worthy to be held up for our inspiration they remind us that the church is holy can never stop being holy and is called to show the holiness of god by living the life of christ 39 the catholic church teaches that it does not make or create saints but rather recognizes them proofs of heroic virtue required in the process of beatification will serve to illustrate in detail the general principles exposed above 40 which upon proof of their holiness or likeness to god on 3 january 993 pope john xv became the first pope to proclaim a person a saint from outside the diocese of rome on the petition of the german ruler he had canonized bishop ulrich of augsburg before that time the popular cults or venerations of saints had been local and spontaneous and were confirmed by the local bishop 41 pope john xviii subsequently permitted a cult of five polish martyrs 41 pope benedict viii later declared the armenian hermit simeon of mantua to be a saint but it was not until the pontificate of pope innocent iii that the popes reserved to themselves the exclusive authority to canonize saints so that local bishops needed the confirmation of the pope 41 walter of pontoise was the last person in western europe to be canonized by an authority other than the pope hugh de boves the archbishop of rouen canonized him in 1153 42 43 thenceforth a decree of pope alexander iii in 1170 reserved the prerogative of canonization to the pope insofar as the latin church was concerned 42 alban butler published lives of the saints in 1756 including a total of 1 486 saints the latest revision of this book edited by herbert thurston and donald attwater contains the lives of 2 565 saints 44 robert sarno an official of the dicastery for the causes of saints of the holy see expressed that it is impossible to give an exact number of saints 45 the veneration of saints in latin cultus or the cult of the saints describes a particular popular devotion or entrustment of one s self to a particular saint or group of saints although the term worship is sometimes used citation needed it is only used with the older english connotation of honoring or respecting dulia a person according to the church divine worship is in the strict sense reserved only to god latria and never to the saints one is permitted to ask the saints to intercede or pray to god for persons still on earth 46 just as one can ask someone on earth to pray for him a saint may be designated as a patron saint of a particular cause profession church or locale or invoked as a protector against specific illnesses or disasters sometimes by popular custom and sometimes by official declarations of the church 47 saints are not believed to have power of their own but only that granted by god relics of saints are respected or venerated similar to the veneration of holy images and icons the practice in past centuries of venerating relics of saints with the intention of obtaining healing from god through their intercession is taken from the early church 48 for example an american deacon claimed in 2000 that john henry newman 49 then a blessed interceded with god to cure him of a physical illness the deacon jack sullivan asserted that after addressing newman he was cured of spinal stenosis in a matter of hours in 2009 a panel of theologians concluded that sullivan s recovery was the result of his prayer to newman according to the church to be deemed a miracle a medical recovery must be instantaneous not attributable to treatment disappear for good 50 some of the saints have a special iconographic symbol by tradition e g saint lawrence deacon and martyr is identified by a gridiron because he is believed to have been burned to death on one this symbol is found for instance in the canadian heraldry of the office responsible for the st lawrence seaway stages of a canonization process edit canonization is a lengthy process often of many years or even centuries 51 in a beatification process there are four major steps 52 53 the first stage in this process is an investigation of the candidate s life by an expert after this the official report on the candidate is submitted to the bishop of the pertinent diocese and more study is undertaken the information is then sent to the dicastery for the causes of saints of the holy see for evaluation at the universal level of the church 54 if the application is approved the candidate may be granted the title venerable stage 2 54 further investigation may lead to the candidate s beatification with the title blessed 54 which is elevation to the class of the beati and means that the blessed is venerated in the liturgy regionally next and at a minimum proof of two important miracles through the intercession of the candidate are required for a canonization finally in the last stage after all of these procedures are complete the pope may canonize the candidate 54 for veneration by the universal church once a person has been canonized the deceased body of the saint is considered holy as a relic 55 the remains of saints are called holy relics and are usually used in churches saints personal belongings may also be used as relics 55 eastern orthodoxy edit further information glorification list of eastern orthodox saint titles and eastern orthodox liturgical calendar saint 12th century fresco in staraya ladoga in the eastern orthodox church a saint is defined as anyone who is in heaven besides god whether recognised here on earth or not by this definition adam and eve moses the various prophets and archangels are all given the title of saint sainthood does not necessarily reflect a moral model but communion with god there are many examples of people who lived in great sin and became saints by humility and repentance saints mary of egypt moses the ethiopian and dismas the repentant thief who was crucified with jesus christ therefore a more complete orthodox definition of what a saint is has to do with the way that saints through their humility and their love of mankind saved inside them the entire church and loved all people canonization edit the orthodox belief is that god reveals saints through answered prayers and other miracles saints are usually recognised by their local community often by people who directly knew them as their popularity grows they are often then recognised by the entire church through the holy spirit the word canonization means that a christian has been found worthy to have his name placed in the canon official list of saints of the church the formal process of recognition involves deliberation by a synod of bishops 2 56 the orthodox church does not require the manifestation of miracles as it does in catholicism what is required is evidence of a virtuous life and prior local veneration of the saint 3 if the ecclesiastical review is successful this is followed by a service of glorification in which the saint is given a day on the liturgical calendar to be celebrated by the entire church 57 this does not however make the person a saint the person already was a saint and the church ultimately recognized it 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 the altar in an orthodox church usually contains relics of saints 58 often of martyrs church interiors are covered with the icons of saints when an orthodox christian venerates icons of a saint he is venerating the image of god which he sees in the saint eremitic saint onuphrius by em...