Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of adeity;[1] is considered worthy of spiritualrespect or devotion; or inspiresawe orreverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a "sacred artifact" that isvenerated andblessed), or places ("sacred ground").
The wordsacred descends from theLatinsacer, referring to that which is 'consecrated, dedicated' or 'purified' to the gods or anything in their power, as well as tosacerdotes.[2] Latin sacer is itself fromProto-Indo-European*seh₂k- "sacred, ceremony, ritual".[3]
Although the English language termssacred andholy are similar in meaning, and they are sometimes used interchangeably, they carry subtle differences.[4] In the Christian tradition,holiness is generally used in relation to people and relationships, whereassacredness is used in relation to objects, places, or happenings.[5] For example, a saint may be considered holy but not necessarily sacred. Nonetheless, some things can be both holy and sacred, such as theHoly Bible.[4]
Althoughsacred andholy denote something or someone set apart to the worship of God and therefore, worthy of respect and sometimes veneration,holy (the stronger word) implies an inherent or essential character.[6] Holiness originates in God and is communicated to things, places, times, and persons engaged in His Service. Thus,Thomas Aquinas definesholiness as that virtue by which a man's mind applies itself and all its acts to God; he ranks it among the infused moralvirtues, and identifies it with the virtue of religion. However, 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 ofsanctification, that Divine act by which God freely justifies a person and by which He has claimed them for His own.[7]
The English wordholy dates back to theProto-Germanic wordhailagaz from around 500 BC, an adjective derived fromhailaz ('whole'), which was used to mean 'uninjured, sound, healthy, entire, complete'.[8] In non-specialist contexts, the termholy refers to someone or something that is associated with adivine power, such aswater used forbaptism.[citation needed]
The concept of things being made or associated with the sacred is widespread amongreligions, making people, places, and objects revered, set apart for special use or purpose, or transferred to the sacred sphere. Words for this includehallow,sanctify, andconsecrate, which can be contrasted withdesecration anddeconsecration. These terms are used in various ways by different groups.
Sanctification and consecration come from theLatinsanctificare (to set apart for special use or purpose, make holy or sacred)[9][10] andconsecratus (dedicated, devoted, and sacred).[11]
The verb form 'to hallow' is archaic in English, and does not appear other than in the quoted text in theLord's Prayer in the New Testament.[12][13][14] The noun formhallow, as used inHallowtide, is a synonym of the wordsaint.[15][16][17]
In the variousbranches ofChristianity the details differ.Sanctification in Christianity usually refers to aperson becoming holy,[18] whileconsecration in Christianity may include setting apart a person,building, or object, for God. Among some Christian denominations there is a complementary service of "deconsecration", to remove something consecrated of its sacred character in preparation for either demolition or sale for secular use.
The Book of Exodus describes in detail the consecration ofAaronite priests and cultic objects through washing, vesting, anointing, and sacrifice, concluding that both the priests and their garments become holy. Similarly, the altar is sanctified in such a way that anything that comes into contact with it also becomesconsecrated, rendering it unsuitable for ordinary use. A commentary on the Book of Leviticus reads, “Throughout Priestly thought, holiness is conceived of as an effervescence of the Presence of the Lord. It infuses everything with which it comes into contact ... transforming it into the designated ‘personal’ property of the deity."[19]
Inrabbinic Judaism sanctification means sanctifying God's name byworks of mercy andmartyrdom, while desecration of God's name means committingsin.[20] This is based on the Jewish concept of God, whose holiness is pure goodness and is transmissible by sanctifying people and things.[21]
InIslam, sanctification is termed astazkiah, other similarly used words to the term areIslah-iqalb (reform of the heart),Ihsan (beautification),taharat (purification),Ikhlas (purity),qalb-is-salim (pure/safe/undamaged heart).Tasawuf (Sufism), basically an ideology rather than a term, is mostly misinterpreted as the idea of sanctification in Islam and it is used to pray aboutsaints, especially among Sufis, in whom it is common to say "that God sanctifies his secret" ("qaddasa Llahou Sirruhu"), and that the Saint is alive or dead.[22]
Images of the Buddha andbodhisattvas are ceremonially consecrated in a broad range of Buddhist rituals that vary depending on the Buddhist traditions.Buddhābhiseka is aPali andSanskrit term referring to these consecration rituals.[23]
Mormonism is replete with consecration doctrine, primarily Christ's title of "The Anointed One" signifying his official, authorized and unique role as the savior of mankind from sin and death, and secondarily each individual's opportunity and ultimate responsibility to accept Jesus' will for their life and consecrate themselves to living thereby wholeheartedly. Book of Mormon examples include "sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God" (Heleman 3:35) and "come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption, ... and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved" (Omni 1:26).
In mostSouth IndianHindu temples around the world,Kumbhabhishekam, or the temple's consecration ceremony, is done once every 12 years. It is usually done to purify the temple after arenovation or simply done to renew the purity of the temple. Hindus celebrate this event on the consecration date as the witnessing gives a good soul a thousand "punya", orgood karma.[24]
Panch Kalyanaka Pratishtha Mahotsava is a traditionalJain ceremony that consecrates one or more JainTirthankaraicons with celebration ofPanch Kalyanaka (five auspicious events). The ceremony is generally held when a new Jain temple is erected or new idols are installed in temples.[25] The consecration must be supervised by a religious authority, anAcharya or aBhattaraka or a scholar authorized by them.
Hierology (Greek: ιερος,hieros, 'sacred or 'holy', +-logy) is the study ofsacred literature orlore.[26][27] The concept and the term were developed in 2002 byRussian art-historian andbyzantinistAlexei Lidov.[28]
Analysing thedialectic of the sacred,Mircea Eliade outlines that religion should not be interpreted only as "belief in deities", but as "experience of the sacred."[29] The sacred is presented in relation to the profane;[30] the relation between the sacred and the profane is not of opposition, but of complementarity, as the profane is viewed as ahierophany.[31]
FrenchsociologistÉmile Durkheim argued that the sacred appears to be connected to a higher realm but is in fact a symbolic encounter with society itself, produced and sustained through collective representations and ritual practices. Later scholars such asAlan Mittleman andMircea Eliade modified this view by treating sacredness as an emergent phenomenon rather than a mere social illusion.[32] Durkheim also considered thedichotomy between the sacred and theprofane to be the central characteristic ofreligion: "religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative tosacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden."[33]: 47 In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represented the interests of the group, especially unity, which were embodied in sacred group symbols, ortotems. The profane, on the other hand, involved mundane individual concerns. Durkheim explicitly stated that the dichotomy sacred/profane was not equivalent togood/evil. The sacred could begood orevil, and the profane could be either as well.[34]
Inancient Roman religion, the concept ofsacrosanctity (Latin:sacrosanctitas) was extremely important in attempting to protect thetribunes of the plebs from personal harm. The tribunician power was later arrogated to theemperors in large part to provide them with the role's sacred protections. In addition to sanctifying temples and similar sanctuaries, the Romans also undertook the ritual of thesulcus primigenius when founding a new city—particularlyformal colonies—in order to make the entire circuit of the town's wall ritually sacred as a further means of protection. In order to allow the removal of corpses to graveyards and similarly profane work, the city gates were left exempted from the rite.
Indian-origin religion, namelyHinduism and its offshootsBuddhism,Jainism andSikhism, have concept of revering and conserving ecology and environment by treating various objects as sacred, such as rivers, trees, forests or groves, mountains, etc.
Sacred rivers and their reverence is a phenomenon found in several religions, especially religions which haveeco-friendly belief as core of their religion. For example, theIndian-origin religions (Buddhism,Hinduism,Jainism, andSikism) revere and preserve thegroves,trees,mountains and rivers as sacred. Among the most sacred rivers in Hinduism are theGanges,[35]Yamuna,[36][37]Sarasvati[38] rivers on which therigvedic rivers flourished. Thevedas andGita, the most sacred ofhindu texts were written on the banks of Sarasvati river which were codified during theKuru kingdom in present-dayHaryana. Among other secondary sacred rivers of Hinduism areNarmada[39] and many more.
Among the sacred mountains, the most sacred among those areMount Kailash[40] (in Tibet),Nanda Devi,Char Dham mountains andAmarnath mountain,Gangotri mountain.Yamunotri mountain,Sarasvotri mountain (origin ofSarasvati River),Dhosi Hill, etc.
InTheravada Buddhism one finds the designation ofariya-puggala ('noble person'). Buddha described theFour stages of awakening of a person depending on their level of purity. This purity is measured by which of the tensamyojana ('fetters') andklesha have been purified and integrated from themindstream. These persons are called (in order of increasing sanctity)Sotāpanna,Sakadagami,Anāgāmi, andArahant.
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The range ofdenominations provide a wide variety of interpretations on sacredness. TheAnglican,Catholic,Lutheran, andMethodist Churches, believe inHoly Sacraments that the clergy perform, such asHoly Communion andHoly Baptism, as well as strong belief in theHoly Catholic Church,Holy Scripture,Holy Trinity, and theHoly Covenant. They also believe that angels and saints arecalled to holiness. In MethodistWesleyan theology holiness has acquired the secondary meaning of the reshaping of a person throughentire sanctification. TheHoliness movement began within theUnited States Methodist church among those who thought the church had lost the zeal and emphasis on personal holiness of Wesley's day. Around the middle of the 20th century, theConservative Holiness Movement, a conservative offshoot of the Holiness movement, was born. TheHigher 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.
Among thenames of God in the Quran isAl-Quddus (القدوس): found inQ59:23[41] and62:1, the closest English translation is 'holy' or 'sacred'. (It shares the sametriliteral Semitic root,Q-D-Š, as the Hebrewkodesh.) Another use of the same root is found in the Arabic name for Jerusalem:al-Quds, 'the Holy'.
The wordħarām (حرام), 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 Hebrew wordkodesh (קֹדֶשׁ) is used in theTorah to mean "set apart" and "distinct."Kodesh is also commonly translated as "holy" and "sacred."[42] Holiness (kedushah) is presented as something that is actively produced through their relationship to God or through designation for sacred purposes. This relational understanding is reflected in both ritual law and everyday practices, such as marriage. Classical and modern thinkers alike emphasize that holiness is not a physical property but a status shaped by divine command, communal recognition, and human intention. More broadly, Jewish thought maintains that holiness is not confined to extraordinary places or moments but can permeate ordinary life through attentiveness, ethical action, and ritual practice. In this view, holiness emerges through cooperation between divine presence and human response, transforming the everyday world rather than rejecting it.
Holiness is not a single state, but contains a broad spectrum. TheMishnah lists concentric circles of holiness surrounding theTemple in Jerusalem:Holy of Holies, Temple Sanctuary, Temple Vestibule, Court of Priests, Court of Israelites, Court of Women,Temple Mount, the walled city ofJerusalem, all the walled cities of Israel, and the borders of theLand of Israel.[43] Distinctions are made as to who and what are permitted in each area.
Time plays a particularly central role in Jewish conceptions of holiness, withShabbat andJewish holidays regarded as among the most enduring and accessible form of sanctity after the Temple’s destruction. Biblical and rabbinic sources describe the Sabbath as holy independent of human observance, yet insist that preparation and behavioral distinctions are necessary to experience its sanctity fully. Work is not allowed on those days, and rabbinic tradition lists39 categories of activity that are specifically prohibited.[44]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.The word "hallow" means "saint," in that "hallow" is just an alternative form of the word "holy" ("hallowed be Thy name").
The word hallow was simply another word for saint.
Just as the term "Eastertide" expresses for us the whole of the church services and ancient customs attached to the festival of Easter, from Palm Sunday until Easter Monday, so does All-hallowtide include for us all the various customs, obsolete and still observed, of Halloween, All Saints' and All Souls' Days. From the 31st of October until the morning of the 3d of November, this period of three days, known as All-hallowtide, is full of traditional and legendary lore.
