The pious is humble, meek, able to avoid temptations. The word is often found in ancient literature. The Bible is quite broad . What does pious mean ?
general information
The word " pious " is an adjective that comes from the noun " piety. " And it, in turn, comes from the words " good " and " honor. " What is the meaning of the word " pious " ? In order to answer this question, it is worth trying to pick up synonyms for it. Namely: a believer, religious, pious, righteous, God-loving and so on.
A pious man is not one who regularly attends church, but one who lives in harmony with his conscience. The word, the meaning of which we consider in this article, is found quite often in the New Testament. And therefore it is customary to seek its interpretation there. But before, according to tradition, one should look into Dahl's dictionary . What definition is given in this book?
In the Dahl dictionary
To paraphrase the interpretation given by Vladimir Dahl, we can formulate the following definition: a pious is one who honors divine truths. This adjective and words with the same root to it are rarely found in everyday speech today. You can hear them first of all in the church.
Piety
The concept is quite important in Christian teaching. A pious is a person who possesses the virtue inherent in believers. But here it is worth clarifying some points. Piety can be sincere and ostentatious. The latter involves the implementation of all kinds of church rituals, but the discrepancy with the requirements that are listed in the Gospel . A pious lifestyle is not the ability to endure many hours of church services, but constant work on oneself, continuous analysis of one’s own actions.
Odysseus
Homer lived long before the rise of Christianity. Moreover, in his most famous work - " Odyssey " - the word " pious " occurs. The ancient Greek narrator used this epithet in relation to the main character.
However, the author did not stint on adjectives. His Odyssey is both cunning, and wise , and wise , and long-suffering, and finally, pious. The meanings of these words are, of course, unequal. Calling the hero who spent most of his life traveling, cunning and clever , the author hinted at his quick wits and dexterity. Speaking of the piety of Odysseus, to his high respect for the gods, which, as you know, in ancient Greece were many.
What does pious mean? Able to follow directions given above. And who they have already given ( Zeus , Aphrodite, Apollo or, perhaps, Allah) is not so important.
Sayings of the great
John Chrysostom said that piety among sinners is disgusting, while for some reason he recalled the parable of the pigs, who showed complete indifference to the splendor and grace of pearls. In general, a well-known theologian and preacher spoke a lot of things about one of the important Christian virtues. All quotations of Zlatoust, of course, will not be given.
But what did people not directly related to the church say about piety? They didn’t discuss such a topic very often, and if this happened, sometimes a certain amount of irony was present in their words. One of the Bronte sisters once said that piety gives charm, but this virtue should not be abused. In one of his diaries, Fyodor Dostoevsky (already without any irony) said that his family was Russian and pious. Probably, the writer meant that his father had nothing to do with such a character as Karamazov Sr.
Pious Martha
This is the name of the film, released in 1980, and the work of the same name by the Spanish playwright Tirso de Molina . Who is Martha? Why did the author call her pious? The heroine of this work is a girl who, with her whole appearance, demonstrated her desire to serve God. She often talked about how she wanted to help people, and as a proof she treated the poor and even intended to open a hospital.
Martha regularly attended the Catholic Church and used to convince others that she would never get married. Because it is obliged to keep innocence. But later it turned out that the piety of a girl is nothing but hypocrisy. Of course, she was not a villain, but she was quite far from holiness. In general, the play by Tirso de Molina is about ostentatious piety.