anathema
Sign in to saveThe word anathema has two main meanings. One is something or someone hated or avoided. The other is something or someone that has been formally excommunicated by a church. These meanings come from the New Testament, where an anathema was a person or thing cursed or condemned by God. In the Old Testament, an anathema was something or someone cursed and separated from God because of sin.
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Religious usage
- Judaism
- New Testament
- Early Church
- Eastern Orthodoxy
- See also
- References
- External links
The word anathema has two main meanings. One is something or someone hated or avoided. The other is something or someone that has been formally excommunicated by a church. These meanings come from the New Testament, where an anathema was a person or thing cursed or condemned by God. In the Old Testament, an anathema was something or someone cursed and separated from God because of sin.
== Etymology == thumb|Anathema (in the sense of a curse) attributed to Pope Gregory XI Anathema derives from Ancient Greek: , , meaning "an offering" or "anything dedicated", itself derived from the verb , , meaning "to offer up". In the Old Testament, חֵרֶם (chērem) referred to both objects consecrated to divine use and those dedicated to destruction in the Lord's name, such as enemies and their weapons during religious wars. Since weapons of the enemy were considered unholy, the meaning became "anything dedicated to evil" or "a curse".