Piety
In spiritual terminology, piety is a virtue that can mean religious devotion, spirituality, or a combination of both. A common element in most conceptions of piety is humility.
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[edit] Etymology
The word piety comes from the Latin word pietas, the noun form of the adjective pius (which means "devout" or "good"). Pietas in traditional Latin usage expressed a complex, highly valued Roman virtue; a man with pietas respected his responsibilities to other people, gods and entities (such as the state), and understood his place in society with respect to others. That doesn't mean others will understand it. In its strictest sense it was the sort of love a son ought to have for his father.
The Latin term in turn may derive from "Piodasses", an ancient Greek transliteration of the Indic Prakrit term "Piyadasi" (Sanskrit: Priyadarśi), meaning "beloved of the gods", a term by which the Indian Maurya Emperor Ashoka the Great referred to himself in the Edicts of Ashoka (3rd century BC).[1] Piety means showing respect for your parents and God. It can be out of obligation or personal preference.
[edit] Use
Piety in modern English usage can refer to a way to win the favor or forgiveness of God. According to some, this type of piety does not necessarily require the spiritual piety, while others refrain from distinguishing the two.
It is also used by others to refer only to external signs that result from the spiritual aspect of piety. That is, according to some, if one is "truly" pious (in the spiritual sense), the natural and inevitable result of it will be religious piety. By this definition, then, piety can be either genuine, in that it springs from spiritual piety, or false, in that it is an attempt to exhibit the signs of piety for their own sake, or for some other reason (such as propitiation or public esteem).
In Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism, piety is one of the Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Piety can be demonstrated by position or state of mind, such as prayer. The best known gestures demonstrating piety are kneeling in Christianity. bowing down to pray in Islam, and prostration (Buddhism).
Also used in Giuseppe Verdi's[2] Italian opera Attila the Hun.
[edit] See also
- Plato's dialogue Euthyphro, in which Socrates seeks a definition of piety.
- pietas, the Roman virtue
- filial piety, a Confucian virtue
- Pietà statue
- Pietism in Christianity
- Puritan
[edit] References
- ^ Mauryans & Graeco-Bactrians
- ^ Man, John. "The barbarian King Who Challenged Rome". Macmillian. http://books.google.com/books?id=7V7Wv0WYw4MC&pg=PA221&lpg=PA221&dq=piety+and+attila&source=bl&ots=H4HJQ4TAHs&sig=MBto-DwcHMljvuuGCDc-ybWXQkI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bBEnT7LUK8WRiAKk0fmACA&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=piety%20and%20attila&f=false. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
