All Topics  
Charity (virtue)

 
Charity (virtue)

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Charity (virtue)
 
 
  Topics Charity (virtue) Topic Home

In Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 theology
Theology

Theology is the study of the existence or attributes of a deity or gods, or more generally the study of religion or spirituality. It is sometimes contrasted with religious studies: theology is understood as the study of religion from an internal perspective , and religious studies as the study of religion from an external perspective....
 charity, or love
Love (religious views)

Whether religious love can be expressed in similar terms to interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate. Religious 'love' might be considered a euphemistic term, more closely describing feelings of deference or acquiescence....
 (agape
Agape

Agape , is one of several Greek words for love. The word has been used in different ways by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Bible authors....
), means an unlimited loving-kindness
Loving-kindness

Loving-kindness is a term coined by Myles Coverdale for his Coverdale Bible of 1535, as an English translation of the Hebrew word hesed ; in that text it is spelled "louinge kyndnesse"....
 toward all others.

The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity
Charity (practice)

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 to mean benevolent giving.

Deus caritas est - "God is love".


Love, in this sense of an unlimited loving-kindness towards all others, is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Charity (virtue)'
Start a new discussion about 'Charity (virtue)'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Van Dyck Charity
In Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 theology
Theology

Theology is the study of the existence or attributes of a deity or gods, or more generally the study of religion or spirituality. It is sometimes contrasted with religious studies: theology is understood as the study of religion from an internal perspective , and religious studies as the study of religion from an external perspective....
 charity, or love
Love (religious views)

Whether religious love can be expressed in similar terms to interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate. Religious 'love' might be considered a euphemistic term, more closely describing feelings of deference or acquiescence....
 (agape
Agape

Agape , is one of several Greek words for love. The word has been used in different ways by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Bible authors....
), means an unlimited loving-kindness
Loving-kindness

Loving-kindness is a term coined by Myles Coverdale for his Coverdale Bible of 1535, as an English translation of the Hebrew word hesed ; in that text it is spelled "louinge kyndnesse"....
 toward all others.

The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity
Charity (practice)

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 to mean benevolent giving.

Caritas: altruistic love


In Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 theology
Theology

Theology is the study of the existence or attributes of a deity or gods, or more generally the study of religion or spirituality. It is sometimes contrasted with religious studies: theology is understood as the study of religion from an internal perspective , and religious studies as the study of religion from an external perspective....
 charity, or love
Love (religious views)

Whether religious love can be expressed in similar terms to interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate. Religious 'love' might be considered a euphemistic term, more closely describing feelings of deference or acquiescence....
 (agape
Agape

Agape , is one of several Greek words for love. The word has been used in different ways by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Bible authors....
), is the greatest of the three theological virtues:
Deus caritas est - "God is love".


Love, in this sense of an unlimited loving-kindness towards all others, is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. In its most extreme form such love can be self-sacrificial. Confusion can arise from the multiple meanings of the English word "love." The love that is caritas is distinguished by its origin, being Divinely infused into the soul, and by its residing in the will rather than emotions, regardless of what emotions it stirs up. This love is necessary for salvation, and with it no one can be lost.

Charity is comprised two parts, love of God and love of man, which includes both love of one's neighbor and one's self.

Paul
Paul of Tarsus

Saint Paul, also called Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul or Paul of Tarsus , was a Hellenistic Judaism, who called himself the "Apostle to the Gentiles", and was, together with Saint Peter and James the Just, the most notable of early Christian missionaries....
 describes it in the Letter to the Corinthians (chapter 13
1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians: 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the Christian Bible. It is on the subject of love, principally the love that Christians should have for everyone....
 (KJV)):

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.


Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.


Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.


When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.


And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.


Note that the King James Version uses both the words charity and love to translate the idea of caritas / ???p?: sometimes it uses one, sometimes the other, for the same concept. Most other English translations, both before and since, do not; instead throughout they use the same more direct English word love, so that the unity of the teaching should not be in doubt. Love can have other meanings in English, but as used in the Bible it almost always refers to the virtue of caritas.

Many times when charity is mentioned in English-language bibles, it refers to "love of God." One example is "charity covereth a multitude of sins" (Peter 4:8), which forms the basis of perfect contrition
Perfect contrition

Perfect contrition in Roman Catholic Church theology is a sorrow for sins which is motivated from the love of God. It contrasts with imperfect contrition, or attrition, a sorrow arising from a less pure motive, such as fear of Hell....
.

See also

  • Loving-kindness
    Loving-kindness

    Loving-kindness is a term coined by Myles Coverdale for his Coverdale Bible of 1535, as an English translation of the Hebrew word hesed ; in that text it is spelled "louinge kyndnesse"....
  • Chesed
    Chesed

    Chesed is the fourth Sephirah on the Tree of life in the Kabbalah of Judaism. It is given the association of kindness and love, and is the first of the emotive attributes of the Sephirot....
     Hebrew word, given the association of kindness
    Kindness

    Kindness is the act or the state of being kind and marked by charity behaviour, marked by mild disposition, pleasantness, tenderness and concern for others....
     and love
    Love

    Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment . The word wikt:en:love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction....
  • Agape
    Agape

    Agape , is one of several Greek words for love. The word has been used in different ways by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Bible authors....
     Greek word, given the association of "loving-kindness" or "love"
  • Metta
    Metta

    Metta or maitri has been translated as "loving-kindness," "friendliness," "benevolence," "amity," "friendship," "good will," "kindness," "love," "sympathy," and "active interest in others." It is one of the ten paramita of the Theravada Schools of Buddhism, and the first of the four Brahmavihara....
     Sanskrit word, given the association of "loving-kindness" and "friendliness"
  • Deus caritas est
    Deus Caritas Est

    Deus Caritas Est is the first encyclical written by Pope Benedict XVI, on the subject of Christian love, as expressed by its subtitle De Christiano Amore....
     2005 Papal Encyclical
  • Love for enemies
    Expounding of the Law

    The Expounding of the Law , sometimes called the Expounding of the Law#Antithesis of the Law, is a highly structured part of the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament of the Bible....
  • Seven Heavenly Virtues
    Chastity
    Chastity

    Chastity is sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the ethics norms and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion.In the western world, the term has become closely associated with sexual abstinence, especially Pre-marital sex....
    Temperance
    Temperance (virtue)

    Temperance is the practice of moderation. It was one of the four "cardinal" virtues held to be vital to society in Ancient Greece culture. It is one of the Four Cardinal Virtues considered central to Christian behaviour by the Catholic Church and is an important tenet of the moral codes of other world religions—for example, it is...
    Charity
    Charity (virtue)

    In Christian theology charity, or Love #Christian , means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others.The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving....
    Diligence
    Diligence

    Diligence is a zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Budgeting one's time; monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness....
    Patience
    Patience

    Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties....
    Kindness
    Kindness

    Kindness is the act or the state of being kind and marked by charity behaviour, marked by mild disposition, pleasantness, tenderness and concern for others....
    Humility
    Humility

    Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modesty person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others....
  • Seven Deadly Sins
    Seven deadly sins

    The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that were originally used in early Christian teachings to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen man's tendency to sin....
     (opposite of the seven virtues)
    Lust
    Lust

    Lust is an inordinate craving for coitus often to the point of assuming a self-indulgent, and sometimes violent character. Lust, or an immoderate desire for the flesh of another , is considered a sin, or impure act, in all of the Abrahamic religions....
    Gluttony
    Gluttony

    Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste....
    Greed
    Greed

    Sorry, no overview for this topic
    Sloth
    Sloth (deadly sin)

    In the Christian moral tradition, sloth is one of the seven capital sins, often called the seven deadly sins; these sins are called the capital sins because they destroy charity in the person's heart and thus may lead to final impenitence and eternal death....
    Wrath
    Envy
    Envy

    Envy may be defined as an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another?s [perceived] superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it." It can also derive from a sense of low self-esteem that results from an upward social comparison threatening a person's self image: another person...
    Pride
    Pride

    Pride is, depending upon context, either a high sense of the worth of one's self and one's own, or a pleasure taken in the contemplation of these things....


External links

  • See Questions 23-46