The concept of awe from dictionaries
V. Dahl explained reverence as “a combination of fear and respect, humility and submission; the highest degree of respect! Developing this idea, Dahl clarifies that reverence is also “to humble oneself in one’s insignificance before the highest, to show unconditional respect and obedience to whom this is manifested.”
S. Ozhegov understands reverence as “deepest respect.”
After reading the definitions of lexicographers, we can first of all correlate the concept of “reverence” with the attitude towards the Higher powers, God; perhaps to rulers or older generations.
Reverence Helps Maintain Physical Health
Another study by Stellar and Gordon's group found that people who self-reported higher levels of awe than others had better immune systems. In a group of 94 students, those who reported experiencing positive emotions more often than negative emotions showed lower levels of chronic pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Pro-inflammatory cytokines can be useful in certain cases if the body is damaged or sick, but persistently elevated levels are associated with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and depression. Awe was the only positive emotion that was more likely to be associated with consistently low levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
A sense of awe not only improves well-being on an individual level, but can serve as a key to solving serious societal problems, adds Dr. Craig L. Anderson, a research psychologist at the University of California–San Francisco.
His group's research involved a group of war veterans and a group of young people from areas with poor infrastructure who were organized to go rafting on a mountain river. The goal was to study the impact of nature (which is what people most often talk about when feeling awe) on these people's psychological well-being. All participants experienced decreased PTSD symptoms and improved overall happiness, life satisfaction, and connectedness, Anderson explains.
Another study from Anderson's group suggests that people who tend to feel awe are more likely to be curious, both as rated by themselves and as rated by their friends. This combination of awe and curiosity may be responsible for better academic performance among high school students (it has been linked to higher levels of self-efficacy, work ethic, and academic performance).
“These are fundamentally important things for society,” he says. “Our research shows how important the experience of awe can be in people's lives.” These discoveries could help work to heal the trauma of veterans or address some of the factors that create inequality in areas with poor infrastructure.
Posted by Sarah Di Giulio
Source: nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/why-scientists-say-experiencing-awe-can-help-you-live-your-ncna961826
Translation by Kiril Melamud
How do theologians interpret the concept of reverence?
Saint Athanasius the Great considers reverence “a state necessary for the knowledge of God,” and John Chrysostom calls reverence “a state of soul necessary when reading the Holy Scriptures.”
The Theological-Liturgical Dictionary gives a more expanded description of reverence. You can convey the meaning of the content in your own words like this:
- First of all, awe is a feeling. Approaching God in prayer, attending a church service, participating in the Sacraments, a Christian receives a feeling akin to an insight, a jolt, and from that moment a feeling of reverence develops in him. He suddenly begins to understand what all these rituals are for, what the essence of prayer is, and he feels the presence of God.
- Next, the Christian continues to live a churched life. He sincerely needs unity with the Orthodox world, and his life is divided into “before” and “after” the moment of insight.
- At this time, the believer comes to a feeling of delight, awe, deepest respect for God, and an understanding of how great and powerful the Lord is. The Christian wonders how great the power of God is, and he is imbued with deep love for the Heavenly Father. This feeling is a little reminiscent of respect, honor and love for earthly parents, only unconditional trust and acceptance of everything that happens in the world is added here. A believer knows: if something exists, it means God wants it that way. He does not argue with the Lord even in his thoughts. In fact, a person may have such an attitude towards his earthly loved ones, but it hardly remains unchanged throughout life.
- Reverent before God, a person understands: everything that is done will ultimately lead to universal Salvation, everything is God’s providence. The main thing is not to overdo it in your desire to rely entirely on the will of God, but try to do good deeds, strengthen the Orthodox faith in yourself and your neighbors, because the Lord loves his earthly “children” so much that he does not interfere with their actions and does not punish them to the last. That is, He does not eradicate all the evil that He sees, although He is against evil. You can compare these situations with how a father raises a child, but someday he lets him go and only watches his life from the side, trying not to interfere unnecessarily. Those who look after their children until old age raise them to be dependent and sometimes not very responsible, which will harm them in later life. Likewise, God sees everything, but does not always punish, giving a person the opportunity to come to a righteous life on his own or with the help of signs. So, anyone who feels reverence for God understands all this. He has no doubt that the Lord wishes good things for him and everyone in the world.
- A Christian who treats God with reverence will not allow himself to joke or condemn the Lord, not only from his own side, but also from those with whom he communicates. And he himself does not mention the name of God in vain.
- Finally, reverent before the Almighty and, accordingly, everything that he has created, a Christian perceives all people with respect and without judgment, despite differences in views and worldviews, including whether he is a believer or not.
The Apostle Paul expressed himself colorfully and accurately about the state of reverence for God:
“O the depth of the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His destinies and His ways unsearchable! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who was His adviser? Or who gave it to him in advance, so that he should repay? For all things are from Him, to them and to Him; to Him be the glory forever, Amen” (Rom. 11:33-36).
Meaning of the word reverence
a concept that defines deep respect for God, both in thoughts and actions. In its content, it is inseparable from piety as a religious feeling. After the baptism of Russia in 988, this concept took one of the central places in Russian.
thoughts.
As Zenkovsky noted, a feature of Orthodox ascetic piety was the desire not for rejection, but for the transformation and sanctification of the world. Florovsky wrote that the Russian herself.
the icon testifies “
to the complexity and depth, to the true grace of ancient Russian spiritual experience
.”
Sample B. for Russian.
man was
Sergius of Radonezh , with his still adolescent undivided devotion to God. The Old Believers made their contribution to the preservation of the true piety of the church. Characteristic of the Orthodox Christian understanding of piety was the work of A. S. Khomyakov , with his living and deep personal religiosity. The visible church was for him the primary reality, “ conciliarity
,” a manifestation of the invisible church, in which every person
found himself
other Kireevsky, who constantly communicated with the elders of Optina Hermitage and had genuine religious experience, saw the essence of faith, rooted in the inner focus of the individual, in the unity of the personal spirit, in its integrity (and even “the entire integrity of man
” with God).
One of Dostoevsky’s hidden themes was the comprehension of the power of human repentance, goodness and piety. According to K. N. Leontyev, only that love for people is valuable, which is nourished from the Christian faith, love before God. In the moral philosophy of V. S. Solovyov (“ Justification of Good
,” 1897), B., along with pity and shame, is one of the eternal foundations of human morality, rooted in human nature.
It expresses a person’s proper, loving attitude towards a higher principle, internal submission and admiration for it and constitutes the “ individual-spiritual root of religion
.”
Faith in God, inseparable from faith in the objective meaning of good in the world (since God is absolute Good), is a “ natural religion
” and allows a person to do good consciously and intelligently, for the will of the Father, according to Solovyov, speaks through the mind and conscience of a person.
However, not every faith completely coincides with true faith, but only that whose object is worthy, and only in the case of a worthy attitude towards such an object. B. and a person’s gratitude towards God are inextricably linked with B. in relation to ancestors, through whom (in the sense of heredity and the environment created by the ancestors) the highest will determined the existence of a given person, and with B. in relation to “ providential
” people , advancing humanity towards perfection.
The present B., according to Solovyov, does not depend on the knowledge of k.-l. theological, religious-philosophical or scientific teachings, but there is a fact of a real, actual sensation by a person of the presence and action of the Divine in him. Providence also seeks to justify the subjective untruth of unbelievers by directing their energy to useful earthly affairs. Solovyov defines the final moral meaning of life, or perfect Good, as the trinity of “ descending love
” (in relation to material nature), “
equalizing love
” (in relation to people) and “
ascending love
”, or the highest B., love for God, which determines the first two types of love.
Florensky understood the essence of B., or love for the invisible God, as a passive opening of the human heart before God and the expectation of an active reciprocal revelation, the descent of the energies of Divine love. A deep understanding of the nature of B. is also found in Frank’s “ The Meaning of Life
” (1926): in this feeling a person discovers the unity of paralyzing fear of the bottomless and merciless abyss of being and harmony, joyful peace before the greatness and inexplicable fullness of the same being.
“ Reverence,” he wrote, “is “the fear of God,” a fear that gives tears of tenderness and the joy of perfect peace and final refuge
.”
In the understanding of N. O. Lossky , in living religious experience, filled with the feeling of B., God, or the Divine Superwhat, is revealed not only as the absolute fullness of being, but also as the most perfect value. From view N. O. Lossky, religiosity is the “ main, deepest feature
” of the
Russian character.
people.
◘ L and t.: Mystical theology. Kyiv, 199\;Kireevsky I.V. Selected articles. M., 1984; Leontiev KN. Collection. cit.: In 9 vols. M, 1912–1913; Soloviev V. S. Justification of good. Moral philosophy // With about .: In 2 vols. M., 1990. T. 1; Florensky P. A. About: In 2 vols. M., 1990; Frank S. L. Spiritual foundations of society. M., 1992; Lossky N. O. Conditions of absolute good. M., 1991; Schultze V. Russische Denken. Wien, 1950.
V. L. Kurabtsev
Why is it difficult to define awe?
There is no exact synonym for the concept of reverence. It is impossible to say that this is awe, fear, delight or the deepest devotion, because these words are not enough to describe the feeling of the greatness of God.
Perhaps that's the point: you have to feel it to understand it? As in earthly love: while we doubt whether we have a deep feeling for our soul mate, it is difficult to call it love, just as it is impossible to describe in words how to recognize this feeling. Only when we already love do we know for sure that love is in our heart.
However, a feeling of reverence may not come easily if we do not allow God into our daily lives: we do not pray, we do not follow God’s commandments, we do not study spiritual literature, we do not visit temple. But once you get involved, fall in love with Christian traditions and follow them, life will sparkle with different colors, and there will be a place in our soul for previously unknown feelings.
Video on the topic: What is reverence according to priest Dimitri Bezhenar
Holy Fathers on Reverence
According to Paisius the Holy Mountain, reverence is a necessary character trait not only for monks, but also for true Christians. Saint Paisius taught to distinguish reverence from piety, when everything is done well, but the mind and heart are not always applied.
Venerable Paisius of Svyatogorsk
A person who reveres the Lord is filled with joy, and a special inner warmth emanates from him.
Saint Svyatogorets emphasized that without the fear of God, inner modesty and spiritual clarity, it is impossible to remain in a reverent state. A Christian who has tasted the state of reverence is distinguished by subtle and neat movements, feeling the constant presence of Angels, the Creator and saints around him.
In the mind of a reverent person there constantly lives the confidence that his body is the temple of the Living God, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Such a person respects icons and Holy Scripture and will never use a printed publication on which the name of the Lord is written for his own economic needs.
A simple example of reverence can be seen in Christian women who, with joy and great reverence, perform the most menial work in the temple, and at the same time their faces glow with joy with special warmth, because they serve God Himself, considering it an honor.
Meaning
An explanatory dictionary will not make our task easier either. And the reader will now understand why. So, the meaning of the word “reverence” is: “To treat someone (or something) with reverence.” Probably, in order to get to the truth, we will have to consider the noun too. Reverence is the deepest respect. So, finally, things are starting to become clearer. It was as if there was a fog, and now it is gradually dissipating.
Origin
Some people believe that history helps to understand modern reality, others that there is not a word of truth in the textbooks. Still others think that history is a dead layer of time that teaches nothing. Who is right? Unknown. But one thing is clear: an etymological dictionary will help us uncover the mystery of the object of study. Fortunately, the meaning of the word “reverence” is fixed there.
The etymological dictionary states that the object of study is an Old Church Slavonic calque from the Greek eulabeisthai, where eu - “good, good”, labeisthai - “respect”.
This is all great, but it doesn't explain much. It seems that if instead of “good” there was “strong”, then much would become clear. In our case, nothing is clear yet, but we will try to turn to other dictionaries in order to somehow dispel the darkness.
How to get awe
This concept is not only a means of spiritual growth, but also the basis of all Orthodox life. If you analyze your entire spiritual life, many will notice the fact that situations very often occur when causes are consequences. Every believer knows that there will be a Last Judgment, when everyone will stand before Christ and will be able to see all their shortcomings in life.
You need to understand that reverence itself is closely related to repentance. It simply cannot exist without him. When an Orthodox person comes to church for a service on a weekend, he must undergo the Sacrament of Confession and Repentance. Only then will he receive reverence for God.
