Holiness is Wholeness: According to English, Greek, Hebrew, Babylonian and Sumerian

I want to say something about the history of the roots of the word holiness that we use often in English, but so seldom understand. What I will do is trace its history in English, in Latin, in Greek, in Hebrew, in Babylonian and in Sumerian. I will leave out the history or roots for the competing view only for reasons that I think most people want me to get to the point as fast as I can. It is also true that the competing view has gotten most of the publicity anyway and does not need me to add to it.

In English, much is made of the roots for holy. On the one hand, people like the scholar James Barr are too critical in comments about the root of the word being connected to wholeness. On the other hand, people are too positive that it has a direct link to wholeness. Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I am thinking of whole in contrast to parts.

Wholeness itself is not directly linked to hale, halig, hallow, etc as some claim. That might be the reason for scholar James Barr's criticism. But I do think it fits the category in translation of being a regional substitute for halig. This means that the translators were convinced that both are connected to the ideas of whole, health and sound. What might be worthy of investigation is whether holiness has its deepest roots extending to holos in Greek and halig to hagios in Greek. Holos in Greek is connected to the idea of entire versus portion. Hagios is the Greek word that we translate with holiness versus profane. What is significant is that halig may have been a combination or compromise between hale and hagios, combining sounds or letters from both much like we maybe see in the Germain heilig.

In Latin, much is made of sanctification which has come over into English as being rooted in sacre. Let me only say this, that I think the use of sanctification in English translations is a very loaded term since many are not aware of the root words in Latin that go with it. But it does seem that part of the confusion of what holiness means comes from the Latin language. It might be that hail in Latin as in "hail Caesar" is closer to holiness than is sanctification. I will only say this in concluding. The root meanings here are only historically significant in their effects, they are not significant in proving the correct understanding of holiness or holy. The fact that Saint Jerome chose this for the Latin Vulgate translation does not mean that he got the meaning correct.

In Greek, as I did above, I will Englishize the word to read hagios. Its roots are unclear since much is made of the idea that you can connect it to other words with the hag root making it have a connection with words having to do with piety, religious, etc. I think this is dangerous since this is based on later scholarly opinion rather than based on actual historical definitions by contemporary users of the language. The use of roots is helpful, but it also is not full proof. I think we have to go elsewhere to gain more certainty than its possible connection with hagnos. I would love to see a scholar test hagios itself for meaning in its own contexts rather than see a probable connection decide the issue.

In Hebrew, I will Englishize the word to read Qadosh. It could also be Englishized to Kadosh. It also has other forms that have to do with action like Qadesh, Qadish, Kadesh, Kadish, etc. This is the ultimate Biblical root for the word we translate holy. I think it should carry the most weight in its usage in the Bible. Jews will give you two possible meanings historically. They will tell you it has connections to separate or that it has connections to perfection. The separate idea is linked to either older chadash in Babylonian or to a form in Arabic. The idea of perfection, in the sense of wholeness, is linked to another Hebrew word meaning sun or bright.

I think the link for separate is weak because you can see even in English that if you are to take the root idea seriously, then a change from q to ch or k to ch might be significant enough to say there is no link.

The link with the other Hebrew word is not as problematic in terms of the letters used. The way to think of sun or bright could be in the sense of what science now terms white light. This would then also connect it with the idea of the sun. The implications might work out in that white light is the whole in comparison to any of the parts like the color red or green. The way to demonstrate any of these parts would be to use a prism or to note the colors of a rainbow which is water breaking apart white light into its component colors.

Another important link is that of the word profane which in the Hebrew is a word that is derived from a root word for sand. Sun and sand are the common fare of a desert people as I learned in the video series "Walking the Bible" shown on PBS. Sand would afford a beautiful illustration of the opposite of white light. It tends to fall apart into parts or particles without outside interference while white light tends to hold together without outside interference. These words would both been easy to understand while holiness and profane seem to allude us in English.

Finally, the roots in Babylonian and Sumerian go back to quddushu. In ancient writings it is tied to ellu which is given the meaning of bright. If we recognize the meaning of white light as being the equivalent of bright, then it makes good sense in some ancient texts that may otherwise seem confusing. Since we know that Abraham emerged from this area of the world, this link could be very significant. Even if all you know is English, you can see the words in Hebrew and in Babylonian or Sumerian in Englishized form look very much alike. It is very likely the Hebrew would have Babylonian roots.

So I think the meaning of wholeness can stand up to the test of studying the roots of these words. Just think of the sun's light and the sand under your toes as the roots for both whole and parts. Then you can physically sense the difference between whole and parts.

In Christ,

Pastor Jon