Blessing 337346 226125239 2008-07-16T22:45:12Z 204.147.113.35 /* Other uses */ {{Redirect6|Bless|the Swedish pop band|Bubbles (band)|the poem|Patrick Ryan Dunn Sullivan |the Montreal rapper|Bless (rapper)}} {{Otheruses4|the noun|the place|Blessing, Texas|other uses|Blessing (disambiguation)}} {{Wiktionary|blessing}} {{Wiktionary|bless}} A '''blessing''', (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the infusion of something with [[holiness]], divine will, or one's hopes. ==Etymology and Germanic paganism== The modern English language term ''bless'' likely derives from the 1225 term ''blessen'', which developed from the [[Old English]] ''blǣdsian'' (preserved in the [[Northumbria|Northumbrian]] dialect around 950 AD).<ref name=BARNHART73>Barnhart (1995:73).</ref> The term also appears in other forms, such as ''blēdsian'' (before 830 and derived from [[Proto-Germanic]] ''*blōðisōjanan''), ''blētsian'' from around 725 and ''blesian'' from around 1000, all meaning to make sacred or holy by a sacrificial custom in the [[Anglo-Saxon paganism|Anglo-Saxon pagan]] period, originating in [[Germanic paganism]]; to mark with blood.<ref name=BARNHART73/> Due to this, the term is related to the term ''blōd'', meaning ''[[blood]]''.<ref name=BARNHART73/> References to this indigenous practice, [[Blót]], exist in related [[Iceland|Icelandic]] sources. The modern meaning of the term may have been influenced in translations of the Bible into Old English during the process of [[Christianization]] to translate the [[Latin]] term ''benedīcere'' meaning to "speak well of", resulting in meanings such as to "praise" or "extol" or to speak well of or to wish well.<ref name=BARNHART73/> ==Abrahamic religion== [[Image:Isaac Blessing Jacob - Govert Flinck.jpg|thumb|''[[Isaac]] Blessing [[Jacob]]'', painting by [[Govert Flinck]] ([[Rijksmuseum Amsterdam]]).]] [[Image:Kohanim hands blessing photo.jpg|thumb|right|Position in which a Jewish [[kohen]] places his hands and fingers during the [[Priestly Blessing]].]] [[Image:BASIL.jpg|thumb||[[Icon]] of [[St. Basil the Great]] depicting the manner in which an Orthodox priest or bishop holds his hand when he blesses.]] Within [[Roman Catholicism]], [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], [[Anglicanism]] and similar traditions, formal blessings of the church are performed by [[bishop]]s, [[priest]]s, and sometimes [[deacon]]s, but as in many other religions, anyone may informally bless another. "To be blessed" means 'to be favoured by God'. Blessings therefore are directly associated with God and come from God. Therefore to express a blessing, is like bestowing a wish on someone that she will experience the favour of God. "May you have a blessed [[Christmas]]", therefore can also be translated as: "May you experience the favor of God during this Christmas period." A [[curse]], at least in its most formal sense, is the opposite of a blessing. Compare [[charm]]. In the [[Bible]], blessings and curses are related; the book of [[Deuteronomy]] prescribes that obedience to the [[Torah]] brings God's blessing, while disobedience brings a curse. One of the first incidences of blessing in the Bible is in [[Genesis]] {{bibleverse-nb||Genesis|12:1-2|HE}} where [[Abram]] is ordered by the [[The LORD|{{LORD}}]] to leave his country and is told: {{Blockquote|''"I will bless you, I will make your name great."''}} The [[Priestly Blessing]] is set forth at [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] {{bibleverse-nb||Numbers|6:24-26|HE}}: : ''May the '''{{LORD}}''' bless you, and keep you;'' : ''May the '''{{LORD}}''' make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;'' : ''May the '''{{LORD}}''' turn his countenance to you and grant you peace.'' The [[New Testament]] commands Christians to bless and not to curse ({{bibleverse||Matthew|5:44|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Luke|6:28|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Romans|12:14|KJV}}). This supports the Christian doctrine that God is a God of love & mercy and that the Bible teaches that cursing and anger should be left to God - not us (in the sense that He will judge our works). This formula has been introduced into Christian [[worship]] as well. In the [[Gospel of Matthew]], [[Jesus]] pronounces blessings on the poor, the humble, and the persecuted in the [[Beatitudes]] at the beginning of the [[Sermon on the Mount]]. In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] blessings are bestowed by [[bishop]]s and [[priest]]s in a [[liturgy|liturgical]] context, raising their right hand and making the [[Sign_of_the_Cross#Use_of_the_sign|sign of the cross]] with it over persons or objects to be blessed. They also make blessings to begin [[daily office|divine services]] and at the [[dismissal]] at the end. A priest or bishop may also use a [[Blessing cross]] to bestow blessings. [[Islam]] has no clerical caste, and therefore no blessings reserved to specific individuals. Islam itself is regarded as being a "Blessing upon mankind". Muslims will frequently pronounce "peace and blessings be upon him" when mentioning the name of [[Muhammad]]. Muslims will also greet one another with a blessing on such occasions as [[Eid]]. ==Other uses== A ''blessing'' can also be a request for permission, as in "gaining your [[parents]]' blessing" would consist of having been granted consent. Clergy will normally receive a blessing from their ecclesiastical superiors to begin their ministry. In the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] pious laymen would go to a [[starets]] ([[elder]]) to receive his or her blessing before embarking upon any important work or making a major decision in their life. In [[Spanish language|Spanish]], there is a blessing which can be used as a tender [[farewell]], especially from a parent: ''Vaya con Dios'' ("Go with God"), also Adios (''A Dios'', "to God"), similar to the [[French language|French]] ''Adieu''. '''[[Blessing Ceremony of the Unification Church|Blessing]]''' is also a term used for marriage in the [[Unification Church]]. '''Blessing''' is the [[collective noun]] for a group of [[Unicorns]].{{Fact|date=June 2007}} In a darker turn of phrase, a [[Bloods|Blood]] ([[street gang]]) initiation rite will involve getting '''blessed''', a process by which a inductee is punched as hard as possible in the forehead. ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== * [[Robert Barnhart|Barnhart, Robert K.]] (1995) ''The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology'' [[Harper Collins]] ISBN 0062700847 ==See also== * [[List of Jewish Prayers and Blessings]] * [[Benediction]] [[Category:Religious behaviour and experience]] [[Category:Eastern liturgy]] [[de:Segen]] [[et:Õnnistus]] [[es:Bendición]] [[lt:Palaiminimas]] [[nl:Zegen]] [[pl:Błogosławieństwo]] [[pt:Bênção (Religião)]] [[simple:Blessing]] [[fi:Siunaus]] [[he:ברכה (של מנהיג דתי)]] [[yi:ברכה]]