Definition

Noun: 1. The worship of saints: The veneration, adoration, or excessive devotion to saints, particularly within certain Christian traditions. It involves practices such as praying to saints, honoring their relics, and celebrating their feast days.

Usage

Hagiolatry is a formal and somewhat specialized term used primarily in religious studies, historical contexts, or theological discussions to describe the practice of saint veneration. - It can be used in a neutral, descriptive sense. - It may sometimes carry a critical or pejorative connotation, implying the practice is excessive or idolatrous from the perspective of certain religious doctrines.

Examples

• The historian's book examined the rise of in medieval Europe.
• Some Protestant reformers condemned the Catholic practice as mere .
• The local festival, with its procession of the saint's statue, was a clear example of popular .

Advanced Usage

• Theological Critique: The term is often employed in theological debates to distinguish between acceptable veneration () and the forbidden worship () due to God alone. Critics may label certain practices as crossing into .
• Anthropological/Sociological Use: Scholars may use to analyze the social and cultural functions of saint veneration in a community.

Variants and Related Words

• Hagiolater (noun): A person who engages in the worship of saints.
• Hagiography (noun): The writing of the lives of saints. While related, this term is distinct and refers to biography, not the act of worship.
• Hagiology (noun): The study or literature dealing with the lives and legends of saints.

Synonyms

• Saint-worship: A more direct, compound synonym.
• Veneration of saints: A more common and often neutral phrase.
• Cult of saints: A term used in academic and historical contexts.

Antonyms

• Iconoclasm: The rejection or destruction of religious images and icons, often opposing practices like hagiolatry.
• Latria: (In Catholic theology) The worship owed to God alone, contrasted with the veneration () given to saints.

Noun

1. the worship of saints