Qadosh is a Hebrew word meaning "separated," while hasidh, also Hebrew (the source of the group name Hasisdim/Chasidim), refers to personal holiness. Both carry the idea that the person, place, or thing being mentioned is set apart or God and removed from secular use, belonging to a larger whole also set apart for God. They are translated into English as "saint."
The Greek word, agios, appears in the Septuagint and the Greek New Testament, and is translated into English as "saint." It carries the meaning of "holy," "sacred," "set apart," and "separated," and is used for holy things and holy people. Paul uses the word when referring to the members (all the members) of the churches to which he writes. This is the reason Protestants believe that all Christians are saints, set apart for God.
Acknowledging the disagreement between Protestants and Roman Catholics about the meaning of the word "saint," it is fair to say that Protestants would agree that the persons discussed in Saints Behaving Badly were, indeed, saints. Some of their stories are truly inspirational. The life of Pedro Claver (1580 - 1654) who worked for years among the slaves in Cartagena especially speaks to me.
Saints Behaving Badly talks about the lives of twenty -eight saints before their conversions. Their "pre-sainthood" sins include alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, adultery, mass murder, mercenary murder for hire, extortion, theft, heresy, blasphemy, devil worship, bigamy, gambling, human sacrifice, hedonism, and pride exhibited as arrogance.
Despite the Protestant/Catholic disagreement, the book Saints Behaving Badly is a great and inspiring read for believers. It shows clearly that, in God, even the worst of us can become among the best of us.
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