Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Askel5
Even the etymological origin of the word "secular" is linked to the Hebrew word for a fool

The OED would beg to differ:

[In branch I, a. OF. seculer (mod.F. séculier), ad. L. sæcul{amac}ris, f. sæcul-um generation, age, in Christian Latin ‘the world’, esp. as opposed to the church: see SECLE, SIECLE. In branch II, directly ad. L. sæcul{amac}ris, whence mod.F. séculaire (which has influenced some of the uses in Eng.). Cf. Sp. seglar, secular, Pg. secular, It. secolare.] 

12 posted on 05/08/2004 8:35:08 PM PDT by general_re (Drive offensively - the life you save may be your own.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies ]


To: general_re
That's one reason I was so curious as to musial through those and other links.

It's Yiddish that tends to borrow here and there ... even from the Latin. "Bensch" similar to "benediction", etc.

But the Hebrew citation to which most of these seemed to allude is the "fool" refence in Jerome, I think, where "fool" is one who fails to apprehend or who rejects God.

Makes sense. Religion, after all, comes from religare (I think) ... to "connect". And that's what religion does, it connects all. (Save for protestants who divide faith from reason or heretics -- like Mohammed -- who deconstruct or any who would pretend at a "to each his own" tolerance that really is a compartmentalization by which all men are not equal to reaching enduring Truth together.)

I think this is one reason compartmentalization and deconstruction are absolutely essential for atheists and other "fools". =)

13 posted on 05/08/2004 8:45:31 PM PDT by Askel5
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson