Paradise
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missing image!
- Jan Bruegel d. Ä. 003.jpg -
Paradise by Jan Bruegel.
Paradise is word of Persian origin (
Persian: پردیس,
Pardìs) that is generally identified with the
Garden of Eden or with
Heaven. Originally meaning a walled garden or royal hunting grounds, the term entered
Jewish (and eventually
Christian) beliefs as a
Greek translation for the Garden of Eden in the
Septuagint. It is sometimes also identified with the
bosom of Abraham, the abode of the righteous dead awaiting
Judgment Day. In the
Gospel of Luke,
Jesus tells a penitent criminal crucified alongside him that they will be together in paradise that day.
Etymology
The word "paradise" entered English from the
French "paradis", inherited from the
Latin "paradisus", which came from
Greek παραδεισος (royal garden).
(1) The Greek word came from the Persian
Avestan word "
pairidaêza-" (an Eastern Old Iranian language) = "walled enclosure",
(2) which is a compound of
pairi- (= "around") (a cognate of Greek {{polytonic|περί}}
peri-) and
-diz (= "to create, make"), a cognate of English "
dough".An associated word is the
Sanskrit word
paradēsha = "foreign country" or "supreme country" from Sanskrit
para = "beyond" (Greek περα
perā) and
dēsha = "land, country".The word also entered
Semitic languages:
Akkadian pardesu,
Arabic firdaws (فردوس),
Aramaic pardaysa (ܦܪܕܝܣܐ), and
Hebrew pardes.
Paradise gardens
Sources as early as
Xenophon in his
Anabasis report the famed
Persian "paradise" garden. In
Achaemenid Persia, possibly earlier (in Mesopotamia?), the term was not just applied to 'landscaped' gardens but especially to royal hunting grounds, the earliest form of wildlife reserve, destined for
hunting as a sport; in various cultures in contact with nature, paradise is portrayed as eternal hunting ground, not just in relatively primitive cultures (e.g. native American) but also in more advanced, essentially agricultural civilisations, e.g. the Egyptian
Reed fields and the Greek
Elysian fields.
Religious use
Christianity
The form of the word that is now understood as "heaven or any environment that is ultimately pleasurable" is derived from the Greek
{{polytonic|παράδεισος}} paradeisos Persian loanword used in the
Septuagint (LXX) Bible translation to mean the
Garden of Eden. In the New Testament,
paradise meant a paradise restored on Earth (Matthew chapter 5, verse 5 -
the meek shall inherit the earth), similar to what the Garden of Eden was meant to be. However, certain sects actually attempted to recreate the garden of Eden, e.g. the nudist
Adamites. On the cross, Jesus told
Dismas that he would be with him in
paradeisos (Luke 23:43). There are two other references to Paradise in NT: 2 Cor. 12:4 (there are things beyond human expression), and Rev. 2:7 (there is a
tree of life).In the 2nd century AD,
Irenaeus distinguished paradise from heaven. In
Against Heresies, he wrote that only those deemed worthy would inherit a home in heaven, while others would enjoy paradise, and the rest live in the restored Jerusalem.
Origen likewise distinguished paradise from heaven, describing paradise as the earthly "school" for souls of the righteous dead, preparing them for their ascent through the celestial spheres to heaven.
(3)Fra Angelico's
Last Judgement painting shows Paradise on its left side. There is a tree of life (and another tree) and a
circle dance of liberated
souls. In the middle is a hole. In Muslim art it similarly indicates the presence of the Prophet or divine beings. It visually says, 'Those here cannot be depicted.'
Islam
In the
Qur'an, Paradise is denoted as "Firdous", the etymologically equivalent word derived from the original Avistan counterpart, and used instead of Heaven to describe the ultimate pleasurable place after death, accessible by those who pray, donate to charity and read the Qur’an. Heaven in Islam is used to describe the
Universe. It is also used in the Qur'an to describe skies in the literal sense, i.e., above earth.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God's purpose was from the start, was and is, to have the earth filled with the offspring of Adam and Eve as caretakers of a global paradise. After God had magnificently designed this earth for human habitation. Also that the wicked people will be destroyed at
Armageddon and that many of the righteous (those faithful and obedient to Jehovah) will live eternally in an earthly Paradise. (Psalms 37:9, 10, 29; Prov. 2:21, 22). Joining the survivors will be resurrected righteous and unrighteous people who died prior to Armageddon (John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15). The latter are brought back because they paid for their sins by their death, and/or also because they lacked opportunity to learn of Jehovah's requirements prior to dying (Rom. 6:23). These will be judged on the basis of their post-resurrection obedience to instructions revealed in new "scrolls" (Rev. 20:12). This provision does not apply to those that Jehovah deems to have sinned against his holy spirit (Matt. 12:31, Luke 12:5).
(4)(5)Mormonism
In
Latter Day Saint theology, paradise usually refers to the
spirit world. That is, the place where spirits dwell following death and awaiting the resurrection. In that context, "paradise" is the state of the righteous after death. In contrast, the wicked and those who have not yet learned the gospel of Jesus Christ await the resurrection in
spirit prison. After the universal resurrection, all persons will be assigned to a particular
kingdom or degree of glory. This may also be termed "paradise".
References
-
[New Oxford American dictionary]
-
[New Oxford American dictionary]
-
[Church fathers: De Principiis (Book II) Origen]
-
[What Does the Bible Really Teach? (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, 2005), Chapter 7]
-
[Insight on the Scriptures (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, 1988), 783-92]
See also
External links
{{Heaven}}
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(...as imported from WP)
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