Intense enjoyment, interest or approval towards something
Men reacting enthusiastically
In modern usage,
enthusiasm
refers to intense
enjoyment
,
interest
, or approval expressed by a person. The term is related to playfulness, inventiveness, optimism, zest, verve, and high energy.
[1]
The word was originally used to refer to a person possessed by
God
, or someone who exhibited intense
piety
.
Historical usage
[
edit
]
Methodist preachers have been known for their enthusiasm in promulgating the doctrines of the
new birth
and
entire sanctification
to the public at events such as
tent revivals
and
camp meetings
, which they believe is the reason that God raised them up into existence.
[2]
The word
enthusiasm
originates from the
Greek
?νθουσιασμ??
from
?ν
(
en
, “in”) and
θε??
(
theos
, “god”), meaning "inspired or possessed by [a] god". Applied by the
Greeks
to
manifestations
of divine possession, by
Apollo
(as in the case of the
Pythia
), or by
Dionysus
(as in the case of the
Bacchantes
and
Maenads
), the term enthusiasm was also used in a transferred or figurative sense.
Socrates
taught that the inspiration of
poets
is a form of enthusiasm.
[3]
The term was confined to a belief in religious inspiration, or to intense religious fervor or
emotion
.
From this, a
Syrian
sect of the fourth century was known as the Enthusiasts. They believed that "by perpetual
prayer
, ascetic practices, and
contemplation
, man could become
inspired
by the
Holy Spirit
, in spite of the ruling evil spirit, which the fall had given to him". From their belief in the
efficacy of prayer
, they were also known as
Euchites
.
[4]
Several
Protestant
Christian denominations
that emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially those who hold
revivals
, were called enthusiastic.
[4]
Pejorative use
[
edit
]
During the years that immediately followed the
Glorious Revolution
, "enthusiasm" was a British pejorative term for advocacy of any political or religious cause in public, i.e.
fanaticism
. Such "enthusiasm" was seen in the time around 1700 as the cause of the previous century's
English Civil War
and its attendant atrocities, and thus it was an absolute social sin to remind others of the war by engaging in enthusiasm. The
Royal Society
bylaws stipulated that any person discussing religion or politics at a Society meeting was to be summarily ejected for being an "enthusiast."
[5]
During the 18th century, popular
Methodists
such as
John Wesley
or
George Whitefield
were accused of blind enthusiasm, a charge against which they defended themselves by distinguishing fanaticism from "religion of the heart." Methodists who enthusiastically preach about and experience the
new birth
(first work of grace) and
entire sanctification
(second work of grace) often have emotional experiences.
[2]
[4]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
enthusiasm
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Enthusiasm
.
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