saint

A saint is a person who is considered as having an exceptional degree of holiness, or likeness to God. While the English term "saint" originated in Christianity, historians of religion now use the appellation "in a more general way to refer to the state of special holiness that many religions attribute to certain people,"^[1] with the Jewish Tzadik, the Islamic Mu'min, the Hindu rishior Sikh guru, and the Buddhist arhat or bodhisattva and also being referred to as "saints".^[1] Depending on the religion, saints are recognized either by official ecclesiastical declaration/denomination or by popular acclamation (see folk saints).^[2]

In Christianity, "saint" has a wide variety of meanings, depending on the context and denomination. The original Christian denotation was any believer who is "in Christ" and in whom Christ dwells, whether in Heaven or on earth.^[3] In Orthodox and Roman Catholic doctrine, all of their faithful deceased in Heaven are considered to be saints, but some are considered worthy of greater honor, emulation, or veneration, with official ecclesiastical recognition given to some saints by canonization or glorification.^[4]