Sa Chríostaíocht, is éard is naomh ann ná duine a aithnítear mar thar a bheith naofa, nó mar dhuine a bhfuil gaol an-ghairid aige nó aici le Dia. Mar sin féin, braitheann úsáid an téarma naomh ar an gcomhthéacs agus ar an sainchreideamh. Sa Chaitliceachas, Ceartchreidmheachas, Anglacánachas, agus Liútarachas, creidtear gur naoimh iad na daoine go léir atá ar shlí na fírinne, ach gur fiú níos mó onóra a thabhairt do dhaoine áirithe.[1] Bronntar aitheantas oifigiúil, agus dá réir sin cultas poiblí adhartha, ar naoimh áirithe trí “chanónú” san Eaglais Chaitliceach, nó “glóiriú” in Eaglais Cheartchreidmheach an Oirthir.[2][3]
Tagann an focal naomh ón tSean-Ghaeilge noíb,[4] ó Phrótai-Cheiltis *noybo-, ó Prótai-Ind-Eorpais *neybʰ- (“beannaithe, naofa”).[5]
Tagairtí
↑Woodward (1996). "Making Saints". Simon & Sachier. ISBN978-0-684-81530-5. “Among other Christian churches, the Russian Orthodox retains a vigorous devotion to the saints, especially the early church fathers and martyrs. On rare occasions, new names (usually monks or bishops) are grafted onto their traditional list of saints ... Something like the cult continues among Anglicans and Lutherans, who maintain feast days and calendars of saints. But while the Anglicans have no mechanism for recognizing new saints, the Lutherans from time to time do informally recommend new names (Da Hammarskjold, Dietrick Bonhoeffer, and Pope John XXIII are recent additions) for thanksgiving and remembrance by the faithful. The saint, then, is a familiar figure in all world religions. But only the Roman Catholic Church has a formal, continuous, and highly rationalized process for 'making' saints.”
↑Bebis (n.d.). “The Lives of the Saints”. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Dáta rochtana: 7 May 2016.
