PARADISE

'Paradise' is an English word from Persian roots 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 criminal crucified alongside him that they will be together in paradise that day.

Contents

Etymology

Paradise gardens

Religious use

Christianity

Islam

Mormonism

References

See also

External links

Etymology

The word "paradise" entered English from the French "paradis", inherited from the Latin "paradisus", which came from Greek ''paradeisos'' (royal garden).^[1] The Greek word came from the Avestan word "''pairidaêza-''" (an Eastern Old Iranian language) = "walled enclosure",^[1] which is a compound of ''pairi-'' (= "around") (a cognate of Greek '' ''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 was 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 '' ''paradeisos'' used in the Septuagint 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''), though no reference is made to what condition (paradisaical or otherwise) the Earth would or should be in. 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 Islam, Paradise is used instead of Heaven to describe the ultimate pleasurable place after death. 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.

Mormonism

In Latter Day Saint theology, paradise is the temporary abode where the righteous go after death to await the resurrection. 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.

References

1. New Oxford American dictionary
2. New Oxford American dictionary
3. Church fathers: De Principiis (Book II) Origen

See also

★ Brave New World novel by Aldous Huxley

★ Celtic Park

★ Elysium

★ Enlightenment

★ Goloka

★ Heaven

★ Third Heaven

★ Jannah Muslim concept of paradise

★ Nature

★ Nirvana

★ Paradise garden

★ Paradise Lost epic poem by John Milton

★ Spirit World (Mormonism)

★ Utopia

★ Willow Grove Park, named Paradise

★ 72 Virgins

★ Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador

★ Fiddler's Green

★ Valhalla

External links

★ Fra Angelico's Last Judgement

★ Etymology OnLine

★ Kashmir paradise

★ Aquinas on Paradise (parallel Latin English text)