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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Mysticism and Spirituality

Asceticism

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

/əˈsetɪsɪzəm/nounCommon term

In religious studies & theology, asceticism means: A way of life of strict self-discipline in which a person gives up comfort, pleasure or possessions in pursuit of religious or spiritual goals.

In Turkish: çilecilik, zühd, asketizm

How it is used

Found in many traditions: the Christian desert fathers, Hindu renouncers, Jain monks and early Muslim ascetics (zuhd). A person who lives this way is an ascetic, which is also the adjective. Max Weber used the phrase this-worldly asceticism for disciplined work in Protestant ethics.

Example sentences

  1. Early Christian asceticism flourished among the monks of the Egyptian desert.

  2. Weber's idea of this-worldly asceticism links Protestant ethics to disciplined work.

Common collocations

  • Christian asceticism
  • this-worldly asceticism
  • ascetic practices
  • ascetic life
  • monkA man who has left ordinary life to live under religious vows, usually in a community, devoting himself to prayer, study or meditation.
  • fastingGoing without food, drink or certain foods for a set period as a religious practice, for example during Ramadan, on Yom Kippur or in Lent.
  • SufismThe mystical tradition of Islam, which seeks closeness to God through love, remembrance of God (dhikr), spiritual discipline and the guidance of a master.
  • mysticismThe pursuit of direct, personal experience of God or ultimate reality, often through prayer, contemplation and spiritual discipline, found in many religious traditions.

More terms: Mysticism and Spirituality

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