Oh when the saints

There is a Greek word that has always troubled me.

Or more rightly, the transliteration of the word.

Hagios.  This is a word for a person.  Not to mix this up with all sorts of slang, or politically correct or even totally made up words for a person.  This is a word you might have heard two millenia ago.

Unfortunately the English language makes this word sound a little strange – almost derogatory.

What is a hag?  Which is what you first hear when you speak the word.  To most that is a dishevelled woman looking more like a witch than an upright society lady.  The ending “ios” sort of gets lost.

Now for the good news?  The word actually means “saint”.

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