Holy Fool
Foolishness for Christ refers to behavior such as giving up all one's worldly possessions upon joining a monastic order, or to deliberate flouting of society's conventions to serve a religious purpose — particularly of Christianity. Such individuals were known as both "holy fools" and "blessed fools." The term "blessed" connotes both feeblemindedness and innocence in the eyes of God.
The term fools for Christ derives from the writings of Saint Paul. Desert Fathers and other saints acted the part of Holy Fools, as have the yurodivy (or iurodstvo) of Eastern Orthodox asceticism. Fools for Christ often employ shocking, unconventional behavior to challenge accepted norms, deliver prophecies or to mask their piety. Parallels for this type of behavior exist in non-Christian traditions as well. The Avadhuta (Sanskrit), for example, the Islamic tradition of Malamatiyya Sufism and other crazy-wise mystics all display similar traits.
Read more about Holy Fool: Old Testament, New Testament, Western Christianity, Eastern Christianity, The Yurodivy in Art and Literature, Crazy For God, On Fire For God
Famous quotes containing the words holy and/or fool:
“We have suffered much, we have worked much, we have made much effort to redeem, in the eyes of God, what was unconventional in our happiness by what was holy in our love.”
—Victor Hugo (1802–1885)
“How comes it that a cripple does not offend us, but a fool does? Because a cripple recognizes that we walk straight, whereas a fool declares that it is we who are silly; if it were not so, we should feel pity and not anger.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)