In modern usage, the practice of charity means the giving of help to those in need.

Etymology

The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".^[1] The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Originally in Latin the word caritas meant preciousness, dearness, high price. From this, in Christian theology, caritas became the standard Latin translation for the Greek word agapē, meaning an unlimited loving-kindness to all others, such as the love of God. This much wider concept is the meaning of the word charity in the Christian triplet "faith, hope and charity", and notably as used by the King James Version of the Bible in its translation of St Paul's Letter to the Corinthians. However the English word more generally used for this concept, both before and since (and by the KJV at other passages), is the more direct love. (See the article Charity (virtue)) AgapÄ“ (in Greek written αγάπη; pronounced /aga̍pe/ or /a̍gape/) is the Greek word for divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, actional, volitional, thoughtful love. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ... This page contains religious views on topic oflove. ... Allegorical personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony van Dyck // The word charity entered the English language through the O.Fr word charite which was derived from the Latin caritas.[1] In Christian theology charity, or love (agapÄ“), is the greatest of the three theological virtues...

St Paul's agapē was specifically not primarily about good works and giving to the poor. (And though I feed the poor with all my goods, and though I give my body, that I be burned, and have not love [agapē], it profiteth me nothing - 1 Cor 13:3, Geneva translation, 1560). But in English the word charity has steadily acquired this as its primary meaning since being first used in this sense in Old French at least as long ago as the year 1200. The Geneva Bible was a Protestant translation of the Bible into English. ...

Almsgiving

Main article: Alms

Giving Alms

Almsgiving, the act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate, either directly or by means of a charitable trust or other worthy cause, is described as charity or charitable giving. The poor, particularly widows and orphans, and the sick and disabled, are generally regarded as the proper objects of almsgiving. Some groups regard almsgiving as being properly directed toward other members of their group. Alms Bag taken from some Tapestry in Orleans, Fifteenth Century. ... Image File history File links Ravi_Varma-Lady_Giving_Alms_at_the_Temple. ... Image File history File links Ravi_Varma-Lady_Giving_Alms_at_the_Temple. ...

Donations to causes that would benefit the unfortunate indirectly, as donations to cancer research hope to benefit cancer victims, are also charity.

The name stems from the most obvious expression of the virtue of charity is giving the objects of it the means they need to survive.

Most forms of charity are concerned with providing food, water, clothing, and shelter, and tending the ill, but other actions may be performed as charity: visiting the imprisoned or the homebound, providing dowries for poor women, ransoming captives, educating orphans. A dowry (also known as trousseau) is a gift of money or valuables given by the brides family to the grooms at the time of their marriage. ...

Although giving to those nearly connected to oneself is sometimes called charity -- as in the saying "Charity begins at home" -- normally charity denotes giving to those not related, with filial piety and like terms for supporting one's family and friends. Indeed, treating those related to the giver as if they were strangers in need of charity has led to the figure of speech "as cold as charity" -- providing for one's relatives as if they were strangers, without affection. Filial piety is extended into the afterlife. ...

Missionaries of Charity, a religious order dedicated to caring for the poor

The recipient of charity may offer to pray for the benefactor; indeed, in medieval Europe, it was customary to feast the poor at the funeral in return for their prayers for the deceased. Institutions may commemorate benefactors by displaying their names, up to naming buildings or even the institution itself after the benefactors. If the recipient makes material return of more than a token value, the transaction is normally not called charity. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (912x1084, 178 KB) Summary First Annual (2005) Southeastern Eucharstic Congress Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Charity User:Judgesurreal777/Photos Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (912x1084, 178 KB) Summary First Annual (2005) Southeastern Eucharstic Congress Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Charity User:Judgesurreal777/Photos Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Missionaries of Charity is a Catholic religious order established in 1950 by Nobel Peace Prize (1979) laureate Mother Teresa to tend to the poorest of the poor. ... A religious order may mean any of the following: // In Buddhist societies such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Korea and Tibet, a religious order is one of the strikingly large number of monastic orders of monks and nuns. ...

Originally almsgiving entailed the benefactor directly giving the goods to the receiver. People who could not support themselves -- or who feigned such inability -- would become beggars. Beggars in Samarkand, 1905 Begging includes the various methods used by persons to obtain money, food, shelter, drugs, alcohol, or other things from people they encounter during the course of their travels. ...

Institutions evolved to carry out the labor of assisting the poor, and these institutions are called charities. These include orphanages, food banks, religious orders dedicated to care of the poor, hospitals, organizations that visit the homebound and imprisoned, and many others. Such institutions allow those whose talents do not lend themselves to caring for the poor to enable others to do so, both by providing money for the work and supporting them while they do the work. Institutions can also attempt to more effectively sort out the actually needy from those who fraudulently claim charity. Early Christians particularly recommended the care of the unfortunate to the charge of the local bishop. An orphanage (historically an orphans asylum before the latter word took on its modern insane asylum connotation) is an institution dedicated to caring for orphans (children who have lost their parents) and abused, abandoned, and neglected children. ... A religious order may mean any of the following: // In Buddhist societies such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Korea and Tibet, a religious order is one of the strikingly large number of monastic orders of monks and nuns. ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ...

In Sunni Islam this is called Zakat, and is one of the five pillars upon which the Muslim religion is based. Charity is also used as a forename, intended to evoke the idea that one so named is a giving person. Sunni Muslims are the largest denomination of Islam. ... This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence. ... The Five Pillars of Islam is the term given to what are understood among many Muslims to be the five core aspects of Islam. ... Look up Appendix:Most popular given names by country in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

References to Charity

• Charity is the first and foremost principle of the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

Knights of Columbus emblem The Order of the Knights of Columbus is the worlds largest Catholic fraternal service organization. ...

See also

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Charity

• Altruism
• Charitable trust
• Charity fraud
• Foundation (charity)
• Tzedakah
• Dāna
• Zakat

Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo-en. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the ethical doctrine, see Altruism (ethics). ... A charitable trust (or charity) is a trust organized to serve private or public charitable purposes. ... Charity fraud is the act of using deception to get money from people who are making donations to charities. ... A Foundation is a type of philanthropic organization set up by either individuals or institutions as a legal entity (either as a corporation or trust) with the purpose of distributing grants to support causes in line with the goals of the foundation. ... Tzedakah (Hebrew: צדקה) in Judaism, is the Hebrew term most commonly translated as charity, though it is based on a root meaning justice .(צדק). In Arabic, charity is sadakah (صدقه) and an obligatory type of it, the Arabic term zakat, is considered to be one of the five pillars of Islam. ... Dān is the Hindi term for Charity. ... This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia "Charity and Charities"
• Jewish Encyclopedia "Alms"
• Jewish Encyclopedia "Charity and Charitable Institutions"
• Charity in Judaism
• Concept of Charity in the Quran

en:Charity Allegorical personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony van Dyck Charity, meaning selfless giving, is one conventional English translation of the Greek term agapē. // Etymology In the 1400, charity meant the state of love or simple affection which one was in or out of regarding one...