If we keep exploring the roots of the word "edify", we discover that the original meaning of the Latin word aedis was "hearth", which in turn comes from the Indo-European root *aidh-, "to burn". If you think about ancient temples (Judeo-Christian and otherwise) as places where burnt sacrifices were offered and certain fires were constantly kept burning, it makes sense to think of a hearth as a representation of a temple. When we think of the word "edify" coming from these roots, we start to see edification as the metaphorical act of kindling a fire (and keeping it burning) in another person's "temple" or "hearth". In other words, when we edify each other, we renew, strengthen, or add to the "fire" of testimony in one another's hearts.
This fits in nicely with the way the scriptures compare the Holy Ghost's influence to a fire or a burning sensation in the body or heart (see Psalms 39:3, Jeremiah 20:9, Luke 24:32, and 3 Nephi 11:3). In fact, according to D&C 50, the only way we can edify each other is through the Holy Ghost or Spirit of truth. This is why it is not just a good idea but vital that we invite the Spirit into all of our interactions--because the Holy Ghost is the "fire" that kindles testimony in a person's heart. In Gospel Doctrine class then (as well as in all other teaching/learning settings in the Church), the most important thing we do is share truth. We do this by relating personal experiences in which we have learned truth, and testifying of this truth to each other.
It makes me think of the days before electricity when the hearth was truly the center of a home, when a well-tended fire was necessary to sustain life. Before the advent of matches, it wasn't a simple thing to start a fire from scratch. People knew how to bank their fires overnight so that they wouldn't go out completely. If it ever happened, the best thing to do was to "borrow" fire from a near neighbor (click here for a story relating just such an incident). You could carry hot coals insulated by ashes home in a bucket and kindle your own fire again more easily than doing it on your own. In the same way, we share the fire of our testimonies with others whose own flames may be dim or dying.
At this point, I hope it's obvious where the title of this blog came from! I learned so much, just from studying this one word, and I hope it was edifying for you as well.
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Another thing I really like about the link to "hearth" (and which you hinted at), is that in the "olden days", the hearth was where meals were prepared. Families were nourished, as well as warmed, by their hearths. Likewise, when we "edify" we are creating an environment where we can receive spiritual nourishment and warmth.
ReplyDeleteGreat exploration! I love this kind of stuff.