A term signifying separation from what is ordinary or profane. In the OT God is the Holy One par excellence. Israel’s earliest hymn praises God as “majestic in holiness” (Exod 15:11). Both Psalms and Isaiah frequently refer to God as the Holy One (Isa 1:4; Isa 5:19; Ps 99). Places where God appeared and was customarily worshiped were also holy (Gen 28:11-22; Exod 3:5; 1Kgs 8:10-11). Holiness may also include the idea of consecration to God; the equipment used in the Temple was especially set aside and thus holy. Holiness extended also to the name of God (Lev 20:3), to the Sabbath (Gen 2:3), and to the appointed festivals (Lev 23), and Israel itself is a holy nation (Exod 19:4; Deut 7:6). The Holiness Code, a comprehensive series of ethical and ritual laws in (Lev 18-26), details observances to maintain holiness. The NT reaffirms many of the ideas of holiness found in Judaism. The Temple occurs as a metaphor for Christian holiness (1Cor 3:17; 1Cor 6:19). God is addressed as “Holy Father” by Jesus (John 17:11), praised in heaven by the threefold “Holy” of Isaiah (Rev 4:6-10; Isa 6:3), and addressed by the petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed be your name” (Matt 6:9). The unclean spirit recognizes Jesus as the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24), as does Peter (John 6:69). The disciples preaching after Jesus’s death refer to him as holy (Acts 3:14; Acts 4:27; Acts 4:30), as does the book of Revelation (Rev 3:7). Like Israel in the OT, the Christian community is holy (Rom 1:7; 1Cor 1:2; 1Cor 7:14; 1Pet 2:9).
