Sacrilege

Sacrilege

Sadness (See MELANCHOLY.)

abomination of desolation

epithet describing pagan idol in Jerusalem Temple. [O.T.: Daniel 9, 11, 12; N.T.: Mark 13:14; Matthew 24:15]

Aepytus

Arcadian king; entering Poseidon’s sanctuary, forbid-den to mortals, he is blinded. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 9]

Beaufort, Cardinal

(1377–1447) haughty churchman; dies execrating God. [Br. Lit.: II Henry VI]

cleansing of the temple

sacrilegious money-changers driven out of temple by Christ. [N.T.: Matthew, 21:12–13; Mark, 11:15–18]

Heliodorus

Syrian official attempted to loot Solomon’s temple. [Apocrypha: II Maccabees 3]

Hophni and Phinehas

contemptuously abused holiness of sacrifices. [O.T.: I Samuel 2:12–17]

Simon Magus

tried to purchase apostolic powers; whence, simony. [N.T.: Acts 8:18–24]

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Sacrilege 

(1) A scornful, mocking, abusive, derisive treatment of something respected and revered; mockery of outstanding scientific discoveries, works of art, noble acts, exploits, moral norms, the memory of great people, heroes, and so forth.

(2) In the Orthodox Church and the legislation of tsarist Russia the term, along with “blasphemy,” for one of the types of crimes against religious belief.

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Sacrilege 

the desecration of something sacred to a church; profanation or blasphemy. Metaphorically, sacrilege may indicate insult to something revered by all.