Editing Humility (section)

===Abrahamic===

====Judaism====
[[File:Measure_of_men.jpg| [[Maimonides]] teaches about the "[[Maimonides#Character development|measure of man]]" (compared to the earth and the universe, man is very small).|thumb]]
Rabbi Lord [[Jonathan Sacks]] states that, in Judaism, humility is an appreciation of oneself, one's talents, skills, and virtues. It is not meekness or self-deprecating thought, but the effacing of oneself to something higher. Humility is not to think lowly of oneself, but to appreciate the self one is.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{Cite web|first=Jonathan|last=Sacks|url=https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/1932762/jewish/Greatness-is-Humility.htm|title=Greatness is Humility|website=Chabad.org}}
|2={{Cite web|first=Jonathan|last=Sacks|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/83807/jewish/On-Humility.htm|title=On Humility|website=Chabad.org}}
}}</ref> In recognition of the mysteries and complexities of life, one becomes humbled to the vastness of what one is and what one can achieve.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{Cite web|first=Aaron|last=Moss|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/160968/jewish/What-is-Humility.htm|title=What is Humility?|website=Chabad.org}}
|2={{Cite web|first=Aryeh|last=Citron|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1218750/jewish/Humility.htm|title=Humility – Parshat Vayikra|website=www.chabad.org}}
}}</ref>

Rabbi [[Pini Dunner]] discusses that humility is to place others first; it is to appreciate others' worth as important. Rabbi Dunner states that Moses wrote in the Torah, "And Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any man on the face of the earth"({{bibleref|Numbers|12:3}}). How is it possible to be humble and write you are the most humble? The conclusion is that Moses knew he was humble. It is not in denial of your talents and gifts but to recognize them and live up to your worth and something greater. It is in the service to others that is the greatest form of humility.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

The [[Deuterocanonical books|deuterocanonical]] [[Book of Sirach]] has a section on humility in chapter 3, which commences "My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts".<ref>{{bibleverse|Sirach|3:17-24|NABRE}}</ref> The editors of the [[New American Bible Revised Edition]] suggest that the writer "is perhaps warning his students [in this section] against the perils of [[Ancient Greek philosophy|Greek philosophy]]".<ref>[[Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc.#Contemporary usage|Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc.]], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=sirach%203&version=NABRE#fen-NABRE-20285b Footnote b at Sirach 3:17], accessed on 29 December 2024</ref>

Amongst the benefits of humility described in the [[Hebrew Bible]], which is shared by many faiths, are [[honor]], [[wisdom]], [[prosperity]], the protection of the Lord, and [[peace]]. In addition, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" ({{bibleref|Proverbs|3:34}}) is another phrase in the Hebrew Bible that values humility and humbleness.

====Christianity====
{{Quote box|quote=Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
|source={{bibleref|Philippians|2:3–8|niv}}| align=right|width=30%}}

[[New Testament]] exhortations to humility are found in many places, for example "Blessed are the meek" ({{bibleref|Matthew|5:5}}), "He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted" ({{bibleref|Matthew|23:12}}), as well as ({{bibleref|Philippians|2:1–17}}) and throughout the [[Epistle of James|Book of James]]. In fact, [[Jesus|Jesus Christ's]] behavior  and submission to unjust torture and execution in particular are held up as examples of righteous humility: "Who, when he was reviled, did not revile: when he suffered, he threatened not: but delivered himself to him that judged him justly" ({{bibleref|1 Peter|2:23}}).<ref name="Humility 1860, pp 598-599"/>

[[C. S. Lewis]] writes in ''[[Mere Christianity]]'' that pride is the "anti-God" state, the position in which the ego and the self are directly opposed to God: "Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."<ref>{{cite book |author=C. S. Lewis |title=Mere Christianity |date= 2001 |publisher=Zondervan |isbn=978-0-06-065292-0}}{{page needed|date=August 2023}}</ref> In contrast, Lewis contends that in Christian moral teaching the opposite of pride is humility. This is popularly illustrated by a phrase wrongly attributed to Lewis, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." This is an apparent paraphrase, by Rick Warren in ''The Purpose Driven Life'', of a passage found in ''[[Mere Christianity]]'': Lewis writes, regarding the truly humble man, {{blockquote|Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call "humble" nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.}}

[[St. Augustine]] stresses the importance of humility in the study of the Bible, with the exemplars of a barbarian Christian slave, the apostle Paul, and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.<ref name=DDC>{{cite book|author=Augustine of Hippo|year=397|title=[[De Doctrina Christiana]]}}</ref>{{rp|at=prooem. 4–7}} Both learner and teacher need to be humble, because they learn and teach what ultimately belongs to God.{{r|DDC|at=prooem. 7–8}}<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 Corinthians|4:7}}</ref> Humility is a basic disposition of the interpreter of the Bible. The confidence of the exegete and preacher arises from the conviction that his or her mind depends on God absolutely.{{r|DDC|at=I.1.1}} Augustine argues that the interpreter of the Bible should proceed with humility, because only a humble person can grasp the truth of Scripture.{{r|DDC|at=II.41.62}}<ref>{{cite journal | last=Woo | first=B. Hoon | title=Augustine's Hermeneutics and Homiletics in ''De doctrina christiana'' | journal= Journal of Christian Philosophy | year=2013 | volume=17 | url= https://www.academia.edu/5228314 |pages=99–103}}</ref>

One with humility is said to be a fit recipient of grace; according to the words of St. James, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" ({{bibleref|Proverbs|3:34}}, {{bibleref|1 Peter|5:5}}, {{bibleref|James|4:6}}).

"True humility" differs from "false humility" which consists of deprecating one's own sanctity, gifts, talents, and accomplishments for the sake of receiving praise or adulation from others. That sort is personified by the fictional character [[Uriah Heep (character)|Uriah Heep]] created by [[Charles Dickens]]. In this context legitimate humility comprises the following behaviors and attitudes:
* submitting to God and legitimate authority
* recognizing virtues and talents that others possess, particularly those that surpass one's own, and giving due honor and, when required, obedience
* recognizing the limits of one's talents, ability, or authority

The vices opposed to humility are:
* [[Pride]]
* Too great [[obsequiousness]] or abjection of oneself; this would be considered an excess of humility, and could easily be derogatory to one's office or holy character; or it might serve only to pamper pride in others, by unworthy flattery, which would occasion their sins of tyranny, arbitrariness, and arrogance. The virtue of humility may not be practiced in any external way that would occasion vices in others.<ref name="CE" />

=====Catholicism=====
[[File:Madonna-of-humility- 1433 Domenico di Bartolo.jpg|thumb|240px| This ''[[Madonna of humility]]'' by [[Domenico di Bartolo]] expresses the symbolic duality of an earthly woman with humility, as well as a [[Queen of Heaven|heavenly queen]].<ref Name =Trinchieri>{{cite book| title = Art and music in the early modern period | first1 = Franca Trinchieri|last1= Camiz  | first2 = Katherine A. |last2=McIver | year = 2003 |isbn = 0-7546-0689-9 | url  = https://books.google.com/books?id=mdIFQTuA4cQC&pg=PA15 | page = 15| publisher = Ashgate}}</ref>]]

[[Catholic]] texts view humility as annexed to the [[cardinal virtue]] of [[Temperance (virtue)|temperance]].<ref name="Humility 1910, pp 543-544"/><ref name="CE">{{cite encyclopedia| last=Devine|first=Arthur| url = https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07543b.htm | encyclopedia = Catholic Encyclopedia| title = Humility| publisher = newadvent.org}}</ref> It is viewed as a potential part of temperance because temperance includes all those virtues that restrain or express the inordinate movements of our desires or appetites.<ref name="CE" />

[[Bernard of Clairvaux]] defines it as “a virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself. Jesus Christ is the ultimate definition of Humility."<ref name="CE" />

Humility was a virtue extolled by [[Francis of Assisi]], and this form of [[Order of Saint Francis|Franciscan]] piety led to the artistic development of the ''[[Madonna of humility]]'' first used by them for [[Christian contemplation|contemplation]].<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite book| title = A history of ideas and images in Italian art | first = James |last=Hall | year = 1983 |isbn = 0-06-433317-5 | page = 223| publisher = Harper & Row }}
|2={{cite book| title = Iconography of Christian Art | last = Schiller | first = Gertrud  | author-link = Gertrud Schiller | year = 1971 | isbn = 978-0-8212-0365-1 | volume  = 1 | page= 112| publisher = Arnoldo Mondadori }}
}}</ref> The [[Madonna (art)|Virgin]] of humility sits on the ground, or upon a low cushion, unlike the ''Enthroned Madonna'' representations.<ref>{{cite book| title = Renaissance Art: A Topical Dictionary | first = Irene |last= Earls | year = 1987 |isbn = 0-313-24658-0 | page = 174| publisher = Bloomsbury Academic }}</ref> This style of painting spread quickly through Italy, and, by 1375, examples began to appear in Spain, France, and Germany. It became the most popular among the styles of the early [[Trecento]] artistic period.<ref name=Meiss>{{cite book | title =  Painting in Florence and Siena after the Black Death | first = Millard |last=Meiss | year =1979 | isbn =0-691-00312-2 | pages =[https://archive.org/details/paintinginfloren0000meis/page/132 132]–133 | publisher = Princeton University Press | url = https://archive.org/details/paintinginfloren0000meis}}</ref>

[[Thomas Aquinas]], a 13th-century philosopher and theologian in the [[Scholasticism|Scholastic]] tradition, says "the virtue of humility... consists in keeping oneself within one's own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's superior".<ref>{{cite book|last=Aquinas|first=Thomas|title=Summa Contra Gentiles|at=IV.lv|translator-link=Joseph Rickaby|translator-first=Joseph|translator-last=Rickaby}}</ref>

====Islam====
In the [[Qur'an]], various Arabic words conveying the meaning of "humility" are used. The very term "[[Islam]]" can be interpreted as "surrender (to God), humility", from the triconsonantal root [[S-L-M]]; other words used are {{transliteration|ar|tawadu}} and {{transliteration|ar|khoshou}}: <!-- the word "humility" is a noun but the 2 Arabic words used before were verbs, so I changed these to nouns.  In order not to have a discussion about this, I will explain that I know what the previous editor had in mind. The person who used the verbs (which were the past tense of a male 3rd person singular) used what is customarily considered a "root" of the verb, which, for example, is used in finding a word in a dictionary.  This, however, was not warranted here because we just needed to have the exact translation of the noun "humility" -->

{{Blockquote|And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!"|{{Qref|25|63|t=y|b=y}}}}

{{blockquote|Successful indeed are the believers: those who humble themselves in prayer;|{{qref|23|1-2|b=y}}}}

{{blockquote|"The loftiest in status are those who do not know their own status, and the most virtuous of them are those who do not know their own virtue."|Imam ash-Shafi'i <ref>{{Cite book |author=Al-Dhahabī |title=[[Siyar A'lam al-Nubala]]}}</ref>
}}

{{blockquote|"Your humbleness humbles others and your modesty brings out the modesty of others."|Abdulbary Yahya|}}