Messalian
- adjective
- Specialized
:
mesaliano
- Her writings reflect a distinctly Messalian emphasis on personal spiritual experience over formal rituals.
Examples
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The council condemned several Messalian beliefs as heretical in the fifth century.
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Historians debate the true influence of Messalian practices on later mystical movements.
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The Messalian practices were often misunderstood by mainstream Christians.
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Many consider the Messalian tradition to be a form of early mysticism.
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The council condemned several Messalian beliefs as heretical in the fifth century.
-
Her writings reflect a distinctly Messalian emphasis on personal spiritual experience over formal rituals.
-
Historians debate the true influence of Messalian practices on later mystical movements.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Messalian = Messali + an
Although '-an' is a productive suffix meaning 'pertaining to' or 'member of', the base 'Messali' is a foreign/sect name not recognizable to typical learners, so the meaning cannot be derived from familiar English components.
Etymology
The word Messalian comes from an old Syriac word mṣallyānā meaning 'one who prays', so it describes ideas that put constant personal prayer above formal church rituals.
