holiness
quality associated with closeness to God. This is reflected in the word ‘hierarchy’, with ‘hieros’ meaning holy/sacred, and a rank ordering of nearness to or distance from the most sacred. In Biblical tradition, holiness is more centrally associated with a sense of moral unworthiness as experienced by the succession of prophets in their being called by God – from Moses (Exodus 3 and Isaiah (6:1-6) through to John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-17).
See also:
prophets