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Righteousness is the quality or state of "being Morality right or justifiable" rooted in Religious law or divine law with a broader spectrum of moral correctness, justice, and Virtue living as dictated by a higher authority or set of spiritual beliefs.
Rectitude, often a synonym for righteousness, is about personal moral values and the internal compass that guides an individual’s decisions and actions. It can be found in Indian religions, Chinese, and Abrahamic religions and traditions, among others, as a Theology concept. For example, from various perspectives in Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, Taoism, and Judaism. It is an attribute that implies that a person's actions are justified, and can have the connotation that the person has been "judged" as living a moral life, relative to the religion’s doctrines.
William Tyndale (Tyndale Bible into English in 1526) remodeled the word after an earlier word rihtwis, which would have yielded modern English * rightwise or * rightways. He used it to translate the Hebrew language root צדק , which appears over five hundred times in the Hebrew Bible, and the Greek language word δίκαιος (), which appears more than two hundred times in the New Testament.
Etymologically, it comes from Old English rihtwīs, from riht 'right' + wīs 'manner, state, condition' (as opposed to wrangwīs, "wrongful"). The change in the ending of the word in the 16th century was due to association with words such as bounteous.
In Matthew's account of the Baptism of Jesus, Jesus tells John the Baptist, "it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" as Jesus requests that John perform the rite for him. The Sermon on the Mount contains the memorable commandment, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness".
A secondary meaning of the Greek word is 'justice', which is used to render it in a few places by a few Bible translations, e.g. in in the New English Bible.
Jesus asserts the importance of righteousness by saying in , "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven".
Paul the Apostle speaks of two ways to achieve righteousness: through the Law of Moses (or Torah), and through faith in the atonement made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (). However, he repeatedly emphasizes that faith is the effective way., For example, a few verses earlier, he states the Jews did not attain the law of righteousness because they sought it not by faith, but by works.
The New Testament speaks of a salvation founded on God's righteousness, as exemplified throughout the history of salvation narrated in the Old Testament (). Paul writes to the Romans that righteousness comes by faith: "... a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith'" ().
In the New Revised Standard Version has a footnote that the original word has the meaning of 'benevolence', and the Messianic Jewish commentary of David Stern affirms the Jewish practice of 'doing ' as a charity, in referring to the and passages.Stern, David H. (1992) Jewish New Testament Commentary: A companion volume to the 'Jewish New Testament'. pp. 30, 512.
speaks of the relationship between works of righteousness and faith, saying that "faith without works is dead". Righteous acts according to James include [[works of charity|Good works]] () as well as avoiding sins against the Law of Moses ().
describes Lot as a righteous man.
resonates with Confucian philosophy's orientation towards the cultivation of reverence or benevolence () and skillful practice ().
represents moral acumen that goes beyond simple rule-following, as it is based on [[empathy]], it involves a balanced understanding of a situation, and it incorporates the "creative insights" and grounding necessary to apply [[virtue]]s through deduction (Yin and Yang) and reason "with no loss of purpose and direction for the total good of [[fidelity]]. represents this ideal of totality as well as a decision-generating ability to apply a virtue properly and appropriately in a situation."
In application, is a "complex principle" that includes:
The importance of to Indian sentiments is illustrated by the government of India's decision in 1947 to include the Ashoka Chakra, a depiction of the ( the "wheel of dharma"), as the central motif on its flag.
In an inscription attributed to the Indian Emperor Ashoka from , in Sanskrit, Aramaic, and Greek text, appears a Greek rendering for the Sanskrit word : the word This suggests was a central concept in India at that time, and meant not only religious ideas, but ideas of right, of good, and of one's duty.
The Ramayana is one of the two great Indian epics. It tells about life in India around and offers models in . The hero, Rama, lived his whole life by the rules of ; this is why he is considered heroic. When Rama was a young boy, he was the perfect son. Later, he was an ideal husband to his faithful wife, Sita, and a responsible ruler of Aydohya. Each episode of Ramayana presents life situations and ethical questions in symbolic terms. The situation is debated by the characters, and finally, right prevails over wrong, good over evil. For this reason, in Hindu Epics, the good, morally upright, law-abiding king is referred to as .
In Mahabharata, the other major Indian epic, similarly, is central, and it is presented with symbolism and metaphors. Near the end of the epic, the god Yama, referred to as in the text, is portrayed as taking the form of a dog to test the compassion of Yudhishthira, who is told he may not enter paradise with such an animal, but who refuses to abandon his companion, for which decision he is then praised by . The value and appeal of the Mahabharata is not as much in its complex and rushed presentation of metaphysics in the 12th book, claims Daniel H.H. Ingalls, because Indian metaphysics is more eloquently presented in other Sanskrit scriptures. The appeal of Mahabharata, like Ramayana, is in its presentation of a series of moral problems and life situations, to which there are usually three answers given, according to Ingalls: one answer is of Bhima, which is the answer of brute force, an individual angle representing materialism, egoism, and self; the second answer is of Yudhishthira, which is always an appeal to piety and gods, of social virtue and tradition; the third answer is of introspective Arjuna, which falls between the two extremes, and who, claims Ingalls, symbolically reveals the finest moral qualities of man. The Epics of Hinduism are a symbolic treatise about life, virtues, customs, morals, ethics, law, and other aspects of dharma. There is extensive discussion of at the individual level in the Epics of Hinduism, observes Ingalls; for example, on free will versus destiny, when and why human beings believe in either, ultimately concluding that the strong and prosperous naturally uphold free will, while those facing grief or frustration naturally lean towards destiny. The Epics of Hinduism illustrate various aspects of , they are a means of communicating with metaphors.
In Hinduism, signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with , the order that makes life and universe possible, and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues, and "right way of living". The concept of was already in use in the historical Vedic religion, and its meaning and conceptual scope have evolved over several millennia.
From an early age, Zoroastrians are taught to pursue righteousness by following the Threefold Path of : , , (Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds).
One of the most sacred mantras in the religion is the Ashem Vohu, which has been translated as an "Ode to Righteousness". There are many translations, that differ due to the complexity of Avestan and the concepts involved (for other translations, see: Ashem Vohu).
"Righteousness is the best good and it is happiness. Happiness is to her/him who is righteous, for the sake of the best righteousness".
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