Brewer's: Ecstasy

(Greek ex-stasisfrom ex-istemi, to stand out of [the body or mind]). To stand out of one's mind is to lose one's wits, to be beside oneself. To stand out of one's body is to be disembodied. St. Paul refers to this when he says he was caught up to the third heaven and heard unutterable words, “whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell” (2 Cor. xii. 2-4). St. John also says he was “in the spirit” —i.e. in an ecstasy—when he saw the apocalyptic vision (i. 10). The belief that the soul left the body at times was very general in former ages, and is still the belief of many. (See Ecstatici.)

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language