Ecstatics

/ɪkˈstætɪks/ noun

Definition

People who experience or are prone to ecstasy; individuals in a state of overwhelming joy or religious trance.

Etymology

From ecstatic (Greek ekstasis) + plural suffix -s. Historically used to describe mystics or religious fanatics who claimed to experience divine rapture or out-of-body states.

Kelly Says

Medieval and Renaissance mystics were sometimes called 'ecstatics' because they reported visions and transcendent experiences—religious figures like Teresa of Avila claimed to experience ecstatic union with God, and people were fascinated and sometimes suspicious of these claims.

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