warm the affections

English translation: arouse / stimulate / engage the emotions

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:warm the affections
Selected answer:arouse / stimulate / engage the emotions
Entered by: Ana Juliá

07:48 Jun 25, 2018
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Religion / About a series of Christian booklets
English term or phrase: warm the affections
With this goal in mind, this series of booklets treats matters vital to Christian experience at a basic level. Each booklet addresses a specific question in order to inform the mind, ***warm the affections***, and transform the whole person by the Spirit’s grace, so that the church may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
Ana Juliá
Spain
Local time: 13:35
arouse / stimulate / engage the emotions
Explanation:
"Warm the affections" is a phrase found in many religious texts going back to the early eighteenth century (at least), and I think it was then and continues to be used in a sense that is nowadays somewhat archaic.

"And consequently, tho' extempore Prayers may warm the Affections; yet 'tis impossible for the Congregation to discharge that Warmth aster such a manner as is requisite in prayer"
Thomas Bennet (1708)
https://books.google.es/books?id=3FwdDT88Yq4C&pg=RA1-PA78

"Knowledge alone is like a winter-sun, which hath no heat or influence ; it doth not warm the affections, or purify the conscience."
https://books.google.es/books?id=ZsoHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA643&lpg=P...

a. The introduction or exordium of a sermon
1) The various functions of the introduction
[...]
c) It should warm the affections or emotions of our hearers to the subject or substance of the sermon."
http://www.beingtaught.org/lecture-4-constituent-elements-in...


"Affection" nowadays usually means fondness, liking, even love. It can be pluralised: you can talk about "capturing someone's affections" or winning a place in someone's affections", meaning make them fond of you.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/affection

However, "affections" used to, and sometimes still does, mean mental states, emotions or passions of any kind. In 1755, Dr Johnson defined "affection" first as "the state of being affected", second as "passion of any kind", and third as "love, kindness, goodwill to some persons". The third use is the modern one, and is usually singular. The second is the relevant one here (I believe) and is often plural. Johnson illustrates it with this passage from Hooker:

"Affections, as joy, gried, fear, and anger..."
https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofengl01johnuoft#page/n...

In other words, "affections" here means the same as "afectos" in Spanish, though that's not its usual meaning in modern English.

As for "warm", I think it clearly means arouse, stimulate or engage. Johnson again:

"To heat mentally; to make vehement"
https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofengl02johnuoft#page/n...
And that, I think, is clearly what it means in the passages quoted and in your text.

This expresses the idea that in prayer or preaching cold, emotionless knowledge is useless unless the emotions are engaged. These emotions are not confined to "affection" in the modern sense of fondness. If the subject is sin or evil, a vehement repudiation is called for, more than just a rational knowledge that it is to be rejected.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2018-06-25 10:50:23 GMT)
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Contemporary religious discourse very often uses expressions with a long history, inherited from older texts: archaic expressions. I think this is an example of that.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2018-06-25 10:52:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

My second quotation is from a text of 1837 by Thomas Watson.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 13:35
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +3arouse / stimulate / engage the emotions
Charles Davis
4 +2foster/encourage/increase feelings of fondness, esteem
Yvonne Gallagher
4levantar ánimos
Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
levantar ánimos


Explanation:
Elevar los ánimos, mejorar las relaciones.

Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón
Mexico
Local time: 07:35
Works in field
Native speaker of: Spanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: this question is asked as En>EN
29 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
foster/encourage/increase feelings of fondness, esteem


Explanation:
AND make someone more receptive

"warm" =encourage, foster
Affections=feelings of respect, esteem, fondness; emotional fondness

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/affecti...
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/affections

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2018-06-25 09:07:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This might help

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/what-...

"...Jonathan Edwards saw affections as “strong inclinations of the soul that are manifested in thinking, feeling and acting” (Seeing God: Jonathan Edwards and Spiritual Discernment, p. 31).

A common confusion is to equate “affections” with “emotions.” But there are several differences, as summarized in this chart from McDermott (p. 40):

Affections Emotions
Long-lasting Fleeting
Deep Superficial
Consistent with beliefs Sometimes overpowering
Always result in action Often fail to produce action
Involve mind, will, feelings Feelings (often) disconnected from the mind and wilill

He explains why affections are different than emotions:

Emotions (feelings) are often involved in affections, but the affections are not defined by emotional feeling. Some emotions are disconnected from our strongest inclinations..."



Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 12:35
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 108

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans
1 hr
  -> Many thanks:-)

agree  Sarah Lewis-Morgan
3 hrs
  -> Many thanks:-)

neutral  philgoddard: I agree with the second part of your explanation, but it contradicts your answer and supports Charles's.
7 hrs
  -> whatevs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
arouse / stimulate / engage the emotions


Explanation:
"Warm the affections" is a phrase found in many religious texts going back to the early eighteenth century (at least), and I think it was then and continues to be used in a sense that is nowadays somewhat archaic.

"And consequently, tho' extempore Prayers may warm the Affections; yet 'tis impossible for the Congregation to discharge that Warmth aster such a manner as is requisite in prayer"
Thomas Bennet (1708)
https://books.google.es/books?id=3FwdDT88Yq4C&pg=RA1-PA78

"Knowledge alone is like a winter-sun, which hath no heat or influence ; it doth not warm the affections, or purify the conscience."
https://books.google.es/books?id=ZsoHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA643&lpg=P...

a. The introduction or exordium of a sermon
1) The various functions of the introduction
[...]
c) It should warm the affections or emotions of our hearers to the subject or substance of the sermon."
http://www.beingtaught.org/lecture-4-constituent-elements-in...


"Affection" nowadays usually means fondness, liking, even love. It can be pluralised: you can talk about "capturing someone's affections" or winning a place in someone's affections", meaning make them fond of you.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/affection

However, "affections" used to, and sometimes still does, mean mental states, emotions or passions of any kind. In 1755, Dr Johnson defined "affection" first as "the state of being affected", second as "passion of any kind", and third as "love, kindness, goodwill to some persons". The third use is the modern one, and is usually singular. The second is the relevant one here (I believe) and is often plural. Johnson illustrates it with this passage from Hooker:

"Affections, as joy, gried, fear, and anger..."
https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofengl01johnuoft#page/n...

In other words, "affections" here means the same as "afectos" in Spanish, though that's not its usual meaning in modern English.

As for "warm", I think it clearly means arouse, stimulate or engage. Johnson again:

"To heat mentally; to make vehement"
https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofengl02johnuoft#page/n...
And that, I think, is clearly what it means in the passages quoted and in your text.

This expresses the idea that in prayer or preaching cold, emotionless knowledge is useless unless the emotions are engaged. These emotions are not confined to "affection" in the modern sense of fondness. If the subject is sin or evil, a vehement repudiation is called for, more than just a rational knowledge that it is to be rejected.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2018-06-25 10:50:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Contemporary religious discourse very often uses expressions with a long history, inherited from older texts: archaic expressions. I think this is an example of that.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2018-06-25 10:52:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

My second quotation is from a text of 1837 by Thomas Watson.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 13:35
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 172
Grading comment
Thank you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Robert Forstag
2 hrs
  -> Thank you, Robert!

agree  philgoddard
5 hrs
  -> Thanks Phil!

agree  Björn Vrooman: 14c: "an emotion of the mind, passion, lust as opposed to reason" https://www.etymonline.com/word/affection / This may be a fitting example: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/affect-affection
21 hrs
  -> Yes, it has evolved towards its modern meaning. Thanks, Björn! // Very useful. Even the "good sense" of affection in the Bible is broader than the standard modern meaning; it extends to good will: a positive emotional inclination/disposition.
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