In a previous article, I discussed how the term fanatic originally had religious connotations, and the same holds true for zealot. Originally, zealot referred to a religious group in the Roman province of Judaea who were so devoted to their cause that they chose mass suicide over surrendering to the Romans during the Siege of Masada. Over time, the term zealot has evolved to represent anyone who is unwavering in their beliefs (including as an epithet for the apostle Simon). The word zealot can be traced back to the Ancient Greek term zelotes, which means “zealous follower”. This term is derived from the Greek word zelos, the root of “zeal”. Ultimately, zelos can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European word ya, which means “desire”.
