Gläubigen

Gläubigen is a German noun form used to refer to people who hold a belief or profess a faith. The word is derived from glauben, belief, and is most commonly encountered in the plural form Gläubige, with the usual inflected forms die Gläubigen (nominative/accusative), der Gläubigen (genitive), and den Gläubigen (dative). In everyday and scholarly usage, Gläubigen denotes adherents of a religion or creed, without implying a specific confession; it can apply to believers of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, or other systems of faith.

In religious contexts, Gläubigen is often used to describe the body of believers within a community or the broader category of people who share a faith. Phrases such as die Gläubigen des Christentums or unter den Gläubigen illustrate this broad, non-doctrinal usage. The term is typically neutral and descriptive, suitable for theological, sociological, or media writing.

Gläubigen should not be confused with Gläubiger, which means creditor in financial terms. The two words are etymologically related through the root glauben (to believe) but refer to very different concepts. Related adjectives include gläubig (faithful, devout) and leichtgläubig (credulous). The plural form Gläubigen, with appropriate case endings, appears across German texts to discuss groups of believers in various religious or philosophical contexts.