salvazione

Salvazione is the Italian noun for deliverance or salvation, primarily used in religious contexts. It denotes being saved from sin and its consequences and the possibility of eternal life with God. The term derives from salvare, “to save,” and is formed as salvazione; it remains closely related to the noun salvezza, which also translates as salvation, with overlapping but sometimes distinct usage.

In Christian theology, salvazione refers to divine rescue effected by grace and faith. Catholic teaching emphasizes that salvation is the work of God manifested through grace and the faithful’s cooperation, received through the sacraments, faith, and virtuous living, and culminates in eternal life. Protestant traditions emphasize justification by faith and the atonement through Christ, with varying views on the role of works and sacraments. In Eastern Orthodoxy, the goal is theosis, a gradual union with God through participation in the life of the Church and the grace imparted in the sacraments.

Linguistically, salvazione is the standard term for salvation in Italian, but salvezza is also widely used and may be preferred in theological or formal writing. In everyday language, salvazione may appear in hymns, liturgical translations, or discussions of redemption, while salvare and its derivatives cover phrases about rescue or saving from danger.

See also: Salvezza, Salvation in Christianity.