section_path: Society and culture/Religion
section_name: Religion
paragraph_text: Religion
  
  Statius in the Thebaid (Book 3, line 661) aired the irreverent suggestion that "fear first made gods in the world".
  
  From a Christian theological perspective, the word fear can encompass more than simple dread. Robert B. Strimple says that fear includes the "... convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, humility..". Some translations of the Bible, such as the New International Version, sometimes express the concept of fear with the word reverence.
  
  A similar phrase, "God-fearing", is sometimes used as a rough synonym for "pious". It is a standard translation for the Arabic word taqwa (Arabic: تقوى; "forbearance, restraint") in Muslim contexts. In Judaism, "fear of God" describes obedience to Jewish law even when invisible to others.