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The concept of Sleeping in Christianity

According to Christianity, sleeping encompasses various interpretations, including the state of disciples during prayer, the concept of death, and a peaceful rest where divine protection is sought. It is described as a time when the body is inactive, allowing for rejuvenation. Sleep is often compared to death, serving as a euphemism for the end of earthly connections while indicating a separation of the soul from the body. The text highlights the spiritual significance of sleep within both Christianity and Early Christian traditions.1
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Synonyms: Slumbering, Lying down

In Dutch: Slapen; In Finnish: Nukkuminen; In Spanish: Durmiendo; In German: Schlafen; In Malay: Sedang tidur; In Swedish: Sovande; In French: Dormir

The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.

Christian concept of 'Sleeping'

Christianity Books

Significance in Christianity (general):

From: Hymns for Christian Devotion

(1) This is the act of resting, hoping to be filled with divine love and protection.[1] (2) The state of being inactive, referring to the act of dismissing worries and earthly concerns, to ensure peace and tranquility.[2] (3) The speaker describes a state of rest where one is unconscious, which occurs during a specific portion of the day, protected by a divine entity.[3] (4) This is a place of rest that is cherished, and it is where the people who believe in a specific faith tradition find peace.[4] (5) The state of rest where the author lays down their body, which is facilitated by a sense of peace, and is guarded by celestial beings while the author is unconscious.[5]

From: Expositions of Holy Scripture

(1) The sleep of the virgins is not a point of blame, but rather a natural state while waiting, indicating the deferring of hope.[6] (2) This is often used to describe death, and it is rest, and the cessation of all connection with the external world, but does not touch the spirit.[7] (3) Death is this, according to the text, and the employment of this special euphemism is a wonderful witness to our weariness of life, and to its endless toil and trouble.[8]

From: The Complete Sayings of Jesus

(1) The state of the disciples, which Jesus found them in multiple times, even though he told them to pray and watch, to avoid temptation.[9]

Significance in Early Christian church and writers:
Early Christianity Books

From: Ante-nicene Fathers

(1) Sleep is when rest accrues to human bodies, but the soul, disdaining a repose which is not natural to it, never rests, and it is combined with ecstasy, and the body rests, but the soul does not rest and is in a state of ecstasy.[10] (2) The natural state that one enters into to rest the body, which should be approached with temperance and gratitude, and should not be an indulgence, but a means to rejuvenate and prepare for action.[11] (3) This is a state of rest and inactivity, and it is considered a factor when determining if the capacity for sensation is present or not, and therefore, the animal status.[12] (4) This is an action that the disciples were found doing, and it occurred multiple times while the central figure was praying, and it was a sign of their failure to watch and pray as instructed.[13] (5) Sleep is compared to death, described as its mirror, and is therefore considered relevant to the discussion, as it is similar to the process of death, and is part of the overall subject matter.[14]

Early Christianity (also known as Early Church) refers to the period starting roughly in the 6th century BC up until 325 A.D. during which year the first council of Nicaea was convened. Popular literature includes the writings by the early Church Fathers which forms the basis of later Christian theology.

Significance in Church of the East (or the East Syriac Church):
Church of the East Books

From: The Book of the Bee

(1) The state induced upon Adam by GOD to facilitate the removal of a rib without causing him pain, allowing for the creation of Eve.[15]

The Church of the East emerged in the 5th century and separated from the Roman Empire's state church by adopting Nestorianism. It emphasizes the distinct human and divine natures of Jesus Christ. It is also called the Assyrian Church, Nestorian Church or the East Syriac Church.

Plural form: Sleeps.