The Greek noun hagneia (ἁγνεία) means purity, chastity, or moral cleanness — freedom from defilement in thought, word, and deed. It derives from hagios (holy) and appears twice in Paul's letters to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:12; 5:2). Paul commands Timothy to set an example "in purity" and to treat younger women "with absolute purity" — hagneia encompasses both the inner disposition and its outward expression in relationships.
Hagneia belongs to the New Testament's theology of holiness as wholeness. The Greek hagnos (pure) is related to hagios (holy, set apart for God), connecting purity to sacred purpose: the pure heart is one set apart for God alone. Jesus' sixth beatitude — "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8) — makes purity the prerequisite for divine vision. This is not mere sexual purity (though that is included) but a comprehensive singleness of devotion — the undivided heart of Psalm 86:11 ("Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name"). For Timothy, Paul links hagneia to his public conduct and teaching credibility — a leader's purity is inseparable from their ministry authority. James 3:17 defines true wisdom as "first of all pure (hagnē)" — purity is not a secondary virtue but foundational to all wisdom.