Eusebeia (Greek: εὐσέβεια from εὐσεβής "pious" from εὖ eu meaning "well", and σέβας sebas meaning "reverence", itself formed from seb- meaning sacred awe and reverence especially in actions) is a Greek word abundantly used in Greek philosophy as well as in the New Testament, meaning inner piety, spiritual maturity, or godliness. The root seb- (σέβ) is connected to danger and flight, and thus the sense of reverence originally described a healthy fear of the gods. The first recorded usage of the word dates to Homer, circa 1000 BCE. Spiros Zodhiates says that: