I was wondering if anybody nows where the phrase God Bless you comes from when someone sneezes. and why do we?

Question

use this phrase

Answer 1

DON'T KNOW - but i always fear -

SOME DAY I WILL MEET GOD AND HE WILL SNEEZE

AND..........

I WONT HAVE A WORD TO SAY :-|

Answer 2

From the site referenced below:

There are many theories regarding the origin of this custom.

One traditional explanation for the custom is that it began literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory I the Great (AD 540-604) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the bubonic plague in AD 590 (his successor succumbed to it). To combat the plague, Gregory ordered litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's blessing. When someone sneezed (seen as the initial onset of the plague), they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not actually develop the disease. 

Nevertheless the phrase bless you or god bless you in Greek literature predates the ascension of Gregory.

"Bless you, my dear!" he said, and "bless you, bless you!" at the second and third sneeze. From Apuleius, The Golden ***, AD 150.

Aloha

Answer 3

Along the same line as Lisa a superstition of olden days was that demons and spirits could enter you body in the event of a sneeze. Blessing someone would keep them from doing so. We had to do a paper on superstitions in high school.

Answer 4

When you sneeze your heart stops beating. The phase came up after a person died because of a sneezing. There fore the phase started God Bless You, in case it should happen again, the person was blessed.

Answer 5

An old superstition held that when you sneeze you momentarily expel your soul from your body. People would say God bless you to keep Satan from grabbing it while it was free.

Here are some more fascinating facts about the phrase...
http://www.answers.com/god+bless+you?gwp=12&method=2

Answer 6

During the time of the plauge, sneezing and coughing were one of the first symptoms. People would say god bless you when they heard someone sneeze because they were hoping god would bless them and protect them from the plauge. We still use the saying today.

Answer 7

saying Bless you actually comes from a superstition....people believe that when you sneeze.....you need to cover your mouth because it's a chance that part of your spirit might leave your body.....you have to say bless you to some one that sneezes because the devil is behind you and some one has to bless you in order for him to leave...but as to why people sneeze..i'm not sure...probably cause something got in the nose

Answer 8

There is an ancient Jewish teaching that in ancient times, people would suddenly sneeze, and die. Eventually, they started getting sick. Therefore, we "bless" someone when they sneeze, that they shouldn't die. (Actually, the final "sneeze" is the brain looking for just a bit of oxygen, and then dying.)

Answer 9

I learned in elementary school that it has something to do with the fact (?) that when you sneeze, your heart stops beating for a fraction of a second, so the blessing is to sustain your life through this minor skipping of the heartbeat.

I don't remember any more details, I learned that 25+ years ago...

Answer 10

In medieaval times, people believed that when you sneezed your soul was violently thrown from your body. To encourage the soul back, and discourage demons from taking the soul or the body, they said God bless you.

Answer 11

Some people thought that when you sneezed, it was your soul trying to get Satan out of your body. By saying "God Bless you" it helped your soul. I think that "gezundheit", however, means "be well."