Henotheism
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Henotheism is the worship of a single, supreme
Definition and terminology
Friedrich Schelling coined the German term Henotheismus from
Various scholars prefer the term monolatry to henotheism, to discuss religions where a single god is central, but the existence or the position of other gods is not denied.
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is often regarded as one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. Although
Hinduism
To what is One
They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni,
and he is heavenly-winged Garutman.
To what is One, sages give many a title.
— Rigveda 1.164.46
Transl: Klaus Klostermaier[17][18]
Henotheism was the term used by scholars such as Max Müller to describe the theology of Vedic religion.[19][2] Müller noted that the hymns of the Rigveda, the oldest scripture of Hinduism, mention many deities, but praises them successively as the "one ultimate, supreme God", alternatively as "one supreme Goddess",[20] thereby asserting that the essence of the deities was unitary (ekam), and the deities were nothing but pluralistic manifestations of the same concept of the divine (God).[2][6][9]
The Vedic era conceptualization of the divine or the One, states Jeaneane Fowler, is more abstract than a monotheistic God, it is the Reality behind and of the phenomenal universe.
Hellenistic religion
While
- "In such a mighty contest, sedition and discord, you will see one according law and assertion in all the earth, that there is one God, the king and father of all things, and many gods, sons of God, ruling together with him."[30]
The
Canaanite religion and Yahwism
For example, the
Several biblical stories allude to the belief that the Canaanite gods all existed and were thought to possess the most power in the lands by the people who worshiped them and their sacred objects; their power was believed to be real and could be invoked by the people who patronized them. There are numerous accounts of surrounding nations of Israel showing fear or reverence for the Israelite God despite their continued polytheistic practices.[32] For instance, in 1 Samuel 4, the Philistines fret before the second battle of Aphek when they learn that the Israelites are bearing the Ark of the Covenant, and therefore Yahweh, into battle. The Israelites were forbidden[33] to worship other deities, but according to some interpretations of the Bible, they were not fully monotheistic before the Babylonian captivity. Mark S. Smith refers to this stage as a form of monolatry.[34] Smith argues that Yahweh underwent a process of merging with El and that acceptance of cults of Asherah was common in the period of the Judges.[34] 2 Kings 3:27 has been interpreted as describing a human sacrifice in Moab that led the invading Israelite army to fear the power of Chemosh.[35]
In Christianity
Paul the Apostle, in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, writes that "we know that an idol is nothing" and "that there is none other God but one".[36] He argues in verse 5 that "for though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth", "but to us there is but one God". Some translators of verse 5 put the words "gods" and "lords" in quotes to indicate that they are gods or lords only so-called.[37]
In his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul refers to "the god of this world",[38] which the 18th-century theologian John Gill interpreted as a reference to Satan or the material things put before God, such as money, rather than acknowledging any separate deity from God.[39]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Some scholars have written that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) can be characterized as henotheistic, but others have rejected that stance.
Eugene England, a professor at Brigham Young University, asserted that LDS Presidents Brigham Young and Joseph Fielding Smith along with the LDS scholar B. H. Roberts used the LDS interpretation of 1 Corinthians 8:5–6 as "a brief explanation of how it is possible to be both a Christian polytheist (technically a henotheist) and a monotheist".[40] BYU Professor Roger R. Keller rejected descriptions of the LDS Church as polytheistic by countering, as summarized by a reviewer, "Mormons are fundamentally monotheistic because they deal with only one god out of the many which exist."[41]
In their book, Mormon America: The Power and the Promise, Richard and Joan Ostling, wrote that some Mormons are comfortable describing themselves as henotheists.[42]
Kurt Widmer, professor at the University of Lethbridge, described LDS beliefs as a "cosmic henotheism".[43] A review of Widmer's book by Bruening and Paulsen in the FARMS Review of Books countered that Widmer's hypothesis was "strongly disconfirmed in light of the total evidence".[44]
Van Hale has written, "Mormonism teaches the existence of gods who are not the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost" and "the existence of more than one god [is] clearly a Mormon doctrine", but he also said that defining this belief system in theological terms was troublesome. Henotheism might appear to be "promising" in describing LDS beliefs, Hale wrote, but it is ultimately not accurate because henotheism was intended to describe the worship of a god that was restricted to a specific geographical area.[45]
See also
- Comparative religion
- Henosis, mystical "oneness", "union", or "unity" in classical Greek
- King of the gods, a tendency for one divinity, usually male, to achieve preeminence.
References
- ^ a b c d e Monotheism and Polytheism, Encyclopædia Britannica (2014)
- ^ ISBN 978-1-136-33823-6.
- ISBN 978-1-84127-318-1.
From many of the examples provided above, it should be clear that the best preserved example of Iron Age Canaanite henotheism is the anthology we call the Jewish Bible (Christian Old Testament). Although the Bible contains a few late additions designed to transform its religion into monotheism, the overwhelming majority of its texts are henotheistic. To be more precise, the Bible usually expresses monolatry, which is a more extreme form of henotheism. Whereas henotheism believes in many gods, but with one supremely powerful god, monolatry believes in many gods, but with only one god that is worthy of worship. Thus, the monolatrist is a henotheist who acknowledges lesser gods but refuses to worship them.
- ISBN 978-1-85075-657-6.
- ^ Müller, Max. (1878) Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion: As Illustrated by the Religions of India. London:Longmans, Green and Co.
- ^ ISBN 978-9004102200.
- ^ Muller, F. M. (1907). Thoughts on Life and Religion / An Aftermath from the Writings of The Right Honourable Professor Max Müller. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty.
- ^ "Definition of HENOTHEISM".
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-11695-5.
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary: kathenotheism
- ISBN 978-0-8135-4068-9.
- .
- .
- ^ Richard Foltz, "Religions of Iran: From Prehistory to the Present", Oneworld Publications, 2013, p. xiv
- ^ Prods Oktor Skjærvø (2006), Introduction to Zoroastrianism, 2005, Harvard University Archives, p. 15 with footnote 1
- ISBN 978-1-4422-6578-3.
- ISBN 978-0-7914-8011-3.
- ^ See also, Griffith's Rigveda translation: Wikisource
- ^ Sugirtharajah, Sharada, Imagining Hinduism: A Postcolonial Perspective, Routledge, 2004, p.44;
- ISBN 978-0-521-44820-8.
- ^ ]
- ISBN 978-1-4384-6055-0.
- ISBN 978-1-136-62933-4.
- ISBN 978-0-19-161171-1.
- ISBN 978-1406732627, page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII
- ISBN 978-0-88489-725-5.
- ISBN 978-8120814684, page 91
- ^ Ishwar Chandra Sharma, Ethical Philosophies of India, Harper & Row, 1970, p.75.
- ^ a b c d Kahlos, Maijastina (2007). Debate and Dialogue: Christian and pagan cultures c. 360–430. Ashgate Publishing.
- Tyrius, Maximus(1804). "Dissertation I. What God is according to Plato". In Taylor, Thomas (ed.). The Dissertations of Maximus Tyrius. p. 5.
- K. L. NollCanaan and Israel in Antiquity: An Introduction, Continuum, 2002, p.123
- ^ David Bridger, Samuel Wolk et al., The New Jewish Encyclopedia, Behrman House, 1976, pp.326-7
- ^ Exodus Chapter 20 Verse 3
- ^ a b Mark S. Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel, Eerdmans Publishing, 2002, pp.58, 183
- ^ Gregory A. Boyd, God at War: The Bible & Spiritual Conflict, InterVarsity Press, 1997, p.118
- ^ Bible, 1 Corinthians 8:4–6
- ^ "1 Corinthians 8:5b, in the NKJV and several versions". blueletterbible.org. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ 2 Corinthians 4:4
- ^ Gill, John. John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. pp. 2 Corinthians 4:4.
- ^ Englund, Eugene. "The Weeping God of Mormonism". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 35(1), Spring 2002, pp. 63–80.
- ^ Sillman, H. Jeffrey. "A One-Sided Dialogue", Sunstone, June 1989, pp. 48–49 (review of Roger R. Keller's "Reformed Christians and Mormon Christians: Let's Talk", Ann Arbor, Michigan: Pryor Pettengill, 1986)
- ^ Osterling, Richard and Osterline, Joan (2007). Mormon America: the power and the promise. HarperCollins. p. 310
- ^ Kurt Widmer. Mormonism and the Nature of God: A Theological Evolution, 1830–1915. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2000, p. 158
- ^ Bruening, Ari D. and Paulsen, David L.. "The Development of the Mormon Understanding of God: Early Mormon Modalism and Early Myths". FARMS Review of Books 13/2 (2001), pp. 109–169.
- ^ Hale, Van. "Defining the Mormon Doctrine of Deity: What Can Theological Terminology Tell Us About Out Own Beliefs?" Sunstone 10 (January 1985), pp. 23–27.
External links
- What are Henotheism and Monolatry? Archived 2011-11-03 at the Wayback Machine in About Religion
- On Henotheism in Sofiatopia