#ancientrome — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ancientrome, aggregated by home.social.
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WHAT AM I READING?
Just finished Ancient Rome by Simon Baker. It stuck with me after I put it down, the mark of a good book. So reminiscent of our current times (despite being over 2000 years ago) and our power hungry, self-centred leaders. A lesson in why we really don't need to anoint a leader for any of our societies.Started The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. So far: like the Midnight Library but slightly better story.
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Mosaico funerario cristiano, de Upenna, datado en torno al siglo V, que indica F. V. Dion vivió 80 años en los que plantó 4000 olivos. 🏛️Museo de Enfidha #antiguaroma #ancientrome
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Mosaico funerario cristiano, de Upenna, datado en torno al siglo V, que indica F. V. Dion vivió 80 años en los que plantó 4000 olivos. 🏛️Museo de Enfidha #antiguaroma #ancientrome
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Mosaico funerario cristiano, de Upenna, datado en torno al siglo V, que indica F. V. Dion vivió 80 años en los que plantó 4000 olivos. 🏛️Museo de Enfidha #antiguaroma #ancientrome
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Mosaico funerario cristiano, de Upenna, datado en torno al siglo V, que indica F. V. Dion vivió 80 años en los que plantó 4000 olivos. 🏛️Museo de Enfidha #antiguaroma #ancientrome
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Mosaico funerario cristiano, de Upenna, datado en torno al siglo V, que indica F. V. Dion vivió 80 años en los que plantó 4000 olivos. 🏛️Museo de Enfidha #antiguaroma #ancientrome
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Wer schon immer mal wissen wollte, wie eine Toga angelegt und drapiert wird, findet im folgenden Beitrag des Museums Aargau die passende Anleitung (mit Video):
https://www.museumaargau.ch/blog/so-machten-es-die-roemer-toga-binden-mit-video
#roman #römisch #romanitas #genstogata #toga #römischekleidung #romanclothing #ancientrome
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Wer schon immer mal wissen wollte, wie eine Toga angelegt und drapiert wird, findet im folgenden Beitrag des Museums Aargau die passende Anleitung (mit Video):
https://www.museumaargau.ch/blog/so-machten-es-die-roemer-toga-binden-mit-video
#roman #römisch #romanitas #genstogata #toga #römischekleidung #romanclothing #ancientrome
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Wer schon immer mal wissen wollte, wie eine Toga angelegt und drapiert wird, findet im folgenden Beitrag des Museums Aargau die passende Anleitung (mit Video):
https://www.museumaargau.ch/blog/so-machten-es-die-roemer-toga-binden-mit-video
#roman #römisch #romanitas #genstogata #toga #römischekleidung #romanclothing #ancientrome
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Wer schon immer mal wissen wollte, wie eine Toga angelegt und drapiert wird, findet im folgenden Beitrag des Museums Aargau die passende Anleitung (mit Video):
https://www.museumaargau.ch/blog/so-machten-es-die-roemer-toga-binden-mit-video
#roman #römisch #romanitas #genstogata #toga #römischekleidung #romanclothing #ancientrome
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Wer schon immer mal wissen wollte, wie eine Toga angelegt und drapiert wird, findet im folgenden Beitrag des Museums Aargau die passende Anleitung (mit Video):
https://www.museumaargau.ch/blog/so-machten-es-die-roemer-toga-binden-mit-video
#roman #römisch #romanitas #genstogata #toga #römischekleidung #romanclothing #ancientrome
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Der heutige Tag (4. September) wird im römischen Kalender als „Pridie Nonas Septembris“ bezeichnet, also als der Tag VOR den Nonen des September (am 5.9.). Die Nonen liegen stets am achten Tag VOR den Iden, d. h. in diesem Falle dem 13. September... Zur Erinnerung: Die Römer zählten (und bezeichneten) die Tage immer in Bezug auf bestimmte Fixtage (Kalenden, Nonen, Iden).
#roman #römisch #romanitas #kalender #calendar #nonen #nonae #ancientrome
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Der heutige Tag (4. September) wird im römischen Kalender als „Pridie Nonas Septembris“ bezeichnet, also als der Tag VOR den Nonen des September (am 5.9.). Die Nonen liegen stets am achten Tag VOR den Iden, d. h. in diesem Falle dem 13. September... Zur Erinnerung: Die Römer zählten (und bezeichneten) die Tage immer in Bezug auf bestimmte Fixtage (Kalenden, Nonen, Iden).
#roman #römisch #romanitas #kalender #calendar #nonen #nonae #ancientrome
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Der heutige Tag (4. September) wird im römischen Kalender als „Pridie Nonas Septembris“ bezeichnet, also als der Tag VOR den Nonen des September (am 5.9.). Die Nonen liegen stets am achten Tag VOR den Iden, d. h. in diesem Falle dem 13. September... Zur Erinnerung: Die Römer zählten (und bezeichneten) die Tage immer in Bezug auf bestimmte Fixtage (Kalenden, Nonen, Iden).
#roman #römisch #romanitas #kalender #calendar #nonen #nonae #ancientrome
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Der heutige Tag (4. September) wird im römischen Kalender als „Pridie Nonas Septembris“ bezeichnet, also als der Tag VOR den Nonen des September (am 5.9.). Die Nonen liegen stets am achten Tag VOR den Iden, d. h. in diesem Falle dem 13. September... Zur Erinnerung: Die Römer zählten (und bezeichneten) die Tage immer in Bezug auf bestimmte Fixtage (Kalenden, Nonen, Iden).
#roman #römisch #romanitas #kalender #calendar #nonen #nonae #ancientrome
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Der heutige Tag (4. September) wird im römischen Kalender als „Pridie Nonas Septembris“ bezeichnet, also als der Tag VOR den Nonen des September (am 5.9.). Die Nonen liegen stets am achten Tag VOR den Iden, d. h. in diesem Falle dem 13. September... Zur Erinnerung: Die Römer zählten (und bezeichneten) die Tage immer in Bezug auf bestimmte Fixtage (Kalenden, Nonen, Iden).
#roman #römisch #romanitas #kalender #calendar #nonen #nonae #ancientrome
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🌸Flora🌸
Sydney feels like it’s jumped straight from winter to summer these last few days, but really it’s Spring in the air.
This fresco fragment is often identified as the goddess Flora and was found in the Villa of Ariadne in Stabiae. Now held in the MAN Napoli.
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Movie Review: William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (1953)
Title: William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
Release Date: June 4, 1953
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Main Cast:- Marlon Brando as Mark Antony
- James Mason as Brutus
- John Gielgud as Cassius
- Louis Calhern as Julius Caesar
- Edmond O’Brien as Casca
- Greer Garson as Calpurnia
- Deborah Kerr as Portia
- George Macready as Marullus
- Michael Pate as Flavius
- Richard Hale as a Soothsayer
- Alan Napier as Cicero
- John Hoyt as Decius Brutus
- Tom Powers as Metellus Cimber
- William Cottrell as Cinna
- Jack Raine as Trebonius
- Ian Wolfe as Ligarius
- Morgan Farley as Artemidorus
- Bill Phipps as Servant to Antony
- Douglas Watson as Octavius Caesar
- Douglass Dumbrille as Lepidus
- Rhys Williams as Lucilius
- Michael Ansara as Pindarus
- Dayton Lummis as Messala
- Edmund Purdom as Strato
- Paul Guilfoyle as First Citizen
- John Doucette as Second Citizen
- Lawrence Dobkin as Third Citizen
- Jo Gilbert as Fourth Citizen
Synopsis (via Letterboxd):
The growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but both have sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
My Thoughts:
Julius Caesar receives the full MGM classic era treatment: big sets, big crowds, and big stars! And it’s mostly effective. For it’s cast of thousands, the success of this movie is down to the talents of its three lead actors. Marlo Brando breaks from the mumbler typecast he had at the time to be an inspirational Mark Antony while John Gielgud is imperious as the conspiracy leader Cassius. I have to admit that I usually find James Mason to be very creepy, but his creepiness is toned down here allowing him to play a sympathetic antihero in Brutus. Producer John Houseman decided to break the tradition of an all-British cast in Shakespeare productions and it pays off in performances such as Edmond O’Brien’s very Brooklyn approach to Casca. Joseph L. Mankiewicz is known for being a dialogue director which feels like it should be right for a Shakespeare, but his approach is too faithful in presenting it as a historical drama. For a movie released just after the end of World War II, I had hoped that the crisis of dictators with ambitions would feel more present. While the monologues are strong, the movie lacks an overall sense of urgency and intrigue.
Rating: ***1/2
#AncientRome #BookAdaptation #Drama #History #MovieReviews #Movies #WilliamShakespeare -
Book Review: Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Author: William Shakespeare
Title: Julius Caesar
Publication Info: New York : Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2011 [first performed circa 1599]
Summary/Review:Despite the title, this play is not about Julius Caesar. In fact [SPOILERS], Caesar dies at the beginning of Act III. Instead it’s the story of Marcus Junius Brutus, depicted by Shakespeare as a friend of Caesar’s concerned that Caesar’s ambition and appointment as dictator for life threatens the Roman Republic. And it’s the story of Cassius, the zealot who organizes a conspiracy against Caesar and convinces Brutus to join. And it’s the story of Mark Antony, ally of Caesar, who craftily sways the Roman public against the conspirators but maintains a respect toward Brutus. The brilliance of Shakespeare is that while all of these characters are flawed, rash, and entangled in political intrigue, there is no real villain in the piece.
Favorite Passages:
It’s a truism that Shakespeare originated – or at least popularized – numerous words and phrases. But it’s still a surprise to me just how many familiar phrases are in this play. There are some sayings that are obviously from Julius Caesar even if you haven’t read the play, such as:
- Beware the Ides of March (Soothsayer, Act 1, scene 2)
- Et tu, Brutè? (Caesar, Act 3, scene 1)
- Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears (Antony, Act 3, scene 2)
But I was surprised to read these notable phrases in the dialogue as well:
- The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars (Cassius, Act 1, scene 2) – “Brutus” is typically left out when this is quoted in popular culture
- Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. (Caesar, Act 1, scene 2) – Again, I often hear this without “Cassius”
- But for mine own part, it was Greek to me (Casca, Act 1, scene 2)
- Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war (Antony, Act 3, scene 1)
- This was the most unkindest cut of all (Antony, Act 3, scene 2)
Rating: ****1/2
I’m reading every Shakespeare play, one per month, in chronological order. Here’s my progress thus far:
- The Two Gentlemen of Verona
- The Taming of the Shrew
- Henry VI, Part 1
- Henry VI, Part 2
- Henry VI, Part 3
- Titus Andronicus
- Richard III
- The Comedy of Errors
- Love’s Labours’ Lost
- Richard II
- Romeo and Juliet
- A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
- The Life and Death of King John
- The Merchant of Venice
- The History of Henry IV, Part 1
- The Merry Wives of Windsor
- The History of Henry IV, Part 2
- Much Ado About Nothing
- King Henry V
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A 1,600-year-old Roman nail cleaner found near Cheltenham, England, has a very unusual handle. To Romans, the phallus wasn't obscene—it was a lucky symbol believed to protect against evil. #AncientRome #RomanBritain #Archaeology #AncientHistory #HistoryFacts Read more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/roman-nail-cleaner-00103062
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Why didn’t medieval Europe’s armies use ballistas?
https://buymeacoffee.com/newscafe/why-didn-medieval-europe-armies-use-ballistas
#ancientrome #middleage #medievaleurope #history -
📰 Today's top stories, personally curated for you by Zorz Studios: http://zorz.it/newspaper
- This #CameraBattery doubles as a #SecretTracker;
- #Facebook launches #VerifiedBadge to confirm real #profiles and connections;
- A chic Chicago #WeddingWeekend woven together of pink and red;
- #Workwear perfected: the Iron and Resin #FencelineShirtJacket;
- What did #AncientRome look like: a #3DVirtualTour of the city during the second century AD, and more -
Scipio Africanus remains a badass either way 💪
https://piefed.social/c/historymemes/p/2120546/scipio-africanus-remains-a-badass-either-way
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Scipio Africanus remains a badass either way 💪
https://piefed.social/c/roughromanmemes/p/2120543/scipio-africanus-remains-a-badass-either-way
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Isn't it weird how ultra-wealthy oligarchs always oppose any attempt to give power or relief to the poor?
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Isn't it weird how ultra-wealthy oligarchs always oppose any attempt to give power or relief to the poor?
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The evolution of toilets through the ages! Greek, Roman, Norse, Late Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern! (Giorgio Albertini)
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When the public restroom is crowded and there are only two seats left
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When the public restroom is crowded and there are only two seats left
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What is the life of a single soldier, compared to the GLORY OF ROME?
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What is the life of a single soldier, compared to the GLORY OF ROME?
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✨Venus, House of Venus - Pompeii✨
What a way to celebrate Friday with this gorgeous depiction of Venus. She appears to glide across the sea as she reclines in a shell. She is accompanied by a nereid riding a dolphin and Cupid shyly hanging back behind the shell.
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✨Pentheus being torn apart by maenads✨
Euripides ‘The Bacchae’ tells the unfortunate tale of Pentheus, the king of Thebes, who banned the worship of Dionysius. This provoked the wrath of the god and led to the women of Thebes breaking out into a Bachhic frenzy. Pentheus was ripped limb from limb. His death was viewed as a sparagmos, where tearing an animal (or human) apart was viewed as a special type of sacrifice. This fresco from the triclinium in the House of the Vettii in Pompeii, seems to run counter to today’s notions of good taste…
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✨It’s Hercules… I mean, HUNKcules! ✨
Celebrate your Friyay right with this elegant depiction of the half-man, half-god, Hercules. This fresco is thought to come from Herculaneum (apt!) and is now held in the MAN Napoli.
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Explore the ancient Roman legacy in 6 breathtaking European cities 🏯🗺️, from Pula's amphitheatre to Split's living palace 🌟
#Europe #Travel #RomanHeritage #AncientRome #EuropeanCities #RomanLegacy #HistoryBuff #CityBreaks
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✨A centaur and a young man✨
This scene is very reminiscent of another fresco of Chiron educating Achilles. The role of the centaur as teacher and guide to learning the arts and cultivating wisdom draws a connection between the epics of Homer and Pompeii where this fresco was found in the so-called Villa of Cicero. The piece is now held by the MAN Napoli.
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✨Hercules and Omphale✨
To atone for the murder of the Argonaut Iphitus, Hercules is required to spend a year in servitude under the Lydian princess Omphale. During this year, Hercules is sometimes lampooned as having to dress as a woman as he is seen in this fresco and to play whatever role Omphale saw as fit for him.
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✨ A little bit of cheek✨
We’re getting into the weekend early spirit by celebrating this lovely lady. With just a bit of stray drapery and instrument in hand, she looks relaxed and content, which is just what we wish for everyone these days.
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✨The tragic but hopeful tale of Phrixus and Helle✨
Unfortunately for siblings, Phrixus and Helle, they were hated by their stepmother, Ino. She succeeded in creating a famine and bribing men to lie to a local oracle in an attempt to convince others that the oracle required the sacrifice of both Phrixus and Helle. Luckily after all this chaos, Nephele, their natural mother was able to intervene to save her children. A ram with a fleece of golden wool swooped in to provide them with a means of escape!
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Bacchus, the god of wine (also known as Dionysus to the Greeks) lounges semi-nude in a golden and burgundy gown while holding a spectre of some kind. This is likely a thyrsus, but the telltale details are missing.
Bacchus appears to be wearing a garland - a very typical thing in his iconography. Just off on stage right appears to be another figure holding a dish. The background of this scene is a brilliant warm red.
The fresco comes from a house that was built on the same site, but prior to, the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. It is thought to date to the early second century CE. The house was revealled during archaeological excavations in 2022 and can be seen today as part of the tour of the baths.
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✨Mars, the god of war ✨
Ancient frescoes hint at the sometimes delicate colouration of statuary. There are polychromatic elements to the cloak and helmet of Mars, but he does look very pale compared to the depictions of gods, heroes, and humans in contemporaneous frescoes. The pale hue suggests this is a depiction of a statue of Mars rather than Mars in the divine flesh.
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✨Paris and Helen✨
In this scene from the ‘House of Jason’ in Pompeii. We see Eros in a doorway apparently having engineered the meeting of Paris and Helen in Sparta. What happens next will shock you!
Not sure if it’s just the vagaries of time, but neither Paris nor Helen look pumped for this rendezvous…
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Römische Tugenden: frugalitas - Maßhalten, Bescheidenheit, Schlichtheit, Genügsamkeit. Bevorzugung eines angemessenen, den Bedürfnissen entsprechenden, wirtschaftlichen Lebensstils anstelle von Protz & Prunk; letztlich gehört auch umweltgerechtes Verhalten dazu, wie z. B. das Vermeiden von Wegwerfklamotten, von Verpackungsmüll oder auch der verantwortungsvolle Umgang mit Wasser oder Strom...
#romanitas #virtutes #romanvirtues #ancientrome #philosophy #tugenden #römisch #frugalitas
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Spirituality & Religious Studies @spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com@spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com ·Apotheosis
This is also called divinization or deification. It’s from the Latin deificato, meaning “making divine.” This is the glorification of a subject to divine levels & commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity.
The original sense of apotheosis relates to religion & is the subject of many works of art. Figuratively “apotheosis” may be used in almost any context for “the deification, glorification, or exaltation of a principle, practice, etc.” So normally attached to an abstraction of some sort.
In religion, apotheosis was a feature of many religions in the ancient world. Some that are active today. It requires a belief that there’s a possibility of newly created God’s, so a polytheistic belief system.
The Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam, & Judaism don’t allow this. Though many recognize minor sacred categories such as saints. They’re created by a process called canonization. In Christian theology, there’s a concept of the faithful becoming god-like, called divinization or in Eastern Christianity theosis.
In Hinduism, there’s some range for new deities. A human may be deified by becoming regarded as an avatar of an established deity, usually a major one, or by being regarded as a new, independent deity (usually a minor one), or a mix of the 2.
In art, an apotheosis scene usually shows the subject in the Heavens or rising towards them. They’re often partnered by a number of angels, putti, personifications of virtues, or similar figures.
Especially from Baroque art onwards apotheosis scenes may show rulers, generals, or artists purely as an honorific symbol. In many cases, the “religious” context is classical Greco-Roman pagan religion, like The Apotheosis of Voltaire, which features Apollo. The Apotheosis of Washington (1865) sits high in the dome of the United States of America Capitol Building is another example. Personification of places or abstractions are also shown receiving an apotheosis. The classic composition was suited for artistic placement on ceilings or inside domes.
Before the Hellenistic period, imperial cults were known in ancient Egypt (pharaohs) & Mesopotamia (from Naran-Sin through Hammurabi). In the New Kingdom of Egypt, all deceased pharaohs were deified as the god Osiris, having been identified as Horus while on the throne. They were sometimes referred to as the “son” of other various deities.
The architect Imhotep was defied after his passing away. Though the process seems to have been gradual. This took over 1,000 years, by which time he had become associated with medicine. About a dozen non-royal ancient Egyptians became regarded as deities.
Ancient Greek & Roman religions have many characters who were born as humans but became gods. Like Disney’s Hercules. They’re usually made divine by 1 of the main deities, the 12 Olympians. In the Roman story of Cupid & Psyche, Zeus gave the ambrosia of the gods to the mortal Psyche. This transformed her into a goddess herself.
In the case of the Hellenistic queen Berenice II of Egypt was deified like other rulers of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The court dispersed a myth that her hair, that was cut off to fulfill a vow, had its own apotheosis before becoming the Coma Berenices, a group of stars that still bear her name.
In the Greek world, the 1st leader who granted himself diving honors was Philip II of Macedon. At the wedding to his 6th wife, Philip’s enthroned image was carried in procession among the Olympian gods. Such Hellenistic state leaders might be raised to a status equal to the gods before death, like Alexander the Great, or afterwards, like members of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
A heroic cult status that’s similar to apotheosis was also an honor given to a few reversed artists of the distant past, such as Homer.
Up to the end of the Roman Republic, the god Quirinus was the only 1 the Romans accepted as having undergone apotheosis, for his identification/syncretism with Romulus. Syncretism is the practice of meshing together different beliefs & various schools of thought. Eventually apotheosis in Ancient Rome was a process whereby a deceased ruler was recognized as divine by their successors. This was usually done by a decree of the Senate & popular consent.
The 1st of these cases was the posthumous deification of the last Roman dictator Julius Caesar in 42 BC by his adopted son, the triumvir Caesar Octavian. In addition to showing respect, the present ruler often deified a popular predecessor to legitimize himself & gain popularity himself & gain popularity with the people.
A vote in the Roman Senate, in the later Empire confirming an imperial decree, was the normal official process. But this sometimes followed a period with the unofficial use of deific language or imagery for the individual. This was often done rather discreetly within the imperial circle.
There was then a public ceremony, called a consecratio, including the release of an eagle which flew high. This represents the ascent of the deified person’s soul to Heaven. Imagery featuring the ascent, sometimes using a chariot, was common on coins & in other art.
The largest & most famous example in art in a relief on the base of the Column of Antoninus Pius, showing the emperor & his wife, Faustina the Elder, being carried up by a much larger winged figure, described as representing “Eternity,” as the personifications of “Roma” & the Campus Martius sit below, & eagles fly above. The imperial couple are represented as Jupiter & Juno (or Zeus & Hera).
The historian Dio Cassius, who said he was present, gives a detailed description of the large, & lavish, public consecratio of Perinax, emperor for 3 months in 193, ordered by Septimius Severus.
At the height of the imperial cult during the Roman Empire, sometimes the emperor’s deceased loved ones (heirs, empresses, or lovers) like Hadrian’s Antinous were deified as well.
Deified people were posthumously given the title ‘Divus’ for men & ‘Diva’ for women to their names to signify their divinity. Traditional Roman religion distinguished between a deus (god) & divus (a mortal who became divine or deified), though not consistently. Temple & columns were erected to provide a space for worship.
The imperial cult was mainly popular in the provinces. Especially in the Eastern Empire, where many cultures were well used to deified rulers, & less popular in Rome itself, & among traditionalists & intellectuals.
Some privately, & cautiously, ridiculed the apotheosis of inept & feeble emperors, as in the satire The Pumkinification of (the Divine) Claudius. This is usually attributed to Seneca.
Numerous mortals have been deified into the Taoist pantheon. Examples are Guan Yi, Iron-crutch Li, & Fan Kuai. Song dynasty general Yue Fei was deified during the Ming dynasty. He’s considered by some practitioners to be 1 of the 3 highest-ranking heavenly generals. The Ming dynasty epic Investiture of the Gods deals heavily with deification legends.
In the complicated, & variable, conceptions of deity in Buddhism, the achievement of Buddhahood may be regarded as an achievable goal for the faithful. Many significant deities are considered to have begun as normal people, from Gautama Buddha (the original Buddha & the creator of Buddhism) downwards. Most of these are seen as avatars or re-births of earlier figures.
Some significant Hindu deities, in particular Rama, were also born as humans. He’s seen as an avatar of Vishnu. In more modern times, Swaminarayan is an undoubted & well-documented historical figure, who’s regarded by some Hindus as an avatar of Vishnu, or as being a still more elevated deity. Bharat Mata (Mother India) began as a national personification devised by a group of Bengali intellectuals in the late 19th century. But now it receives some worship.
Various Hindu & Buddhist rulers in the past have been represented as deities, especially after death, from India to Indonesia. Jayavarman VII, King of the Khmer Empire the 1st Buddhist king of Cambodia, had his own features used for the many statues of Buddha/Avalokitevara he erected.
The extreme personality cult instituted by the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung, has been to represent a deification. And continues to this day with the current leader. Even the nation is admittedly atheist.
In Christian theology, instead of the word “apotheosis,” they use the words “deification” or “divinization” or the Greek word “theosis.” Pre-Reformation, & mainstream theology, in both East & West, views Jesus Christ as the preexisting God who undertook mortal existence. Not as a mortal being who attained divinity. A view known as adoptionism. Adoptionism is an early Christian non-Trinitarian doctrine that holds that Jesus was born a mere human being. But Jesus was later adopted by God as His son, usually at Jesus’ baptism or resurrection, rather than being divine from eternity.
It holds that he has made it possible for human beings to be raised to the level of sharing the divine nature as II Peter 1:4 states that he became human to make humans “partakers of the divine nature.”
In John 10:34, Jesus referenced Psalm 82:6 when he stated: “Is it not written in your Law, I have said you are gods?” Other authors stated: “For this is why the Word became man, & the Son of God became the Son of man: so that Man, by entering into communion with the Word & thus receiving divine sonship, might be made God.” Accusations of self deification to some degree may have been placed on heretical such as the Waldensians.
The language of II Peter is taken up by St. Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, “if the Word has been made man, it is so that men may be made gods.” It becomes the standard in Greek theology. In the 14th century, St. Athanasius repeats Irenaeus almost word for word. In the 5th century, St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we shall become sons “by participation” (Greek methexis). Methexis is “group sharing,” where the audience actively participates in the performance.
Deification is the central idea in the spirituality of St. Maximus the Confessor. For whom the doctrine is the result of the Incarnation: “Deification, briefly, is the encompassion & fulfillment of all times and ages.”
The Roman Catholic Church doesn’t use the term “apotheosis” in its theology. This is equivalent to the Greek word theosis are Latin-derived words “divinization” & deification” used in the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church.
The concept has been given less prominence in Western theology than in that of the Eastern Catholic Churches. But is present in the Latin Church’s liturgical prayer.
Despite the theological differences, in the Catholic church art depictions of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in art & the Ascension of Jesus in Christian art do share many similarities in composition to apotheosis subjects. As there are many images of saints being raised into Heaven.
Anthropolatry is the deification & worship of humans. It was practiced in ancient Japan towards their emperors. Followers of Socinianism were later accused of practicing anthropolatry.
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Spirituality & Religious Studies @spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com@spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com ·Apotheosis
This is also called divinization or deification. It’s from the Latin deificato, meaning “making divine.” This is the glorification of a subject to divine levels & commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity.
The original sense of apotheosis relates to religion & is the subject of many works of art. Figuratively “apotheosis” may be used in almost any context for “the deification, glorification, or exaltation of a principle, practice, etc.” So normally attached to an abstraction of some sort.
In religion, apotheosis was a feature of many religions in the ancient world. Some that are active today. It requires a belief that there’s a possibility of newly created God’s, so a polytheistic belief system.
The Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam, & Judaism don’t allow this. Though many recognize minor sacred categories such as saints. They’re created by a process called canonization. In Christian theology, there’s a concept of the faithful becoming god-like, called divinization or in Eastern Christianity theosis.
In Hinduism, there’s some range for new deities. A human may be deified by becoming regarded as an avatar of an established deity, usually a major one, or by being regarded as a new, independent deity (usually a minor one), or a mix of the 2.
In art, an apotheosis scene usually shows the subject in the Heavens or rising towards them. They’re often partnered by a number of angels, putti, personifications of virtues, or similar figures.
Especially from Baroque art onwards apotheosis scenes may show rulers, generals, or artists purely as an honorific symbol. In many cases, the “religious” context is classical Greco-Roman pagan religion, like The Apotheosis of Voltaire, which features Apollo. The Apotheosis of Washington (1865) sits high in the dome of the United States of America Capitol Building is another example. Personification of places or abstractions are also shown receiving an apotheosis. The classic composition was suited for artistic placement on ceilings or inside domes.
Before the Hellenistic period, imperial cults were known in ancient Egypt (pharaohs) & Mesopotamia (from Naran-Sin through Hammurabi). In the New Kingdom of Egypt, all deceased pharaohs were deified as the god Osiris, having been identified as Horus while on the throne. They were sometimes referred to as the “son” of other various deities.
The architect Imhotep was defied after his passing away. Though the process seems to have been gradual. This took over 1,000 years, by which time he had become associated with medicine. About a dozen non-royal ancient Egyptians became regarded as deities.
Ancient Greek & Roman religions have many characters who were born as humans but became gods. Like Disney’s Hercules. They’re usually made divine by 1 of the main deities, the 12 Olympians. In the Roman story of Cupid & Psyche, Zeus gave the ambrosia of the gods to the mortal Psyche. This transformed her into a goddess herself.
In the case of the Hellenistic queen Berenice II of Egypt was deified like other rulers of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The court dispersed a myth that her hair, that was cut off to fulfill a vow, had its own apotheosis before becoming the Coma Berenices, a group of stars that still bear her name.
In the Greek world, the 1st leader who granted himself diving honors was Philip II of Macedon. At the wedding to his 6th wife, Philip’s enthroned image was carried in procession among the Olympian gods. Such Hellenistic state leaders might be raised to a status equal to the gods before death, like Alexander the Great, or afterwards, like members of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
A heroic cult status that’s similar to apotheosis was also an honor given to a few reversed artists of the distant past, such as Homer.
Up to the end of the Roman Republic, the god Quirinus was the only 1 the Romans accepted as having undergone apotheosis, for his identification/syncretism with Romulus. Syncretism is the practice of meshing together different beliefs & various schools of thought. Eventually apotheosis in Ancient Rome was a process whereby a deceased ruler was recognized as divine by their successors. This was usually done by a decree of the Senate & popular consent.
The 1st of these cases was the posthumous deification of the last Roman dictator Julius Caesar in 42 BC by his adopted son, the triumvir Caesar Octavian. In addition to showing respect, the present ruler often deified a popular predecessor to legitimize himself & gain popularity himself & gain popularity with the people.
A vote in the Roman Senate, in the later Empire confirming an imperial decree, was the normal official process. But this sometimes followed a period with the unofficial use of deific language or imagery for the individual. This was often done rather discreetly within the imperial circle.
There was then a public ceremony, called a consecratio, including the release of an eagle which flew high. This represents the ascent of the deified person’s soul to Heaven. Imagery featuring the ascent, sometimes using a chariot, was common on coins & in other art.
The largest & most famous example in art in a relief on the base of the Column of Antoninus Pius, showing the emperor & his wife, Faustina the Elder, being carried up by a much larger winged figure, described as representing “Eternity,” as the personifications of “Roma” & the Campus Martius sit below, & eagles fly above. The imperial couple are represented as Jupiter & Juno (or Zeus & Hera).
The historian Dio Cassius, who said he was present, gives a detailed description of the large, & lavish, public consecratio of Perinax, emperor for 3 months in 193, ordered by Septimius Severus.
At the height of the imperial cult during the Roman Empire, sometimes the emperor’s deceased loved ones (heirs, empresses, or lovers) like Hadrian’s Antinous were deified as well.
Deified people were posthumously given the title ‘Divus’ for men & ‘Diva’ for women to their names to signify their divinity. Traditional Roman religion distinguished between a deus (god) & divus (a mortal who became divine or deified), though not consistently. Temple & columns were erected to provide a space for worship.
The imperial cult was mainly popular in the provinces. Especially in the Eastern Empire, where many cultures were well used to deified rulers, & less popular in Rome itself, & among traditionalists & intellectuals.
Some privately, & cautiously, ridiculed the apotheosis of inept & feeble emperors, as in the satire The Pumkinification of (the Divine) Claudius. This is usually attributed to Seneca.
Numerous mortals have been deified into the Taoist pantheon. Examples are Guan Yi, Iron-crutch Li, & Fan Kuai. Song dynasty general Yue Fei was deified during the Ming dynasty. He’s considered by some practitioners to be 1 of the 3 highest-ranking heavenly generals. The Ming dynasty epic Investiture of the Gods deals heavily with deification legends.
In the complicated, & variable, conceptions of deity in Buddhism, the achievement of Buddhahood may be regarded as an achievable goal for the faithful. Many significant deities are considered to have begun as normal people, from Gautama Buddha (the original Buddha & the creator of Buddhism) downwards. Most of these are seen as avatars or re-births of earlier figures.
Some significant Hindu deities, in particular Rama, were also born as humans. He’s seen as an avatar of Vishnu. In more modern times, Swaminarayan is an undoubted & well-documented historical figure, who’s regarded by some Hindus as an avatar of Vishnu, or as being a still more elevated deity. Bharat Mata (Mother India) began as a national personification devised by a group of Bengali intellectuals in the late 19th century. But now it receives some worship.
Various Hindu & Buddhist rulers in the past have been represented as deities, especially after death, from India to Indonesia. Jayavarman VII, King of the Khmer Empire the 1st Buddhist king of Cambodia, had his own features used for the many statues of Buddha/Avalokitevara he erected.
The extreme personality cult instituted by the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung, has been to represent a deification. And continues to this day with the current leader. Even the nation is admittedly atheist.
In Christian theology, instead of the word “apotheosis,” they use the words “deification” or “divinization” or the Greek word “theosis.” Pre-Reformation, & mainstream theology, in both East & West, views Jesus Christ as the preexisting God who undertook mortal existence. Not as a mortal being who attained divinity. A view known as adoptionism. Adoptionism is an early Christian non-Trinitarian doctrine that holds that Jesus was born a mere human being. But Jesus was later adopted by God as His son, usually at Jesus’ baptism or resurrection, rather than being divine from eternity.
It holds that he has made it possible for human beings to be raised to the level of sharing the divine nature as II Peter 1:4 states that he became human to make humans “partakers of the divine nature.”
In John 10:34, Jesus referenced Psalm 82:6 when he stated: “Is it not written in your Law, I have said you are gods?” Other authors stated: “For this is why the Word became man, & the Son of God became the Son of man: so that Man, by entering into communion with the Word & thus receiving divine sonship, might be made God.” Accusations of self deification to some degree may have been placed on heretical such as the Waldensians.
The language of II Peter is taken up by St. Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, “if the Word has been made man, it is so that men may be made gods.” It becomes the standard in Greek theology. In the 14th century, St. Athanasius repeats Irenaeus almost word for word. In the 5th century, St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we shall become sons “by participation” (Greek methexis). Methexis is “group sharing,” where the audience actively participates in the performance.
Deification is the central idea in the spirituality of St. Maximus the Confessor. For whom the doctrine is the result of the Incarnation: “Deification, briefly, is the encompassion & fulfillment of all times and ages.”
The Roman Catholic Church doesn’t use the term “apotheosis” in its theology. This is equivalent to the Greek word theosis are Latin-derived words “divinization” & deification” used in the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church.
The concept has been given less prominence in Western theology than in that of the Eastern Catholic Churches. But is present in the Latin Church’s liturgical prayer.
Despite the theological differences, in the Catholic church art depictions of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in art & the Ascension of Jesus in Christian art do share many similarities in composition to apotheosis subjects. As there are many images of saints being raised into Heaven.
Anthropolatry is the deification & worship of humans. It was practiced in ancient Japan towards their emperors. Followers of Socinianism were later accused of practicing anthropolatry.
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Spirituality & Religious Studies @spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com@spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com ·Apotheosis
This is also called divinization or deification. It’s from the Latin deificato, meaning “making divine.” This is the glorification of a subject to divine levels & commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity.
The original sense of apotheosis relates to religion & is the subject of many works of art. Figuratively “apotheosis” may be used in almost any context for “the deification, glorification, or exaltation of a principle, practice, etc.” So normally attached to an abstraction of some sort.
In religion, apotheosis was a feature of many religions in the ancient world. Some that are active today. It requires a belief that there’s a possibility of newly created God’s, so a polytheistic belief system.
The Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam, & Judaism don’t allow this. Though many recognize minor sacred categories such as saints. They’re created by a process called canonization. In Christian theology, there’s a concept of the faithful becoming god-like, called divinization or in Eastern Christianity theosis.
In Hinduism, there’s some range for new deities. A human may be deified by becoming regarded as an avatar of an established deity, usually a major one, or by being regarded as a new, independent deity (usually a minor one), or a mix of the 2.
In art, an apotheosis scene usually shows the subject in the Heavens or rising towards them. They’re often partnered by a number of angels, putti, personifications of virtues, or similar figures.
Especially from Baroque art onwards apotheosis scenes may show rulers, generals, or artists purely as an honorific symbol. In many cases, the “religious” context is classical Greco-Roman pagan religion, like The Apotheosis of Voltaire, which features Apollo. The Apotheosis of Washington (1865) sits high in the dome of the United States of America Capitol Building is another example. Personification of places or abstractions are also shown receiving an apotheosis. The classic composition was suited for artistic placement on ceilings or inside domes.
Before the Hellenistic period, imperial cults were known in ancient Egypt (pharaohs) & Mesopotamia (from Naran-Sin through Hammurabi). In the New Kingdom of Egypt, all deceased pharaohs were deified as the god Osiris, having been identified as Horus while on the throne. They were sometimes referred to as the “son” of other various deities.
The architect Imhotep was defied after his passing away. Though the process seems to have been gradual. This took over 1,000 years, by which time he had become associated with medicine. About a dozen non-royal ancient Egyptians became regarded as deities.
Ancient Greek & Roman religions have many characters who were born as humans but became gods. Like Disney’s Hercules. They’re usually made divine by 1 of the main deities, the 12 Olympians. In the Roman story of Cupid & Psyche, Zeus gave the ambrosia of the gods to the mortal Psyche. This transformed her into a goddess herself.
In the case of the Hellenistic queen Berenice II of Egypt was deified like other rulers of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The court dispersed a myth that her hair, that was cut off to fulfill a vow, had its own apotheosis before becoming the Coma Berenices, a group of stars that still bear her name.
In the Greek world, the 1st leader who granted himself diving honors was Philip II of Macedon. At the wedding to his 6th wife, Philip’s enthroned image was carried in procession among the Olympian gods. Such Hellenistic state leaders might be raised to a status equal to the gods before death, like Alexander the Great, or afterwards, like members of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
A heroic cult status that’s similar to apotheosis was also an honor given to a few reversed artists of the distant past, such as Homer.
Up to the end of the Roman Republic, the god Quirinus was the only 1 the Romans accepted as having undergone apotheosis, for his identification/syncretism with Romulus. Syncretism is the practice of meshing together different beliefs & various schools of thought. Eventually apotheosis in Ancient Rome was a process whereby a deceased ruler was recognized as divine by their successors. This was usually done by a decree of the Senate & popular consent.
The 1st of these cases was the posthumous deification of the last Roman dictator Julius Caesar in 42 BC by his adopted son, the triumvir Caesar Octavian. In addition to showing respect, the present ruler often deified a popular predecessor to legitimize himself & gain popularity himself & gain popularity with the people.
A vote in the Roman Senate, in the later Empire confirming an imperial decree, was the normal official process. But this sometimes followed a period with the unofficial use of deific language or imagery for the individual. This was often done rather discreetly within the imperial circle.
There was then a public ceremony, called a consecratio, including the release of an eagle which flew high. This represents the ascent of the deified person’s soul to Heaven. Imagery featuring the ascent, sometimes using a chariot, was common on coins & in other art.
The largest & most famous example in art in a relief on the base of the Column of Antoninus Pius, showing the emperor & his wife, Faustina the Elder, being carried up by a much larger winged figure, described as representing “Eternity,” as the personifications of “Roma” & the Campus Martius sit below, & eagles fly above. The imperial couple are represented as Jupiter & Juno (or Zeus & Hera).
The historian Dio Cassius, who said he was present, gives a detailed description of the large, & lavish, public consecratio of Perinax, emperor for 3 months in 193, ordered by Septimius Severus.
At the height of the imperial cult during the Roman Empire, sometimes the emperor’s deceased loved ones (heirs, empresses, or lovers) like Hadrian’s Antinous were deified as well.
Deified people were posthumously given the title ‘Divus’ for men & ‘Diva’ for women to their names to signify their divinity. Traditional Roman religion distinguished between a deus (god) & divus (a mortal who became divine or deified), though not consistently. Temple & columns were erected to provide a space for worship.
The imperial cult was mainly popular in the provinces. Especially in the Eastern Empire, where many cultures were well used to deified rulers, & less popular in Rome itself, & among traditionalists & intellectuals.
Some privately, & cautiously, ridiculed the apotheosis of inept & feeble emperors, as in the satire The Pumkinification of (the Divine) Claudius. This is usually attributed to Seneca.
Numerous mortals have been deified into the Taoist pantheon. Examples are Guan Yi, Iron-crutch Li, & Fan Kuai. Song dynasty general Yue Fei was deified during the Ming dynasty. He’s considered by some practitioners to be 1 of the 3 highest-ranking heavenly generals. The Ming dynasty epic Investiture of the Gods deals heavily with deification legends.
In the complicated, & variable, conceptions of deity in Buddhism, the achievement of Buddhahood may be regarded as an achievable goal for the faithful. Many significant deities are considered to have begun as normal people, from Gautama Buddha (the original Buddha & the creator of Buddhism) downwards. Most of these are seen as avatars or re-births of earlier figures.
Some significant Hindu deities, in particular Rama, were also born as humans. He’s seen as an avatar of Vishnu. In more modern times, Swaminarayan is an undoubted & well-documented historical figure, who’s regarded by some Hindus as an avatar of Vishnu, or as being a still more elevated deity. Bharat Mata (Mother India) began as a national personification devised by a group of Bengali intellectuals in the late 19th century. But now it receives some worship.
Various Hindu & Buddhist rulers in the past have been represented as deities, especially after death, from India to Indonesia. Jayavarman VII, King of the Khmer Empire the 1st Buddhist king of Cambodia, had his own features used for the many statues of Buddha/Avalokitevara he erected.
The extreme personality cult instituted by the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung, has been to represent a deification. And continues to this day with the current leader. Even the nation is admittedly atheist.
In Christian theology, instead of the word “apotheosis,” they use the words “deification” or “divinization” or the Greek word “theosis.” Pre-Reformation, & mainstream theology, in both East & West, views Jesus Christ as the preexisting God who undertook mortal existence. Not as a mortal being who attained divinity. A view known as adoptionism. Adoptionism is an early Christian non-Trinitarian doctrine that holds that Jesus was born a mere human being. But Jesus was later adopted by God as His son, usually at Jesus’ baptism or resurrection, rather than being divine from eternity.
It holds that he has made it possible for human beings to be raised to the level of sharing the divine nature as II Peter 1:4 states that he became human to make humans “partakers of the divine nature.”
In John 10:34, Jesus referenced Psalm 82:6 when he stated: “Is it not written in your Law, I have said you are gods?” Other authors stated: “For this is why the Word became man, & the Son of God became the Son of man: so that Man, by entering into communion with the Word & thus receiving divine sonship, might be made God.” Accusations of self deification to some degree may have been placed on heretical such as the Waldensians.
The language of II Peter is taken up by St. Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, “if the Word has been made man, it is so that men may be made gods.” It becomes the standard in Greek theology. In the 14th century, St. Athanasius repeats Irenaeus almost word for word. In the 5th century, St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we shall become sons “by participation” (Greek methexis). Methexis is “group sharing,” where the audience actively participates in the performance.
Deification is the central idea in the spirituality of St. Maximus the Confessor. For whom the doctrine is the result of the Incarnation: “Deification, briefly, is the encompassion & fulfillment of all times and ages.”
The Roman Catholic Church doesn’t use the term “apotheosis” in its theology. This is equivalent to the Greek word theosis are Latin-derived words “divinization” & deification” used in the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church.
The concept has been given less prominence in Western theology than in that of the Eastern Catholic Churches. But is present in the Latin Church’s liturgical prayer.
Despite the theological differences, in the Catholic church art depictions of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in art & the Ascension of Jesus in Christian art do share many similarities in composition to apotheosis subjects. As there are many images of saints being raised into Heaven.
Anthropolatry is the deification & worship of humans. It was practiced in ancient Japan towards their emperors. Followers of Socinianism were later accused of practicing anthropolatry.
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Spirituality & Religious Studies @spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com@spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com ·Apotheosis
This is also called divinization or deification. It’s from the Latin deificato, meaning “making divine.” This is the glorification of a subject to divine levels & commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity.
The original sense of apotheosis relates to religion & is the subject of many works of art. Figuratively “apotheosis” may be used in almost any context for “the deification, glorification, or exaltation of a principle, practice, etc.” So normally attached to an abstraction of some sort.
In religion, apotheosis was a feature of many religions in the ancient world. Some that are active today. It requires a belief that there’s a possibility of newly created God’s, so a polytheistic belief system.
The Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam, & Judaism don’t allow this. Though many recognize minor sacred categories such as saints. They’re created by a process called canonization. In Christian theology, there’s a concept of the faithful becoming god-like, called divinization or in Eastern Christianity theosis.
In Hinduism, there’s some range for new deities. A human may be deified by becoming regarded as an avatar of an established deity, usually a major one, or by being regarded as a new, independent deity (usually a minor one), or a mix of the 2.
In art, an apotheosis scene usually shows the subject in the Heavens or rising towards them. They’re often partnered by a number of angels, putti, personifications of virtues, or similar figures.
Especially from Baroque art onwards apotheosis scenes may show rulers, generals, or artists purely as an honorific symbol. In many cases, the “religious” context is classical Greco-Roman pagan religion, like The Apotheosis of Voltaire, which features Apollo. The Apotheosis of Washington (1865) sits high in the dome of the United States of America Capitol Building is another example. Personification of places or abstractions are also shown receiving an apotheosis. The classic composition was suited for artistic placement on ceilings or inside domes.
Before the Hellenistic period, imperial cults were known in ancient Egypt (pharaohs) & Mesopotamia (from Naran-Sin through Hammurabi). In the New Kingdom of Egypt, all deceased pharaohs were deified as the god Osiris, having been identified as Horus while on the throne. They were sometimes referred to as the “son” of other various deities.
The architect Imhotep was defied after his passing away. Though the process seems to have been gradual. This took over 1,000 years, by which time he had become associated with medicine. About a dozen non-royal ancient Egyptians became regarded as deities.
Ancient Greek & Roman religions have many characters who were born as humans but became gods. Like Disney’s Hercules. They’re usually made divine by 1 of the main deities, the 12 Olympians. In the Roman story of Cupid & Psyche, Zeus gave the ambrosia of the gods to the mortal Psyche. This transformed her into a goddess herself.
In the case of the Hellenistic queen Berenice II of Egypt was deified like other rulers of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The court dispersed a myth that her hair, that was cut off to fulfill a vow, had its own apotheosis before becoming the Coma Berenices, a group of stars that still bear her name.
In the Greek world, the 1st leader who granted himself diving honors was Philip II of Macedon. At the wedding to his 6th wife, Philip’s enthroned image was carried in procession among the Olympian gods. Such Hellenistic state leaders might be raised to a status equal to the gods before death, like Alexander the Great, or afterwards, like members of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
A heroic cult status that’s similar to apotheosis was also an honor given to a few reversed artists of the distant past, such as Homer.
Up to the end of the Roman Republic, the god Quirinus was the only 1 the Romans accepted as having undergone apotheosis, for his identification/syncretism with Romulus. Syncretism is the practice of meshing together different beliefs & various schools of thought. Eventually apotheosis in Ancient Rome was a process whereby a deceased ruler was recognized as divine by their successors. This was usually done by a decree of the Senate & popular consent.
The 1st of these cases was the posthumous deification of the last Roman dictator Julius Caesar in 42 BC by his adopted son, the triumvir Caesar Octavian. In addition to showing respect, the present ruler often deified a popular predecessor to legitimize himself & gain popularity himself & gain popularity with the people.
A vote in the Roman Senate, in the later Empire confirming an imperial decree, was the normal official process. But this sometimes followed a period with the unofficial use of deific language or imagery for the individual. This was often done rather discreetly within the imperial circle.
There was then a public ceremony, called a consecratio, including the release of an eagle which flew high. This represents the ascent of the deified person’s soul to Heaven. Imagery featuring the ascent, sometimes using a chariot, was common on coins & in other art.
The largest & most famous example in art in a relief on the base of the Column of Antoninus Pius, showing the emperor & his wife, Faustina the Elder, being carried up by a much larger winged figure, described as representing “Eternity,” as the personifications of “Roma” & the Campus Martius sit below, & eagles fly above. The imperial couple are represented as Jupiter & Juno (or Zeus & Hera).
The historian Dio Cassius, who said he was present, gives a detailed description of the large, & lavish, public consecratio of Perinax, emperor for 3 months in 193, ordered by Septimius Severus.
At the height of the imperial cult during the Roman Empire, sometimes the emperor’s deceased loved ones (heirs, empresses, or lovers) like Hadrian’s Antinous were deified as well.
Deified people were posthumously given the title ‘Divus’ for men & ‘Diva’ for women to their names to signify their divinity. Traditional Roman religion distinguished between a deus (god) & divus (a mortal who became divine or deified), though not consistently. Temple & columns were erected to provide a space for worship.
The imperial cult was mainly popular in the provinces. Especially in the Eastern Empire, where many cultures were well used to deified rulers, & less popular in Rome itself, & among traditionalists & intellectuals.
Some privately, & cautiously, ridiculed the apotheosis of inept & feeble emperors, as in the satire The Pumkinification of (the Divine) Claudius. This is usually attributed to Seneca.
Numerous mortals have been deified into the Taoist pantheon. Examples are Guan Yi, Iron-crutch Li, & Fan Kuai. Song dynasty general Yue Fei was deified during the Ming dynasty. He’s considered by some practitioners to be 1 of the 3 highest-ranking heavenly generals. The Ming dynasty epic Investiture of the Gods deals heavily with deification legends.
In the complicated, & variable, conceptions of deity in Buddhism, the achievement of Buddhahood may be regarded as an achievable goal for the faithful. Many significant deities are considered to have begun as normal people, from Gautama Buddha (the original Buddha & the creator of Buddhism) downwards. Most of these are seen as avatars or re-births of earlier figures.
Some significant Hindu deities, in particular Rama, were also born as humans. He’s seen as an avatar of Vishnu. In more modern times, Swaminarayan is an undoubted & well-documented historical figure, who’s regarded by some Hindus as an avatar of Vishnu, or as being a still more elevated deity. Bharat Mata (Mother India) began as a national personification devised by a group of Bengali intellectuals in the late 19th century. But now it receives some worship.
Various Hindu & Buddhist rulers in the past have been represented as deities, especially after death, from India to Indonesia. Jayavarman VII, King of the Khmer Empire the 1st Buddhist king of Cambodia, had his own features used for the many statues of Buddha/Avalokitevara he erected.
The extreme personality cult instituted by the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung, has been to represent a deification. And continues to this day with the current leader. Even the nation is admittedly atheist.
In Christian theology, instead of the word “apotheosis,” they use the words “deification” or “divinization” or the Greek word “theosis.” Pre-Reformation, & mainstream theology, in both East & West, views Jesus Christ as the preexisting God who undertook mortal existence. Not as a mortal being who attained divinity. A view known as adoptionism. Adoptionism is an early Christian non-Trinitarian doctrine that holds that Jesus was born a mere human being. But Jesus was later adopted by God as His son, usually at Jesus’ baptism or resurrection, rather than being divine from eternity.
It holds that he has made it possible for human beings to be raised to the level of sharing the divine nature as II Peter 1:4 states that he became human to make humans “partakers of the divine nature.”
In John 10:34, Jesus referenced Psalm 82:6 when he stated: “Is it not written in your Law, I have said you are gods?” Other authors stated: “For this is why the Word became man, & the Son of God became the Son of man: so that Man, by entering into communion with the Word & thus receiving divine sonship, might be made God.” Accusations of self deification to some degree may have been placed on heretical such as the Waldensians.
The language of II Peter is taken up by St. Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, “if the Word has been made man, it is so that men may be made gods.” It becomes the standard in Greek theology. In the 14th century, St. Athanasius repeats Irenaeus almost word for word. In the 5th century, St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we shall become sons “by participation” (Greek methexis). Methexis is “group sharing,” where the audience actively participates in the performance.
Deification is the central idea in the spirituality of St. Maximus the Confessor. For whom the doctrine is the result of the Incarnation: “Deification, briefly, is the encompassion & fulfillment of all times and ages.”
The Roman Catholic Church doesn’t use the term “apotheosis” in its theology. This is equivalent to the Greek word theosis are Latin-derived words “divinization” & deification” used in the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church.
The concept has been given less prominence in Western theology than in that of the Eastern Catholic Churches. But is present in the Latin Church’s liturgical prayer.
Despite the theological differences, in the Catholic church art depictions of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in art & the Ascension of Jesus in Christian art do share many similarities in composition to apotheosis subjects. As there are many images of saints being raised into Heaven.
Anthropolatry is the deification & worship of humans. It was practiced in ancient Japan towards their emperors. Followers of Socinianism were later accused of practicing anthropolatry.
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Marcus Aurelius’ Shocking Revenge #MarcusAurelius #Stoicism #AncientRome #Loyalty #Betrayal #StoicWisdom #RomanHistory ⏩ https://youtu.be/DcRR4HbZK4U