List of people who have been considered deities
- List of people who have been considered deities
This a list of those notable human beings who were considered deities by themselves or others. The list distinguishes people who claimed divinity or were worshiped as deities during their lifetimes, and examples of individuals who were deified posthumously (hero cult). For people considered avatars in Hinduism, see list of people who have been considered avatars.
Relevant distinctions
* Apotheosis means divinization or deification, usually posthumously.
** Imperial cults are religions in which an Emperor, or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title), are worshiped as demigods or deities.
** Hero cults involved the deification of selected historical individuals.
** Jesus of Nazareth has the special position of being the only individual widely accepted as historical that is considered a deity in a contemporary world religion (Trinitarian Christianity, ca. 2 billion adherents).
** Other contemporary religions with a following larger than one million which deify historical individuals include Tibetan Buddhism (Lamas) and Shinto (Tennos).
* Euhemerism is the historical position that all gods were human, reducing theism to ancestor worship.
* Ancestor worship involves the elevation of all deceased ancestors to the status of deities. In Ancient Egyptian religion, by the New Kingdom, all deceased (not just pharaohs) were held to become the god Osiris.
*Culture heroes are gods or demi-gods that may or may not have a historical individual as their nucleus (e.g. Gilgamesh, Fu Xi or Rama).
*Theosis, Advaita, Unio Mystica is the state of being in perfect union with the Godhead (Brahman) in mysticism (see Mahāvākyas, Thou Art God).
Imperial cults
elf-deification
References
Bibliography
*Hogue, John "Messiahs: The Visions and Prophecies for the Second Coming" (1999) Elements Books ISBN 1-86204-549-6
See also
* Arahitogami
* Divinity and Mortality
* Divine king
* Godman (Hindu ascetic)
* List of Buddha claimants
* List of demigods
* List of messiah claimants
* List of people who have claimed to be Jesus
* List of people who have been considered avatars
* Mahdi claimants
* Maitreya claimants
* Messiah complex (self-concept)
* Suitheism
* Tat Tvam Asi
* Thou Art God
External links
*Unknown (January 24, 2006) [http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/heritage/s/208/208463_living_gods_facing_purge.html Heritage: Living gods face purge] The Asian News
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
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