henotheism

religion
Also known as: kathenotheism

Learn about this topic in these articles:

expression in polytheistic beliefs

  • Hinduism: Trimurti
    In polytheism: The nature of polytheism

    …the 19th century the terms henotheism and kathenotheism were used to refer to the exalting of a particular god as exclusively the highest within the framework of a particular hymn or ritual—e.g., in the hymns of the Vedas (the ancient sacred texts of India). This process often consisted in loading…

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Hindu mythology

  • Ravana
    In Hinduism: Theology

    …transferred to another (called “kathenotheism” by the Vedic scholar Max Müller)—stressed godhead more than individual gods. In the end this led to a pantheism of Prajapati, the deified sacrifice or the ritualized deity, who, with his consort Vach, the speech of ritual recitation, is said to have begotten the…

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monotheism

  • Isis nursing Horus
    In monotheism: Henotheism, or kathenotheism

    Henotheism (from the Greek heis theos, “one god”)—the worship of one god, though the existence of other gods is granted—also called kathenotheism (Greek kath hena theon, “one god at a time”)—which literally implies worship of various gods one at a time—has gone…

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mystery religions

  • painted Greek vase
    In mystery religion: Theology

    …was a marked tendency toward henotheism—the worship of one god without denying the existence of other gods. Thus, Isis was the essence of all pagan goddesses; Serapis was the name uniting the gods Zeus, Pluto, Dionysus, Asclepius, Helios, and even the Jewish god YHWH (Yahweh). In the religion of Sol,…

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