Etymologically speaking, the word ‘polytheism’ is a combination of the Greek words ‘polys’ and ‘theos,’ meaning ‘many’ and ‘god,’ respectively. Polytheism definition is - belief in or worship of more than one god. The term henotheism is also used to cover this case or, more generally, to mean belief in the supremacy of a single god without denying others. Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020, Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Learn more about polytheism, including such religions as Hinduism. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. To many outside Christianity, this looks a bit like polytheism! To cook in water, just below boiling temperature. What Is The Difference Between “It’s” And “Its”? Polytheism, the belief in many gods. “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time. The Popular Story About Black Friday’s Name Is A Myth, The belief in more than one god. See more. Dictionary.com Unabridged The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition In most religions which accept polytheism, the different gods and goddesses are representations of forces of nature or ancestral principles, and can be viewed either as autonomous or as aspects or emanations of a creator deity or transcendental absolute principle (monistic theologies), which manifests immanently in nature (panentheistic and pantheistictheol… The term animism has been applied to a belief in many animae (“spirits”) and is often used rather crudely to characterize so-called primitive religions. Does Pope Francis Believe Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God. “Epidemic” vs. “Pandemic” vs. “Endemic”: What Do These Terms Mean? This process often consisted in loading other gods’ attributes on the selected focus of worship. (From left to right) Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma, the three Hindu gods of the Trimurti. Thus, in the latter part of 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). Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. ), American Presidents Helped These Words Join Our Everyday Vocabulary. All rights reserved. It can be incompatible with some forms of theism, as in the Semitic religions; it can coexist with theism, as in Vaishnavism; it can exist at a lower level of understanding, ultimately to be transcended, as in Mahayana Buddhism; and it can exist as a tolerated adjunct to belief in transcendental liberation, as in Theravada Buddhism. Find more ways to say polytheist, along with related words, antonyms and example phrases at Thesaurus.com, the world's most trusted free thesaurus. Polytheism, the belief in many gods. Black Friday Sale! The term appears to have been first used by Julius Wellhausen to described a type of polytheism in which just a single god is worshiped but where other gods are accepted as existing elsewhere. Sometimes this being is a deus otiosus (an “indifferent god”), regarded as having withdrawn from immediate concern with men and thought of sometimes as too exalted for men to petition. the worship of or belief in more than one god. Belief in many divine beings, who typically have to be worshipped or, if malevolent, warded off with appropriate rituals, has been widespread in human cultures. This observation led Wilhelm Schmidt, an Austrian anthropologist, to postulate in the early 20th century an Urmonotheismus, or “original monotheism,” which later became overlaid by polytheism. This seems to have been the situation for a period in ancient Israel in regard to the cult of Yahweh. In actual instances of religious belief, however, no such scheme is possible: personal and impersonal aspects of divine forces are interwoven; e.g., Agni, the fire god of the Rigveda (the foremost collection of Vedic hymns), not only is personified as an object of worship but also is the mysterious force within the sacrificial fire. Though a single evolutionary process cannot be postulated, there has been a drift in various traditions toward the unification of sacred forces under a single head, which, in a number of nonliterate “primal” societies, has become embedded in a supreme being. Like all other theories of religious origins, this theory is speculative and unverifiable. With advancing thought the ideas of polytheism later gave place to the nobler conception of monotheism. In turn, each divinity rules over various aspects of the life of humanity. Save 50% off a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Polytheism characterizes virtually all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which share a common tradition of monotheism, the belief in one God. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. A fully articulate theory, however, of the ways in which polytheism serves symbolic, social, and other functions in human culture requires clarification of the role of myth, a much-debated topic in contemporary anthropology and comparative religion. Polytheism is the worship of or belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals. The concept of polytheism is applied to a wide variety of religious traditions, which have divergent views of each other but coincide in the belief of the existence of multiple gods. We Asked, You Answered. Polytheism definition, the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods. Another word expressing the same idea is monolatry, which is based on the Greek roots monos (one), and latreia (service or religious worship). Another word for polytheist. Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz. 7 Tips For Compiling And Creating Writing Samples That Stand Out. Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. More promising are attempts by sociologists and social anthropologists to penetrate to the uses and significance of the gods in particular societies. Sometimes above the many gods a polytheistic religion will have a supreme creator and focus of devotion, as in certain phases of Hinduism (there is also the tendency to identify the many gods as so many aspects of the Supreme Being); sometimes the gods are considered as less important than some higher goal, state, or saviour, as in Buddhism; sometimes one god will prove more dominant than the others without attaining overall supremacy, as Zeus in Greek religion. A true monotheism has never arisen except as a criticism of polytheism. Premium Membership is now 50% off! Polytheism characterizes virtually all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which share a common tradition of monotheism, the belief in one god. The Israelites, although authoritatively taught monotheism, fell back again and again into polytheism. The ancient Greeks, for example, were polytheists; their gods included Apollo, Athena, Dionysus, and Zeus. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? Why Do “Left” And “Right” Mean Liberal And Conservative? Author of. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. polytheism: 1 n belief in multiple gods Antonyms: monotheism belief in a single God Types: tritheism (Christianity) the heretical belief that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are three separate gods Type of: theism the doctrine or belief in the existence of a God or gods The term monolatry has a connected but different sense; it refers to the worship of one god as supreme and sole object of the worship of a group while not denying the existence of deities belonging to other groups. William James has pointed out that polytheism is not theoretically absurd and is practically the religion of many Europeans. In the course of analyzing and recording various beliefs connected with the gods, historians of religions have used certain categories to identify different attitudes toward the gods. Besides the drift toward some unification, there have been other tendencies in human culture that entail a rather sophisticated approach to mythological material—e.g., giving the gods psychological significance, as in the works of the Greek dramatists Aeschylus and Euripides and, similarly but from a diverse angle, in Buddhism. Polytheism can bear various relationships to other beliefs. J.F. Polytheism consists of the worship that people perform to a series of different gods which are characterized and distinguished by their particular and unique functions, which generally have human characteristics, but are full of powersand are responsible for protecting human beings. Rowny Professor of Comparative Religions, University of California, Santa Barbara. Omissions? Likewise, the word ‘monotheism ... (which lasted for the greater part of the 3rd century AD). Forms of polytheistic powers, gods, and demons, Germanic, Scandinavian, Celtic, and Slavic mythologies, Modern ethnic religions in Africa and elsewhere, https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism. Updates? To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.