Divinization
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Divinization is the "making divine" of an earthly entity or activity. It may refer to:
- the apotheosis of an individual
- as a function of the machinery of the State, as in many pre-modern cultures (ancient Egypt, Rome, China, Japan, etc), where emperors have been worshipped as gods (God-kings, imperial cult, pharaoh)
- in a religion, in the case of a historical, messianic or redemptive figure (e.g. Jesus) or an avatar).
- a mystical state to be attained. This concept of divinization is present in many faiths including Buddhism, Hinduism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and Christian mysticism. In some faiths it is a literal union with the divine, in others, it is a realization or experience so direct as to be called union, in others the building of a relationship with God, or becoming increasingly similar to God in certain respects. It is also described as anything from becoming "gods"/God to being holy. It is also referred to as theosis and deification, especially in the Christian Faith.
- the transformation and divinization of the entire world. This idea of divinization is found especially in Sri Aurobindo's evolutionary philosophy, where it is referred to as Supramentalisation. Andrew Harvey has also elaborated on the idea. The Jesuit philosopher and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin also refers, in a manner similar to Aurobindo, to evolution as leading to a divinized state, which he calls Christogenesis or the Omega Point.
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