List of people who have been considered deities

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The list of people considered to be deities consists of those notable human beings who were considered deities by themselves or others. It also contains a few, sufficiently noteworthy, examples where the historicity of the person is disputed. Such people will be listed in italics.

This list is not intended to make claims about the validity of any person's godhood.

An asterisk (*) indicates a significant number of followers, while a double dagger (‡) marks those referring to a royal line of deification rather than an individual.

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness. Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.
Who Image When Notability
Ayya Vaikundar* 1851 According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book of Ayyavazhi and the source of Ayyavazhi mythology, Lord Vaikundar arose from the sea as the Avatar of Narayana to transform Kali Yukam to Dharma Yukam and to rule the earth.
Julius Caesar 100 BC In 42 BC, Caesar was formally deified as "the Divine Julius" (Divus Iulius), and Caesar Augustus henceforth became Divi filius ("Son of a God")
Commodus 161 Demanded he be seen as a God and worshipped as such[1]
Imhotep 2600 BC Ancient Egyptian architect and physician, who two thousand years after his death, was raised to that of a god, becoming the god of medicine and healing.
Egyptian pharaohs ‡ 3050 BC Egyptian pharaohs were kings of Ancient Egypt, and were considered by their culture to be gods. Their titles equated them with aspects of the likes of the hawk god Horus, the vulture goddess Nekhbet and the cobra-goddess Wadjet. The Egpytians believed that when their Pharaoh had died, he would continue to lead them in the next life, which is why his burial was grand and completed to perfection, to please him in the next life and ensure his immortality to protect his people. See List of pharaohs.[2][3]
Natchez rulers ‡ 700 The Natchez were a theocracy ruled by "The Great Sun." This ruler has sometimes been deemed a God-king.[4]
Inca Emperors ‡ 1438 The Inca Emperos had a status very similar to that of the Pharaos of Egypt.
Jesus Christ* 4 BC Considered to be God in most Christian views of Jesus. This is based on the Canonical Gospels where he said he was God Incarnate, who took on human nature and human flesh and is the second person of the Holy Trinity. One commonly cited statement attributed to Jesus on his godhood is John 10:30 — "I and the Father are one." His followers believe that using his own power, he rose after dying by crucifixion.
Guan Yu* 160 In Hong Kong both cops and gangsters consider him to be a divine object of reverence. In certain schools of Taoism and Chinese Buddhism he has been deemed divine or semi-divine status. The reverence for him may date back to the Sui dynasty.[5]
Manco Capac 1230 In myth and legend Manco Capac is generally in least the semi-divine son of a Sun god.(See article on him) His actual historical existence is disputed and his religion likely extinct.[6]
Danila Filippovich 1700 He believed that he was God and started the Khlysts. (There are various transliterations of his name including Danila Filipov, Danila Filipich, and Daniil Filippovich)[7]
Father Divine 1800 Claimed to be the only true manifestation of God.[8]
Jehovah Wanyonyi 1924 "I am the one who created Adam and Eve. I made their bodies and their blood", […] "I still use human beings by speaking through them, like I spoke through Jesus Christ until he went to Heaven." There are between 120 and a 1000 followers who consider him God.[9][10]
Sangjenim* 1871 Jeung-san Sangjenim is accepted by followers of Jeung San Do to be the Ruling God of the Universe who incarnated as a human.[11][12]
Sathya Sai Baba* 1926 Sathya Sai Baba claimed to be the person who sent Jesus Christ to earth.[13][14]
Kanichi Otsuka* 1891 Shinreikyo states of its founder "God became one with a human body, appeared among humanity, and founded Shinreikyo."[15]
Juanita Peraza (Mita) 1897 According to the Mita faith, Mita (Peraza) was the incarnation of the Holy Ghost on earth.[16]
Henry James Prince 1811 He referred to himself as Elijah…also privately claiming that he was the incarnation of the Holy Ghost.[17]
Matayoshi Jesus 1944 In 1997 He established the World Economic Community Party (世界経済共同体党) based on his conviction that he is the God and Christ.[18]
Yahweh ben Yahweh 1935 He was born as Hulon Mitchell, Jr. and his self-proclaimed name means "God, Son of God." He could have only been deeming himself to be "son of God", not God, but many of his followers clearly deem him to be God Incarnate.[19][20]
Wallace Fard Muhammad* 1877 The Nation of Islam considered, and likely still does, him to be a living God. He is also given other titles by the organization.[21]
Haile Selassie* 1892 Among many followers of the Rastafari movement, which developed in the 1930s in Jamaica under the influence of Marcus Garvey's "Back to Africa" movement, Haile Selassie is seen as God incarnate, the Black Messiah who will lead the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora to freedom. His official titles, King of kings, Lord of lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah and Root of David, are believed to be the titles of the returned Messiah in the New Testament Book of Revelation. Their belief in the incarnate divinity of Emperor Haile Selassie began very shortly after his crowning.[22]
Feliksa Kozłowska 1862 Archbishop Jan Maria Michal Kowalski on leading the Catholic Mariavite Church, "declared even more radical pronouncements, the most radical of which was that Felicja had in fact been the incarnation of the Holy Spirit upon the earth." How widespread this belief is amongst current members of the Catholic Mariavite Church is uncertain.
Lou de Palingboer 1898 A divorced Dutchman named Louwrens Voorthuijzen who proclaimed himself "Lou the farmer of European eel", this being the translation of his proclaimed name "Lou de Palingboer". He was a figure who mixed marketing European eels with proselytism. His followers also considered him a living God on a mission against evil.[23]
Krishna* 4000 BC Krishna is believed by Hindus to have been a man born in Mathura, and the 8th avatar of Vishnu. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism he is believed to be the supreme being.
Fu Hsi 2000 BC Brought civilization from heaven to China.
Alexander the Great 356 BC Some believe he implied he was a demigod by actively using the title "Son of Ammon–Zeus". The title was bestowed upon him by Egyptian priests of the god Ammon at the Oracle of the god at the Siwah oasis in the Libyan Desert. [24]
Japanese emperors ‡ 1945 Claimed, at least by some Shintoists, including government officials, to be divine descendants of the goddess Amaterasu. Hirohito, the Showa emperor, allegedly repudiated this claim in the Ningen-sengen in 1945.
Emiliano Zapata Achieved semi-deity status as Votan-Zapata, after the Mayan god Votán.
Gilgamesh 2650 BC King of Uruk, 1/3 human, 2/3 god, Epic of Gilgamesh
Zoroaster 1200 BC Founder of Zoroastrianism, proclaimed a Manifestation of God in Bahá'í Faith
Jim Jones 1931 Founder of Peoples Temple
Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah 985 Sixth Fatimid Caliph in Egypt, ruling from 996 to 1021. Many of the druze believe he is an incarnation of God and that he will come back as the Mahdi
Sugawara no Michizane* 845 Japanese Imperial courtier banished from the capital and deified upon his death to appease his angry spirit. Worshipped as Tenjin, kami of scholarship.
Caligula 12 The Roman Emperor Caligula encouraged he be worshipped as a god, although it is not known if it was Jupiter or some other god. During his lifetime he had statues of Jupiter torn down to be replaced by his own likeness, and is known to have declaimed, "Let there be one Lord, one King!" [25]

[edit] See also

Look up Deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "He allowed statues of himself to be erected with the accoutrements of Hercules; and sacrifices were performed to him as to a god."Historia Augusta[1]
  2. ^ The rulers of Egypt, first the kings and later the pharaohs, were gods as well as men who ruled by divine right. Each king was 'the son of god', who at the point of death became one with his father, to be god in a cosmic Heaven. Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas (August 1, 2001). The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus, 100. Google Print. ISBN 1-931412-75-8 (accessed July 13, 2005). Also available in print from Fair Winds.
  3. ^ The king had a superhuman role, being a manifestation of a god or of various deities on earth. The king's principle original title, the Horus name, proclaimed that he was an aspect of one of the chief gods, Horus, a sky god who was depicted as a falcon. Other identifications were added to this one, notably, "Son of Re [the sun god]" and "Perfect God," both introduced during the 4th dynasty (c. 2575–2465 BC), when the great pyramids were constructed. The epithet "Son of Re" placed the king in a close but dependent relation with the leading figure of the pantheon.Merriam-Webster (1999). Encyclopedia of World Religions (Hardcover). Merriam Webster, Incorporated. ISBN 0-87779-044-2. 
  4. ^ The community leader would be called the Great Sun. Natchez social organization was based on the relationship of community members to the Great Sun. In the 17th century, French explorers and colonists met this leader, who lived in a large house on the top of a platform mound at the site that is now preserved by the State of Mississippi as the Grand Village of the Natchez. The Great Sun enjoyed the status of a living god[2]
  5. ^ "People worship Emperor Guan not merely as a law-protecting heavenly deity, but also as god of war, god of wealth and god of righteousness. They pray to Emperor Guan for many reasons…"[3]
  6. ^ "The Inca solar god and god of fire. He is the progenitor of the Inca race. Brother of Pachacamac." by Micha F. Lindemans[4]
  7. ^ His teaching of Twelve Commitments stated, "I am God predicted by the prophets; I descended on the earth to save the human souls; there is no God but me. There is no other teaching. Do not seek for it."St. Petersburg State University article(A bit of dispute here as there are sites that indicate he taught any and all Khlysts could mystically become God incarnate through him)
  8. ^ One by Sarra Harris, "Father Divine: Holy Husband", contended that even though Father Divine condemned carnal relations, he enjoyed a series of mistresses. […] Harris's interpretation offended Father Divine, and in 1953 he placed a curse on her: "…This is Judgement Day! … Now she is cursed! Naturally she is cursed! I mean I curse her. I in the name of Almighty God!…and you have declared I am God….I curse her without end—until the world shall never end." Jill Watts (February 1, 1995). God, Harlem U.S.A.: The Father Divine Story, Preface xii. Google Print. ISBN 0-520-20172-8 (accessed July 12, 2005). Also available in print from University of California Press.
  9. ^ International Cultic Studies Association (2001). "INTERNATIONAL: Kenya-"God" and 400 Followers Living in Kenya". Cultic Studies Journal 18, No. 4. 
  10. ^ BBC News (November 12, 2001). "Kenyan 'God' sent Aids as 'punishment'". Retrieved December 29, 2004.
  11. ^ "who was/is regarded by his followers as the incarnation of SangJe (Shangti), the Ruler of the Universe in religious Taoism" University of California Press. "Sangjenim is the governing spirit of the universe, personified and embodied." from their own site.
  12. ^ Jeang San do site
  13. ^ (Sathya Sai Speaks, XI, 54:346) "There is one point that I cannot but bring to your special notice today. At the moment when Jesus was merging in the Supreme Principle of Divinity, He communicated some news to his followers, which was interpreted in a variety of ways by commentators and those who relish the piling of writings on writings and meanings upon meanings, until it all swells up into a huge mess." "The statement itself has been manipulated and tangled into a conundrum. The statement of Christ is simple: 'he who sent me among you will come again!' and he pointed to a Lamb. The Lamb is merely a symbol, a sign. It stands for the Voice: Ba-Ba; the announcement was the Advent of Baba. 'His Name will be Truth,' Christ declared. Sathya means Truth. 'He will wear a robe of red, a blood-red robe.' (Here Baba pointed to the robe He was wearing.) 'He will be short, with a crown (of hair). The Lamb is the sign and symbol of Love.'"Christ did not declare that he will come again. He said, 'He who made me will come again.' That Ba-ba is this Baba and Sai, the short, curly-hair-crowned red-robed Baba, is come. He is not only in this Form, but he is in every one of you, as the dweller in the Heart. He is there, short, with a robe of the colour of the blood that fills it."
  14. ^ (Sathya Sai Speaks, XII, 38:227 - June 1974) "The power of Sai is limitless; It manifests for ever. All forms of 'power' are resident in the Sai palm."
  15. ^ "When I sat cross-legged by myself just like the great statue of the Buddha in Nara, I felt that the earth, about the size of a watermelon, was underneath me and I could see the other me walking about on it. I experience the real "me" looking down at the other "me" on this small planet. I was and understood everything on this earth (Shinreikyo History:5). Religious movements home page on the website of the University of Virginia. This entry was written by Jeffrey Hadden.
  16. ^ Essay in Latin American Issues Volume 13 states she taught that, "when a shooting star moving in the distance suddenly approached her and landed on her forehead, filling the room with light (Cruz). She had become the living incarnation of the Holy Spirit, who at that moment revealed to her the name of God in this new era: 'MITA'" or "Spirit of Life."
  17. ^ Article by Timothy C. F. Stunt in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  18. ^ "After the Upper House Election, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should hand the seat of the Prime Minister to Jesus Matayoshi, the one true God."[5]
  19. ^ "He identified himself as the 'grand master of the celestial lodge, the architect of the universe'"Crimelibrary
  20. ^ Miami Herald(October 15, 2001). "the old message of self-esteem has been crowded out by one that elevates their leader to Grand Master of All, the God of the Universe, the Grand Potentate, the Everlasting Father and the persecuted Messiah."
  21. ^ "The Honorable Elijah Muhammad identified the Master as being the answer to the one that the world had been expecting for the past 2,000 years under the names Messiah, the second coming of Jesus, the Christ, Jehovah, God, and the Son of Man."NOI.org quoting Elijah Muhammad
  22. ^ Rastafarians regard Haile Selassie I as God because Marcus Garvey's prophecy -"Look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be the Redeemer" - was swiftly followed by the ascension of Haile Selassie as Emperor of Ethiopia.Haile Selassie I is regarded by Rastafarians to be the God of the Black race. However, when asked about this by Bill Bryson in a 1967 interview, Selassie stated that he was not divine. BBC
  23. ^ De God die Lou heette (Dutch language) "The God that was called Lou" VPRO TV programme.
  24. ^ Not the least of the many extraordinary facts about Alexander is that both in his lifetime and after his death he was worshipped as a god, by Greeks and Ancient Macedonians as well as, for example, Egyptians (to whom he was Pharaoh). The episode that led to Callisthenes' death in 327 was connected to this fact. Greeks and Ancient Macedonians believed that formal obeisance should be paid only to gods. So the refusal of his Greek and Macedonian courtiers to pay it to Alexander implied that they, at any rate, did not believe he genuinely was a living god, at least not in the same sense as Zeus or Dionysus were. Alexander, regardless, did nothing to discourage the view that he really was divine. His claim to divine birth, not merely divine descent, was part of a total self-promotional package, which included the striking of silver medallions in India depicting him with the attributes of Zeus. Through sheer force of personality and magnitude of achievement he won over large numbers of ordinary Greeks and Macedonians to share this view of himself, and to act on it by devoting shrines to his cult.Cartledge, Paul (2004). "Alexander the Great". History Today 54: 1. 
  25. ^ Philo, Josephus, Suetonius, and Dio all report that Caligula was convinced of his own divinity and encouraged (or required) others to worship him as a god. The sources do not agree on whether he thought he was an incarnation of Jupiter, a brother of Jupiter, or some other sort of god. Zotti, Ed; Bibliophage (2003). Was the Roman emperor Caligula as crazy as they say?: Claim to divinity. The Straight Dope. Retrieved July 15, 2005.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Hogue, John Messiahs: The Visions and Prophecies for the Second Coming (1999) Elements Books ISBN 1-86204-549-6

[edit] External links

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