View source for Apotheosis

{{short description|Glorification of a subject to divine level}}
{{Redirect|Deified|the deification of the self|Egotheism|the album by Keak da Sneak|Deified (album)}}
{{about|the term|the film by John Lennon and Yoko Ono|Apotheosis (film)|the novel series by Douglas Hill|Apotheosis (series)|discussion on the theory that a deity was once an actual living person|Euhemerism}}{{Distinguish|Cult of personality}}[[File:Veronese-Triomphe_de_Venise.jpg|thumb|''Apotheosis of Venice'' (1585) by [[Paolo Veronese]], a ceiling in the [[Doge's Palace]]]]
[[File:Baen_Witt_Victor_Medway.jpg|thumb|''The Apotheosis of [[Cornelis de Witt]], with the [[Raid on the Medway|Raid on Chatham]] in the Background''.]]

'''Apotheosis''' ({{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|ἀποθέωσις}}'' ({{grc-transl|ἀποθέωσις}})|}}, {{etymology||''{{wikt-lang|grc|ἀποθεόω}}/{{wikt-lang|grc|ἀποθεῶ}}'' ({{grc-transl|ἀποθεόω/ἀποθεῶ}})|to deify}}), also called '''divinization''' or '''deification''' ({{etymology|la|{{wikt-lang|la|deificatio}}|making divine}}), is the glorification of a subject to [[divinity|divine]] levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the [[Divine embodiment|likeness of a deity]].

The original sense of apotheosis relates to religion and is the subject of many works of art.  Figuratively "apotheosis" may be used in almost any context for "the deification, glorification, or exaltation of a principle, practice, etc.", so normally attached to an abstraction of some sort.<ref>''[[OED]]'', "Apotheosis": 3</ref>

In religion, apotheosis was a feature of many religions in the ancient world, and some that are active today.  It requires a belief that there is a possibility of newly created gods, so a [[polytheistic]] belief system. The Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism do not allow for this, though many recognise minor sacred categories such as saints (created by a process called [[canonization]]).  In [[Christian theology]] there is a concept of the faithful becoming god-like, called [[Divinization (Christian)|divinization]] or in [[Eastern Christianity]] [[Theosis (Eastern Christian theology)|theosis]].  In [[Hinduism]] there is some scope for new deities.  A human may be deified by becoming regarded as an [[avatar]] of an established [[deity]], usually a major one, or by being regarded as a new, independent, deity (usually a minor one), or some mixture of the two.

In art, an apotheosis scene typically shows the subject in the heavens or rising towards them, often accompanied by a number of angels, [[putti]], [[personification]]s of virtues, or similar figures. Especially from [[Baroque art]] onwards, apotheosis scenes may depict rulers, generals or artists purely as an honorific metaphor; in many cases the "religious" context is classical Greco-Roman pagan religion,<ref name="Hall, 332">Hall, 332</ref> as in ''[[The Apotheosis of Voltaire]]'', featuring Apollo.  ''[[The Apotheosis of Washington]]'' (1865), high up in the dome of the [[United States Capitol Building]], is another example. [[Personification]]s of places or abstractions are also showed receiving an apotheosis.  The typical composition was suitable for placement on ceilings or inside domes.

==Ancient Near East==
{{further|imperial cult|sacred king}}
Before the Hellenistic period, [[imperial cult]]s were known in [[ancient Egypt]] ([[pharaoh]]s) and [[Mesopotamia]] (from [[Naram-Sin of Akkad|Naram-Sin]] through [[Hammurabi]]). In the [[New Kingdom of Egypt]], all deceased pharaohs were deified as the god [[Osiris]], having been identified as [[Horus]] while on the throne, and [[Ancient Egyptian deities#Relationship with the pharaoh|sometimes referred to as the "son" of various other deities]].

The architect [[Imhotep]] was deified after his death, though the process seems to have been gradual, taking well over a thousand years, by which time he had become associated primarily with medicine.  About a dozen non-royal ancient Egyptians became regarded as deities.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hurry |first=Jamieson B. |orig-year=1926 |title=Imhotep: The Egyptian god of medicine |year=2014 |edition=reprint |place=Oxford, UK |publisher=Traffic Output |isbn=978-0-404-13285-9 |pages=47–48}}</ref>

==Ancient Greece==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2024}} 
{{Main|Greek hero cult}}
[[File:Bronze chariot inlaid with ivory Etruscan 2nd quarter of 6th century BCE Found near Monteleone di Spoleto in 1902 with scenes of Achilles (1) (561261746).jpg|thumb|The ''Apotheosis of [[Achilles]]'', from the [[Monteleone Chariot]], Etruscan, 6th century BC]]
[[Ancient Greek religion]] and its Roman equivalent have many figures who were born as humans but became gods, for example [[Hercules]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Louis |first=chevalier de Jaucourt (biography) |date=2005-12-19 |title=Religion of the Greeks and Romans |url=http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.did2222.0000.431 |journal=Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert - Collaborative Translation Project}}</ref> They are typically made divine by one of the main deities, the [[Twelve Olympians]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-26 |title=12 Main Greek Gods of Greek Mythology - |url=https://www.theoi.com/articles/12-main-greek-gods-of-greek-mythology/ |access-date=2025-06-19 |language=en-US}}</ref> In the Roman story [[Cupid and Psyche]], Zeus gives the [[ambrosia]] of the gods to the mortal Psyche, transforming her into a goddess herself.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Sean |last=Kelly |date=2025-02-14 |title=Greek Mythology's Greatest Love Story |url=https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/greek-mythologys-greatest-love-story |access-date=2025-06-19 |website=Classical Wisdom}}</ref>  In the case of the Hellenistic queen [[Berenice II of Egypt]], herself deified like other rulers of the [[Ptolemaic dynasty]], the court propagated a myth that her hair, cut off to fulfill a vow, had its own apotheosis before becoming the [[Coma Berenices]], a [[Asterism (astronomy)|group of stars]] that still bear her name.<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Coma Berenices}}</ref>

From at least the [[Geometric art|Geometric]] period of the ninth century BC, the long-deceased heroes linked with [[founding myth]]s of Greek sites were accorded [[chthonic]] rites in their ''[[heroon]]'', or "hero-temple".

In the Greek world, the first leader who accorded himself divine honours was [[Philip II of Macedon]]. At his wedding to his sixth wife, Philip's enthroned image was carried in procession among the [[Olympian gods]]; "his example at [[Vergina|Aigai]] became a custom, passing to the Macedonian kings who were later worshipped in [[Hellenistic civilization|Greek Asia]], from them to [[Julius Caesar]] and so to the emperors of Rome".<ref>{{cite book |last=Lane Fox |first=Robin |author-link=Robin Lane Fox |year=1973 |title=Alexander the Great |page=20 |location=London |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=978-0-14-008878-6}}</ref> Such Hellenistic state leaders might be raised to a status equal to the gods before death (e.g., [[Alexander the Great]]) or afterwards (e.g., members of the Ptolemaic dynasty). A heroic cult status similar to apotheosis was also an honour given to a few revered artists of the distant past, notably [[Homer]].

Archaic and Classical Greek hero-cults became primarily civic, extended from their familial origins, in the sixth century; by the fifth century none of the worshipers based their authority by tracing descent back to the hero, with the exception of some families who inherited particular priestly cults, such as the [[Eumolpides]] (descended from [[Eumolpus]]) of the [[Eleusinian mysteries]], and some inherited priesthoods at [[oracle|oracle site]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Farnell |first=Lewis Richard |date=1921 |title=Outline-history of Greek religion |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/71402/pg71402-images.html |access-date=2025-06-19 |publisher=Duckworth & Co. |location=London |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Gregory |last=Nagy |title=Relevant facts about ancient Greek hero cults |url=https://www.uh.edu/~cldue/3307/herocults.html |access-date=2025-06-19 |website=University of Houston}}</ref>

The Greek hero cults can be distinguished on the other hand from the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[Imperial cult (Ancient Rome)|cult of dead emperors]], because the hero was not thought of as having ascended to Olympus or become a god: he was beneath the earth, and his power purely local.  For this reason, hero cults were [[chthonic]] in nature, and their rituals more closely resembled those for [[Hecate]] and [[Persephone]] than those for [[Zeus]] and [[Apollo]]. Two exceptions were [[Heracles]] and [[Asclepius]], who might be honoured as either gods or heroes, sometimes by chthonic night-time rites and sacrifice on the following day. One god considered as a hero to mankind is [[Prometheus]], who secretly stole fire from [[Mount Olympus]] and introduced it to mankind.

==Ancient Rome==
{{main|Imperial cult (ancient Rome)}}
[[File:Musei vaticani - base colonna antonina 01106 (cropped).JPG|thumb|Apotheosis of Emperor [[Antoninus Pius]] (d. 161) and his wife [[Faustina the Elder]] (d. c. 140), base of  [[Column of Antoninus Pius|his column]] in Rome]]
Up to the end of the [[Roman Republic|Republic]], the god [[Quirinus]] was the only one the Romans accepted as having undergone apotheosis, for his identification/[[syncretism]] with [[Romulus]] (see [[Euhemerism]]).{{sfn|Garnett|Mackintosh|1911}} Subsequently, apotheosis in [[ancient Rome]] was a process whereby a deceased ruler was recognized as divine by his successor, usually also by a [[S.P.Q.R.|decree of the Senate and popular consent]]. The first of these cases was the posthumous deification of the last Roman dictator [[Julius Caesar]] in 42 BC by his adopted son, the [[Second Triumvirate|triumvir]] [[Caesar Octavian]]. In addition to showing respect, often the present ruler deified a popular predecessor to legitimize himself and gain popularity with the people.

A vote in the [[Roman Senate]], in the later Empire confirming an imperial decree, was the normal official process, but this sometimes followed a period with the unofficial use of deific language or imagery for the individual, often done rather discreetly within the imperial circle.  There was then a public ceremony, called a {{lang|la|consecratio}}, including the release of an eagle which flew high, representing the ascent of the deified person's soul to heaven. Imagery featuring the ascent, sometimes using a chariot, was common on coins and in other art.<ref name="Hall, 47–48">Hall, 47–48</ref>

The largest and most famous example in art is a [[relief]] on the base of the [[Column of Antoninus Pius]] (d. 161), showing the emperor and his wife [[Faustina the Elder]] (d. c. 140) being carried up by a much larger winged figure, described as representing "Eternity", as [[personification]]s of "Roma" and the {{lang|la|Campus Martius}} sit below, and eagles fly above. The imperial couple are represented as [[Jupiter]] and [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]].<ref name="Hall, 47–48"/>

[[File:CdM, apoteosi di claudio, sardonice attr. a skylax, roma, 54 dc. circa.JPG|thumb|Cameo with the ''Apotheosis of [[Claudius]]'', c. 54 AD]]
The historian [[Dio Cassius]], who says he was present, gives a detailed description of the large and lavish public {{lang|la|consecratio}} of [[Pertinax]], emperor for three months in 193, ordered by [[Septimius Severus]].<ref>Smith and Wayte, "Apotheosis"; {{lang|la|[[Historia Augusta]]}}, "Pertinax", 15:1</ref>

At the height of the [[Imperial cult (ancient Rome)|imperial cult]] during the [[Roman Empire]], sometimes the [[Roman emperor|emperor]]'s deceased loved ones—heirs, empresses, or lovers, as Hadrian's [[Antinous]]—were deified as well. Deified people were awarded posthumously the title {{lang|la|Divus}} ({{lang|la|Diva}} if women) to their names to signify their divinity. [[Religion in ancient Rome|Traditional Roman religion]] distinguished between a {{lang|la|[[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#deus, dea, di, dii|deus]]}} (god) and a ''[[divus]]'' (a mortal who became divine or deified),<ref>Hall, 47</ref> though not consistently. Temples and columns were erected to provide a space for worship.

The imperial cult was mainly popular in the provinces, especially in the Eastern Empire, where many cultures were well-used to deified rulers, and less popular in Rome itself, and among traditionalists and intellectuals. Some privately (and cautiously) ridiculed the apotheosis of inept and feeble emperors, as in the satire ''[[The Pumpkinification of Claudius|The Pumpkinification of (the Divine) Claudius]]'', usually attributed to [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]].<ref>Smith and Wayte, "Apotheosis"; Garnett</ref>

==Asia==
{{further|Xian (Taoism)}}
Numerous mortals have been deified into the [[Taoism|Taoist]] [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]], such as [[Guan Yu]], [[Iron-crutch Li]] and [[Fan Kuai]]. [[Song dynasty]] general [[Yue Fei]] was deified during the [[Ming dynasty]] and is considered by some practitioners to be one of the three highest-ranking heavenly generals.<ref>Liu, James T. C. "Yueh Fei (1103–41) and China's Heritage of Loyalty". ''The Journal of Asian Studies''. Vol. 31, No. 2 (February 1972), pp. 291–297 [296]
</ref><ref>Wong, Eva. ''The Shambhala Guide to Taoism''. Shambhala, 1996 {{ISBN|1570621691}}, p. 162</ref> The [[Ming dynasty]] epic ''[[Fengshen Yanyi|Investiture of the Gods]]'' deals heavily with deification legends.

[[File:Flickr - dalbera - Jayavarman VII (musée Guimet) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Head of Buddha/King [[Jayavarman VII]]; probably regarded as a royal portrait, but with attributes of the Buddha.]]
In the complicated and variable conceptions of deity in [[Buddhism]], the achievement of [[Buddhahood]] may be regarded as an achievable goal for the faithful, and many significant deities are considered to have begun as normal humans, from [[Gautama Buddha]] himself downwards. Most of these are seen as [[avatar]]s or re-births of earlier figures.

Some significant Hindu deities, in particular [[Rama]], were also born as humans; he is seen as an [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]]. In more modern times, [[Swaminarayan]] is an undoubted and well-documented historical figure (1781–1830), who is regarded by some Hindus as an avatar of [[Krishna]], himself another avatar of Vishnu, or as being a still more elevated deity. [[Bharat Mata]] ("Mother India") began as a [[national personification]] devised by a group of Bengali intellectuals in the late 19th century, but now receives some worship.<ref>Sadan Jha. [http://www.indiatogether.org/manushi/issue142/bharat.htm "The life and times of Bharat Mata"]. ''Manushi''. Issue 142.</ref>

Various Hindu and Buddhist rulers in the past have been represented as deities, especially after death, from India to [[Indonesia]]. [[Jayavarman VII]], King of the [[Khmer Empire]] (r. 1181–1218) the first Buddhist king of Cambodia, had his own features used for the many statues of Buddha/[[Avalokitesvara]] he erected.<ref>Jessup, Helen Ibbetson (2004), ''Art and Architecture of Cambodia'', pp. 162–163, Thames & Hudson (World of Art), {{ISBN|050020375X}}</ref>

The [[North Korean cult of personality|extreme personality cult]] instituted by the founder of North Korea, [[Kim Il-Sung]], has been said to represent a deification, though the state is avowedly atheist.<ref name="He Feng 2013 p. 62">{{cite book | last1=He | first1=K. | last2=Feng | first2=H. | title=Prospect Theory and Foreign Policy Analysis in the Asia Pacific: Rational Leaders and Risky Behavior | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-135-13119-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAaHqijyLy8C&pg=PA62 | access-date=2023-02-12 | page=62}}</ref><ref name="Floru 2017 p. 7">{{cite book | last=Floru | first=J. P. | title=The Sun Tyrant: A Nightmare Called North Korea | publisher=Biteback | year=2017 | isbn=978-1-78590-288-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-EoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT7 | access-date=2023-02-13 | page=7}}</ref>

==Christianity==
{{main|Divinization (Christian)}}
Instead of the word "apotheosis", Christian theology uses in English the words "deification" or "divinization" or the Greek word "''[[Divinization (Christian)|theosis]]''". Pre-[[Reformation]] and mainstream theology, in both East and West, views [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]] as the preexisting God who undertook mortal existence, not as a mortal being who attained divinity (a view known as [[adoptionism]]). It holds that he has made it possible for human beings to be raised to the level of sharing the divine nature as 2 Peter 1:4 states that he became human to make humans "partakers of the divine nature".<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Peter|1:4}}</ref>{{or inline|date=December 2020}} In John 10:34, Jesus referenced Psalm 82:6 when he stated "Is it not written in your Law, I have said you are gods?"<ref name="Bible Hub">{{cite web | title=John 10:34 | website=Bible Hub | url=https://biblehub.com/john/10-34.htm | access-date=2023-02-16}}</ref> Other authors stated: "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God."<ref>[[Irenaeus of Lyon]], ''Adversus haereses'', 3.19.1</ref> "For He was made man that we might be made God."<ref name="AthanasiusOnTheIncarnation54_3">St. Athanasius, [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.vii.ii.liv.html ''On the Incarnation of the Word'' 54.3] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417094550/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.vii.ii.liv.html |date=2009-04-17 }}</ref> "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods."<ref>[[Thomas Aquinas]], Opusc. 57, 1–4</ref> 
Accusations of self deification to some degree may have been placed upon heretical groups such as the [[Waldensians]].<ref name="Brackney 2012 p. 234">{{cite book | last=Brackney | first=W. H. | title=Historical Dictionary of Radical Christianity | publisher=Scarecrow Press | series=Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements Series | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-8108-7365-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YhUvxfkWW2oC&pg=PA234 | access-date=2023-02-20 | page=234}}</ref><ref name="Hook Stephens 1896 p. 555">{{cite book | last1=Hook | first1=W. F. | last2=Stephens | first2=W. R. W. | title=A Church Dictionary: A Practical Manual of Reference for Clergyman and Students | publisher=John Murray | year=1896 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kiY1AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA555 | access-date=2023-03-10 | page=555}}</ref><ref name="Comba Comba 1889 p. 65">{{cite book | last1=Comba | first1=E. | last2=Comba | first2=T. E. | title=History of the Waldenses of Italy: From Their Origin to the Reformation | publisher=Truslove & Shirley | series=ATLA monograph preservation program | year=1889 | isbn=978-0-7905-4332-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=34ZVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA65 | access-date=2023-03-10 | page=65}}</ref><ref name="Shipley 1872 p. 338">{{cite book | last=Shipley | first=O. | title=A Glossary of Ecclesiastical Terms Containing Brief Explanations of Words Used in Dogmatic Theology, Liturgiology; Ecclesiastical Chronology and Law; Gothis Architecture; Christian Antiquities and Symbolism; Conventual Arrangements, Greek Hierology; and Mediaeval Latin Works ... | year=1872 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M12gwbCu64wC&pg=PA338 | access-date=2023-03-10 | page=338}}</ref>

The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology, authored by Anglican Priest Alan Richardson,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.librarything.com/author/richardsonalan-1|title=Alan Richardson &#124; Author &#124; LibraryThing|website=LibraryThing.com}}</ref> contains the following in an article titled "Deification":

{{blockquote|
Deification (Greek theosis) is for Orthodoxy the goal of every Christian. Man, according to the Bible, is 'made in the image and likeness of God'. ... It is possible for man to become like God, to become deified, to become god by grace. This doctrine is based on many passages of both OT and NT (e.g. Ps. 82 (81).6; II Peter 1.4), and it is essentially the teaching both of St Paul, though he tends to use the language of filial adoption (cf. Rom. 8.9–17; Gal. 4.5–7), and the Fourth Gospel (cf. 17.21–23).

The language of II Peter is taken up by St Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, 'if the Word has been made man, it is so that men may be made gods' (Adv. Haer V, Pref.), and becomes the standard in Greek theology. In the fourth century, St. Athanasius repeats Irenaeus almost word for word, and in the fifth century, St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we shall become sons 'by participation' (Greek methexis). Deification is the central idea in the spirituality of St. Maximus the Confessor, for whom the doctrine is the corollary of the Incarnation: 'Deification, briefly, is the encompassing and fulfillment of all times and ages', ... and St. Symeon the New Theologian at the end of the tenth century writes, 'He who is God by nature converses with those whom he has made gods by grace, as a friend converses with his friends, face to face.'}}

===Roman Catholic Church===
[[File:Sebastiano Ricci, Apotheose des Hl. Sebastian.jpg|thumb|[[Sebastiano Ricci]], ''[[Apotheosis of Saint Sebastian]]'', 1725]]
The Roman Catholic Church does not use the term "apotheosis" in its theology.  Corresponding to the Greek word ''theosis'' are the [[Latin]]-derived words "divinization" and "deification" used in the parts of the [[Catholic Church]] that are of Latin tradition. The concept has been given less prominence in Western theology than in that of the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]], but is present in the [[Latin Church]]'s liturgical prayers, such as that of the deacon or priest when pouring wine and a little water into the chalice: "By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity."<ref>''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford University Press 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}}), article "deification"</ref>

Catholic theology stresses the concept of supernatural life, "a new creation and elevation, a rebirth, it is a participation in and partaking of the divine nature"<ref>Heinrich Fries, ''[http://www.google.com/search?q=Fries+Catholic+%22partaking+of+the+divine+nature%22&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1 Bultmann-Barth and Catholic theology]'' (Duquesne University Press 1967), p. 160</ref> (cf. {{bibleverse|2|Peter|1:4|ESV}}). In Catholic teaching there is a vital distinction between natural life and supernatural life, the latter being "the life that God, in an act of love, freely gives to human beings to elevate them above their natural lives" and which they receive through prayer and the sacraments; indeed the Catholic Church sees human existence as having as its whole purpose the acquisition, preservation and intensification of this supernatural life.<ref>Stephen M. O'Brien (2008). [http://www.google.com/search?q=%22stephen+m.+o%27brien%22+%22supernatural+life%22&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1 ''God and the Devil Are Fighting'']. City University of New York. {{ISBN|978-0-549-61137-0}}. pp. 116–117.</ref>

Deification for humans is holistic because people have a body and a soul. It begins immaterially or spiritually in the soul via the infusion of [[sanctifying grace]] - such as the [[fruit of the Holy Spirit]] - in baptism. Spiritual deification is consummated at entry into [[Paradise]].<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_one/chapter_one/article_7/iii_the_gifts_and_fruits_of_the_holy_spirit.html Catechism of the Catholic Church 1832]</ref> Full deification is achieved at the resurrection on [[Judgment Day]], via material or physical deification, when the body is deified. Only saints will be fully deified, whereas the damned will only be made immortal.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_three/article_11.html Catechism of the Catholic Church 991]</ref> [[New Earth (Christianity)#Catholicism|The whole Universe]] is unconditionally predestined for deification on Judgment Day, save for humans and angels, whose predestination to deification is conditioned on moral behavior.<ref>[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1047.htm Catechism of the Catholic Church 1047]</ref>

Despite the theological differences, in Catholic church art depictions of the [[Assumption of the Virgin Mary in art]] and the [[Ascension of Jesus in Christian art]] share many similarities in composition to apotheosis subjects, as do many images of saints being raised to heaven. These last may use "apotheosis" in their modern titles.  Early examples were often of the founders of [[Religious order (Catholic)|religious order]]s, later canonized, with those of Saint [[Ignatius Loyola]] in the [[Church of the Gesù]] ([[Andrea Pozzo]], 1691–1694, to the side of the nave cupola) and Saint [[Dominic]] in [[Santi Domenico e Sisto]] (1674–1675) two examples in Rome.<ref name="Hall, 332"/>

The ''[[Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power]]'' by [[Pietro da Cortona]] (1630s) celebrated [[Pope Urban VIII]] and his family, combining heraldic symbols including the [[Keys of Heaven|crossed keys]] of the papacy and giant bees representing the [[Barberini family]] with personifications.<ref>Hall, 332–333</ref>

===Eastern Orthodox Church===
{{main|Theosis (Eastern Christian theology)}}
In [[Eastern Orthodox theology]], [[Theosis (Eastern Christian theology)|Theosis]] is the transformation of oneself in union with [[God]]. The ''theosis'' transformation includes a purification of the body and mind (''[[catharsis]]''), an illumination via a vision of God (''[[Theoria#Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Byzantine Catholic Churches|theoria]]''). In [[Eastern Christianity]], the purpose of human life is ''theosis''. According to [[Hierotheos (Vlachos)]], this process is based on direct spiritual insight (''[[gnosis]]'') rather than the [[rational thought]] or intellectual and academic pursuits primary in Western Christian traditions.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vlachos|first=Hierotheos|author-link=Hierotheos (Vlachos)|year=1994|chapter=The Difference Between Orthodox Spirituality and Other Traditions|chapter-url=http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/hierotheos_difference.aspx|title=Orthodox Spirituality: A Brief Introduction|location=Levadia, Greece|publisher=Birth of the Theotokos Monastery|isbn=978-960-7070-20-3|access-date=10 June 2017|via=Orthodox Christian Information Center}}</ref>

===The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints===
{{main|Exaltation (Mormonism)|Plan of salvation (Latter Day Saints)}}
{{see also|Mormon cosmology|King Follett discourse}}
{{third-party|section|date=March 2014}}
[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] ([[Mormons]]), believes in apotheosis along the lines of the Christian tradition of [[divinization (Christian)|divinization]] or deification but refers to it as [[Exaltation (Mormonism)|exaltation]], or eternal life, and considers it to be accomplished by "sanctification". They believe that people may live with God throughout eternity in families and eventually become gods themselves but remain subordinate to God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. While the primary focus of the LDS Church is on [[Jesus of Nazareth]] and his atoning sacrifice for man,<ref>[[Joseph Smith]] declared, "The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it" (See ''Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith'', sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 121).</ref> Latter-day Saints believe that one purpose for Christ's mission and for his atonement is the exaltation or [[Divinization (Christian)|Christian deification]] of man.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/becoming-like-god?lang=eng | title = Gospel Topics: Becoming Like God | work = churchofjesuschrist.org | publisher = LDS Church}}</ref> The third [[Articles of Faith (Latter Day Saints)|Article of Faith]] of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states that all men may be saved from sin by the atonement of Jesus Christ, and LDS Gospel Doctrine (as published) states that all men will be saved and will be resurrected from death. However, only those who are sufficiently obedient and accept the atonement and the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ before the resurrection and final judgment will be "exalted" and receive a literal Christian [[Divinization (Christian)|deification]].

A quote often attributed to the early Church leader [[Lorenzo Snow]] in 1837, is "As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be."<ref>{{cite journal |last= Lund |first= Gerald N. |author-link= Gerald N. Lund |date=February 1982 |title= I Have a Question: Is President Lorenzo Snow's oft-repeated statement—'As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be'—accepted as official doctrine by the Church? |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1982/02/i-have-a-question?lang=eng |journal= [[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] }}</ref> The teaching was taught first by [[Joseph Smith]] while he was pointing to {{lds|John|john|5|19}} in the [[New Testament]]; he said that "God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did."<ref>''[[Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (book)|Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith]]'', pp. 345–346.</ref> Many{{Who|date=March 2014}} scholars also have discussed the correlation between Latter-day Saint belief in exaltation and the ancient Christian theosis, or deification, as set forth by early [[Church Fathers]].<ref name="Millet and Reynolds 1998">{{cite book |last1= Millet |first1= Robert L. |author-link= Robert L. Millet |last2= Reynolds |first2= Noel B. |author-link2= Noel B. Reynolds |year= 1998 |contribution= Do Latter-day Saints believe that men and women can become gods? |contribution-url= http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=45&chapid=534 |title= Latter-day Christianity: 10 Basic Issues |location= Provo, Utah |publisher= [[Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies]] |isbn= 0934893322 |oclc= 39732987 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/latterdaychristi00mill }}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2014}}{{third-party-inline|date=March 2014}}{{specify|date=March 2014}} Several{{Who|date=March 2014}} 

Members of the Church believe that the original Christian belief in man's divine potential gradually lost its meaning and importance in the centuries after the death of the apostles, as doctrinal changes by post-apostolic theologians caused Christians to lose sight of the true nature of God and his purpose for creating humanity. The concept of God's nature that was eventually accepted as Christian doctrine in the 4th century set divinity apart from humanity by defining the [[Godhead (Latter Day Saints)|Godhead]] as three persons sharing a common divine substance. That classification of God in terms of a substance is not found in scripture<ref>Thomas Mozley ''The creed or a philosophy'', 1893 p. 303</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.earlychurchtexts.com/public/creed_homoian_of_constantinople_360.htm |title=Homoian Creed of Constantinople (360) |access-date=2014-09-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140925052330/http://www.earlychurchtexts.com/public/creed_homoian_of_constantinople_360.htm |archive-date=2014-09-25 }} (the wording of the [[Council of Constantinople (360)]] prohibited use of the terms "substance", "essence", and "ousia" since they were not included in the scriptures)</ref> but, in many aspects, mirrored the Greek metaphysical philosophies that are known to have influenced the thinking of Church Fathers.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/trinity/trinity-history.html#Aug|title=History of Trinitarian Doctrines |encyclopedia=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy}}</ref> Latter-day Saints teach that by modern revelation, God restored the knowledge that he is the literal father of our spirits (Hebrews 12:9) and that the Biblical references to God creating mankind in his image and likeness are in no way allegorical. As such, Mormons assert that as the literal offspring of God the Father (Acts 17:28–29), humans have the potential to be heirs of his glory and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16–17). The glory, Mormons believe, lies not in God's substance but in his intelligence: in other words, light and truth (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/93?lang=eng|title=Doctrine and Covenants 93|website=ChurchofJesusChrist.org}}</ref>). Thus, the purpose of humans is to grow and progress to become like the Father in Heaven. Mortality is seen as a crucial step in the process in which God's spirit children gain a body, which, though formed in the image of the Father's body, is subject to pain, illness, temptation, and death. The purpose of this earth life is to learn to choose the right in the face of that opposition, thereby gaining essential experience and wisdom. The level of intelligence we attain in this life will rise in the Resurrection (Doctrine and Covenants 130:18–19). Bodies will then be immortal like those of the Father and the Son (Philippians 3:21), but the degree of glory to which each person will resurrect is contingent upon the Final Judgment (Revelation 20:13, 1 Corinthians 15:40–41). Those who are worthy to return to God's presence can continue to progress towards a fullness of God's glory, which Mormons refer to as eternal life, or [[Exaltation (Mormonism)|exaltation]] (Doctrine and Covenants 76).

The Latter-day Saint concept of apotheosis/exaltation is expressed in Latter-day scriptures (Mosiah 3:19, Alma 13:12, D&C 78:7, D&C 78:22, D&C 84:4, D&C 84:23, D&C 88:68, D&C 93:28) and is expressed by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: "Though stretched by our challenges, by living righteously and enduring well we can eventually become sufficiently more like Jesus in our traits and attributes, that one day we can dwell in the Father's presence forever and ever" (Neal Maxwell, October 1997).

In early 2014, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published an essay on the official church website specifically addressing the foundations, history, and official beliefs regarding apotheosis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/becoming-like-god?lang=eng|title=Becoming Like God|first=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day|last=Saints|website=ChurchofJesusChrist.org}}</ref> The essay addresses the scriptural foundations of this belief, teachings of the early Church Fathers on the subject of deification, and the teachings of modern Church leaders, starting with Joseph Smith.

===Wesleyan Protestantism===

Distinctively, in [[Wesleyan]] Protestantism theosis sometimes implies the doctrine of entire sanctification which teaches, in summary, that it is the Christian's goal, in principle possible to achieve, to live without any (voluntary) sin ([[Christian perfection]]). Wesleyan theologians detect the influence on Wesley from the Eastern Fathers, who saw the drama of salvation leading to the deification (apotheosis) of the human, in order that such perfection as originally part of human nature in creation but distorted by the fall might bring fellowship with the divine.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Theodore |last=Runyon |title=Is the Creed orthodox? |journal=Oxford Notes |publisher=Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies |url=https://oimts.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/oxfordnotes1-5.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720155924/https://oimts.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/oxfordnotes1-5.pdf |issue=5 |volume=I |archive-date=2023-07-20 |date=Spring 1987 |url-status=live}}</ref><!--This is self-hosted on WordPress, but linked from https://oxford-institute.org/archives/oxfordnotes/ so most likely reliable in about-self manner-->

== Druze faith ==
The [[Druze]] faith further split from [[Isma'ilism]] as it developed its own unique doctrines, and finally separated from both Ismāʿīlīsm and Islam altogether; these include the belief that the Imam [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|Al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh]] was [[Incarnation|God incarnate]].<ref name="Poonawala 542">{{cite journal |last=Poonawala |first=Ismail K. |date=July–September 1999 |title=Review: ''The Fatimids and Their Traditions of Learning'' by Heinz Halm |journal=[[Journal of the American Oriental Society]] |publisher=[[American Oriental Society]] |volume=119 |issue=3 |page=542 |doi=10.2307/605981 |issn=0003-0279 |jstor=605981 |lccn=12032032 |oclc=47785421}}</ref><ref name="Bryer 1975 239–262">{{cite journal |last=Bryer |first=David R. W. |title=The Origins of the Druze Religion (Fortsetzung) |journal=[[Der Islam]] |year=1975 |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=239–262 |doi=10.1515/islm.1975.52.2.239 |s2cid=162363556 |url=https://doi.org/10.1515/islm.1975.52.2.239 |issn=1613-0928 |ref={{harvid|Bryer|1975b}} |url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad]] is considered the founder of the [[Druze faith]] and the primary author of the Druze manuscripts,<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Hendrix |editor1-first=Scott |editor2-last=Okeja |editor2-first=Uchenna |title=The World's Greatest Religious Leaders: How Religious Figures Helped Shape World History [2 volumes] |date=2018 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1440841385 |page=11}}</ref> he proclaimed that God became flesh, assumed a human nature, and became a man in the form of [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]].<ref name="Poonawala 542"/>

Historian David R. W. Bryer defines the [[Druze]]s as ''[[ghulat]]'' of Isma'ilism, since they exaggerated the cult of the caliph [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]] and considered him divine; he also defines the Druzes as a religion that deviated from Islam.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bryer |first=David R. W. |title=The Origins of the Druze Religion |journal=[[Der Islam]] |year=1975 |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=52–65 |doi=10.1515/islm.1975.52.1.47 |s2cid=201807131 |url=https://doi.org/10.1515/islm.1975.52.1.47 |issn=1613-0928 |ref={{harvid|Bryer|1975a}} |url-access=subscription }}</ref> He also added that as a result of this deviation, the Druze faith "seems as different from Islam as Islam is from Christianity or Christianity is from Judaism".<ref name="Bryer 1975 239–262"/> The Druze deify al-Hākim bi-Amr Allāh, attributing to him divine qualities similar to those [[Christians]] attribute to [[Jesus]].<ref name="Mahmut 2023">{{cite journal |last1=Mahmut|first1=R. İbrahim|title=The Christian Influences in Ismaili Thought|journal=The Journal of Iranian Studies|date=2023|volume=7|issue=1|pages=83–99|doi=10.33201/iranian.1199758|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Music==
Apart from the visual arts, several works of classical music use the term in the titles or works or sections.

In [[French Baroque music]] it was an alternative title to [[tombeau]] ("tomb" or "tombstone") for "memorial pieces" for [[chamber music|chamber forces]] to commemorate individuals who were friends or patrons.  [[François Couperin]] wrote two pieces titled as apotheoses, one for [[Arcangelo Corelli]] (''Le Parnasse, ou L'Apothéose de Corelli''), and one for [[Jean Baptiste Lully]] (''[[L'Apothéose de Lully]]''), whose movements have titles such as ''Enlévement de Lully au Parnasse'' ("The raising of Lully to Parnassus").<ref>{{cite web |last=Rogers|first=Curtis |title=François Couperin – ''L'Apothéose de Lully'' & ''Leçons de ténèbres'' – Arcangelo & Jonathan Cohen [Hyperion] |url=https://www.classicalsource.com/cd/francois-couperin-lapotheose-de-lully-lecons-de-tenebres-arcangelo-jonathan-cohen-hyperion/ |website=Classical Source |date=July 2017}}</ref>

In [[Romantic music]], apotheosis sections usually contain the appearance of a theme in grand or exalted form, typically as a finale. The term is especially associated with the symphonic works of [[Franz Liszt]], where "the main theme, which may by and large be considered as characterizing the hero, is presented in its constituent elements blown up beyond all proportions and, because it is typically slowed down tremendously, is split up into smaller segments".<ref>Rehding, 48-52, 49 quoted</ref>  Such a treatment has often been seen by 20th-century critics as "vacuous bombast".<ref>Rehding, 52</ref>

[[Richard Wagner]] famously used the term metaphorically in describing [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)|Seventh Symphony]] as "the apotheosis of the dance".

[[Hector Berlioz]] used "Apotheose" as the title of the final movement of his ''[[Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale]]'', a work composed in 1846 for the dedication of a monument to France's war dead. Two of  [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s ballets, ''[[The Sleeping Beauty (ballet)|The Sleeping Beauty]]'' and ''[[The Nutcracker]]'', contain apotheoses as finales; the same is true of [[Ludwig Minkus]]'s ''[[La Bayadère]]''. [[Igor Stravinsky]] composed two ballets, ''[[Apollo (ballet)|Apollo]]'' and ''[[Orpheus (ballet)|Orpheus]]'', which both contain episodes entitled "Apotheose". The concluding tableau of [[Maurice Ravel]]'s ''[[Ma mère l'Oye]]'' is also titled  "Apotheose." Czech composer [[Karel Husa]], concerned in 1970 about arms proliferation and environmental deterioration, named his musical response ''Apotheosis for This Earth''. [[Aram Khachaturian]] entitled a segment of his ballet ''[[Spartacus (ballet)|Spartacus]]'' "Sunrise and Apotheosis."

==Poetry==
[[Samuel Menashe]] (1925–2011) wrote a poem entitled ''Apotheosis,'' as did [[Barbara Kingsolver]]. [[Emily Dickinson]] (1830–1886) wrote ''Love, Poem 18: Apotheosis.'' The poet [[Dejan Stojanović]]'s ''Dancing of Sounds'' contains the line, "Art is apotheosis." [[Paul Laurence Dunbar]] wrote a poem entitled ''Love's Apotheosis.'' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] wrote a poem entitled "The Apotheosis, or the Snow-Drop" in 1787.

[[Parody|Parodic]] Apotheoses include the conclusion of [[Alexander Pope]]'s [[mock heroic]] ''[[The Rape of the Lock]]'', where the lock of hair that has caused the dispute rises to the heavens:<ref>Canto V</ref>

{{poemquote|The Lock, obtain'd with Guilt, and kept with Pain,
In ev'ry place is sought, but sought in vain: ...
But trust the Muse; she saw it upward rise,
Tho' mark'd by none but quick Poetick Eyes:
(So Rome's [[Romulus|great Founder]] to the Heav'ns withdrew,
To [[Proculus Julius|Proculus]] alone confess'd in View.)
A sudden Star, it shot thro' liquid Air,
And drew behind a radiant Trail of Hair.
Not [[Berenice II of Egypt|Berenice]]'s Locks first rose so bright,
The Skies bespangling with dishevel'd Light.
The Sylphs behold it kindling as it flies,
And pleas'd pursue its Progress thro' the Skies.}}

==Anthropolatry==
Anthropolatry is the deification and worship of humans.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthropolatry#:~:text=Definition%20of%20anthropolatry,human%20%3A%20deification%20of%20a%20human | title=Definition of ANTHROPOLATRY }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fPerDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22anthropotheism%22+%22deification%22&pg=PA70 |title=Deification in Russian Religious Thought: Between the Revolutions, 1905-1917 - Ruth Coates - Google Books |date= 12 September 2019|isbn=978-0-19-883623-0 |accessdate=2022-10-04|last1=Coates |first1=Ruth |publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> It was practiced in ancient Japan towards their emperors.<ref name="Authors 2021 p. 1-PA22">{{cite book | last=Authors | first=V. | title=RLE: Japan Mini-Set F: Philosophy and Religion (4 vols) | publisher=Taylor & Francis | series=Routledge Library Editions: Japan | year=2021 | isbn=978-1-136-90356-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEIiEAAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA22 | access-date=2023-02-17 | page=1-PA22}}</ref> Followers of [[Socinianism]] were later accused of practicing anthropolatry.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jf1iAAAAcAAJ&dq=anthropolatry&pg=PA27 | title=Look unto Jesus: Or, an Ascent to the Holy Mount, to see Jesus Christ in his glory ... At the end is an Appendix, shewing the certainty of the calling of the Jews. &#91;To which is added a work in MS. By the author, entitled: "A Taste of the everlasting feast," etc.&#93; | year=1663 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6CcJAAAAQAAJ&dq=anthropolatry&pg=PA417 | title=Athenae Britannicae, or, A Critical History of the Oxford and Cambridge Writers and Writings | year=1716 | publisher=For the author }}</ref> Anthropologist [[Ludwig Feuerbach]] professed a religion to worship all human beings while [[Auguste Comte]] venerated only individuals who made positive contributions and excluded those who did not.<ref name="Wood 2010 p. 137">{{cite book | last=Wood | first=S.K. | title=Spiritual Exegesis and the Church in the Theology of Henri de Lubac | publisher=Wipf & Stock Publishers | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-60899-881-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wMtMAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA137 | access-date=2023-02-15 | page=137}}</ref><ref name="De Marco Wiker 2016 p. 78">{{cite book | last1=De Marco | first1=D. | last2=Wiker | first2=B. | title=Architects of the Culture of Death | publisher=Ignatius Press | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-68149-043-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1d4DQAAQBAJ&pg=PT78 | access-date=2023-02-15 | page=78}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=guc0VRkSly8C&dq=anthropolatry&pg=PA20 |title=Darwin, Carlyle, and Dickens, with Other Essays - Samuel Davey - Google Books |accessdate=2022-10-04|last1=Davey |first1=Samuel |year=1876 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Div col}}
* [[Amaterasu]]
* [[Charismatic authority]]
* [[Cult of personality]]
* [[Celebrity worship syndrome]]
* [[Euhemerus]]
* [[God complex]]
* [[Incarnation]]
* [[James Frazer]]<!--Alphabetized by surname-->, ''[[The Golden Bough]]''
* [[Robert Graves]]<!--Alphabetized by surname-->, ''[[The White Goddess]]''
* [[Hirohito]]
* [[Idolatry]]
* [[List of people who have been considered deities]]
* [[Religion in ancient Rome]]
* [[Sacred king]]
* [[Edward Burnett Tylor]]<!--Alphabetized by surname-->
* [[Veneration of the dead]]{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
*James Hall, ''A History of Ideas and Images in Italian Art'', 1983, John Murray, London, {{ISBN|0719539714}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Apotheosis|volume=2|pages=206–207|first=Richard|last=Garnett|author-link=Richard Garnett (writer)|first2=Robert|last2=Mackintosh}}
*Rehding, Alexander, ''Music and Monumentality: Commemoration and Wonderment in Nineteenth Century Germany'', 2009, Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780199736652, [https://books.google.com/books?id=K9gCJuybHLEC&pg=PA52 google books]
*"Smith and Wayte": ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'', by William Smith, LLD, William Wayte, and G. E. Marindin, 1890, [[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:entry=apotheosis-cn Online via www.perseus.tufts.edu]

==Further reading==
* Boak, Arthur E.R. "The Theoretical Basis of the Deification of Rulers in Antiquity", in: Classical Journal vol. 11, 1916, pp.&nbsp;293–297.
* Bömer, Franz. "Ahnenkult und Ahnenglaube im alten Rom", Leipzig 1943.
* Burkert, Walter. "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4434752.pdf?seq=1 Caesar und Romulus-Quirinus]", in: Historia vol. 11, 1962, pp.&nbsp;356–376.
* Engels, David. "''Postea dictus est inter deos receptus.'' Wetterzauber und Königsmord: Zu den Hintergründen der Vergöttlichung frührömischer Könige", in: Gymnasium vol 114, 2007, pp.&nbsp;103–130.
* Kalakaua, David. "The Apotheosis of Pele: The Adventures of the Goddess with Kamapuaa" in ''The Legends and Myths of Hawaii''
* King, Stephen. "''The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger''
* Liou-Gille, Bernadette. "Divinisation des morts dans la Rome ancienne", in: Revue Belge de Philologie vol. 71, 1993, pp.&nbsp;107–115.
* Richard, Jean-Claude. "Énée, Romulus, César et les funérailles impériales", in:''[[Mélanges de l'École française de Rome]]'' vol. 78, 1966, pp.&nbsp;67–78.
* Subin, Anna Della. ''[[Accidental Gods|Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine]]'', Metropolitan Books, 2021.
* Cook, John Granger. Empty Tomb, Resurrection, Apotheosis. Germany, Mohr Siebeck, 2018.

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Divinization}}
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d7l9 'Living with Gods': BBC Four Thought talk with Anna Della Subin, author of ''Accidental Gods'', 16 January 2020]
* Seneca's [http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=40298 ''Apocolocyntosis''] at Project Gutenberg
* François Couperin. [http://imslp.org/wiki/L'Apothéose_de_Corelli_(Couperin%2C_François) "L'Apothéose de Corelli"] and [http://imslp.org/wiki/L'Apothéose_de_Lully_(Couperin%2C_François) "L'Apothéose de Lully"] at IMSLP

[[Category:Apotheosis| ]]
[[Category:Ancient Roman religion]]
[[Category:Divinity]]
[[Category:Metamorphosis in folklore]]
[[Category:Glory (honor)]]