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apotheosis |
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apotheosis (əpŏth'ēō`sĭs), the act of raising a person who has died to the rank of a god. Historically, it was most important during the later Roman Empire. In an emperor's lifetime his genius was worshiped, but after he died he was often solemnly enrolled as one of the gods to be publicly adored. Apotheosis is closely related to ancestor worship ancestor worship, ritualized propitiation and invocation of dead kin. Ancestor worship is based on the belief that the spirits of the dead continue to dwell in the natural world and have the power to influence the fortune and fate of the living. ..... Click the link for more information. . apotheosisElevation to the status of a god. The term recognizes that some individuals cross the dividing line between human and divine. Ancient Greek religion was disposed to belief in heroes and demigods, and historical figures were sometimes worshiped as gods. Until the end of the republic the Romans accepted only one apotheosis, identifying the god Quirinus with Romulus. The emperor Augustus ordered Julius Caesar recognized as a god and thus began a tradition of deifying emperors. |
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| How strange was this miracle of fame, I pondered, this strange apotheosis by which a mere private name becomes a public symbol The apotheosis was worthy of these three heroes whom fable would have placed in the rank of demigods. A woman, in an atmosphere of red-hot enthusiasm, witnesses the apotheosis of Physical Strength. |
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apotheosis
