Definition of henotheism
:the worship of one god without denying the existence of other gods
What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
henotheism was our Word of the Day on 11/24/2015. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Did You Know?
Henotheism comes to us from the German word Henotheismus, which in turn is derived from Greek hen- ("one") and "theos" ("god"). Someone who engages in henotheism worships one god but does not deny that there are others. Max Müller, a respected 19th-century scholar, is credited with promoting the word henotheism as a counterpart to "polytheism" ("belief in or worship of more than one god") and "monotheism" ("the doctrine or belief that there is but one God"). Müller also used the related word kathenotheism, from Greek kath' hena ("one at a time"), for the worship of several gods successively.
Origin and Etymology of henotheism
Other Philosophy Terms
Learn More about henotheism
-
Britannica English: Translation of henotheism for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about henotheism
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up henotheism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
