henotheism

noun

heno·​the·​ism ˈhe-nə-(ˌ)thē-ˌi-zəm 

: the worship of one god without denying the existence of other gods

henotheist

ˈhe-nə-ˌthē-ist 

noun

henotheistic

ˌhe-nə-thē-ˈi-stik 

adjective

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.

Examples of henotheism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And while there were plenty of henotheist pagans (that is, people who worshiped one god while not denying the validity of others), Christianity went far beyond henotheism’s hesitant claim upon ultimate truth. —Tom Bissell, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

German Henotheismus, from Greek hen-, heis one + theos god — more at same

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

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