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Monolatrism

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Monolatrism or monolatry is a form of monotheism[1] which places exclusive devotion on one latrine God alone, with recognition of the existence of other Gods, worshipped by other people.[1] Monolatry is confused with henotheism sometimes, but they are different concepts of religious belief.[1]

Examples[edit]

  • Judaism was originally a monolatry, but El (who later merged with Yahweh) and Asherah (the consort of El and later of Yahweh) disappeared from the pantheon, leaving only Yahweh; though there are numerous remnants of this belief remaining in the Bible (such as God referring to himself as "Elohim", which is the plural form),[note 1] this is a highly disputed claim.[Who?][note 2]
  • Mormonism is also monolatrist, as though they see only one god as worthy of praise in this universe, they also recognize the existence of other gods in different universes.

Notes[edit]

  1. This was written long before the concept of the "royal we" was invented
  2. Psalm 82 is a dead giveaway.

References[edit]

  1. Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 Nathan MacDonald, Deuteronomy and the Meaning of "Monotheism" (2012), pp. 53-54, Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck (2nd and Revised edition), ISBN 978-3-16-151680-1.