Brett Brazier
The Role of Apotheosis in Religion
How do different religions assess their relationships with the deity or deities that they
worship? What exactly are the main similarities and differences between the Eastern and
Western Religions? What is the role of apotheosis in modern religion if there is one at all?
Apotheosis is the transformation of a human into a deity. The ancient Egyptians and Romans
believed that their Kings were actually gods and underwent an apotheotic transformation. Dan
Brown claims, in The Lost Symbol, that there are hidden meanings in the Bible and that there is
an apotheotic element in all of the major religions. He uses textual evidence from the Bible and
many other religious writings to try and prove his theory. As Peter Solomon states in Dan
Brown’s The Lost Symbol, “We’ve lost the Word, and yet its true meaning is still within reach,
right before our eyes” (Brown, 492). This claim states that “the Word” or apotheosis is “still
within reach” meaning that he believes human kind can become deities. The textual evidence
he uses to prove this, however, is open to interpretation and could have many meanings. A
close look at apotheosis’ role in modern religion reveals that there is a fine line in religion
between becoming divine and having the divine being a part of us. Dr. Clayton Libolt of River
Terrace Church in East Lansing, Michigan addresses this issue within various religions. This
paper establishes a background using primary sources such as the Bible, Siddhartha, and the
Bhagavad Gita.
Religion is manmade. It is our own human interpretation of the goodness of creation.
The various major religions, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, have a vast amount
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of differences between them. All of these religions have doctrines and writings which are open
to interpretation. It seems that all of these religions do have writings that can be taken for
apotheotic; however, there are also interpretations of the same scripture which prove
otherwise. Religious writings will show that there is a difference between transforming into
deities and having the divine be a part of us although it sometimes is difficult to tell the
difference.
Dan Brown states, through his character Peter Solomon, that all of the major religions
are misinterpreting their own scripture and should believe in the idea of apotheosis.
Apotheosis is the rise of man to deity. It was the idea of the Greeks, “that a man by illustrious
deeds can become a god” (Apotheosis, 1). This tradition did not only happen in Greece but in
Egypt and Rome as well. It was “the custom of decreeing divine honours to the (Roman)
emperors” (Apotheosis, 2). This was not real, in the flesh apotheosis, but a custom to “anoint”
the kind a deity. Peter Solomon recalls: “a wise man once told me … the only difference
between you and God is that you have forgotten you are divine” (Lost Symbol, 492). To say
that “you are divine” can open up a vast amount of interpretations and questions. Even if
everyone already is divine these definitions of apotheosis focus on the idea of transformation.
They say that we either “become” divine or are “anointed” as divine but are not born that way.
To truly attain apotheosis, one has to start as a human and undergo a transformation and
become a deity.
The goal in the Hindu tradition is to attain enlightenment or nirvana that is a divine state
of mind. “Hinduism is the oldest religion of all word religions” (Hindu Ideology, 2). The earliest
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beginnings of Hinduism go back to around 2000 B.C. “Hinduism is not a single religion but
embraces many traditions” (Religion and Ethics-Hinduism, 1). Around 1500 B.C., a group called
the Aryans moved south into Iran and west into Europe. The Aryans worshipped many gods,
however, prayed to only one god as if he alone existed which is called kathenotheism. There
concept of the four Vedas which means “knowledge” with the later addition of the Upanishads
comprise the revered Hindu scriptures. The term Upanishad means “a session” where one
would sit at the feet of a master who would then teach one the secret documents. The
comprised documents are known today as the Upanishads. The Upanishads raise the concept
of Brahman which is “in all the objects of ordinary experience, and which constitutes the true
identity of every being” (Burke, 20). This could be understood to mean that since Brahman is
“in all objects,” he is in all humans and through this we are all deities who have gone through
apotheosis. However, the quote does not describe a transformation from human to deity and
because of we cannot be certain it refers to apotheosis. In classical Hinduism, however, the
religion is polytheistic and the idea of the one god to be worshipped was taken by the pair of
Vishnu and Shiva.
Likewise, in classical Hinduism, human pursuits are guided by The Four Ends of Man or
Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. These Four Ends of Man ultimately lead up to the pursuit of
nirvana and a release from this world. Dharma or duty means that a Hindu must first carry out
one’s moral obligations as well as the obligations associated with the stage in one’s life. “To die
in one’s duty is life: to live in another’s is death” (Bhagavad Gita, 59). It is better to die doing
one’s own duty than to live doing someone else’s. An example of one’s duty is a Hindu student
whose primary obligation is to his or her studies. The second or Artha, provides that it is the
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goal of a Hindu to do well financially. This quest for material gain is necessary as long as it is
“regulated by the requirements of duty” (Burke, 32). The third End, Kama, is the search for
pleasure in one’s life. This again is expected to be regulated by one’s duty. The fourth, Moksha,
is the most important of the four and the one to which the wise dedicate the majority of their
actions. It is the Hindu quest to end the continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth and be
spiritually liberated. Moksha is this liberation and enlightenment. The aim of every Hindu is to
attain Moksha and end the cycle. It is said that, “the most important event in the life of a Hindu
is, his or her death” (Hindu Ideology, 1). Through death one can end the cycle and attain
liberation which comes with freedom and enlightenment.
One could understand this liberation and enlightenment as apotheosis since the one
who attained enlightenment would no longer be bound to earth and the cycle. This
enlightenment, however, is more likely read as freedom from the oppression of the cycle and
not a rise to divinity. A Hindu man does not become divine through this enlightenment but
becomes one with the divine:
This is the state of enlightenment in Brahman.
A man does not fall back from it
Into delusion.
Even at the Moment of death
He is alive in that enlightenment:
Brahman and he are one. (Bhagavad Gita, 55)
When a Hindu is released from the everlasting cycle through Moksha, he or she does not
become divine but becomes one with the divine. The goal of every Hindu is not to become a
deity but to attain enlightenment and become one with Brahman. It appears that there are
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places where the idea of apotheosis could arise in Hinduism, however, upon closer inspection it
does not quite seem to fit.
According to the Jewish beliefs, there will be a time when the Jewish people will be
liberated mentally and spiritually and will have a perfect society established just for them. The
Jewish religion was the first to establish ethical monotheism: “The God of the Hebrew people is
just and holy, and demands justice and holiness of men” (Burke, 196). To demand “holiness of
men” could be seen as demanding that men rise as deities. It seems more evident however
that “the God of the Hebrew people” is holding the Jewish people to a different standard than
the rest of mankind. It is said that if the Jewish people carry out the commandments that their
God has given them then He will bless and take care of them. The Jewish people made a
covenant with God, which is basically a legal agreement, through Abraham. This covenant was
then renewed when God spoke to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments. Through
these commandments, “Jews believe that God appointed them to be his chosen people in order
to set an example of holiness and ethical behavior to the world” (Religion and Ethics-Judaism,
1).
The evidence above suggests that the Jews are judged by their acts committed on earth
and are not trying to attain divinity. The use of the phrase “the chosen people”, however, could
raise questions that might lead to the idea of apotheosis. In addition to the Ten
Commandments, there are actually 613 laws that God gave to Moses. The Law of Moses has
been written into five books and these books today compose the Torah. These books are the
“foundation of the Hebrew Bible and have traditionally been considered its most sacred part”
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(Burke, 200). The Torah was then enlarged to include the Talmud. The Talmud is Oral Law
which is said to have been told to Moses by God but did not get written down. This was then
passed down orally for generations until it was added to the Torah because this Oral Tradition
brought a reinterpretation to the Jewish religion. One of these Jewish values brought by the
Talmud is that a single life is valued above anything else. The Talmud states that, “taking a
single life is like destroying an entire world, and saving a life is like saving an entire world”
(Judaism 101, 1). Such importance on a Jew’s life shows that Judaism is a religion of the human
individual.
Although there are many scholars that study the Jewish teaching relentlessly, it is
believed that, “because God is so far above men … there are severe limitations on the extent to
which men can comprehend him” (Burke, 207). Basically, one can study the Jewish Law given by
God but no man can ever come close to completely understanding it. It seems that if humans
cannot understand God then it does not seem probable that they would become deities
themselves. Even though there is such a strong focus on life in the Jewish faith, there is a
definite belief in the afterlife. It is strongly believed that human existence does not end with
death but continues on. Following death, it is said that each Jewish individual will be judged by
God and either punished or rewarded: “In the end the Jewish people will … be liberated by God
… when a descendant of David will establish a perfect society” (Burke, 207). In this “perfect
society,” the Jewish people will be mentally and spiritually liberated where they will be
rewarded as God’s chosen people. Through this liberation, they will have God be a part of
them but not themselves rise up as deities. They are the chosen people and will be just that,
human. It can sometimes be tough to distinguish God as a part of us and becoming Gods,
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however in Judaism it seems that God will simply be a part of His chosen people and that these
people will not transform into deities.
In the Buddhist tradition one can achieve salvation and overcome the trials of one’s life
by renouncing the world and all of its possessions. Thus does one attain nirvana. Buddhism
arose from Hinduism and eventually separated itself as a different religion. This transformation
began with a man called Siddhartha Gautama who “was called by them (his followers) the
“Buddha,” He who is Awake or Enlightened” (Burke, 59). The idea that the Buddha was “Awake
of Enlightened” leads one to believe that he attained nirvana but does not assimilate this
enlightenment with becoming a deity. Siddhartha became a teacher and he attracted many
followers during his lifetime. The Buddha taught “that the worship of gods obstructed one’s
quest for nirvana” (Basics of Buddhism, 1). It is paradoxical that if worshiping of gods
“obstructed one’s quest for nirvana”, that one would become a god through enlightenment.
Siddhartha’s life came to an end around the year 486 B.C. but his message survives on today.
There are two forms of Buddhism, Theravada and Mahayana. Theravada Buddhism
adheres to what the Buddha taught. It is said that “the Buddha’s teachings are essentially
atheistic” (Buddhism, 1). Since the teachings of Buddhism are atheistic it seems unlikely that
followers of Buddhism would seek to become deities. The Buddha believed that “the problem is
that human life is pervaded by suffering” (Burke, 62). This state of sadness or sorrow was
believed to be the cause of human desire: “We suffer because we desire” (Burke, 63). The
majority of humans desire to love and to be loved but love invariably causes us pain. This
attachment to another causes sorrow but the attachment to our own self-centered desire also
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causes suffering. In Buddhism, nirvana literally means extinction. It is the belief of the Buddha
that to attain nirvana one needs to be completely selfless. To be able to complete this task of
extinction, one must follow a path that has eight strands. The strands are not steps to be built
on or stages to carry out but a way of life with certain elements to be observed simultaneously
in everyday life. The daily practice of good conduct is guided by the Ten Precepts and the
Eightfold Path. The Ten Precepts are, “do not: destroy life, steal, commit adultery, tell lies, take
intoxicants, eat at forbidden times; dance … or act on stage, use perfumes or jewelry, use a
high or broad bed, receive gold of silver” (Burke, 65). By embracing these laws one is able to
then look toward the path of enlightenment. Since it is hard for lay people to observe the last
five of the Precepts, only the Sangha or the Buddhist communities of monks observe all ten
Precepts. Along with the Ten Precepts, all Buddhists believe in the Three Jewels. The Three
Jewels are, “I take refuge in the: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha” (Burke, 66). In Buddhism, dharma
literally means the teachings that were given by the Buddha.
Mahayana Buddhism does not focus as much on what the Buddha taught but how he
lived his life and the acts he performed. There are two forms of Mahayana Buddhism,
meditational and devotional which do not work against each other but work together. Like
Theravada, there is a belief in existence being sorrowful and that there is a path that will lead to
the extinguishing of desire and in turn sadness. However, Mahayana developed the idea of the
bodhisattva. This term literally means, “Enlightenment Being, a being whose essence is bent on
attaining enlightenment” (Burke, 70). This term is applied to anyone who has thoroughly
pursued the path to enlightenment. The idea of “enlightenment” can be understood as
becoming a deity, but it is more likely a man’s release from sorrow in this world. A bodhisattva
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literally denies nirvana or enlightenment so that he or she can help lead others to nirvana as
well. By committing the act of denying enlightenment, one becomes completely selfless and
attains nirvana. To the Mahayana, nirvana is not leaving the world but experiencing the world
without attachment and helping others to do the same. By releasing oneself from the sorrow
of this world it is hard to believe that anyone could become a deity through this process
especially when the Buddha himself believed there are no deities. In the novel Siddhartha, it
states “never is a man wholly a saint or a sinner” (Siddhartha, 143). It seems difficult to believe
that if a man is never “wholly a saint” that they can ever become a deity.
In the Christian tradition, one’s sins are forgiven and promised eternal salvation in
heaven through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as his or her savior. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew
whom Christians consider to be the son of God. Jesus is believed to be “the Savior of mankind
by his death and resurrection” (Burke, 297). Though Jesus was sinless, it is said that he died on
the cross for the sins of mankind. It is the Christian belief that “Jesus was both truly God and
truly man” (Burke, 306). To be “truly God and truly man” embodies an apotheotic element. To
Christians, Christ did not become a deity for he was already a deity. He was a deity born as a
human in order to die for human kind.
To become a Christian, one must be baptized. Baptism is a repentance of one’s sins
through the washing of one’s body with water, usually done in front of the congregation of a
church to welcome one as a part of the church community. Once baptized, they are allowed to
take part in Holy Communion. Taking part in Holy Communion, otherwise known as the
Eucharist, means that one eats the bread and drinks the wine which has undergone
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transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is the transformation of the bread and wine into the
body and blood of Christ. This act could be seen as eating flesh and drinking blood in some way
to become a deity, but it is actually done to nourish and keep the soul strong in order to
continue the pursuit of God. It is said that “salvation is not by works but by (God’s) grace”
(Roman Catholic, 1). To be saved is understood to mean that after death your soul will go to
heaven. Christians believe that there will be some kind of judgment after one dies where God
will decide whether you will go to heaven or hell. If one has accepted Jesus into his or her life,
then they will go to heaven. If they have not then they will go to hell: “The bible says that there
are two very different outcomes for eternal life: heaven and hell” (What is Christianity, 1). One
could say that “eternal life” is a basis for a deity and through death a human could rise as a
deity. It is more likely, however, that upon death a person’s soul is granted “eternal life” in
“heaven” where he or she will worship and praise the deity that allowed them to be in heaven.
Biblical scripture can be interpreted in many ways but one interpretation may lead to
many more interpretations. People have been studying the Bible for thousands of years and
many interpretations of scripture have appeared. It is not always easy for the untrained eye to
be able to pick up on certain biblical interpretations. The meaning of one passage could be
understood in one way by one person and could be understood in a completely different way
by another. The character Peter Solomon quotes the Bible: “Know ye not that ye are
gods?”(Lost Symbol, 492). Peter is trying to establish that apotheosis exists in Christianity.
However, if you look at the entire biblical scripture it states, “you are “gods”; you are all sons of
the Most High. But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler” (Bible, 881).
Dr. Clayton Libolt asks the question, “Do gods die?” (Libolt, 1) He goes on to explain that most
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interpretation of this psalm is that “the “gods” are the rulers of ancient nations who often
claimed divinity. They are not actually divine, which is the whole point of the psalm” (Libolt, 2).
This interpretation is the antithesis of apotheosis and actually proves that the “rulers of ancient
nations” were actually not deities but just human. When one continues on in reading scripture,
Peter 1:4 states, “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that
through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world”
(Bible, 1939). According to Dr. Libolt “This is the passage that comes closest to apotheosis in
the New Testament.” He continues saying, however, that if one reads carefully one sees that to
share or to “participate in the divine nature” is a “moral transformation accompanied by
eternal life” (Libolt, 3). It seems that there is a difference between having God within us and
transforming to divinity. “To have God within us does not make us divine. We remain fully
human … To have God in us is to exist in a certain kind of relationship with God” (Libolt, 4).
It seems that in all of the major religions covered: Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and
Christianity, one can interpret the beliefs of each, especially relating to divinity and apotheosis,
differently. In each of the traditions, some interpretations of the religious writings open the
possibility for apotheosis. This may be using scripture to support a pre-existent belief. It seems
that through many interpretations an individual will find what they want. If a person believes in
apotheosis then the person will do what they can to find text to support their beliefs. In
Buddhism alone, there are two major sects (Theravada and Mahayana) that have many
different beliefs about the same religion. It seems doubtful that anyone will ever be able to
prove that there is or that there is not apotheosis in religion. What Dan Brown has done is take
a leap of faith and believe.
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