Benin

The polytheism indicates a religious system in which coexist several Gods. The religions answering in first approach this criterion are too numerous since antiquity until our days to be enumerated. The term, born as a whole judéo - Christian to distinguish some from the religions often badly known, constitutes a convenient qualifier for a broad and not very precise classification, but watch its limits at the time of the more thorough studies.

The study of the religions indeed highlighted several types of possible relations between the various gods in the various systems polytheists, and the multiplicity of the recipients of the worship in certain forms of monotheism (worship of the Saint S, prayers with the dead marabout S etc), calling in question traditional classifications polytheism/monotheism/dualism. More precise concepts like the Monolâtrie (belief in the existence of several gods but worship returned exclusively to the one of them) or the Hénothéisme (there exists a supreme god above the other gods, sometimes considered as its demonstrations) appeared. The terms polytheist and monotheist remain marked of a connotation of inferiority for the first and superiority for the second which influence their employment.

Origin of the term

The term, which comes from the Greek poly (many) and theoi (gods), was invented by the Jewish author Philon of Alexandria (-12 ~ 54) to argue with the Greek . During the expansion of Christianity around the Mediterranean basin and in Europe, the /non-juifs not-Christians were simply called Gentil S (term used originally by the Jews to designate non the Jews) or pagan S (people of the country), or, in a clearly pejorative way, idolâtres (admirers of “false” gods). Jean Bodin would have started again the use of the polytheist term in 1580. It is thus about a definition born in a particular ideological context testifying to a simple and dualistic vision opposing the belief in a single god thus true to the belief in several inevitably false gods.

Aspects of the polytheism

They are varied because each system polytheist is with his manner, and can include/understand subsystems in which the interpretation of the gods and their relations differ. In addition, certain religions are more accessible only by not easily interpretable archaeological traces, literary Mythe S and texts (epopee etc). However the place of a god in a myth or a work as the Odyssée does not reflect exactly its place in the worship.

In the systems polytheists, there is division of the fields of influence or competence between the gods. This division can be territorial (god from which the capacity extends on a limited territory), ethnic or professional (qualified god only for one clan or an occupational class), or other (god controlling a natural phenomenon, in addition to-falls it, marriages etc). Nevertheless, there is tendency to the office plurality of several functions by certain important gods; the divinity cumulatrice can not be the same one for various human groups belonging to the same religious unit, certain gods being the subject of local preferences, for example.

One in general lends to the various gods relations of type the family or social (subordinate/hierarchically superior). The whole of the gods of a religion is called the Pantheon (of the Greek side “all” and theos “gods”). These let us panthéons can present alternatives; it is not rare that groups having the same gods do not lend the same relations exactly to them. They are not solidified, being able to accommodate new divinities or to admit a redefinition of the relationship between gods.

Often there exists a higher entity more rarely called upon than the popular gods, who can be the highest divinity of the Pantheon, like the god Nzambi in the African religion of the Lunda S, or a more abstract entity, like the Sky of the Chinese religion.

Sight of the monotheisms on the polytheisms

The polytheism is a term which can be ambiguous. For example, contrary to the Western traditional sights, the Hindouisme is defined by its followers neither like polytheist nor like monotheist, but like henotheist or even panentheist. The Moslems regard the polytheism as a Péché named Shirk and have precise criteria to define it. For this reason, they regard the Christians as polytheists of the fact, amongst other things, of their belief in the Trinité, whereas the latter do not regard this concept as incompatible with the monotheism.

List religions polytheists

Some religions polytheists (in the broad sense); some of these religions or some their interpretations can also be described as dualistic Moniste, or Panthéiste:

The popular qualification of “religion polytheist” of ancient Egypt is called into question according to the current Egyptologists who see a polymorphic monotheism there (only one God introduced under various aspects according to its interaction with the world).

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