Apotheosis

Apotheosis is a noun describing the elevation of a person to divine status or the highest example or culmination of something. The word comes from Greek apotheosis, from the verb apotheoun, meaning to deify, itself built from apo- “away” and theos “god.” In broader use, it can refer to a work of art, literature, or rhetoric that presents a subject as godlike or supreme.

In religious contexts, apotheosis relates to deification, the process by which a person is regarded as a god. In ancient Rome, emperors could be officially proclaimed divine after death and incorporated into the imperial cult. In Christian theology, the related concept of theosis (divinization) describes a transformative union with the divine, rather than turning a person into a god; apotheosis as a formal act is uncommon in mainstream Christian practice.

In secular usage, apotheosis often denotes the pinnacle or quintessential form of something, or the act of elevating a person to near-ideal or heroic status. The term is common in criticism and rhetoric when praising or mythologizing a figure, and it can imply both genuine reverence and satirical exaggeration. In art and literature, apotheosis describes works that dramatize ascent to godliness or present a subject as the epitome of virtue or greatness. A famous example in American symbolism is the Apotheosis of Washington, a fresco in the Capitol Rotunda that portrays George Washington ascending to divine-like status.

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