An Imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor, or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title), are worshiped as messiahs, demigods or deities. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations This article refers to the religious act For the album by Michael W This article is about the concept of a Messiah in religion notably in the Christian Islamic and Jewish traditions The term " demigod " meaning "half-god" is used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always "Cult" here is used to mean "worship," not in the modern pejorative sense. This article discusses cult in the original and typically ancient sense of "religious practice" (cultus This article refers to the religious act For the album by Michael W The cult may be one of personality in the case of a newly arisen Euhemerus figure or one of national identity (e. A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses Mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise Euhemerus (Εὐήμερος (working late fourth century BC was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedon. g. Ethiopian Empire or Empire of Japan) or supranational identity in the case of a multi-ethnic state (e. The Ethiopian Empire, also known as Abyssinia, was in what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku g. Imperial Era China, Roman Empire). Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial
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Historical
Ancient China
In ancient China, an emperor was considered the Son of Heaven. Chinese sovereign is the ruler of a particular period in ancient China. Religion in China has been characterized by Pluralism since the beginning of Chinese history. Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era The Emperor of China ( refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of The Emperor of China ( refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of The scion and representative of heaven on earth, he was the ruler of all under heaven, the bearer of the Mandate of Heaven, his commands considered sacred edicts. All under heaven, or literally "heaven under" ( is a phrase in the Chinese language and a cultural concept in China. The Mandate of Heaven (天命 Pīnyīn: Tiānmìng is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers A number of legendary figures preceding the proper imperial age of China also hold the honorific title of emperor, such as the Yellow Emperor and the Jade Emperor. Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor, is a Legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero who is considered in Chinese mythology to be the The Jade Emperor ( or 玉帝 Yù Dì) is the Taoist ruler of Heaven and all realms of existence below including that of Man and Hell
Ancient Egypt
The Ancient Egyptian male Pharaohs were believed to be incarnations of the god Horus, derived by being the son of the sun deity, Hathor (or later, Isis), or the sky deity, Nut. Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now In Egyptian mythology, Hathor (Pronounced Hah-Thor ( Egyptian for house of Horus) was originally a personification of the Milky Way In the Ennead Mythology, Nut (alternatively spelled Nuit, Newet and Neuth was the goddess of the Sky. Pharaohs, both female and male, traced their lineage directly through the matrilineality of the royal women. Matrilineality is a system in which lineage is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors Some women who were Pharaoh, such as Hatshepsut, went to great lengths to trace their lineage to the most ancient of goddesses, such as Mut. Hatshepsut (or Hatchepsut, hætˈʃɛpsʊt meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies, was the fifth Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Mut, which means mother, was an Ancient Egyptian Mother goddess with multiple aspects that changed over the thousands of years of the culture Egyptian Pharaohs were considered deified only upon their death.
Ancient Rome
In the Roman Empire the Imperial cult was the worship of the Roman emperor as a god. The Imperial cult in Ancient Rome was the worship of a few select emperors as gods once they were deceased the only emperor to The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC This practice began at the start of the Empire under Augustus, and became a prominent element of Roman religion. Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Ancient Roman religion encompasses the collection of Beliefs and Rituals practised in Ancient Rome in the form of Cult practices
The cult spread over the whole Empire within a few decades, more strongly in the east than in the west. It was gradually abandoned when the emperor Constantine I started supporting Christianity. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings
Japan
Before the end of World War II, the Japanese Emperor made similar claims to deity; see:
- Shinto - general article about Japan's religion. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. is the native religion of Japan and was once its State religion.
- Arahitogami - the concept of a god who is a human being applied to Emperor Hirohito, up till the end of World War II. is a Japanese word meaning a kami who is a human being.This word appears first in Kojiki, but is assumed to have been used before this Book. also known as, (April 29 1901 – January 7 1989 was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order reigning from December 25 1926 until his death World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
- Ningen-sengen, the declaration with which Emperor Hirohito, on New Year's Day 1946, (formally) declined claims of divinity, keeping with traditional family values as expressed in the Shinto religion.
See also
- Cult of personality
- Apotheosis
External links
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