"Polytheism" and "Monotheism" the same?

[Azakel]

Originally Posted by gnostic

Some polytheistic religions are essentially monotheistic in nature.

For example, some people would just worship one god of the many available to them. There are whole pantheon of deities, but some may choose to worship only one of these, and all their dedication and offering to a single deity, and ignored the rest, eg. Artemis. This would make a person or group of people technically "monotheist".

I would call that more henopolytheism then technically "Monotheist". Monotheist is the believe that there is only one god, not just the worship of one god.

[Azakel]

Originally Posted by Storm

No, that would be a henotheist.

I didn't see your post before I post main. Basically saying the same thing.

[Riverwolf]

I'd never heard of henotheism. That's probably what my sources meant.

But keep in mind, there's no way for us to know what those ancient people thought as there are very few surviving written accounts, and essentially none that explain the religions at the time.

[Storm]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

I'd never heard of henotheism. That's probably what my sources meant.

But keep in mind, there's no way for us to know what those ancient people thought as there are very few surviving written accounts, and essentially none that explain the religions at the time.

Which is a very good reason not to assume they were monotheistic, don't you think?

[Riverwolf]

Guess not. In The Devil: A Biography, the writer says that the pantheon of gods in old polytheistic religions of the middle-east were manifestations of a single entity. I know the Greek gods weren't like that, and I don't know about the Northern European mythologies. I'm only offering a possibility based on some new knowledge.

[Mike182]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

I'd never heard of henotheism. That's probably what my sources meant.

But keep in mind, there's no way for us to know what those ancient people thought as there are very few surviving written accounts, and essentially none that explain the religions at the time.

that depends entirely upon how far back in time you want to talk.

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by Mike182

that depends entirely upon how far back in time you want to talk.

I'm talking the time when the only people who knew how to write were the Mesopotamians and Egyptians.

[gnostic]

Originally Posted by storm

No, that would be a henotheist.

Ah. So there's a name for this sort of believer.

I don't think I have come across this label before, so I am learning a little of something tonight.

Tonight?

Oh my goodness. It's late.

Goodnite, storm. A little "frubals" to you.

[Paraprakrti]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

I've recently learned that the old "polytheistic" religions did, in fact, worship a single god. This god was represented by different persona, leading to the misinterpreted worship of multiple gods. This isn't my own belief, but I offer a possibility: what if all the other religions before the Abrahamic ones worshiped YHWH already, and Abraham and his followers simply offered a new way to do it?

It's late so forgive me if I'm not very clear.

My sources of information are The Devil: A Biography by Peter Stanford, and A History of God by Karen Armstrong.

If the many Gods in what we're calling polytheism each constitute the Supreme Being, then yes, polytheism and monotheism are one and the same.

I would be really interested to see some citations from those sources that explain how the old polytheistic religions worshipped a single, supreme being. If you don't mind.