Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. V, 1950 Non-Christian religions Particular topics

Henotheism (Catenotheism)

ENOTEISMO (CATENOTEISMO)

By the editors

Italian original Cite

Also known as: Kathenotheism

HENOTHEISM (CATENOTHEISM). - It is the first stage of the idea of God according to Max Müller, "according to which the deity momentarily present to the religious consciousness is considered and invoked as the only (and supreme) one at that moment" (Schmidt).

This attitude, which Max Müller found particularly in the Vedic hymns but which can conversely also be observed in other ancient religions such as the Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, etc., "does not represent either a stable and well-defined form or category of the idea of God, but is rather referable to the world of intermittent and fluctuating religious experience" (Pettazzoni), for which reason it remains an intermediate sentiment that excludes both an affirmation of monotheism and a negation of polytheism.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: R. Pettazzoni, s. v. in Enc. Ital., XIV (1932), p. 4; W. Schmidt, Manuale di storia comparata delle religioni, 3rd ed., Brescia 1945, p. 51 ff.

About this entry

By the editors

How we know editorial (asterisk)

Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. V (1950), col. 365.

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Chicago

“Enoteismo (Catenoteismo).” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. V, col. 365. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1950. https://azioneromana.com/article/enoteismo-catenoteismo.

MLA

“Enoteismo (Catenoteismo).” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. V, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1950, col. 365. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/enoteismo-catenoteismo.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec5_enoteismo_catenoteismo,
  author    = {Redazione},
  title     = {Enoteismo (Catenoteismo)},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {V},
  pages     = {365},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1950},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/enoteismo-catenoteismo}
}

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