Divinity: Encyclopedia - Divinity

Divinity

"Divinity" has a number of related uses in the field of religious belief and study.

Divinity - Divinity as entity

A divinity, or divine being, is a deity or godlike entity. When used to refer to a single, supreme being, it usually takes the definite article and a capital: the Divinity. Although the term "divinity" is sometimes simply used as a synonym for "god",⁽¹⁾ it is also used to refer to types of entity in (non-Abrahamic) religions who fall between the usual notions of a god and of saints. For example, some branches of Buddhism involve beliefs in beings who are not human, and who have some supernatural status and religious significance, but who do not fall naturally under the concept of a god. ⁽²⁾

Similarly, some societies have considered their human rulers to be divinities (objects of worship, and with a superhuman status), but have been careful to distinguish them from the gods and goddesses of their religions' main pantheons.⁽³⁾

Divinity - Divinity as a property

Divinity is also the nature of a deity, or the status of being such an entity. Thus, there is much discussion in Christian theology of Jesus's divinity — its nature and relationship to the divinity of the Trinity.⁽⁴⁾ In some religious theories, especially those associated with pantheism and with New Age thought, all human beings have divinity, which needs to be brought out by meditation, study, the use of drugs, correct behaviour, etc.⁽⁵⁾

Divinity - Divinity as an academic discipline

In schools and universities, "divinity" is another name for theology, and in some countries, especially in North America, for studies relating to religious ministry. See Bachelor of Divinity, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Divinity.

See also

• List of deities

Divinity - Notes

• 1: See, for example "The Great Stag: A Sumerian Divinity" by Bobula Ida (Yearbook of Ancient and Medieval History 1953)
• 2: Image of a Buddhist divinity from the British Library
• 3: This is sometimes a controversial issue, however; see [1], for example, for a discussion of the status of the japanese emperor.
• 4: See, for example, "The Divinity of Alpha's Jesus" by Peterson & McDonald (Media Spotlight 25:4, 2002)
• 5: See, for example, "Twelve Signs of Your Awakening Divinity" by Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Divinity", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki