What does anthropolatry mean?
Anthropolatry is the worship of human beings — the treatment of a person, whether a living ruler, a revered ancestor, or humanity itself, as an object of religious adoration. The word combines the Greek anthropos ('human being') with latreia ('service' or 'worship'), and it entered English scholarly vocabulary in the seventeenth century, largely through theological polemic. Historically, it describes phenomena such as the imperial cult of ancient Rome, in which emperors received sacrifices and temple honours, and the deification of heroes and ancestors in various cultures. In modern usage the term appears mainly in academic discussions of religion, history, and philosophy, and it often carries a critical edge: writers invoke it to condemn what they see as excessive veneration of charismatic leaders or celebrities — the 'cult of personality'. Precise and evocative, anthropolatry offers a compact way to name the very human tendency to make gods of ourselves.
nounAnthropolatry is the worship of human beings; the veneration or adoration of a person or of humanity as divine.
- The religious worship or adoration of human beings, whether living rulers, dead ancestors, or humanity in general.
"The emperor's court practised anthropolatry, offering sacrifices before his statue as though he were a god."
"Roman emperors from Augustus onward were objects of anthropolatry in the eastern provinces, where temples and cults honoured them as living gods."
"Critics warned that the movement's uncritical reverence for its founder had slid into outright anthropolatry."
Rarely pluralised; when it is, the plural typically refers to multiple distinct instances or traditions of human worship across cultures or eras.
"Historians compared the anthropolatries of the Roman imperial cult and the pharaoh cults of Egypt."
The word for worshipping humans literally contains 'man' (anthropos) plus 'worship' (latreia) — ancient critics coined it to accuse rival religions of putting people on pedestals where gods belonged.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anthropolatry
Anthropolatry derives from the Greek anthropos, meaning 'human being', combined with latreia, meaning 'service' or 'worship', the same root that gives us the '-latry' ending in words like idolatry and bibliolatry. The compound was formed within Greek Christian theological vocabulary, where writers used it to criticise practices they regarded as misdirected worship. It passed into English in the early modern period, appearing in seventeenth-century religious and scholarly texts, and has remained a specialised term of theology and the history of religion ever since.
How anthropolatry is actually used
A learned, technical term drawn from theological and historical writing; it is rare in everyday speech and typically carries a critical or disapproving connotation when used of contemporary figures or movements.
Easily confused with anthropolatry
Anthropomorphism is attributing human traits to non-human things such as gods or animals, whereas anthropolatry is the actual worship of human beings.
Idolatry is the worship of idols or false gods in general, while anthropolatry specifically denotes the worship of human beings.