What does anthropopathism mean?
Anthropopathism is the attribution of human emotions, feelings, or passions to beings or things that are not human — most commonly to God, but also to animals, natural forces, or abstract entities. The word is used primarily in theology and philosophy of religion, where it names a long-standing problem: sacred texts frequently describe God as angry, loving, jealous, or grieved, yet many traditions hold that a transcendent deity cannot literally experience such emotions. Scholars who speak of anthropopathism therefore treat these descriptions as figurative accommodations to human understanding. The term is closely related to anthropomorphism, which attributes human form or characteristics more generally, with anthropopathism narrowing the focus specifically to emotion. In literary criticism it can describe the practice of lending human feeling to nature or objects. Though rare outside academic writing, it is a precise and useful term for anyone thinking carefully about how language projects human inner life onto the world beyond it.
nounThe attribution of human feelings, emotions, or passions to a non-human being or object, especially to God, animals, or natural forces. It is most often discussed in theology and philosophy as the counterpart of anthropomorphism.
- The attribution of human emotions or passions to God, especially in theological discussions of how divine feelings described in scripture should be understood.
- More broadly, the attribution of human feelings to any non-human entity, such as animals, nature, or abstract forces.
"Early theologians warned against anthropopathism, insisting that God's love and anger should not be read as human emotions."
"Critics of literal biblical interpretation argued that passages depicting divine wrath were instances of anthropopathism rather than descriptions of God's actual emotional states."
"The novelist's anthropopathism was evident in her portrayal of the storm as grieving over the ruined village."
The plural is rare, appearing mainly when different instances or types of emotional attribution are being compared across texts or traditions.
"The study catalogued various anthropopathisms found across early rabbinic literature."
When ancient writers said God was 'angry' or 'jealous', philosophers called it anthropopathism — the admission that we can only describe the divine using our own emotional vocabulary.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anthropopathism
Anthropopathism derives from Greek roots: 'anthrōpos' meaning 'human being' and 'pathos' meaning 'feeling' or 'emotion', combined to mean 'human-feeling'. The compound entered scholarly Latin and then modern European languages, becoming established in English theological vocabulary around the seventeenth century as debates about divine impassibility intensified. It shares its Greek roots with words such as anthropology, pathos, sympathy, and empathy, all of which preserve either the 'human' or the 'feeling' element of the original components.
Related word forms
How anthropopathism is actually used
Anthropopathism is a technical term used chiefly in theology, philosophy of religion, and literary criticism. It is rarer than its sibling term anthropomorphism and is typically encountered in scholarly rather than everyday contexts. The term carries no strong positive or negative connotation on its own; whether it is treated as an error or an unavoidable feature of religious language depends on the writer's theological stance.
Easily confused with anthropopathism
Anthropomorphism attributes human form or characteristics to non-humans, while anthropopathism specifically attributes human emotions and feelings.
Theopathy refers to religious emotion or feeling inspired by the divine in humans, whereas anthropopathism projects human emotions onto the divine.