The word "apotheosis" is of ancient Greek origin, and it consists of two words. The literal translation is "I turn into a god." The original meaning of the word apotheosis is in the range of concepts of praise, glorification and deification. Most likely, the apotheosis is an Eastern "invention". The evidence can be the history of Egyptian or Chinese dynasties.
Initially, apparently, it was about rituals in which real historical figures were praised, their virtues and positive qualities acquired an exceptional character. Thus, mortal heroes were gradually endowed with superhuman (divine) attributes, it also meant that their existence continued in the afterlife.
Such was the process of the deification of Alexander the Great, whose cult even during his lifetime forced those around him to address him as a descendant of Zeus. In the Roman Empire, after the fall of the Republic, the emperors remembered the Greek covenants and created a number of their own cults. A whole string of emperors hurried to declare themselves the descendants of the gods and actively propagated the worship of themselves. Curiously, the most intelligent of the rulers were still in no hurry to declare themselves gods, butwere content only with honors (Julius Caesar or Octavian Augustus). And, on the contrary, the most unpleasant personalities, without hesitation, declared their divine origin during their lifetime - these are Caligula and Commodus. Still, the citizens understood that their emperors were not quite real gods, like, for example, Jupiter. Their deification was more of an ideological nature and served as an additional connecting thread among the vast and heterogeneous territories, a kind of identification mark marking the territory of the Roman Empire.
One should not think that apotheosis is an anachronism. And today, on completely legal grounds, in many countries they deify and rank as saints real martyrs for their faith. In Catholicism and Orthodoxy, this tradition is known as canonization. In modern life, the apotheosis of leaders is well known to the inhabitants of the former Soviet Union, North Korea, China in the 50-60s of the 20th century.
Apotheosis has been reflected in culture and art. In relation to painting, apotheosis is the image of a hero in the form of a god. A vivid example of such a genre is Vereshchagin's painting "The Apotheosis of War" or Ingres' "The Apotheosis of Napoleon". It is interesting that the first work characterizes the apotheosis in a negative way (as a devastating result of the war). No less curious is the fresco in the Capitol Rotunda - "The Apotheosis of Washington" by Constantino Brumidi in 1865. It was made at the very end of the Civil War and cost over half a million dollars by today's standards. This is a very ambiguous work. On the one hand, George Washington is endowed with the attributesdivine power (purple cloak, stargate in the background, shining rainbow, goddesses and nymphs).
This symbolizes his victorious ascension to the divine heights for his services to the nation. And, at the same time, some researchers note the Masonic trace in the work - a pentacle formed by the heads of the main figures.
Without dismissing the truth of both concepts, we note that it is advisable to treat any work exclusively as an object of art that can delight the viewer with the perfection of composition, plot and forms.
Now you know that apotheosis is a word that can have many different meanings.
