G_D INCARNATE, belief central to various religious traditions in which the divine essence manifests in the physical world, representing a bridge between the transcendent and immanent aspects of the divine and signifying a profound connection between the divine and the human.
Most major world religions have evolved doctrinal or mythological accounts of the forms the divine may assume in the world. According to orthodox Christian doctrine, in the Incarnation G_d unites with the human in the form of Jesus Christ, who is considered both fully divine and fully human. And in the doctrine of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit represent three “coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial” persons partaking of the same divine essence. Similarly, the concept of Trimurti in Hinduism represents the three cosmic functions: creation, preservation, and destruction, personified by Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, respectively. When these three deities incarnate in a single avatar, he is known as Dattatreya. And African, Norse, Native American, and Greek mythological narratives are rife with stories of gods and goddesses descending to Earth and influencing events in the mortal realm. For example, Zeus and Odin, the kings of their respective pantheons, were said to have taken human form on several occasions, which often resulted in the birth of demigods like Hercules, while Native American and Yoruba cultures believe in spiritual beings that can assume hybrid animal-human forms to protect their communities and ecosystems. In the Islamic tradition, conversely, the concept of a plurality within G_d is considered a denial of monotheism and thus incompatible with Islamic teachings; Islamic scripture emphasizes the absolute oneness of G_d (tawhid) and considers the idea of associated divinities the equivalent of idolatry (shirk). Islamic prophets are represented as messengers and transmitters of the divine, not as physical incarnations of Allah.
The ancient Greek concept of apotheosis (meaning “to deify”) refers to the process whereby historical individuals who possess exalted status or who manifest extraordinary qualities have been raised to godlike status, whether during their lifetimes or after death. In ancient Egypt, for example, pharaohs were often considered divine or semi-divine beings, either the incarnations of gods or as somehow endowed with divine essence. Their unique role as intermediaries between the gods and the people thus legitimized their rule. And in imperial Rome various emperors were deified after their deaths with temples and cults dedicated to their worship and coins, sculptures, and reliefs depicting him ascending to the heavens and being welcomed by the gods. Similarly, the Japanese imperial family has traditionally been seen as the human ancestors of Amaterasu, the Sun goddess, and in Tibetan Buddhism each successive Dalai Lama is considered a reincarnation of the great Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Haile Selassie I, emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, is revered as a messianic figure within the Rastafari movement that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s; followers believe him to be the returned biblical messiah and regard him as G_d incarnate, or Jah. Apotheosis is even occasionally invoked in modern democracies: in Constatino Brumidi’s fresco “The Apotheosis of Washington” (1865), George Washington is depicted seated among the heavenly host. Incarnations of G_d in the contemporary world have evolved beyond the strictly religious context. To take one twenty-first-century example: Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel American Gods follows the conflict between the old gods of mythology, who have fallen out of favor in modern America, and the new incarnations of divinity—celebrities.