RLB527 Becoming God: Deification Throughout History

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2018
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Nickolas Roubekas (lecturer), Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Zbíral, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Šárka Londa Vondráčková
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 26. 2. 14:10–17:25 U36, Mon 5. 3. 14:10–17:25 U36, Mon 12. 3. 14:10–17:25 U36, Mon 19. 3. 14:10–17:25 U36, Mon 26. 3. 14:10–17:25 U36
Prerequisites (in Czech)
RLA01 Introduction to Religion || RLKA01 Introduction to Religion
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 1/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
From Pythagoras and the Egyptian Pharaons to Jesus Christ, and from the Buddha to the Japanese Emperor, human civilisation is full of cases of deification of individuals who would normally be seen as mere humans. The course will examine the processes, motivations, structures, and ideologies behind these phenomena of deification as well as assess the persuasiveness of such politics.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will:
acquire knowledge of what constitutes ‘deification’, and how can be studied in a comparative context;
acquire knowledge of the different myths, stories, and ritual deification practices of different cultures, across time and space;
be able to identify the different and complex nature of the deification traditions;
be able to compare this vivid religious and political institution from antiquity to the modern times.
Syllabus
  • Deification, or apotheosis, is a very popular phenomenon across many cultures and traditions. Human history is replete with examples of deified individuals either as a result of their power or due to some special abilities. The course will examine certain examples from different cultural contexts, including posthumous deification and self-deification of individuals, in an array of ancient and modern understandings of the phenomenon: from Ancient Greece and Rome to Jesus Christ, and from the Japanese Emperor to Hollywood stars, popular singers, and athletes. Particular emphasis will be placed on the often blurry lines between the notion of divinity and humanity.
Literature
    required literature
  • From Alexander to Jesus. Edited by Ory Amitay. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010, xii, 246 p. ISBN 9780520266360. info
    recommended literature
  • Litwa, M. David. 2012. We are Being Transformed: Deification in Paul’s Soteriology. Berlin: de Gruyter.
  • Nickolas P. Roubekas. 2017. An Ancient Theory of Religion: Euhemerism from Antiquity to the Present. London & New York: Routledge.
  • Francis Oakley. 2006. Kingship: The Politics of Enchantment. Malden, MA & Oxford: Blackwell.
Teaching methods
Lectures, discussions.
Assessment methods
The students are required to submitt an essay on selected topic (3000 words excluding footnotes and bibliography). The deadline for the essay is May 30th. You can choose from the following topics: 1. Compare and discuss the deification of two of the figures analyzed in the course. (Guidelines: address the process of their deification, the type of deification, who benefits, who loses, why, etc. Plus your own assessment of their respective deification and if it worked/works) 2. Can anyone be deified? Conditions, prerequisites, consequences (Guidelines: this is a more theoretical topic. Address the question by using examples from the course and the figures discussed, while giving reasons to justify or reject the answer of the question. That is: If anyone can be defied, why and how? If not, then again, why and how) 3. Topic of your own choice (Guidelines: you must identify a figure that was/has been deified and discuss the process of that figure’s deification tackling the issues we have discussed in class. You MUST contact me and let me know about your choice at: nickolas.roubekas@univie.ac.at ) Overall Guidelines: Each essay should be 3,000 words long. Do not include in the counting the bibliography and the footnotes that you will use. The essays must be submitted in a Word document AND in PDF form. Bibliography: You can use articles from academic journals, books, and online resources. BUT: no Wikipedia articles will be accepted as valid resources. You MUST cite all works that you have used AND indicate when you’re using other people’s work. Do NOT present other people’s words as yours. A simple search of ‘deification OR apotheosis OR exaltation’ in the Masaryk Library system will give you a number of articles, online resources, and books/book chapters that’s you can use for your essays. Each essay MUST have a ‘Bibliography section’ at the end of the essay where you will type in alphabetical order (Author’s Last Name) all the resources you have used.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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