Monolatry

belief in the existence of many gods but with the consistent worship of only one deity

Monolatry (Greek: μόνος [monos] = single, and λατρεία [latreia] = worship) is belief that many gods exist, but that only one of them is worshipped.[1] The term "monolatry" was perhaps first used by Julius Wellhausen.[2]

Monolatry is different from monotheism, which asserts there is only one god, and henotheism, a religious system in which the believer worships one god without denying that others may worship different gods with equal validity.[3]

References

change
  1. Frank E. Eakin, Jr. The Religion and Culture of Israel (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1971), 70.
  2. Mackintosh, Robert (1916). "Monolatry and Henotheism". Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. VIII: 810. Retrieved Jan 21, 2016.
  3. McConkie, Bruce R. (1979), Mormon Doctrine (2nd ed.), Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, p. 351