Deus otiosus
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Deus otiosus "idle god" is a theological concept used to describe the belief in a creator god who largely retires from the world and is no longer involved in its daily operation. A similar concept is that of the deus absconditus "hidden god" (Weber: 220). Both refer to a deity whose existence is not readily knowable by humans through either contemplation or examination of divine actions. The concept of deus otiosus often suggests a god who has grown weary from involvement in this world and who has been replaced by younger, more active gods, whereas deus absonditus suggests a god who has consciously left this world to hide elsewhere.
In Sumer, En-lil and En-ki are the younger gods who replace the deus otiosus An (Elaide: 57). In Greek religion, the older gods like Uranus and Gaia are replaced by the Olympians Zeus and Juno. In Hinduism, in many medieval puranas, Indra appears as a deus otiosus, whereas Shiva and Vishnu are the younger, more active gods who are both more readily knowable and approachable. In Christinaity, Martin Luther used the notion of deus absconditus to explain the mystery and remoteness of God [1].
[edit] References
- Eliade, Mircea. (1978). A History of Religious Ideas: From the Stone Age to the Eleusinian Mysteries, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
- Weber, Max. (1978). Max Weber: Selections in Translation, edited by Walter Garrison Runciman. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-29268-9
