anthropopathia
|an-thro-po-pa-thi-a|
/ˌænθrəpəˈpeɪθiə/
ascribing human feelings
Etymology
'anthropopathia' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'ánthrōpos' and 'páthos', where 'ánthrōpos' meant 'human' and 'páthos' meant 'suffering, emotion'.
'anthropopathia' was formed in New Latin/late Latin from Greek elements and was used in theological and scholarly Latin; English adopted the term (and variant 'anthropopathism') from these learned-linguistic usages.
Initially it denoted 'human suffering' or 'human feeling' as a general concept; over time it came to be used specifically for the practice of ascribing human emotions to God or non-human agents.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the attribution or ascription of human emotions, passions, or sufferings to God, gods, or other non-human entities; (theological/scholarly) anthropopathism.
Some theologians warn against anthropopathia when Scripture uses human emotions to help finite minds understand the divine.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/26 12:35