Teotl Explained

Teōtl (pronounced as /nci/) is a Nahuatl term for sacredness or divinity that is sometimes translated as "god". For the Aztecs teotl was the metaphysical omnipresence upon which their religious philosophy was based.

As described by James Maffie, teotl "is essentially power: continually active, actualized, and actualizing energy-in-motion... It is an ever-continuing process, like a flowing river... It continually and continuously generates and regenerates as well as permeates, encompasses and shapes reality as part of an endless process. It creates the cosmos and all its contents from within itself as well as out of itself."[1]

This is conceptualized in a kind of monistic pantheism[2] as manifest in the supreme god Ometeotl|italic=no, as well as a large pantheon of lesser gods and idealizations of natural phenomena such as stars and fire.[3]

Similar concepts to teotl existed elsewhere in Mesoamerica at the time of the conquest, such as in the Zapotec term Zapotec: pee or the Maya Mayan languages: ku or Mayan languages: ch'u. Such immaterial energy can also be compared to the Polynesian concept of Mana.[4] In Pipil mythology Teut (Nawat cognate of Teotl)[5] [6] is known as the creator and father of life.[7]

The gods in the Aztec pantheon, themselves each referred to as a teotl (plural teteo), were active elements in the world that could manifest in natural phenomena, in abstract art, and as summoned or even embodied by priests during rituals – all these could be called teotl.

Molly Bassett identifies major characteristics of teotl as the term is used in the Florentine Codex to get further insight on Aztec religion as described in other codices.[8]

Whereas in most Nahuatl translations of the Bible and Christian texts, "God" (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Θεός) is translated with the Spanish word "Spanish; Castilian: Dios|italic=no",[9] in modern translations by the Catholic Church in the 21st century, the word "Nahuatl languages: Teotzin|italic=no", which is a combination of teotl and the reverential suffix -tzin, is used officially for "God".[10]

References

Sources

. Miller . Mary . Mary Miller (art historian) . Taube . Karl . Karl Taube . 1993 . The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya . Thames and Hudson . London . 0-500-05068-6 . registration .

External links

Notes and References

  1. . He continues, "... There are no absolute beginnings - or absolute endings, for that matter - in Aztec metaphysics. There are only continuings. Death, for example, is not an ending but a change of status, because that which dies flows into and feeds that which lives ... in a single, never-ending process of recycling and transformation." (ibid p 24)
  2. , citing Hunt 1977 and I. Nicholson 1959; Leon-Portilla 1966, p. 387 cited by
  3. , citing .
  4. . For a lengthy treatment of the subject see Hvidtfeldt, 1958
  5. Web site: Rafael . Lara-Martínez . Rick . McCallister . Glosario cultural Náwat Pipil y Nicarao: El Güegüense y Mitos en lengua materna de los pipiles de Izalco . https://web.archive.org/web/20120427200555/https://whp.uoregon.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/GlosarioComparadoSpanishNawat.pdf . 2012-04-27 . es . 199 . tewt, teut, "Dios"; teot, náhuatl teotl "god, dios" (Nicaragua) [Squier]. téut, "Dios" [Calvo Pacheco]..
  6. Also used for the Christian God in a modern translation of the New Testament by Jan Morrow and Alan King, Book: Ne Bibliaj Tik Nawat . 2012 . qu . Yojan 1:1 . http://nebibliaj.org/JHN01.php . Achtu nemik ne palabraj wan ne palabraj nemik itech ne Teut wan Teut ne palabraj. . https://web.archive.org/web/20160507060643/http://nebibliaj.org/JHN01.php . 2016-05-07.
  7. Book: Espino, Miguel Ángel . Miguel Ángel Espino . Mitología de Cuscatlán . San Salvador . Biblioteca Basica de Literatura Salvadorena . 1996 . 1919 . 9789992301784 . es.

  8. "a teotl has axcaitl (possessions), a tonalli (prerogative), and a neixcahuilli (an exclusive pursuit) and is mahuiztic (marvelous) and tlazohca (beloved)."

  9. Bible.is: Genesis in Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl, John in Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl, Central Huasteca Nahuatl, Western Huasteca Nahuatl, Northern Puebla Nahuatl, Southeastern Puebla Nahuatl, Highland Puebla Nahuatl, Guerrero Nahuatl, Northern Oaxaca Nahuatl, Tenango Nahuatl.
  10. Web site: Horatio . Luis . Catoliscopio . Credo en versión Nahuatl . 5 March 2013 . 2022-07-28.

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