Teōtl () is a Nahuatl term for sacredness or divinity that is sometimes translated as . For the Aztecs was the metaphysical omnipresence upon which their religious philosophy was based.
As described by James Maffie, "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.". 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)
This is conceptualized in a kind of monistic pantheism, citing Hunt 1977 and I. Nicholson 1959; Leon-Portilla 1966, p. 387 cited by as manifest in the supreme god , as well as a large pantheon of lesser gods and idealizations of natural phenomena such as stars and fire., citing .
Similar concepts to existed elsewhere in Mesoamerica at the time of the conquest, such as in the Zapotec term or the Maya or . Such immaterial energy can also be compared to the Polynesian concept of Mana.. For a lengthy treatment of the subject see Hvidtfeldt, 1958 In Pipil mythology (Nawat cognate of Teotl)Also used for the Christian God in a modern translation of the New Testament by Jan Morrow and Alan King, is known as the creator and father of life.
The gods in the Aztec pantheon, themselves each referred to as a (plural ), 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 .
Molly Bassett identifies major characteristics of as the term is used in the Florentine Codex to get further insight on Aztec religion as described in other codices.: "a has (possessions), a (prerogative), and a (an exclusive pursuit) and is (marvelous) and (beloved)."
Whereas in most Nahuatl translations of the Bible and Christian texts, "God" () is translated with the Spanish word "",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, , Northern Oaxaca Nahuatl, Tenango Nahuatl. in modern translations by the Catholic Church in the 21st century, the word "", which is a combination of and the reverential suffix -tzin, is used officially for "God".
See also Asha Brahman Logos (Christianity) Orenda Tao
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Discussion on the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy