theopoesis means the partaking of the divine by a person; deification or union with God; theosis. It carries an Arena rating of 1514, earned across 12 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, theopoesis ranks #839 of 12,381 for The Improbable, #1,701 of 12,349 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,810 of 12,584 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,482 of 12,586 for Most Beautiful Words.
Why “theopoesis” is a great word
The transformative process of becoming divine through a participatory union with the divine nature. From *theo-* (from Greek *theos*, meaning 'god') + *-poesis* (a variant of *-poiesis*, from Greek *poiēsis*, meaning 'making, creation'), the term constructs divinity as an act of sacred craftsmanship. Unlike theosis, its doctrinal sibling of deification, or apotheosis, the mythic crowning of a hero, theopoesis emphasizes the creative, poetic labor of the soul. It is the slow alignment of a life to a divine meter, the patient chiseling of character into icon, the gradual annealing of a mortal will into a vessel for grace—not an award conferred, but a quiet poem of being remade.
Etymology
From theo- + -poesis, alternative form of -poiesis.
noun
- The partaking of the divine by a person; deification or union with God; theosis.“The Central Orthodox doctrine is called theosis or theopoesis—the divinizing or deifying of humanity. The Eastern Church does not call for believers to imitate Jesus through the exercise of moral choice, as in the familiar western and liberal Protestant pattern. It summons them rather to participate in the life of Christ through the transformative power of the liturgy and sacraments of the church.”