Self-deification
| Who | Image | When | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antiochus IV Epiphanes | 215–164 BC | Seleucid ruler (reigned 175-164); the only Seleucid king to claim divine honors, calling himself Theos Epiphaneus "God Manifest" and Nikephoros "Bringer of Victory." Nearly conquered Ptolemaic Egypt, the primary rival of the Seleucids among the Diadochi states. Famously attempted to impose ancient Greek religion on the Jews by persecution, leading to the Maccabean Revolt; remembered as a major persecutor in Jewish tradition. | |
| Simon Magus | 1st century | Considered a god in Simonianism. According to Irenaeus, he "was glorified by many as if he were a god; and he taught that it was himself who appeared among the Jews as the Son, but descended in Samaria as the Father while he came to other nations in the character of the Holy Spirit. He represented himself, in a word, as being the loftiest of all powers, that is, the Being who is the Father over all, and he allowed himself to be called by whatsoever title men were pleased to address him." | |
| Veleda | 1st century | Germanic prophetess considered a deity during her lifetime. | |
| Danila Filippovich | 1700 | He believed that he was God and started the Khlysts. (There are various transliterations of his name including Danila Filipov, Danila Filipich, and Daniil Filippovich.) | |
| Hong Xiuquan | 1814–1864 | Chinese man who claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus and thus a son of God. Led the Taiping Rebellion, conquering a large part of China before defeat and suicide. | |
| Father Divine | ~1880–1965 | Was considered by his followers to be "God in the flesh" | |
| Juanita Peraza (Mita) | 1897 | According to the Mita faith, Mita (Peraza) was the incarnation of the Holy Ghost on earth. | |
| Lou de Palingboer | 1898–1968 | A divorced Dutchman named Louwrens Voorthuijzen who proclaimed himself "Lou the Eel Vendor", this being the translation of his proclaimed name "Lou de Palingboer". He was a figure who mixed marketing European eels with proselytism. His followers also considered him a living God on a mission against evil. | |
| Jim Jones | 1931–1978 | Founder of Peoples Temple, which started off as a part of a mainstream Protestant denomination before becoming a personality cult as time went on. | |
| Yahweh ben Yahweh | 1935–2007 | He was born as Hulon Mitchell, Jr. and his self-proclaimed name means "God, Son of God." He could have only been deeming himself to be "son of God", not God, but many of his followers clearly deem him to be God Incarnate. | |
| Nirmala Srivastava | 1923–2011 | Guru and goddess of Sahaja Yoga, has proclaimed herself to be the incarnation of the Holy Ghost (Adi Shakti), claimed that all other incarnations (e.g. Krishna, Christ, etc.) were aspects of her. | |
| Jehovah Wanyonyi | 1924– | "I am the one who created Adam and Eve. I made their bodies and their blood", "I still use human beings by speaking through them, like I spoke through Jesus Christ until he went to Heaven." There are between 120 and a 1000 followers who consider him God. | |
| Sathya Sai Baba | 1926–2011 | Hindu guru believed to be a reincarnation of an avatar of Dattatreya by his followers. He alleged that he had the ability to materialize objects, such as jewellery, etc. | |
| Mitsuo Matayoshi | 1944– | In 1997 he established the World Economic Community Party (世界経済共同体党) based on his conviction that he is the God and Christ. | |
| Claude Vorilhon | 1946– | Claims to be Maitreya, messenger of the "Elohim" (who are in fact ancient astronauts). | |
| Vissarion | 1961– | Claims to be Jesus Christ returned, which makes him not "God" but the "word of God". |
Read more about this topic: List Of People Who Have Been Considered Deities