Identifying Deification: Methodological Reflections in Response to the Oxford Handbook of Deification

Abstract This paper offers a reflection on methodological issues surrounding the historical study of deification in response to the approach proposed in the Oxford Handbook of Deification . The paper contextualises the OHD 's proposal in light of previous attempts to address the question of how to define/identify the concept of deification. The OHD 's proposal offers a promising new approach to this issue that can be helpfully understood by analogy to Wittgenstein's concept of ‘family resemblance’. This paper argues in support of this view of deification as a ‘family resemblance concept’ while also suggesting an emendation to the OHD 's proposal by considering deification as involving claims about theological language.