Apotheosis
The raising of an emperor or other special person to the status of a god in pagan religion. Though initially done after death, from the time of Domitian (81-96 A.D.) the emperors were deified even during their lifetime. This concept is not to be confused with Christian notions of sanctification and canonization. See Theosis.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.