If a living person is worshipped like praying to him and the living person encourages his own worship, and the living person himself becomes object of worship then will that person become a living idol and commandments on idolatry would be applicable on that person?
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If you mean 'idol' like the statue of a Greek/Roman deity that is worshiped/served, then I would say: No. Images representing him (even if they look nothing like him) should probably be treated like idols, but the person himself would be more like the foreign deities other idols represent. – Tamir Evan Oct 28 '23 at 17:11
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Possibly applicable: In Ancient Rome there was the Imperial cult which at times included veneration of the living emperor. But rabbis still met with the emperors and discussed or debated religion with them. – Harel13 Oct 29 '23 at 13:47
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@Harel13 did they do it by choice or under duress? – Rabbi Kaii Oct 29 '23 at 13:53
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1@RabbiKaii the rabbis or the Romans? The Romans - at times, a little of both, at times they were fully in agreement. The rabbis - well, we don't fully know. But I would say that even if they were forced, if it was true avodah zara, then they should have let themselves be killed al kiddush Hashem. Since they didn't it would seem that it wasn't fully avodah zara. – Harel13 Oct 29 '23 at 14:05
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1It certainly violates the prohibition of idolatry to worship a human being. Their body per se is not treated as an idol by halacha, as it was formed before it was deified. (The classic example of a tree-idol is that it was planted by those intending that it be deified, so its entire formation was as an idol.) – Shalom Oct 29 '23 at 15:13
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@Shalom very good, that's clearly the answer, could you write as a short answer with the source? – Rabbi Kaii Oct 29 '23 at 17:08
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In biblical times, If they were in power surely they fought and killed entire pagan villages which included all deified objects – knowit Oct 30 '23 at 03:33