THOUSAND TO ONE

The word avatar is used in Hinduism to denote the descent upon earth of a portion of the essence of a god, which then assumes some coarser material form, be it animal, monster, or man.  Such occurrences are ascribed to various gods in Hinduism, but those assigned to Vishnu are far and away the most important.

Such incarnations are believed to have happened at different ages of the world, and to have consisted of different amounts of the essence of Vishnu.  Their number is variously stated as from ten to twenty-eight, but the number has become much greater over time, perhaps a thousand or more.

Any remarkable man is liable to be regarded as a more or less perfect avatar of Vishnu, resulting, unfortunately, in the offering of divine homage to, for example, the founders of religious sects and their successors.

The only religions that admit true incarnation in human form are Hinduism, specifically Vaishnava Hinduism, and Christianity. Both Hinduism and Christianity assume that divinity descends into the world and dwells among humans in order to save them. There are, again, many such avatars in Hinduism, but only one in Christianity.