One of the most powerful and popular gods of ancient Egypt, patron of the city of Thebes, where he was worshipped as part of the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. After the spread of Christianity, the Ancient Egyptian religion faded away.
They were not afraid of their gods, not most of them anyway. The ancient Egyptians believed the gods were on their side, whether their wish was granted or not. Most people in ancient Egypt were afraid of one particular god — the god Ammut also spelled Ammit. Ammut was the god with the crocodile head.
The last vestiges of the ancient Egyptian belief system died out in the 4th Century AD, when Constantine made Christianity the only legal religion. Starting as simple structures, they grew more elaborate, and were increasingly built from stone, with a common plan.
Ritual duties were normally carried out by priests, or government officials serving in the role. In the New Kingdom, professional priesthood became common, and their wealth rivaled that of the pharaoh.
At many sites, Egyptians worshipped specific animals that they believed to be manifestations of deities. Examples include the Apis bull of the god Ptah , and mummified cats and other animals. Commoners and pharaohs asked questions of oracles, and answers could even be used during the New Kingdom to settle legal disputes.
This might involve asking a question while a divine image was being carried, and interpreting movement, or drawing lots. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Search for:. Key Points The religion of Ancient Egypt lasted for more than 3, years, and was polytheistic, meaning there were a multitude of deities, who were believed to reside within and control the forces of nature.
His role was to sustain the gods so that they could maintain order in the universe. It was fixed and eternal; without it the world would fall apart.
Egyptians were very concerned about the fate of their souls after death. They believed ka life-force left the body upon death and needed to be fed.
Ba, or personal spirituality, remained in the body. The goal was to unite ka and ba to create akh. Artistic depictions of gods were not literal representations, as their true nature was considered mysterious. Tomb and literary texts indicate that an individual did not ally himself with a single god.
For example, the opening formula of Late Ramesside letters recounts: "I call upon Amun Re, King of the gods, Mut, Khonsu and all the gods of Thebes to bring you back safe.
The religion of Akhenaten during the Amarna Period Dynasty 18 has been described as "monotheism," and heralded as a possible indication that the Egyptians were the source of Judeo-Christian thought. Indeed, in the Amarna Period, Akhenaten elevated his god, the Aten, to a supreme place in the pantheon, and later in his reign his agents traveled through Egypt physically expunging the name of other gods from monuments.
The interpretation of the religion of the Amarna age as true monotheism, however, cannot be sustained in light of the simultaneous worship of other gods.
Maat, both as a concept and in her personification of a goddess, continued to be venerated, and indeed the ritual of the presentation of her image reached new prominence in the Amarna age. So too, in some circumstances, the king and queen were associated with the gods Shu and Tefnut, respectively. Statuettes of Bes and other members of the traditional pantheon have been recovered from houses at Amarna.
The greatest objection to the religion of the Amarna age being true monotheism is the elevation of the king and his queen Nefertiti and perhaps, posthumously, Akhenaten's father, Amunhotep III to divine status. The vestiges of the old gods, as well as the triad formed by Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and the incarnation of the solar light as the Aten, consisted of yet another conventional grouping of gods, not the formation of a transcendent monotheistic godhead. The religion expressed in the Amarna age is better termed henotheism, the temporary elevation of one god above others.
This trend to henotheism continued in the Ramesside Period, with the elevation of various forms of Amun to the supreme god, but without the intolerance for other gods seen in the late Amarna Period. Some theologians even argue for the presence of a transcendent god into whom all other gods were subsumed during the Ramesside Period.
The Oriental Institute www. Browse the Archive Search by Keyword. Origins and nature of the gods It is almost impossible to enumerate the gods of the Egyptians, for individual deities could temporarily merge with each other to form syncretistic gods Amun-Re, Re-Harakhty, Ptah-Sokar, etc.
Cult of the gods The deities required food, drink, clothing, and rituals of purification to sustain them as the protectors of mankind against the forces of chaos. Maat, the king, and his subjects Central to Egyptian religion and thought is the concept of maat, the embodiment of truth and the universal balance of the universe.
The king, Osiris, and rituals of rejuvenation One of the most significant functions of Egyptian ritual and myth was the reinforcement and protection of the office and body of the king. The gods Osiris left and Horus right after Hobson Polytheism, henotheism, and monotheism Throughout their history the Egyptians worshipped a great number of gods. Relevant link The Oriental Institute www. She is the author of a wide variety of books and scholarly articles about Egyptian religion and history, and has participated in expeditions in Giza, Luxor, and Alexandria.
The question arose when I was reading the Wikipedia page en. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. Branko Sego Branko Sego 2, 1 1 gold badge 16 16 silver badges 29 29 bronze badges. Just to be clear, it appears this isn't a continuation of the old religion so much as an attempt to resurrect it from what's known of its ancient practice, long after it died.
Much like Celtic and German neo-paganisim — T. Yes, it is attempt to renew ancient Egyptian religion, feel free to edit. Branko Sego- thank you very much for the answer.
Upto the 6th century is a lot longer than I would have suspected. Well it is, Philaean temple was closed in 6th century AD by emperor Justinian.. Featured on Meta. Now live: A fully responsive profile.
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