Religion - Ancient History: Egypt

Egyptian religious belief was neither geographically uniform, nor unchanged over time. Different Egyptian cities had different understandings of the origin of the Gods and the creation of the universe, and so had diverse religious practices. Similarly, Egyptian civilization survived for such a long period of time that there was ample opportunity for religious growth, change, and reformation. At various times in Egyptian history, different Gods found themselves in the ascendancy.

The Ogdoad was a group of eight Gods worshipped by the Hermopolis theologians. The Hermopolis story of creation is one of a few different ancient Egyptian interpretations of the origins of the universe.

The eight Gods of the Ogdoad are generally presented in four divine couplets: Nun and Naunet; Amun and Amaunet; Huh and Hauhet; Kuk and Kauket. Of these Gods, Seth, Aten, and Nephtys do not belong on this list.

The Ennead arrangement of Gods features in the creation story of Heliopolis. In predynastic and early dynastic times, different ancient Egyptian communities had differing explanations regarding the origin of the Gods and the creation of the universe. These distinctions continued in Pharaonic times, so that each major Egyptian city had a slightly different understanding of cosmology.

Archaeological evidence provided by female burial tombs suggests that they were generally designed for the same purpose as male burial tombs — to provide for the deceased in the next life. Most Egyptologists contend that the ancient Egyptians believed in a shared afterlife, open to both men and women who had lived a virtuous and “light-hearted” life.

Bearing the head of an Ibis, Thoth is known as the god of writing and counting. He is often depicted with a moon crescent as well. Neith is the goddess of war and hunting. Hathor is the goddess of women. Bastet is the war goddess and Re is the sun god.

In most accounts of the Egyptian afterlife there is no such thing as hell. Instead, unworthy souls are forbidden from entrance into heaven (which the ancient Egyptians called “The Field of Reeds”) and banished into nonexistence.

All of these cities are correctly matched with the God of creation in its theology except Pi-Ramesses. In predynastic and early dynastic times, each Egyptian community had a different interpretation of the creation of the universe. These distinctions carried over into Pharaonic times and each city tended to be associated with the worship of a particular deity, such as Thebes and Amun. Pi-Ramesses was founded during the nineteenth dynasty, much later than the rest of these settlements, and so did not have time to develop an independent religious tradition.

In ancient Egyptian cosmology, Nu was the name given to the primordial, infinite ocean of creation that existed before the creation of the world. The Egyptians believed that Atum, the God of creation, had lived inside Nu for countless eons before he created the world from nothingness. The concept of “Nu” was an essential component of the Hermopolis interpretation of Egyptian theology.

The Ogdoad Gods were worshipped by the ancient Egyptian theologians of Hermopolis. The eight Gods of the Ogdoad are generally presented in four divine pairings, with a masculine and feminine counterpart. Isis and Osiris are the odd ones out on this occasion, because they are drawn from the Ennead school of theology.

The central, focusing principle of Ancient Egyptian religion was the concept of Ma'at, meaning something along the lines of justice, truth, or harmony. Isfet was the opposite principle of disharmony or injustice. All people were supposed to live with Ma'at as a focusing principle in their ethical behavior.

In the ancient Egyptian pantheon of Gods, Ra is the Sun God. Ancient Egyptian civilization persevered for so long that the status and significance of Ra changed on many occasions. He was the most important deity during the Old Kingdom period of Egyptian history and was worshipped as the creator of the world by many Egyptian cults. When, during the New Kingdom period, a new deity called Amun rose to pre-eminence he was fused with Ra to create Amun-Ra, the chief God of the New Kingdom of Egypt.

In the ancient Egyptian pantheon, Anubis was the God of mummification and embalming. It is thought that he was originally considered as God of the afterlife, but that he was gradually replaced in this capacity by Osiris. Anubis was revered as the deity who would judge human souls and guide those who were deserving to the afterlife. He, like Osiris, was a manifestation of the ancient Egyptians’ obsession with death and the nature of the afterlife.

Apep was a deity known as the "enemy of Ra." Ra was the sun god, and a central positive figure in Ancient Egyptian religion. Apep was a deity who was actually negatively worshipped, meaning that adherents worshipped Apep in order to avoid his wrath. A great deal of religious iconography discovered from this period depicted Apep's battles with Ra.

Amun was a deity of major importance in the Egyptian pantheon, worshipped as far back as the Old Kingdom. During the 11th Dynasty, he replaced Montu as the patron deity of Thebes, at times the capital city of Egypt. Amun was eventually fused with the sun god Ra, becoming Amun-Ra. He is often depicted as the king of all the gods.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the bodies of the Gods were made of gold, and their bones made from silver. Gold is found in relative abundance in Egypt and was highly valued even early in Egyptian history. Silver, on the other hand, was extremely rare in ancient Egypt and generally had to be imported.

Ptah is the God of creation in the tradition of Memphis. He is also the God of craftsmen. This relates to how the Memphians understood cosmology. Unlike the rest of the ancient Egyptians, the Memphians believed that Ptah acted as a sort of intermediary. It was Ptah who carried out the wishes and constructions ordained by the Gods.

The ancient Egyptian God Bes was associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Many Egyptians wore amulets, dedicated to certain Gods, to provide protection and good fortune. As Bes is associated with pregnancy and childbirth, it is reasonable to conclude that a pregnant woman would be most likely to wear an amulet dedicated to him.

During the Old Kingdom, it was generally understood that only kings and other powerful rulers could attain immortality or access the afterlife. This changed during the First Intermediate Period, however, as more and more Egyptians were offered access to the afterlife through earthly religious devotion. This is reflected in Coffin Texts, which were much more widely used in Egyptian society than the earlier Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom.