DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.30604#0101
IDEAS OF GOD.
XClll
only man liveth. He giveth life to man, He breatheth the breath of life into his nostrils—God
is father and mother, the father of fathers, and the mother of mothers. He begetteth, but
was never begotten ; He produceth, but was never produced; He begat himself and produced
himself. He createth, but was never created ; He is the maker of his own form, and the
fashioner of His own body—God Himself is existence, He endureth without increase or
diminution, He multiplieth Himself millions of times, and He is manifold in forms and
in members—God hath made the universe, and He hath created all that therein is; He is
the Creator of what is in this world, and of what was, of what is, and of what shall be. He is
the Creator of the heavens, and of the earth, and of the deep, and of the water, and of the
mountains. God hath stretched out the heavens and founded the earth—What His heart
conceived straightway came to pass, and when He hath spoken, it cometh to pass and
endureth for ever—God is the father of the gods ; He fashioned men and formed the gods—
God is merciful unto those who reverence Him, and He heareth him that calleth upon Him.
God knoweth him that acknowledgeth Him, He rewardeth him that serveth Him, and He
protecteth him that followeth Him.1
Because, however, polytheism existed side by side with monotheism in Egypt,
M. Maspero believes that the words “ God One ” do not mean “ One God ” in our
sense of the words ; and Mr. Renouf thinks that the “ Egyptian nutar neverbecame
a proper name.”3 4 Whether polytheism grew from monotheism in Egypt, or
monotheism from polytheism we will not venture to say, for the evidence of the
pyramid texts shows that already in the Vth dynasty monotheism and polytheism
were flourishing side by side. The opinion of Tiele is that the religion of Egypt
was from the beginning polytheistic, but that it developed in two opposite
directions : in the one direction gods were multiplied by the addition of local gods,
and in the other the Egyptians drew nearer and nearer to monotheism.3
From a number of passages drawn from texts of all periods it is clear that the
form in which God made himself manifest to man upon earth was the sun, which
the Egyptians called Ra and that all other gods and goddesses were
forms of him. The principal authorities for epithets applied to God and to His
visible emblem the sun are the hymns and litanies which are found inscribed upon
1 Brugsch, Religion und Mythologie, pp. 96-99. The whole chapter on the ancient Egyptian con-
ception of God should be read with M. Maspero’s comments upon it in La Mythologie ligyptienne
(Etudes de Mythologie, t. ii., p. 189 ff.).
2 Hihbert Lectures, p. 99.
3 Hypothezen omtrent de wording van den Egyptischen Godsdienstiyn Geschiedenis van den Godsdienst
in de Oudheid, Amsterdam, 1893, P- 2S)j and see Lieblein, Egyptian Religion, Leipzig, 1884, p. 10.
4 See the chapter “ Dieu se manifestant par le soleil,” in Pierret, Essai sur la Mythologie
Egyptienne, pp. 18, 19.
Monotheism and
polytheism co-
existent.
The sun the emblem
of God.
XClll
only man liveth. He giveth life to man, He breatheth the breath of life into his nostrils—God
is father and mother, the father of fathers, and the mother of mothers. He begetteth, but
was never begotten ; He produceth, but was never produced; He begat himself and produced
himself. He createth, but was never created ; He is the maker of his own form, and the
fashioner of His own body—God Himself is existence, He endureth without increase or
diminution, He multiplieth Himself millions of times, and He is manifold in forms and
in members—God hath made the universe, and He hath created all that therein is; He is
the Creator of what is in this world, and of what was, of what is, and of what shall be. He is
the Creator of the heavens, and of the earth, and of the deep, and of the water, and of the
mountains. God hath stretched out the heavens and founded the earth—What His heart
conceived straightway came to pass, and when He hath spoken, it cometh to pass and
endureth for ever—God is the father of the gods ; He fashioned men and formed the gods—
God is merciful unto those who reverence Him, and He heareth him that calleth upon Him.
God knoweth him that acknowledgeth Him, He rewardeth him that serveth Him, and He
protecteth him that followeth Him.1
Because, however, polytheism existed side by side with monotheism in Egypt,
M. Maspero believes that the words “ God One ” do not mean “ One God ” in our
sense of the words ; and Mr. Renouf thinks that the “ Egyptian nutar neverbecame
a proper name.”3 4 Whether polytheism grew from monotheism in Egypt, or
monotheism from polytheism we will not venture to say, for the evidence of the
pyramid texts shows that already in the Vth dynasty monotheism and polytheism
were flourishing side by side. The opinion of Tiele is that the religion of Egypt
was from the beginning polytheistic, but that it developed in two opposite
directions : in the one direction gods were multiplied by the addition of local gods,
and in the other the Egyptians drew nearer and nearer to monotheism.3
From a number of passages drawn from texts of all periods it is clear that the
form in which God made himself manifest to man upon earth was the sun, which
the Egyptians called Ra and that all other gods and goddesses were
forms of him. The principal authorities for epithets applied to God and to His
visible emblem the sun are the hymns and litanies which are found inscribed upon
1 Brugsch, Religion und Mythologie, pp. 96-99. The whole chapter on the ancient Egyptian con-
ception of God should be read with M. Maspero’s comments upon it in La Mythologie ligyptienne
(Etudes de Mythologie, t. ii., p. 189 ff.).
2 Hihbert Lectures, p. 99.
3 Hypothezen omtrent de wording van den Egyptischen Godsdienstiyn Geschiedenis van den Godsdienst
in de Oudheid, Amsterdam, 1893, P- 2S)j and see Lieblein, Egyptian Religion, Leipzig, 1884, p. 10.
4 See the chapter “ Dieu se manifestant par le soleil,” in Pierret, Essai sur la Mythologie
Egyptienne, pp. 18, 19.
Monotheism and
polytheism co-
existent.
The sun the emblem
of God.