DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4393#0215
PHILJE. 197
which some unskilled but pious hand has decorated with
rude Byzantine carvings, the Greek cross is again con-
spicuous.
The religious history of Philaj is so curious that it is a
pity it should not find an historian. It shared with
Abydos and some other places the reputation of being the
burial-place of Osiris. It was called the " Holy Island."
Its very soil was sacred. K"one might land upon its shores,
or even approach them too nearly, without permission.
To obtain that permission and perform the pilgrimage to
the tomb of the god, was to the pious Egyptian what the
Mecca pilgrimage is to the pious Mussulman of to-day.
The most solemn oath to which he could give utterance
was " By him who sleeps in Phils."
AVhen and how the island first came to be regarded as
the resting-place of the most beloved of the gods does not
appear; but its reputation for sanctity seems to have been
of comparatively modern date. It probably rose into im-
portance as Abydos declined. Herodotus, who is supposed
to have gone as far as Elephantine, made minute inquiry
concerning the river above that point; and he relates that
the cataract was in the occupation of " Ethiopian nomads."
lie, however, makes no mention of Phila? or its temples.
This omission on the part of one who, wherever he went,
sought the society of the priests and paid particular atten-
tion to the religious observances of the country, shows that
either Herodotus never got so far, or that the island had
not yet become the home of the Osirian mysteries. Four
hundred years later, Diodorus Siculus describes it as the
holiest of holy places; while Strabo, writing about the
same time, relates that Abydos had then dwindled to a
mere village. It seems possible, therefore, that at some
period subsequent to the time of Herodotus and prior to
that of Diodorus or Strabo, the priests of Isis may have
migrated from Abydos to PhilsBj in which case there would
have been a formal transfer not only of the relics of Osiris,
but of the sanctity which had attached for ages to their
original resting-place. jS!or is the motive for such an
exodus wanting. The ashes of the god were no longer
safe at Abydos. Situated in the midst of a rich corn coun-
try on the righ road to Thebes, no city south of Memphis
lay more exposed to the hazards of war. Cambyses had
already passed that way. Other invaders might follow.
/
which some unskilled but pious hand has decorated with
rude Byzantine carvings, the Greek cross is again con-
spicuous.
The religious history of Philaj is so curious that it is a
pity it should not find an historian. It shared with
Abydos and some other places the reputation of being the
burial-place of Osiris. It was called the " Holy Island."
Its very soil was sacred. K"one might land upon its shores,
or even approach them too nearly, without permission.
To obtain that permission and perform the pilgrimage to
the tomb of the god, was to the pious Egyptian what the
Mecca pilgrimage is to the pious Mussulman of to-day.
The most solemn oath to which he could give utterance
was " By him who sleeps in Phils."
AVhen and how the island first came to be regarded as
the resting-place of the most beloved of the gods does not
appear; but its reputation for sanctity seems to have been
of comparatively modern date. It probably rose into im-
portance as Abydos declined. Herodotus, who is supposed
to have gone as far as Elephantine, made minute inquiry
concerning the river above that point; and he relates that
the cataract was in the occupation of " Ethiopian nomads."
lie, however, makes no mention of Phila? or its temples.
This omission on the part of one who, wherever he went,
sought the society of the priests and paid particular atten-
tion to the religious observances of the country, shows that
either Herodotus never got so far, or that the island had
not yet become the home of the Osirian mysteries. Four
hundred years later, Diodorus Siculus describes it as the
holiest of holy places; while Strabo, writing about the
same time, relates that Abydos had then dwindled to a
mere village. It seems possible, therefore, that at some
period subsequent to the time of Herodotus and prior to
that of Diodorus or Strabo, the priests of Isis may have
migrated from Abydos to PhilsBj in which case there would
have been a formal transfer not only of the relics of Osiris,
but of the sanctity which had attached for ages to their
original resting-place. jS!or is the motive for such an
exodus wanting. The ashes of the god were no longer
safe at Abydos. Situated in the midst of a rich corn coun-
try on the righ road to Thebes, no city south of Memphis
lay more exposed to the hazards of war. Cambyses had
already passed that way. Other invaders might follow.
/