DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14563#0246
CHAPTER XXVII.
gods of the egyptians — doctrine op immortality.
Herodotus describes the Egyptians as " very religious,
surpassing all men in the honors they pay to the gods."
And this description is verified by the prominence given to
religious subjects in the sculptures that crowd their temples
and tombs. The ancient Egyptians had three principal
orders of gods, and several subordinate triads in each. Yet
they seem originally to have believed in the unity of God,
conceiving of Amun Re, the king of gods, a concealed God,
the creative principle, who holds in his hands all life and
power. This proper Divinity is nowhere represented in
the sculptures, but his attributes were also deified, and
these are set forth under various symbols. In general, " the
figures of the gods were deified attributes indicative of the
intellect, power, goodness, might, and other qualities of the
eternal Being.
" Each form was one of his attributes; in the same man-
ner as our expressions, ' the Creator,' ' the Omniscient,' ' the
Almighty,' or any other title, indicate one and the same
Being; and hence arose the distinction between the great
gods, and those of an inferior grade, which were physical
objects, as the sun and moon, or abstract notions of various
kinds, as ' valor,' 'strength,' ' intellectual gifts,' and the like,
personified under different forms.....Upon this princi-
ple, it is probable that gods were made of the virtues, the
6enses, and, in short, every abstract idea which had reference
gods of the egyptians — doctrine op immortality.
Herodotus describes the Egyptians as " very religious,
surpassing all men in the honors they pay to the gods."
And this description is verified by the prominence given to
religious subjects in the sculptures that crowd their temples
and tombs. The ancient Egyptians had three principal
orders of gods, and several subordinate triads in each. Yet
they seem originally to have believed in the unity of God,
conceiving of Amun Re, the king of gods, a concealed God,
the creative principle, who holds in his hands all life and
power. This proper Divinity is nowhere represented in
the sculptures, but his attributes were also deified, and
these are set forth under various symbols. In general, " the
figures of the gods were deified attributes indicative of the
intellect, power, goodness, might, and other qualities of the
eternal Being.
" Each form was one of his attributes; in the same man-
ner as our expressions, ' the Creator,' ' the Omniscient,' ' the
Almighty,' or any other title, indicate one and the same
Being; and hence arose the distinction between the great
gods, and those of an inferior grade, which were physical
objects, as the sun and moon, or abstract notions of various
kinds, as ' valor,' 'strength,' ' intellectual gifts,' and the like,
personified under different forms.....Upon this princi-
ple, it is probable that gods were made of the virtues, the
6enses, and, in short, every abstract idea which had reference