Syncretism

There is, nevertheless, a good deal of evidence for the Egyptian practice of linking or bringing together different deities into the body or identity of a combined god or goddess (sometimes, though not always, with ‘composite’ form). This was accomplished in several ways, most commonly by bringing deities together through the linkage of their names, creating composite gods such as Atum-Khepri, Re-Horakhty, and Amun-Re. Some of these syncretisms may be seen as simple combinations of similar deities or even different aspects of the same god - Atum-Khepri combined the evening and morning manifestations of the sun and Re-Ilorakhty formed a composite of two other important aspects or forms of the solar deity. In other

Manifestations of the Cods

The solar god Re-Horakhty blesses a female worshipper with flower-like rays. The combined Re and Horakhty were joined into a new and poiverful deity through a strong unifying or syncretistic trend in Egyptian religion. Stela of Tanetperet, Thebes, 22nd dynasty. Louvre, Paris.

(Above) The great god Amun-Re (left), seen here receiving the gift of ‘meret chests’from Ramesses If represented the syncretism of tivo very different deities through the linking of the most powerful visible and invisible forces in the Egyptian cosmos. 19th dynasty. Temple of Amun, Karnak.

(Left) Symbolic representation of the syncretism of multiple deities. Decorated blocks, Graeco-Roman Museum, Alexandria.

Cases, syncretism involved the linking of very different natures as with Amun-Re / the Egyptian theologians wished to combin' and Re as a uniting of the greatest vis: invisible powers of the world, d'he praa: also reflect the association of a local deitr-of the greater gods (as with Sobek-Re or Re), often, as Hermann Junker first poii: with the name of the local god being plact that of the external, and usually greater, these cases the power and standing of ti god were shared with the lesser deity, tin arrangement also accorded more power external god in the local sphere. The proce: united two deities in this manner could ai together three, four or even more deities ¦ case of the syncretism of Ptah, Sokar a: into one consummate funerary deity, or '

1 larmachis-Khepri-Re-Atum which brough: major solar-related gods. The same proev also unite foreign deities with Egyptian with the Asiatic-Egyptian Anat-Hathor Meroitic-Egyptian Arensnuphis-Shu, as w great Ptolemaic hybrid deity Serapis wh( together Osiris, Apis, Zeus and Helios.

Irpose of syncretisms such as these was ' not to simply combine conflicting or g deities as was assumed by many early ¦gists. In many cases there clearly was no IjcUveen svncretized deities, and there is / no reason why the two or more united -..)uld not have been simply worshipped -ide, as Horus and Sobek were at Kom • the Ptolemaic Period or, in fact, as a '’v of Egypt’s deities were worshipped in ¦:hapels in temples throughout the land 'h earlier times. Rather, it is as if the ' were acknowledging the presence of )r goddess ‘in’ another deity whenever Took on a role which was a primary func-’’he other. But this indwelling does not ' one deity was subsumed within another, it indicate that the two deities became or that there was also an underlying towards monotheism involved in the Erik Hornung has shown that, properly -d. syncretism does not isolate but rather herent deities and often the process creates a third god where there were )nlv two.

The syncretistic image of Osiris-Re supported by Nephthys and Isis and explained as ‘Osiris “resting' in Re and Re “resting” in Osiris’. 19th dynasty. Tomb of Nefertari, Valley of the Queens, western Thebes.

::-Min linked the ¦' Amim with the Min in a manner M'lened the ‘procreative mnn and gave Min. 19th Hple of Amun,

Manifestations of the Cods

Egypt and Monotheism

TuLhmosis HI (at left) offers incense and libation before Amun, the Theban god who rose to national pre-eminence during New Kingdom times. 18th dynasty. Chapel of Tuthmosis 111 from Deir el-Bahri. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

In the 19th century a debate arose among Egyptologists which was to rage for many years and which is still not entirely over. The debate has centred around a fundamental aspect of Egyptian religion: were the ancient Egyptians at all times polytheists or were there times or even ongoing trends in which Egyptian religion moved slowly but inexorably towards monotheism?