In this article we bring you important information about the egyptian Religion, one of the most complex religions that have existed throughout the history of the world, since it was one of the most powerful and believing societies that have existed, being a polytheistic religion many of its resources were destined to make offerings to the different gods Egyptians Find out everything!
egyptian religion
It was a civilization that formed around 4000 BC, after the emergence of writing. The Egyptian civilization was one of the most powerful and iconic societies of all time. This civilization was established on the banks of the Nile River, located north of the African continent. This river has been of great importance to Egyptian civilization because when it rises, the Egyptians could obtain abundant water and use it for agriculture and irrigation.
While the Egyptian civilization was engaged in all its daily tasks, they also had a rich religious life, filled with many beliefs. Therefore, it's worth noting that the Egyptian religion was practiced for a very long time, estimated to have lasted more than three thousand years.
In this way, the Egyptian civilization had adopted a very complex belief system, religious dogmas had already been integrated into their daily work, giving an Egyptian religion full of various gods. Where the Egyptians believed that these divine beings could dominate natural phenomena through their power.
That's why it was widely practiced in Egyptian religion, since these people could gain the gods' favor by providing them with food and offerings. That's why the Egyptians focused on practicing the Egyptian religion with the Pharaoh, who was the person closest to the Egyptian gods. Thus, he was a figure known as the King of Egypt.
Many Egyptians came to believe, thanks to Egyptian religion, that the pharaohs had divine power due to their position in society. Therefore, they were also worshipped and paid tribute to for what they represented. In turn, the pharaoh was able to make offerings and perform rituals to each Egyptian god in order to keep Egyptian civilization free from any calamity or disaster that might occur. Failure to pay tribute to the various Egyptian gods could lead to natural disasters.
That is why the system of government the Egyptians used came to monopolize large amounts of tributes and resources to build and construct temples and sanctuaries for the different Egyptian gods who were destined to pay tribute to them, since the Egyptians were very faithful to the Egyptian religion.
Many Egyptians tried to communicate with the different gods to satisfy their own needs. They did this through prayer, or by using black magic, which was already in use at that time. Although there were many different practices used to engage in conversation with the Egyptian gods, this was a very important characteristic of Egyptian religion.
It is important to note that Egyptian religion grew rapidly and significantly throughout Egyptian history, while the figure of the pharaoh declined over time. Another notable characteristic of Egyptian religion was their funerary practices.
Since the Egyptians made great efforts to ensure their soul in the afterlife, after they died, they designed tombs, furniture and various offerings to preserve the lifeless body. To be able to use it as well as the soul.
The content of the egyptian religion has left a significant mark on history, and it is interesting to explore its characteristics.
History of the Egyptian Religion
During the Egyptian religion that manifested itself in the Egyptian predynastic period, the Egyptian civilization dedicated itself to deifying all the natural phenomena that were taking place over time, since these phenomena were disconcerting the Egyptians and instilling fear in the population. . Because they found no reason for this to happen.
That is why the civilization was creating its Egyptian religion associating certain gods with the characteristics of the different animals and they were representing the Egyptian gods with an amorphous body because it consisted of a human body with the head of the animal they believed to be the Egyptian god. .
For example, an Egyptian God to whom many offerings and rituals were made was the God Horus, who was made up of a human body with the head of a falcon and was known in Egyptian religion as the lord of the skies or the elevated one.
Another Egyptian god created in the Egyptian religion by this civilization was the god Anubis, or the so-called Crocodile God, a much-feared god as he always posed an imminent danger to anyone who entered the waters of the Nile River without caution. At the same time, this god Anubis was greatly venerated by the Egyptian civilization. Similarly, a triad was created for this god, which consisted of his wife and son.
Many gods were also infused with human passions, which led to many rituals and offerings being made to them in the various sanctuaries and temples that were built for them as a result of the favors the Egyptians received.
Although it should be noted that the Egyptian people were divided into two sectors, which became known as Upper and Lower Egypt. Each of these regions maintained its Egyptian religion, creating its own gods, rituals, and cults. This resulted in the veneration of many Egyptian gods at the same time.
These gods acquired importance depending on the city where they were worshipped. For example, in Thebes, the most worshipped Egyptian god was Amun. In Heliopolis, it was the god Ra. However, in Memphis, there were two gods to whom offerings were made: the goddess Hathor and the god Ptah. For more information about the goddess Hathor, you can consult here.
In order to establish order among the Egyptian gods and to make the Egyptian religion more understandable to civilization, the priests, who were the main heads of the temples and sanctuaries, began to organize the large number of Egyptian gods and explain each of their characteristics, as well as the relationship they had with each other.
Many of the characteristics that were taken into account in the organization were the creation of the world and the flooding of the Nile River. All the characteristics of Egyptian religion were devised and systematized by the different beliefs held by the Egyptians in different cities such as Heliopolis and Thebes. All these writings were reflected in the well-known Pyramid Texts and the Book of the Dead, as well as many similar texts that existed.
In Egyptian religion, the priests taught the population that Egypt was a country with abundant fertile land, as it was located next to the Nile River and surrounded by a vast desert. Therefore, in their religious beliefs, they divided the world into three parts:
Heaven: known as Num and it was the place where the gods lived since the so-called Celestial goddess Nut "The greatest goddess and who gave birth to the other Egyptian gods" the Egyptians represented her with the body of a woman and this covered the entire Earth.
The earth: It was the home intended for men and women, it was known as the house of Geb who was the creator God and was represented as a man who was below the Goddess Nut.
The beyond: It was also known as the Duat, or the realm of the dead. It was first ruled by the god Osiris, and later, the god Horus took charge of this realm. However, the one who traveled through it in his solar boat at night was the god Ra. The spirits of the dead wandered there, avoiding all dangers so they could return to earthly life.
Egyptian deities
In Egyptian religion, the Egyptians strongly believed that natural phenomena were divine forces of the gods. Therefore, over time, the Egyptians created a pantheon of Egyptian gods, giving each god divine powers and attributes, and associating them with an animal.
Thus, the religious practices the Egyptians performed were intended to appease the natural phenomena that brought misfortune to their communities. But they also held offerings and ceremonies to the various gods to express gratitude for the favors they had received.
This is why Egyptian religion was based on a complex polytheistic system, as the Egyptians believed that the gods could manifest themselves in various natural phenomena. However, they also had various mythological roles. For example, the sun in Egyptian religion was associated with multiple deities, as it encompasses many natural forces.
That is why the Egyptian pantheon was very organized because the Egyptian gods had various roles in the Egyptian religion. Since they ranged from the gods that fulfilled vital functions in the universe to the so-called minor gods that were well recognized in the cities and some regions that fulfilled some purposes of the Egyptian population.
The Egyptians also adopted foreign gods and sometimes added to the Egyptian religion people who were pharaohs who died and were considered divine beings by the Egyptian civilization. But there were some commoners who were deified by the Egyptian religion, as is the case of Imhotep, who in life served as a scholar, inventor, physician, astronomer, and the first architect and engineer known in Egyptian history.
In Egyptian religion, the different gods that made up the Egyptian pantheon were not represented literally, as it was believed that there was no single representation for the Egyptian gods, as their nature was mysterious. Therefore, the Egyptians created various forms to identify the different Egyptian gods. They also used abstract figures to indicate the role each god played in Egyptian religion.
We can denote a very clear example of what the Egyptians did with the god Anubis, who represented him with a human body with the head of a jackal. Since this animal has scavenging habits and destroys the lifeless body. But to counteract this threat they used it in order to preserve the body of the deceased.
It is also notable that the animal's black skin was related to the color of the dead body's flesh once mummified. Likewise, the Egyptians agreed that black soil was a symbol of resurrection. Therefore, when creating iconographies of the gods, they were represented in different ways.
The Egyptians associated gods with particular cities and regions, and worshipped them, but over time, their locations shifted, and the Egyptian god worshipped in a city didn't have to be from that place or have originated in that city. An example of this was the Egyptian god Monthu, who was known as the chief god of the city of Thebes.
But that was during the period of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, but over the years, this Egyptian God was replaced by the God Amun, who may have emerged in another city but became so popular among the Egyptians that offerings and ceremonies began to be made to him in the city of Thebes. The complexity of these beliefs highlights the importance of understanding their culture and religion.
Associations of Egyptian Gods
In Egyptian civilization, over time, different gods were related by what they represented in the Egyptian religion and the forces and power they were obtaining. In this way, the Egyptians placed the different gods in groups to reflect relationships.
For which some groups of gods had an indeterminate size of gods and determined them by the functions that they fulfilled in the Egyptian religion. Many of these groups were made up of minor Egyptian gods who had little identity.
While combinations of Egyptian gods were made based on their mythology and the symbolism of their numbers, they united a pair of Egyptian gods who almost always represented the duality of opposing phenomena. A widely used combination of gods in Egyptian religion is the well-known family triad.
In this family triad, the Egyptian gods were united in a family consisting of a father, a mother, and a son. Egyptian civilization paid tribute and held ceremonies to the entire triad in the various Egyptian temples and sanctuaries. Many groups of gods were very important to Egyptian civilization, among which the well-known Ennead stands out, which constituted a group of nine Egyptian gods.
This group of Egyptian gods was composed of the gods Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Nut, Geb, Isis, Osiris, Nephthys, and Seth. Tribute and offerings were paid to them in the city of Heliopolis. This system of nine gods became known as the theological system, encompassing many areas of Egyptian religion, including the creation of the world, reign on earth, and the afterlife.
The relationship between the different Egyptian gods was also expressed in a process known as syncretism, where two or more Egyptian gods were linked to form a new composite god. This process occurred several times in Egyptian religion and was based on the recognition of one Egyptian god within the body of another god.
Although these links between the Egyptian gods were known as fluid links, they were not intended to last, as the fusion of two Egyptian gods into one could develop multiple syncretic connections.
Thus, syncretism, used to its fullest potential, combined many Egyptian gods with similar characteristics. In other instances, Egyptian gods were related by their distinct natures. A notable example of these relationships is that of the god Amun, known in Egyptian religion as the god of hidden power, who was related to the Egyptian god Ra. This resulted in the power behind all things becoming a great power visible in nature.
The Genesis in the Egyptian Religion
As the Egyptians formed groups of gods, they gradually lost influence in the civilization, as people's beliefs about the gods were very dominant, and within the groups of gods, those beliefs were transformed, combined, and syncretized. For example, the group of gods formed by the god Ra and the god Aten was renamed Aten-Ra, and the characteristics of the god Ra became more dominant.
Over time, the god Ra was absorbed by the Egyptian god Horus, and this group became known as Ra-Horakhti. Similarly, the Egyptian god Ptah became known as Ptah-Seker, as he was assimilated by the god Osiris. This group of gods was known as Ptah-Seker-Osiris.
It is important to note that one of the most worshipped goddesses in Egyptian religion is the Egyptian goddess Hathor. Due to her fame in Egyptian religion and civilization over time, divine powers from other gods were gradually added to this goddess. However, she was eventually assimilated by the Egyptian goddess Isis.
In Egyptian civilization, there were many gods, both good and evil, but these gods, who had a reputation for being evil, were combined with other Egyptian gods of the same reputation. This was done with the god Seth, who was known as a hero god. This gave him many of the characteristics of the evil gods.
According to history, he received this recognition from the Egyptian civilization because the Hisco civilization took this God as its protector and the Egyptians condemned the God Seth as an evil God against the Egyptian civilization.
When the Greeks influenced Egyptian civilization, and also having greater importance in Egyptian religion, was the group of gods known as the Triad, which was composed of the god Horus, the god Osiris, and his wife, the goddess Isis. Their great enemy was the Egyptian god Seth.
All of this is well known in Egyptian religion through the various stories that have been told throughout time, such as the myth of the "Legend of Osiris and Isis." This group of gods was also known as the Triad, as they assimilated a great cult of the gods and many characteristics of gods who preceded them.
Although each god of the triad was worshipped in his or her own Egyptian temple or sanctuary, the god Horus was worshipped in the city of Edfu, tributes were paid to the goddess Isis in the city of Dendera, and finally, offerings were made to the god Osiris in the city of Abydos. Although there were many stages in Egyptian religion to worship these gods, at one point the god Osiris looked very similar to the god Horus.
These forms of making the gods equal were intended to direct Egyptian religion toward monotheism. But this form of Egyptian religion already had antecedents, albeit very small ones, in the 14th century BC. This occurred during the time of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who wished to worship only the Egyptian god Aten.
That is why Pharaoh Akhenaten transformed the God Aten into a solar disk, but this was a pleasing aspect for Egyptian religion, which was violently rejected by the priests and later by the entire Egyptian people.
But there are historical documents, such as the Royal Canon of Turin, which record in hieroglyphics that several Egyptian gods, at various times, were rulers of Egypt, including Ptah, Ra, Shu, Geb, Osiris, Seth, Thoth, Maat, and Horus; each god served for a significant period as ruler.
After that period, they had the so-called Shemsu Hor, who were known as the followers of the god Horus. This period lasted at least 13.420 years before the birth of the first dynasty of pharaohs. Then the so-called Menes took over the throne of Egypt and remained in power for at least 36.620 years.
Egyptian Religion and Ma'at
The Egyptian religion was centered on the concept of the word Ma'at, which translated into Spanish means that it had to do with justice, order and truth. Since these were the laws of the universe and should be governed by human society. This word has existed since the creation of the universe and without these words the world would have no order or cohesion.
However, in Egyptian religion, it was believed that Ma'at was always under imminent threat, causing it to become unsettled. Therefore, Egyptian society needed to maintain its state of order and justice. On a human level, this meant that all people in society should cooperate and coexist.
By doing this, the cosmic level was elevated, and all the forces of nature—that is, the forces of the Egyptian gods—united to bring balance to the earth. This was therefore a primary purpose of Egyptian religion.
That is why the Egyptian civilization intended to maintain Ma'at in the cosmos and a series of offerings and ceremonies had to be made to the gods to remove lies and disorder in the Egyptian population and always follow the path of truth.
A very important point in Egyptian religion is that the civilization's conception of time was very focused on keeping Ma'at functioning. This is why, whenever Egyptian religion is studied in a timeline, a cyclical pattern is always highlighted, as Ma'at was renewed during periodic events in the original creation, one of these events known as the flooding of the Nile River, which occurred every year.
Another important event in Egyptian religion, which renewed Ma'at, was the election of a new pharaoh. But the most important event in Egyptian religion, which renewed Ma'at, was the daily journey of the god Ra through the so-called twelve gates.
When it came to understanding the cosmos, Egyptian civilization had a flat view of the Earth. They personified the god Geb and the goddess Nut, who was arched over the god. But both Egyptian gods were separated by the god Shu, who was known as the god of the air. Under the earth was the underworld, and above in the sky was the underheaven, parallel extensions. Further away was the infinite expanse of Nu, known as the chaos that existed before the creation of the world.
Although many Egyptians also believed in a place known as the Duat, a mysterious region associated with death and rebirth. According to many Egyptian priests, it was located in a part of the sky, while others claimed it was located somewhere in the underworld.
Many affirmed this theory since the God Ra had to make a journey across the entire earth daily through the reverse of the sky and when night fell, the God Ra had to travel across the entire Duat to be reborn at dawn.
Due to the belief held by Egyptian civilization, the cosmos in which the Egyptians believed was inhabited by three types of highly sensitive deities. The first were known as the Egyptian gods. The others were the souls of the deceased who had a place in the realm of the dead, and many of them had characteristics of certain gods. The last and most important were the pharaohs, whose purpose was to be the bridge between the realm of the gods and the human realm.
Importance of the Pharaoh in the Egyptian Religion
Many specialists and researchers on Egyptian civilization have debated the extent to which the pharaoh was considered an Egyptian god in Egyptian religion. However, many have argued that it was unlikely that the Egyptians recognized the pharaoh as both a royal authority and a divine force.
Therefore, the Egyptians recognized the pharaoh as a human being subject to human weaknesses. But at the same time, they regarded him as if he were a god, because the power of the divine and the monarchy rested on his shoulders. In this way, the pharaoh had to act as an intermediary between Egyptian civilization and the various gods who paid tribute to him in Egypt.
This was a key point to have the Ma'at in control. Since it was used to enforce the laws and justice as the harmony between the entire Egyptian community that existed in order to maintain order and the population to maintain their offerings and rituals to the different Egyptian gods.
Due to these circumstances, the pharaoh had the need and the objective to oversee all activities related to Egyptian religion. However, the pharaoh's life of pure prestige could interfere with what was written in the official regulations, and in the final stages of the Egyptian New Kingdom, the figure of the pharaoh declined drastically in Egyptian religion.
Therefore, Egyptian civilization was closely associated with many of the characteristics of the Egyptian gods, and many people identified the pharaoh with the god Horus, who was responsible for representing the Egyptian monarchy. Egyptian citizens also viewed the pharaoh as the son of the god Ra, since the god Ra was supposed to govern and regulate the forces of nature, while the pharaoh was supposed to regulate the laws of society.
When the New Egyptian Empire began, civilization began to associate the pharaoh with the god Amun, since the god Amun represented the supreme power of the cosmos. Therefore, when the pharaoh's time of death came, in Egyptian religion, his body was mummified and transformed into a kind of earthly deity for the Egyptians.
Once he had been transformed into an earthly deity, he was compared to the Egyptian god Ra, while in other regions of Egypt he was equated with the god Osiris, who represented life and rebirth. Others associated him with the characteristics of the great sun god Horus. In this way, so-called mortuary temples were built, which is why Egyptian religion used them to pay tribute to the various pharaohs who had already died, as is the case with Shafer.
life after death
One of the most important characteristics of Egyptian religion is that the civilization had adopted a belief in death and the afterlife. Therefore, they believed that every human had a power known as the Ka, which was described as the vital force or power that would leave the body after death.
As long as a person was alive, the ka was nourished by the food and drink they consumed daily, thus ensuring its survival in the realm of the dead. Each person's ka had to continue receiving various foods, which is why, in Egyptian religion, offerings and rituals were performed to continue providing the ka with various foods.
Because if this was not done the Ka could be consumed and eliminated, while there was also what is known as the Ba, which was defined as the set of characteristics that each person has in spirituality that were unique to each person.
That is why there was a big difference between the Ba and the Ka, so the Ba was always attached to the body even if the person died. Therefore, the funerary rituals that were celebrated had as their main mission to be able to free the body of the deceased from the Ba so that it could move freely in the realm of the dead.
But both aspects, the Ka and the Ba, had to be united so that the soul of the deceased could return to life after death, and this was known as an AKN. To achieve this, however, the person's body could not be damaged and had to be preserved in the best possible way, since the Egyptians believed that the Ba always returns to the body of the deceased.
The Ba returned to the body each night in order to receive the new life, so that it could emerge at the beginning of the day as an AKN. But it is necessary to clarify that in the Egyptian religion the only people who had a Ba were the pharaohs because of the connection they had with the Egyptian gods and that is why it could be united with the gods.
While among ordinary Egyptians, or the so-called commoners, at the time of death their souls went to a very dark and completely uninhabited realm, which was the opposite of life. Some wealthy individuals, known as nobles, were entitled to receive tombs and the resources to maintain them, as this was one of the pharaoh's gifts.
These gifts were given to the nobles because they performed favors for the pharaoh and it was believed that the more favors were performed for the pharaoh, the more they could bequeath themselves to the kingdom of the dead and be reborn again.
In the early days of Egyptian religion, one of the most common beliefs was that after the pharaoh died, his soul went to heaven and found a destination among the multitude of stars in the sky. But during the Old Egyptian Empire, which lasted from c. 2686 to 2181 BC, it became established that the figure of the dead pharaoh accompanied the god Ra on his daily journey.
Egyptian Religion and Judgment
At the end of the Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BC) and the beginning of the First Intermediate Period (c. 2181–2055 BC), Egyptian civilization gradually began to believe that all people had a Ba, and that all people were capable of life after death. After many people in the New Egyptian Empire began to adopt this belief, each person's soul was to avoid all supernatural dangers emanating from the Duat.
Since at the time of death, the soul would be subjected to a final judgment, this judgment is known in the Egyptian religion as "Weight of Heart"According to popular Egyptian belief, all the gods of the Egyptian pantheon would determine what actions the deceased had taken were good or bad and how he had behaved during his life, according to what was written in the Ma'at.
It was also believed that all the deceased ended up in the world of the dead, ruled by the god Osiris. It was described as a lush and pleasant world located between the earth and the underworld. Other Egyptians studied the afterlife from the perspective of the Egyptian god Ra, who walked his daily path with all the souls of those who had passed away.
Although this method of Egyptian belief about the god Ra was widely used by the nobles of Egyptian civilization, it extended to some commoners who might believe the same as the nobles. During the period between the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom of Egypt, the notion of the Akh was held, that the soul of the deceased could travel and remain in the world of the living and, in a certain way, could negatively affect events occurring in the earthly world.
What is written in hieroglyphs
Although Egyptian civilization did not have many unified religious scriptures, many religious texts on a variety of topics were produced. By understanding the different topics addressed in Egyptian religion, one can gain an understanding of their religion. However, a study of the different religious practices they used must also be undertaken. Therefore, an analysis of various Egyptian religious themes will be conducted based on the following elements:
Egyptian Mythology: Egyptian mythology is based on a set of myths and metaphorical legends intended to explain and illustrate the roles and actions of each Egyptian god according to their nature. Depending on how the story was told and how the details of each event were emphasized, they could convey different perspectives on the situation at hand.
Since all Egyptian history was full of symbology and mystery regarding the different divine events that were presented in history. Therefore, many of the Egyptian stories and myths had countless versions and facts.
Although it should be noted that all Egyptian narratives were never completely written, as they left much to the creativity of the writer or accountant of the work and these works contained many works that gave the myth a more interesting landmark.
Therefore, upon learning about Egyptian mythology, one was familiar with a set of hymns that specified the qualities and characteristics of the Egyptian gods. In the various hieroglyphics discovered by researchers, information has been found about funeral rituals and offerings that describe the roles played by the different Egyptian gods.
Similarly, much information on Egyptian religion was found in secular religious books. Until the Romans and Greeks recounted some of the most important myths in late Egyptian history.
Among those most frequently told myths were those of the creation of the world, as they are a set of stories that narrate how the world emerged from nothing, where there was a dry space in the center of the ocean and everything was chaos, and how the sun is an important part of being able to create life on Earth.
This is also the reason why the Egyptian god Ra ascended to power. He was there to create order, justice, and harmony on Earth. Since that first ascension, thousands of Egyptian stories have been told about the creation of the world, but they always have the same meaning and moral.
Egyptian history is based on a transformation of the Egyptian God Atum and all the elements found on earth. It also uses a very imaginative speech by the intellectual God Ptah and an act of divine power possessed by the God Amun, but he does it in a hidden way.
But without paying much attention to the different stories that are told, the act of creating the world is directed to fulfill the norms and laws of the Egyptian Ma'at and the canons that are in the cycle of time.
Similarly, it should be noted that one of the most important and widespread myths of the Egyptian religion is the myth of the God Osiris together with that of the Goddess Isis. The myth is based on the fact that the Egyptian God Osiris is the ruler of the entire territory of Egypt. But the God was tricked and killed by his brother the Egyptian God Seth.
This god is associated with chaos and misfortune. But the goddess Isis, who was both the sister and wife of the god Osiris, was able to revive him so that the god Osiris would leave heirs in the land of Egypt. Thus, he became the father of the god Horus.
Thus, the god Osiris entered the underworld and became the new god and ruler of the underworld. When his son, the god Horus, grew older, he decided to fight his uncle, the god of chaos Seth, to become king of all Egyptian territory.
This gave the Egyptian religion an identification, as they associated the God Seth with chaos, while the God Horus and the God Osiris as the true legitimate rulers of all Egypt.
With this, the Egyptian civilization had a logical basis to be able to carry out the succession of the pharaohs and in the same way have the pharaohs as a foundation to maintain order and justice in Egypt.
In this same way, the pharaohs associated the god Osiris with death and reincarnation, and with the cycles of Egyptian agriculture, since crops grew as the Nile River flooded. This was known in Egyptian religion as a model for giving life to human souls after they perished.
An important point in Egyptian religion was the daily journey that the god Ra made through the Duat. On this mythical journey, the god Ra met the god of the underworld, Osiris. When they met, this became known as an act of Egyptian regeneration, where life was renewed. Similarly, the god Ra had numerous battles with the god Apophis, who was a god of evil forces.
This defeat of the god Apophis and the meeting between the god Ra and the god of the underworld, Osiris, gave the god Ra the right to ascend to the sun, where he had to follow the same path every day. This was an event that took place every morning, the rebirth of good over evil.
Magical texts and rituals: In Egyptian religion, religious procedures written on papyrus are prominent. Every detail was used as instructions for others who were to perform the ritual or ceremony. The texts describing each ritual were kept in libraries in the temples or sanctuaries where the different rituals were performed.
Furthermore, these books were accompanied by numerous drawings and illustrations detailing the entire procedure of the ceremony or ritual. It should be noted, however, that unlike other books, these illustrations were intended to perpetuate the symbolic rites in the same way so that Egyptian civilization would not change their form or cease performing them.
In this same way, the texts considered magical in Egyptian religion described the steps of each ritual. Although spells were used for specific purposes in the lives of the Egyptians, even though they were for mundane purposes, they were also kept in the various libraries of temples and sanctuaries.
Egyptian Prayers and Hymns: In Egyptian religion, the civilization dedicated itself to writing and conceiving countless prayers and hymns, which were written in the form of poetry. Although many hymns and prayers were written with a very similar structure, they differed in their intended purpose.
For example, hymns were intended to praise the Egyptian gods, and many of these hymns were found written on the walls of temples and sanctuaries. Many of these hymns were structured in literary formulas designed to express certain natural and mythological aspects and functions of Egyptian religion.
Likewise, they extolled the abilities and functions of an Egyptian god, although they were more reflective of Egyptian religion than any other aspect of Egyptian civilization, which is why they became very interesting during the Egyptian New Kingdom, a period where very active theological discourse took place.
Prayers were another very important factor in Egyptian religion, but they were written with the same structure as hymns. They were written to address the characteristics and functions of a particular Egyptian god, but in a more relevant way, as they asked for blessings, forgiveness, or help after a bad time or illness.
But prayers were used in the Egyptian New Kingdom, as they were not widely used before, as connecting with an Egyptian god was not believed possible for an Egyptian noble or commoner; only the pharaohs had this ability. And it was even less likely that they could communicate with the Egyptian gods through writing.
During the investigations carried out by specialists and Egyptologists, prayers are found written on the different statues of the gods, as well as in the temples where tributes and ceremonies were paid to them.
The funerary texts: It is important to note that within the Egyptian religion, the most important and significant texts that exist and were cared for by the Egyptians for what they represented were the funerary texts, whose main purpose was to ensure that the souls of the deceased reached the afterlife in the best possible way.
The most carefully preserved texts were the so-called Pyramid Texts, which contained a wealth of information about the vast number of spells inscribed within the ancient royal pyramids dating back to the Old Kingdom.
These texts were intended to magically provide the Egyptian pharaohs with the means to keep the Egyptian gods company in the world of the dead, or the afterlife. However, it is important to note that funerary spells are found written in a variety of arrangements and combinations, and many of them are found written on the walls of the various pyramids.
When the Egyptian Old Kingdom came to an end, a new group of funerary spells began to be inscribed, containing material found on the walls of the pyramids. The Egyptians then began to write funerary spells on tombs, but they were more detailed on sarcophagi. This collection of spells inscribed on sarcophagi and tombs became known as the Coffin Texts.
Although writings were not found on royal sarcophagi, but rather in the various tombs of non-royal officials, various funerary texts emerged during the Egyptian New Kingdom, the best known of which is the so-called Book of the Dead.
This book contains a series of spells used to help the soul of the deceased overcome the so-called Judgment of Osiris and assist it on its journey through the Duat, the underworld, until it reaches the Aaru and obtains the afterlife. Unlike other funerary books, the Book of the Dead has the most illustrations and vignettes, which is why the book was copied onto papyrus so that nobles and commoners could access it and it could be placed in tombs upon death.
Many of the funerary texts and sarcophagus texts contained extensive information and detailed descriptions about the underworld and instructions for souls to overcome the various dangers that plagued it. But when the New Kingdom began, the material and information contained in the Book of the Dead led to the editing and copying of several books on the underworld.
Another of the most important books of Egyptian religion and the New Kingdom is the Book of Gates, also known as the Book of Caves. These books depicted what the underworld was like and what the Egyptian god Ra had to go through on his journey through the Duat.
Therefore, the journey of the soul of every person who has died and must pass through the realm of the dead. Although these books were restricted to use in pharaonic tombs, when the Third Egyptian Period began, the use of these books expanded into Egyptian religion.
As Egypt modernized, ancient practices in Egyptian religion were replaced with newer ones and improved techniques, all of which were also scientific. The Egyptians dedicated themselves to scientific studies and advancements related to the preservation of the deceased's body.
As they advanced in their practice of mummification, they attained great knowledge and moved on to a higher level of knowledge and excellence in the afterlife.
Egyptian religious practices
The Egyptians, being very believers in the Egyptian religion, carried out religious practices to be able to comply with the gods and always be grateful to them by performing different rituals and ceremonies, for these reasons we will tell you a little about the religious practices that the Egyptians carried out in the different sacred sites such as:
The Egyptian Temples: In Egyptian civilization, being very religious, temples were practically built from the beginning of Egyptian civilization and religion. But many Egyptian peoples already existed with their customs and beliefs, and mortuary temples were used to pay tribute to the different spirits of deceased pharaohs.
There were also other types of temples dedicated to offerings and rituals to the various Egyptian gods, although it is very difficult to differentiate, since the Egyptian monarchy and the gods were closely related and intertwined. However, many Egyptian temples were not intended for the worship of the Egyptian gods and pharaohs by the general population. Therefore, ordinary society had its own religious practices.
That's why temples and sanctuaries sponsored by the state or governors were used as homes for the Egyptian gods, and the various physical images of the gods were used as intermediaries for the various offerings given to them by believers in the Egyptian religion.
Many pharaohs believed that this service was necessary to keep the Egyptian gods happy and thus maintain tranquility in the universe and the cosmos. Therefore, Egyptian temples and sanctuaries were central to Egyptian society, and the Egyptian government, led by the pharaoh, devoted extensive resources to maintaining the temple in excellent condition.
Likewise, the pharaohs devoted much of their time to honoring the Egyptian gods as part of their obligations. The nobles also made donations to maintain peace in the afterlife. Thus, there were large temples. However, many Egyptian gods did not have their own temple or sanctuary; they only built temples to the most important Egyptian gods in the Egyptian religion.
Although it is important to highlight that many gods in Egyptian religion were not widely worshipped by the pharaoh and the Egyptian people. There were some Egyptian gods who were widely worshipped by popular civilization in different households, but they did not have a specific temple.
The first temples built for the Egyptian religion were small houses, and the structures were very simple and impermanent. Although they were designed in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, as in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, some of the temples were made of stone, they became more elaborate over time.
But large stones were always used to build the various Egyptian temples. During the New Egyptian Empire, a new, but very basic, temple design began to be built, utilizing common elements that had already been used in the construction of temples in the Ancient and Middle Egyptian Empires.
But in the New Egyptian Empire there were great variations, the plan that was used was able to build many temples and most of the temples that have survived over time are because they were built with this technique.
The technique or plan used to build the various Egyptian temples is based on creating a central path throughout the entire infrastructure, known as the procession path. A series of rooms were then built to reach the final sanctuary, where a large statue of the Egyptian god could be found, to whom worship and offerings were made.
Although entering the central hall of the temple was intended only for the pharaohs and the high command of the government, as well as the priests who represented the Egyptian religion, since the Egyptian general population was prohibited from reaching this room.
The journey people had to make from the main entrance of the temple to the main hall or sanctuary was known as the transition from the earthly world to the realm of the Egyptian gods or the realm of the divine. This was experienced through the array of mythological symbols depicted on the temple's various walls, as well as in its architecture. Following the temple, one could find an outer wall. In this space, one could find many buildings, as well as workshops and various warehouses to supply the temple's necessities.
If the temple was large, one could also find a library containing several books containing information about Egyptian religion, as well as other books dedicated to worldly matters. These libraries served as centers for Egyptians to learn about all the subjects they needed to learn.
The responsibility for carrying out the various rituals fell to the Pharaoh, as he was the official representative of Egypt before the various Egyptian gods. However, the rites were performed by Egyptian priests rather than the pharaohs, as they were responsible for other, more important responsibilities.
In the Old and Middle Kingdoms, priests did not have a separate class; instead, many of the pharaoh's high officials were responsible for performing ceremonies for several months, and some did so for a whole year while engaged in secular duties.
But when the Egyptian New Kingdom began, the work performed by the priests became professionalized and widespread. Although many priests who came from the common people only worked part-time, many were employed by the state, the Pharaoh was the only one who could oversee the furnishings and approve the temple.
As the Egyptian religion took hold among the people, they were all primarily employed by the Pharaoh. But as the priests' fame grew, so did the temple's wealth, until they eventually became rivals with the Pharaoh.
During the political fragmentation that occurred during the Third Intermediate Period in Egypt, between the years c. 1070 and 664 BC, the priests of the god Amun, in the so-called city of Karnak, began to become rulers of some regions of Upper Egypt.
In the various Egyptian temples, there were a large number of people working to maintain the temple, as it included priests, musicians, and singers for all the ceremonies and rituals. Outside the Egyptian temple, there were people dedicated to work, such as artisans and farmers who worked on the various farms.
All these people who provided services for the maintenance of the temples received a salary, which came from the same offerings the people brought to please the Egyptian gods. Therefore, it must be said that the temples were centers that generated economic activity for the pharaoh.
Today, many Egyptian temples remain in their original structures, while others are already in ruins due to the passage of time. However, many have already been destroyed due to erosion of their walls and structures and vandalism. Ramses II was a pharaoh who was a great promoter of the restoration of Egyptian temples, but he was also a usurper of various temples. Among the most important temples in the Egyptian religion are the following:
- Deir el-Bahari: group of temples of Mentuhotep II (XNUMXth dynasty), Hatshepsut and Tutmosis III (XNUMXth dynasty). The funerary complex of Hatshepsut, with wide terraced courtyards and a columned structure of great harmony (built about a thousand years before the famous Parthenon in Athens, one of the most beautiful architectural works)
- Karnak - complex of temples, expanded over five hundred years, in Thebes, the capital of ancient Egypt since the Middle Kingdom.
- Luxor: Started by Amenhotep III and expanded by Ramses II, it was the ceremonial center of the Opet festival.
- Abu Simbel: two great temples (speos) of Ramses II, in southern Egypt, on the west bank of the Nile River.
- Abydos: temples of Sethy I and Ramses II. Place of veneration of the first pharaohs, with a large funerary complex.
- The Ramesseum, commemorative temple of Ramses II, next to the Theban necropolis; the main building was dedicated to the funerary cult.
- Medinet Habu: Ramses III memorial temple. Temple complex dating from the New Kingdom.
- Edfu: Ptolemaic temple located between Aswan and Luxor.
- Dendera: temple complex. The main building is the Temple of Hathor.
- Kom Ombo: temple of the region that controlled the trade routes from Nubia to Upper Egypt.
- File Island: temple of Isis (Ast), built in the Ptolemaic era.
Official Egyptian Rituals and Ceremonies: In Egyptian civilization, due to their religious beliefs, the state is obligated to perform various official rituals and ceremonies in the various Egyptian temples, as worship and offerings must be rendered to the various Egyptian gods. Ceremonies are also held for deceased pharaohs, who are associated with the gods and the so-called Egyptian divine monarchy.
Among the most important ceremonies and rituals are the coronation ceremony and the Sed Festival, an official state festival held periodically throughout his reign to renew the pharaoh's power.
Various rituals were performed throughout the year, as the Egyptian religion formalized rites throughout the country. Several rites were performed in a single temple dedicated to a single Egyptian god, while others were practiced daily. However, there were ceremonies so specific that they were performed only once a year or on a special occasion.
A ritual that had to be performed at the beginning of the day was the well-known ceremony of offering and gratitude. This ceremony was practiced throughout Egypt. A high-ranking priest or the pharaoh would wash the statue of an Egyptian god and anoint it with a cream. He would also dress it in a very elaborate garment, then give it a set of offerings.
When the daily ritual was over and the Egyptian god had consumed his spiritual offering, all the remaining objects were taken to be distributed among the different priests of the temple.
In Egyptian religion, rituals were fewer in number, while festivals were numerous, with dozens held throughout the year. Festivals were frequent and required a series of actions that went beyond simple offerings of gratitude to any Egyptian god. Many festivals were supposed to recreate scenes from Egyptian legend or myth.
Likewise, they had to take some action to eliminate negative forces or energies that fueled disorder and chaos in the Egyptian land. Many of these festivals were led by the highest-ranking priests and held within the temple itself. But the most religiously significant festivals, such as the so-called Opet festival, held in the city of Karnak, were celebrated with a procession carrying a statue of the Egyptian god.
Some commoners who were strong believers in the Egyptian religion accompanied the procession to ask the deity in which they believed to resolve their current situation and thus receive some portions of the large offerings that were given to the Egyptian gods on these special occasions.
Animals that worshiped him: In many parts of Egypt, animals began to be worshipped, as the Egyptians believed they were manifestations of the Egyptian gods, a very specific belief in Egyptian religion. These animals were selected for specific purposes and given sacred marks that indicated their important role in Egyptian society.
Many of these animals maintained this role throughout the Egyptian civilization. A clear example of this was the well-known Apis bull that was highly worshiped in the city of Memphis. This animal was a manifestation of the God Ptah.
While other animals were worshipped for a short time, this belief in worshipping different animals increased in later times, and many priests who ran temples began to increase the number of animals worshipped as a divine practice.
One practice that began to develop was in the 26th Dynasty, when the Egyptians began mummifying any member of an animal species, in order to make a grand offering to an Egyptian god. This is why millions of mummified cats, birds, and other animals were found and buried in Egypt's various religious temples to honor the gods.
The Oracles: In Egyptian religion, pharaohs and some members of Egyptian society would go to the Oracles to ask the different gods for greater knowledge and guidance in making the best decisions. Although the Oracles began to be known from the Egyptian New Kingdom onward, according to some research, they may have appeared much earlier.
Many Egyptians, including the Pharaoh, would go to the oracles to ask a series of questions, and these answers were used to resolve a legal dispute or problem. The most common way to use the Egyptian oracles was to pose an important question to the image of an Egyptian god and then interpret the answer.
Another method for interpreting the Oracle's answers was to interpret the movements of worshiped animals or to consult a statue of a god and wait for the response from a priest, who spoke for the Egyptian god. This practice gave the priests great influence in Egyptian religion, as they could interpret the Egyptian gods' messages.
Popular Egyptian Religion: Many Egyptian cults were focused on preserving the stability of Egyptian civilization, so some individuals had their own religious practices that were related to their daily lives. Although this form of practicing Egyptian religion left very little evidence of it than the official Egyptian religion, the Egyptian religion that left the most evidence was the richest Egyptian religion in the Egyptian territory.
Their daily religious practices included ceremonies that emphasized life transitions. These included births, since the process of being born was very dangerous. Also, naming ceremonies were important, since a name is an important part of a person's identity.
One of the most important religious practices in Egyptian folk religion were those surrounding death, or so-called funerary practices, because these were very important because they would ensure the survival of the deceased's soul and their life after having crossed into the afterlife.
Another practice used by the low-income population was to seek to discern the will of the gods for the people, in order to seek self-knowledge. This practice required interpreting dreams, as they were seen as messages sent by the gods from the divine realm.
Many people, unable to enter the various temples of the Egyptian gods, offered prayers and made private offerings to the gods. But this was only reflected as a form of piety that was practiced during the Egyptian New Kingdom.
This is why the Egyptians began to practice piety, believing that the gods intervened directly in their prayers and lives to bring about what they needed. In this way, the Egyptian gods favored people who did good, but punished those who did evil and spared those who were pious toward others.
Many of the Egyptian temples were very important for private prayers and offerings, even though more purposeful activities excluded lay people. Many of the practices that the Egyptians carried out were that they donated their goods to the Egyptian gods so that they would fulfill the prayers that the Egyptians made.
When the population could not enter the various temples to fulfill their religious obligations, they began to build small chapels so that people could pray and give thanks for the favors granted.
Magic in Egyptian religion: Magic in Egyptian religion was known by the word Heka, which meant "the ability to make things happen by indirect means." It was believed that magic was a natural phenomenon of the earth, since it was the same energy that was used for the creation of the world and the cosmos.
Magic was the energy that the Egyptian gods used to exert their will and the Egyptians believed that they could also use it, but these practices were closely linked to the Egyptian religion. Although the regular rituals that were done on a daily basis were known as magic.
Many Egyptians also used magic for personal purposes, even if it caused harm to others. Therefore, magic was considered hostile in itself, and its use against others was considered undesirable.
But for many Egyptians, magic