Ancient Egyptian Religion :: essays research papers

Ancient Egyptian Religion Religion guided all aspect of Egyptian brio. Egyptian religion was based onpolytheism, or the worship of many deities, except for during the reign of Akenaton. TheEgyptians had as many as 2000 matinee idols and goddesses. Some, such as Amun, wereworshipped throughout the whole country, while others had sole(prenominal) a local following. Oftengods and goddesses were represented as part tender-hearted and part animal. For example, Horus, the sky god, had the head of a hawk, and body of a human. Theyconsidered animals such as the bull, the cat, and the crocodile to be holy. Their two chiefgods were Amon-Ra and Osiris. Amon-Ra was believed to be the temperateness god and the lordof the universe. Osiris was the god of the underworld. Stories about him revolvedaround the idea of immortality. Osiris was the god that made a peaceful after(prenominal)lifepossible. The Egyptian "Book of the out of work" contains the major ideas and beliefs in theanc ient Egyptian religion. Because their religion stressed an afterlife, Egyptians weddedmuch time and wealth to preparing for survival in the next world. The Egyptians had many tales about how the world began. According to one legend, itstarted with an ocean in darkness. past a mound of dry land rose up and the sun godRe appeared. He created light and all things. Another reading material has the sun God emergingfrom a sacred blue sacred lotus that grew out of the mud, while a third version has himappearing as a scarab beetle on the eastern horizon. Temples were considered dwelling places for the gods. They were everywhere. separatelycity had a tabernacle built for the god of that city. The purpose of the temple was to be acosmic center by which men had conference with the gods. As the priests becamemore powerful, tombs became a part of great temples. Shown below is a typical templeflood plan with the purposes of each section given. The priests profession was to care for the god s and attend to their needs. The priests hadmany duties such as funeral rites, teaching school, manage the artists and works, andadvising people on problems. Death and Funerals The Egyptians saw death as a transitional stage in the progress to a better life in thenext world. They believed they could only reach their full potential after death. Eachperson was thought to have three souls, the "ka," the "ba," and the "akh." For these tofunction properly, it was considered necessity for the body to survive intact.