Religion In Ancient Egyptian Religions

1560 Words7 Pages
One of the major elements that define a culture and show the way the people think in this culture is the religion. Religions differ from one culture to another and sometimes they are different in the same culture. Polytheistic cultures are cultures where different people worship more than one god and they have different beliefs concerning their religion. These cultures are not only limited to difference in gods and beliefs but also to difference in practices and texts such as the Ancient Egyptian Civilization. “Egyptians worshiped not a single god, but a vast array from which they could pick and choose” (Brier, Bobs, and A. Hoyt Hobbs, 35). However, religion became monotheistic in the Amarna period when Akhenaten was the ruler. Religion in…show more content…
These texts were not only written on papers but carved on the walls of the Pyramids in Saqqara during the old kingdom. These texts were not for the public but only the pharaohs because it contained spells that protect the pharaohs’ bodies’ remains, refreshing the body after the death and assisting him in his journey to the heaven. The spells guides the pharaoh how to travel to the heaven such as using ladders, ramps, stairs and how to fly. Finally, the spells could be used to call the gods in case the pharaohs need help. Another example of Ancient Egyptian texts are the coffin texts which consist of funerary spells written on the coffins. The ancient Egyptians started to write the coffin spells in the Middle Kingdom. Anyone who had the ability to buy the coffin had the access to these spells which means they have the same rights like the pharaoh in the afterlife. Moving from the Middle Kingdom to the New Kingdom, many texts were written in the New Kingdom. One of the important funerary texts is the Amduat or The Book of What is in The Underworld which was found in the pharaohs’ tombs. The aim of this book was to provide the pharaoh’s spirit with the gods and monsters in the afterlife names so he can use the help of the gods or defeat the monsters. Moreover, a book called The Book of Caverns was written as usual in the pharaoh’s tombs which explains the sun god Ra’s journey through the underworld concentrating on punishments and rewards in the afterlife. It is said to have the best description about hell which is an example of punishment in the underworld. In contrast to other funerary texts, this book has less pictures but it is more descriptive. Furthermore, The Book of Gates contains a detailed description about the gates that the deceased soul passes in the afterlife and these gates are associated with different goddess. Finally, the Book of The Dead is one of the major

More about Religion In Ancient Egyptian Religions

Open Document