@ Koldaramor, Rhythm
I think that monotheism sprang from the unification of the gods Amen and Ra as the German Egyptologist Jan Assmann believes. His opinion is quoted below.
In order to show that the idea of the one and only god emerged into the environment of the Egyptian priesthood, some striking passages (as they are called by W. Budge) from the Egyptian texts –collected by the German Egyptologist Heinrich Brugsch- will be cited.
God is one and alone, and none other existeth with Him.
God is the One, the One who made all things.
God is a spirit, a hidden spirit, the spirit of spirits, the great spirit of the Egyptians, the divine spirit.
He begetteth, but was never begotten; He produceth, but was never produced;
He begat himself and produced himself.
He createth but was never created; He is the maker of his own form, and the
Fashioner of His own body.
This is only a small sample. It is to be noted, however, that these attributes belonged to the head god of each company of gods.
Assmann writes as follows:
The Theban theology of these decades (18th dynasty, 1570-1293) can be interpreted as an attempt to fill the hyphenated formulation Amun-Re with theological content, that is, to develop a divine concept sufficiently comprehensive to include all the traditions concerning Amun and all those of Re as well. The pure Amun aspect of the city god and the pure Re aspect of the of the sun god are connected by the concept of the supreme being who had already emerged in the theological fragments of the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1800) in his aspects of primeval god, creator god, and god of life.
I call this process “additive,” for I have the impression that this new concept of a supreme being was arrived at primarily by accumulation and juxtaposition. All aspects of divine unity –preexistence, creator, sustainer- were combined and connected with one another by means of simple but well ordered juxtapositions of sequences of predicates of Amun and Re.
An indication that Amen-Ra was the first “One and Only God” is the fact that Jews, Christians and Muslims use to close their prayers by invoking his name: “Amen”
As regards Akhenaten, I think he was a clever atheist who fought the clergy.
An atheist ruler cannot reveal his atheism. He preaches the new “true” god!
Vaal and Marduk before him had said that the gods they had killed had time enough to recognized them (Vaal and Marduk) as their superiors!!
Jew people may had never been to Egypt, but their scholars were taught in Egypt as is the case with the Greek philosophers (Akhenaton is an historical figure while Abraham is a mythical one).
As regards the material I ignore, could you name one that is at least 2,000 years old?
(November 14, 2011 at 6:33 am)Koldaramor Wrote: Hi sirHi to you too sir,
What do you think about Pharaoh Akhenaten (Akheneton) ? Can you think of Abraham the prophet Akhenaten?
IMO was the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian polytheist. The idea of one God emerged with the Pharaoh Akhenaten. With the figure of Moses, the Jewish faith has occurred. Canaan destroyed by the Babylonian, and Assyrians, Jews settled in monotheistic belief.
The Arabs took the Jewish faith, mixed with pagan and Sumerian myths. Created and Islam.
What do you think?
I think that monotheism sprang from the unification of the gods Amen and Ra as the German Egyptologist Jan Assmann believes. His opinion is quoted below.
In order to show that the idea of the one and only god emerged into the environment of the Egyptian priesthood, some striking passages (as they are called by W. Budge) from the Egyptian texts –collected by the German Egyptologist Heinrich Brugsch- will be cited.
God is one and alone, and none other existeth with Him.
God is the One, the One who made all things.
God is a spirit, a hidden spirit, the spirit of spirits, the great spirit of the Egyptians, the divine spirit.
He begetteth, but was never begotten; He produceth, but was never produced;
He begat himself and produced himself.
He createth but was never created; He is the maker of his own form, and the
Fashioner of His own body.
This is only a small sample. It is to be noted, however, that these attributes belonged to the head god of each company of gods.
Assmann writes as follows:
The Theban theology of these decades (18th dynasty, 1570-1293) can be interpreted as an attempt to fill the hyphenated formulation Amun-Re with theological content, that is, to develop a divine concept sufficiently comprehensive to include all the traditions concerning Amun and all those of Re as well. The pure Amun aspect of the city god and the pure Re aspect of the of the sun god are connected by the concept of the supreme being who had already emerged in the theological fragments of the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1800) in his aspects of primeval god, creator god, and god of life.
I call this process “additive,” for I have the impression that this new concept of a supreme being was arrived at primarily by accumulation and juxtaposition. All aspects of divine unity –preexistence, creator, sustainer- were combined and connected with one another by means of simple but well ordered juxtapositions of sequences of predicates of Amun and Re.
An indication that Amen-Ra was the first “One and Only God” is the fact that Jews, Christians and Muslims use to close their prayers by invoking his name: “Amen”
As regards Akhenaten, I think he was a clever atheist who fought the clergy.
An atheist ruler cannot reveal his atheism. He preaches the new “true” god!
Vaal and Marduk before him had said that the gods they had killed had time enough to recognized them (Vaal and Marduk) as their superiors!!
Jew people may had never been to Egypt, but their scholars were taught in Egypt as is the case with the Greek philosophers (Akhenaton is an historical figure while Abraham is a mythical one).
(November 14, 2011 at 12:35 pm)Rhythm Wrote: It's a bit more than the names that are different, unless you're very focused on ignoring large swaths of material which disagree with your point; in order to find the lines that agree.You seem to forget that I am interested only in the original idea. Once people are informed of the existence of god they commence adapting his image to their taste.
As regards the material I ignore, could you name one that is at least 2,000 years old?
