The Interpretatio Judaica of Thot-Hermes

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Interpretatio Judaica of Thot-Hermes THE INTERPRETATIO JUDAICA OF THOT-HERMES GERARD MUSSIES Interpretatio and Interpretatio Judaica The use of the word interpretatio in combination with an adjective in­ dicating a nationality, which is so well known in the modern science of religion, was created, as far as known by Tacitus. In ch. 48 of his treatise "On the Origin and Situation oj the Germans" he deals with the tribes that in his time were dwelling along the middle reaches of the Oder, and when discussing the Naharvali he mentions as a peculiarity of their religion that they venerated as gods a pair of brothers, the Alci: "interpretatione Romana Castorem Pollucemque." On this model the expression, of which the adjective can be changed to fit the specific context, has become the technical term to refer to the practice of polytheistic peoples of com­ paring their pantheons and identifying the different deities with one another. As far as it appears in classical texts this practice was carried out in two distinct ways, either by mentioning in some way or other side by side both the names of the gods or goddesses compared, or by simply substituting the vernacular deities for the foreign. Both methods are used by Herodotus. Having mentioned the existence of a temple of Apollo and Artemis in Buto in Egypt, and adding that these two are considered to be the children of Dionysos and Isis, he finally reveals their identity: Alyu1t'W1'tL o~ 'A1toUwV (l~V Tnpo~, Ll1j(l~'t1jp o~ TIal~, "Ap'tE.(lt~ o~ Bou~~a'tt~ (II 155-156); Dionysos has been explained as Osiris ten chapters before (II 144).' Likewise in his description of the Scythians he first says that they worship Hestia, Zeus, Gaea, Apollo, Aphrodite Urania, Ares, and some of them also Poseidon, then he goes on: OVO(lcX~E.'t~t o~ ~xu9la'tL 'Ia'tt1j (l~V T~~l'tt, ZE.U~ o~ op9o't~'t~ M't<X yvw(l1jv yE. 't~v i(l~v X~AE.O(lE.VO~ ll~1t~to~, fij o~ 'A1tt, 'A1toUwv o~ O1'toaupo~, OUP~Vt~ o~ 'AcppooC't1j 'Apyt(l1t~a~, llOaE.loewv o~ e()(Yl(l~acXO~~, omitting the counterpart of Ares (IV 59). A much shorter method, found, for instance, in some Ptolemaic in­ scriptions of the lInd cent., is the (; X~U~ x~L-formula: 'Ea'tt~l ['tijl X]~L 'AvOUXE.t, LlwvuaWl 'tWl X~L llE.'t[ E. ](l1t~(l[ i]VUl (OG IS 111, 3-6), mentioning the equivalents of Greek gods, and the other way round: 'AVOUXE.l 'tijl X~L 1 II 155-156. For the implications of Herodotus' remark in II 50 that the names of almost all the Greek gods stem from Egypt, see the discussion between R. Lattimore, Herodotus and the Names oj Egyptian Gods, Class. Phil. 34, 1939, 357-365, and 1. M. Lin­ forth, Greek and Egyptian Gods (Herodotus II 50 and 52), Class. Phil. 35, 1940, 300-301. 90 GERARD MUSSlES 'Ea'tLOtL, IIE'tEf.l1tIXf.lEVUL 'tWL XIXL LlLOVUaWL (OGIS 130, 7-10). The briefest possible manner is the mere juxtaposition of the names, for instance ZEU~ 'npO!lcXao'Tj~ in inscriptions of Antiochus I of Commagene (OG IS 383, 41; 384, 5), and 0 ZE.U~ 0 ~1X~cX~LO~ in one of Attalus II (OGIS 331, 34, 49). We shall have to come back to this shortest type of equation because it has been adduced to explain why Thot and Moses were identified. It was more frequently applied in syncretistic series of more than two equations, such as 'A1toAAwv Mcep'Tj~ "HALO~ 'Epf.lij~ (OGIS 383, 54; 385, 7), or LlL1 'HAL~ Me.ycXA~ ~lXpcX1tLOL (OGIS 678, 3). The complete suppression of the foreign name could occur in combina­ tion with an identifying formula of some kind as we find it in Plutarch's Life oj Artaxerxes III 1 "There is a sanctuary of a war goddess there (viz. Pasargadae) whom one might compare with Athena" (~v 'A6'Tjv&.v eXv 'tL~ &1tE.LXcXaE.LE.v). The mere replacement of the foreign names by those of the native gods or goddesses without further comment is instanced by Julius Caesar's remarks on the religion of the Gauls who worship, he says, "Mercury, Apollo, Mars,Jove, Minerva," and that of the Germans who have only "Sol, Yulcanus and Luna" (Bell. Gall. VI 17; 21). If we now proceed, on the analogy of the above instances of interpretatio Graeca etc. to extend the use of the term to the Jewish practice of identify­ ing pagan deities, we must be aware of the fact that we are then giving it a different content. For it stands to reason that the interpretation of heathen gods by a monotheistic people cannot be carried out on the basis of comparing two polytheistic systems, but in the proper sense only by equating Yahweh with, for instance, the Zeus who had developed to the one deity that comprised and unified in himself all the others and was therefore simply called 0 6E.o~. It is this Jewish interpretation which is im­ plicitly made by St. Paul when speaking on the Areopagus about "the god who created the world and everything in it" and next quoting the fifth line of Aratus' Phaenomena: "for we are of His kindred" (Acts XVII 28). For although St. Paul (or St. Luke) takes care not to mention it, the name to which the pronoun "His" refers is "Zeus" occurring no less than three times in the four lines of the poem that precede the quoted one. 2 Much more explicitly the Jewish exegete Aristobulus (or Pseudo­ Aristobulus) had interpreted the same poem two centuries or so before St. Paul; he quoted the first nine lines of it, but substituted the second and third mention of Zeus by 8E.oG, defending this by saying that that was what the name really stood for: 'to I~P 'tij~ OLIXVOLIX~ 1X1hwv l1tl 8E.oV &VIX1tEf.l1tE.'tIXL (ap. Eusebius P.E. XIII 12). 2 Cf. F. J. Foakes Jackson - K. Lake, The Beginnings of Christianity. Part I: The Acts of the Apostles, London 1933, IV, 218; V, 246-247. .
Recommended publications
  • The Story of Osiris Osiris Was the King of Egypt
    Story The Story of Osiris Osiris was the King of Egypt. During his reign, Osiris’ people were happy and well-fed. However, Osiris’ brother Seth became very jealous of the king’s success. While Osiris was travelling and bringing his blessings to other nations, Seth came up with a devious plan. Secretly, Seth found out Osiris’ exact body measurements and asked for a beautiful chest to be made that he knew would only fit Osiris. Upon Osiris’ return from his travels, Seth invited his brother to a great feast. During the celebrations, Seth revealed the exquisite chest and declared that he would give it to anyone who fitted into it exactly. Many tried and failed to fit into the chest, and eventually, Osiris asked to try. He was delighted that the chest fitted him perfectly, but at that very moment, Seth’s evil plan revealed itself; he slammed the lid, nailed it shut and sealed every crack with molten lead. Osiris died within the chest and his soul (or ‘ka’) moved on into the spirit world. Seth ruthlessly cast the chest that contained Osiris’ body into the River Nile. Isis, who was Osiris’ sister and wife, was devastated and feared for the safety of Horus, their child. She secretly fled into the marshes to look after Horus but was afraid that Seth would find the baby and murder him. So when Isis found shelter on a small, isolated island, which was home to the goddess Buto, she asked Buto to guard Horus. For extra protection, Isis transformed the island into a floating island, so it never stayed in one place permanently.
    [Show full text]
  • Verse in Fraser's Magazine
    Curran Index - Table of Contents Listing Fraser's Magazine For a general introduction to Fraser's Magazine see the Wellesley Index, Volume II, pages 303-521. Poetry was not included in the original Wellesley Index, an absence lamented by Linda Hughes in her influential article, "What the Wellesley Index Left Out: Why Poetry Matters to Periodical Studies," Victorian Periodicals Review, 40 (2007), 91-125. As Professor Hughes notes, Eileen Curran was the first to attempt to remedy this situation in “Verse in Bentley’s Miscellany vols. 1-36,” VPR 32 (1999), 103-159. As one part of a wider effort on the part of several scholars to fill these gaps in Victorian periodical bibliography and attribution, the Curran Index includes a listing of verse published in Fraser's Magazine from 1831 to 1854. EDITORS: Correct typo, 2:315, 1st line under this heading: Maginn, if he was editor, held the office from February 1830, the first issue, not from 1800. [12/07] Volume 1, Feb 1830 FM 3a, A Scene from the Deluge (from the German of Gesner), 24-27, John Abraham Heraud. Signed. Verse. (03/15) FM 4a, The Standard-Bearer -- A Ballad from the Spanish, 38-39, John Gibson Lockhart. possib. Attributed by Mackenzie in introduction to Fraserian Papers Vol I; see Thrall, Rebellious Fraser: 287 Verse. (03/15) FM 4b, From the Arabic, 39, Unknown. Verse. (03/15) FM 5a, Posthumous Renown, 44-45, Unknown. Verse. (03/15) FM 6a, The Fallen Chief (Translated from the Arabic), 54-56, Unknown. Verse. (03/15) Volume 1, Mar 1830 FM 16b, A Hard Hit for a Damosell, 144, Unknown.
    [Show full text]
  • Naukratis, Heracleion-Thonis and Alexandria
    Originalveröffentlichung in: Damian Robinson, Andrew Wilson (Hg.), Alexandria and the North-Western Delta. Joint conference proceedings of Alexandria: City and Harbour (Oxford 2004) and The Trade and Topography of Egypt's North-West Delta, 8th century BC to 8th century AD (Berlin 2006), Oxford 2010, S. 15-24 2: Naukratis, Heracleion-Thonis and Alexandria - Remarks on the Presence and Trade Activities of Greeks in the North-West Delta from the Seventh Century BC to the End of the Fourth Century BC Stefan Pfeiffer The present article examines how Greek trade in Egypt 2. Greeks and SaTtic Egypt developed and the consequences that the Greek If we disregard the Minoan and Mycenaean contacts economic presence had on political and economic condi ­ with Egypt, we can establish Greco-Egyptian relations as tions in Egypt. I will focus especially on the Delta region far back as the seventh century BC.2 A Greek presence and, as far as possible, on the city of Heracleion-Thonis on in the Delta can be established directly or indirectly for the Egyptian coast, discovered by Franck Goddio during the following places: Naukratis, Korn Firin, Sais, Athribis, underwater excavations at the end of the twentieth Bubastis, Mendes, Tell el-Mashkuta, Daphnai and century. The period discussed here was an exceedingly Magdolos. 3 In most of the reports, 4 Rhakotis, the settle­ exciting one for Egypt, as the country, forced by changes ment preceding Alexandria, is mentioned as the location in foreign policy, reversed its isolation from the rest of the of the Greeks, an assumption based on a misinterpreted ancient world.
    [Show full text]
  • Comments to the Lithic Industry of the Buto-Maadi Culture in Lower Egypt
    ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND HUMAN CULTURE IN THE NILE BASIN AND NORTHERN AFRICA UNTIL THE SECOND MILLENNIUM B.C. Poznari 1993 PL ISSN 0866-9244 ISBN 83-900434-1-6 Klaus Schmidt Comments to the lithic industry of the Buto-Maadi culture in Lower Egypt New investigation of the Predynastic cultures of Lower Egypt - for a long time only known from short preliminary reports of old excavations - now allow a better understanding of the period in this region. The excavations at Merimde- Benisalame (Eiwanger 1984; 1988) and Tell el-Fara'in (von der Way 1986; 1987; 1988; 1989), the historical Buto, as well as re-examination of old excavation finds from el-Omari (Debono and Mortensen 1990), Heliopolis (Debono and Morten- sen 1988) and Maadi (Rizkana and Seeher 1984; 1985; 1987; 1988) have changed the situation. Today the prehistory of Lower Egypt is better known than that of Upper Egypt. In addition to pottery, normally used in “classicaT' comparative studies, now in Lower Egypt exists the possibility for comparisons in lithics. The investigations of Upper Egyptian lithic samples, especially the reassessment of old material are restricted by the absence of good stratigraphic sequences (McHugh 1982: 85; Holmes 1988)). The continuing excavation at Tell el-Fara'in (Buto) present, after Merimde, a chronologically extended stratigraphic sequence of different cultural layers: starting with the period of Maadi (layer I) the stratigraphy at Buto continues into the Early Dynastic Period (layer V) without any visible hiatus (von der Way 1989). Now we are able to recognize that the Maadi culture is not a local phenomenon, but distributed over the whole Delta with some additional smaller sites south of Cairo (Habachi and Kaiser 1985; Kaiser 1985; Mortensen 1985; Junker 1912: 2).
    [Show full text]
  • Mythology in Poetry
    Mythology in AP Poetry Andromeda sorrowing father was close at hand, and her mother too. They were Andromeda was the princess of Ethiopia, daughter of Cepheus and both in deep distress, though the mother had more cause to be so Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia was a boastful woman, and foolishly bragged (Metamorphoses IV 674-692) Perseus said to her parents that he that she was more beautiful than Juno, the queen of the gods, and the would kill the monster if they agree to give him their daughter's hand Nereids. In order to avenge the insult to his nymphs, Neptune sent a in marriage. They of course gave their consent, and Perseus killed the sea monster to ravage the Ethiopian coast. (Some accounts state that monster. (His exact method of doing so varies in different versions of the constellation Cetus represents the sea monster, but a more the myth. Ovid has Perseus stab the monster to death after a drawn- common view of Cetus is that he is a peaceful whale.) out, bloody battle, while other versions have the hero simply hold up the head of Medusa, turning the monster to stone.) Andromeda was The horrified king consulted Ammon, the oracle of Jupiter, who said freed, and the two joyously marry. that Neptune could be appeased only by sacrificing Cassiopeia's *Andromeda is represented in the sky as the figure of a woman with beautiful virgin daughter, Andromeda, to the monster. Andromeda her arms outstretched and chained at the wrists. was duly chained to a rock on the coast, fully exposed to the monster.
    [Show full text]
  • Predynastic Burials
    UCLA UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology Title Predynastic Burials Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2m3463b2 Journal UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1) Author Stevenson, Alice Publication Date 2009-12-05 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California PREDYNASTIC BURIALS دفنات ما قبل التاريخ Alice Stevenson EDITORS WILLEKE WENDRICH Editor-in-Chief Area Editor Material Culture University of California, Los Angeles JACCO DIELEMAN Editor University of California, Los Angeles ELIZABETH FROOD Editor University of Oxford JOHN BAINES Senior Editorial Consultant University of Oxford Short Citation: Stevenson 2009, Predynastic Burials. UEE. Full Citation: Stevenson, Alice, 2009, Predynastic Burials. In Willeke Wendrich (ed.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz001nf6jk 1050 Version 1, December 2009 http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz001nf6jk PREDYNASTIC BURIALS دفنات ما قبل التاريخ Alice Stevenson Prädynastische Gräber Enterrements à l’époque prédynastique In ancient Egypt, the primary evidence for the Predynastic Period, principally the fourth millennium BCE, derives from burials. In Upper Egypt, there is a clear trend over the period towards greater investment in mortuary facilities and rituals, experimentation in body treatments, and increasing disparity in burial form and content between a small number of elite and a larger non-elite population. In Maadi/Buto contexts in Lower Egypt, pit burials remained simple with minimal differentiation and less of a focus upon display-orientated rituals. يأتي الكم اﻷكبر من الدﻻئل اﻷثرية التي تشھد على عصر ما قبل التاريخ (القرن الرابع قبل الميﻻد) من الدفنات، فيوجد بمصر العليا اھتمام واضح خﻻل ھذه الفترة الزمنية باﻻماكن الجنائزية والطقوس، واختبار طرق جديدة لمعالجة اﻷجساد، ويظھر أيضاً بھذا الوقت فجوة كبيرة ما بين دفنات علية القوم واﻷغلبية العظمى من عامة الشعب.
    [Show full text]
  • Urania, Ceremonial Magic of the Goddess By: Olivia Robertson
    Fellowship of Isis - Online Liturgy http://www.fellowshipofisis.com Urania, Ceremonial Magic of the Goddess By: Olivia Robertson 5. Earth Magic of Transmutation ORACLE OF THE GODDESS HERTHA PRIESTESS: Divine Mother Goddess Hertha, we sing thy praise, we glorify Thy creation. "From a cracked egg's lower fragment Now the solid earth She fashioned. From the cracked egg's upper fragment, Rose the lofty arch of Heaven. From the yolk, the upper portion Now became the sun's bright lustre; From the white, the upper portion. Rose the Moon that shines so brightly; Whatso in the egg was mottled, Now became the Stars in Heaven. When the ninth year had passed over, And the summer tenth was passing, From the sea Her Head She lifted, And Her Forehead She uplifted, And She then began Creation, And She brought the world to order, On the open ocean's surface, On the far extending waters. Whereso'ere Her Hand She pointed, There She formed the jutting headlands; When towards the land She turned Her, There the level shores extended." ORACLE: Whenever the longing heart turns to the Mother, there I take up My abode. I am the Hearth Fire, the Heart of Life, and the secure earth that is your home. And this my hearth is one and yet manifold throughout the galaxies. Honour your home, the earth, not for its greatness, but for its littleness. For in this matrix is your protection. Be as my children the animals, the birds and the plants. For they die not but live forever in My everlasting home.
    [Show full text]
  • Table 2: Classical Albedo Names from Greek
    Gangale & Dudley-Flores Proposed Additions to the Cartographic Database of Mars 48 Table 2: Classical Albedo Names From Greek Feature Name Type Latitude East Longitude Origin Usage Boreosyrtis Canalis 54.68 70 Northern sandbank in Greek. 1888 Schiaparelli, 1895 Lowell, 1901 Antoniadi, 1955 BAA, 1967 IAU. Deuteronilus Canalis 34.68 0 "Second Nile" in Greek. 1888 Schiaparelli, 1895 Lowell, 1901 Antoniadi, 1905 Lowell, 1954 De Vaucouleurs, 1955 BAA, 1957 IAU. Deuteronilus Mensae 45.11 23.92 Second Nile in Greek. Mensae Deuteronilus Colles 41.95 21.7 Second Nile in Greek. Colles Hellas Regio -39.67 70 The indigenous name of Greece. 1888 Schiaparelli, 1895 Lowell, 1901 Antoniadi, 1954 De Vaucouleurs, 1955 BAA, 1957 IAU. Hellas Planitia Planitia -42.43 70.5 The indigenous name of Greece. Hellas Montes Montes -37.63 97.61 The indigenous name of Greece. Nilokeras Canalis 29.71 305 "Horn of the Nile" in Greek. 1888 Schiaparelli, 1895 Lowell, 1901 Antoniadi, 1905 Lowell, 1954 De Vaucouleurs, 1955 BAA, 1957 IAU. Nilokeras Scopulus 31.72 304.15 Horn of the Nile in Greek. Scopulus Nilokeras Fossa Fossa 24.59 302.17 Horn of the Nile in Greek. Nilokeras Mensae 30.48 308.05 Horn of the Nile in Greek. Mensae Nilosyrtis Canalis 41.66 70 "Sandbank of the Nile" in Greek. 1888 Schiaparelli, 1895 Lowell, 1901 Antoniadi, 1905 Lowell, 1954 De Vaucouleurs, 1955 BAA, 1957 IAU. Nilosyrtis Mensae 34.77 68.47 "Sandbank of the Nile" in Greek. Mensae Protonilus Mensae 43.87 48.86 "First (Eastern) part of Nile" in Greek. Mensae Gangale & Dudley-Flores Proposed Additions to the Cartographic Database of Mars 49 Feature Name Type Latitude East Longitude Origin Usage Uranius Patera Patera 26.32 267.2 "Heavenly" in Greek.
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Gods/Mythology Notes - Information on the Greek Belief System Comes from Many Sources
    Greek Gods/Mythology Notes - Information on the Greek belief system comes from many sources. Unlike followers of religions such as Christianity, Judaism, & Islam, the Greeks did not have a single sacred text, such as the Bible or Koran from which their beliefs and religious practices derived. Instead, they generally used oral traditions, passed on by word of mouth, to relate sacred stories. Priest and priestesses to various gods would also guide people in worship in various temples across Greece. We know something about these beliefs because Greek poets such as Homer, Hesiod and Pindar, and Greek dramatists such as Euripides, Aristophanes & Sophocles mention the myths in their various works. Greek mythology, however, was not static- it was constantly changing and evolving. Thus, there are often many different versions (and some that are contradictory toward one another) of the various Greek myths. Thus, some of the example myths you read in here may differ from ones you have previously heard. It does not necessarily make either version “wrong”- simply different. - The Greeks had many Gods & Goddesses- over three thousand if one were to count the many minor gods and goddesses. These deities made up the Greek pantheon, a word used to mean all the gods and goddesses (from the Greek word “pan” meaning all, and “theos” meaning gods). However, throughout Greece, there were always twelve (called the Twelve Olympians) that were the most important. They are: 1. Zeus 2. Hera 3. Poseidon 4. Athena 5. Apollo 6. Artemis 7. Hephaestus 8. Ares 9. Hermes 10. Aphrodite 11. Demeter 12. Dionysus 13.
    [Show full text]
  • Greco-Roman Gods and Goddesses
    GRECO -ROMAN GODS AND GODDESSES THE OLYMPIANS : THE “T WELVE ” Of the many major and minor gods in the Olympian dynasty the most important are the Twelve, a group chosen by the Greeks themselves as the key figures in the Olympian group and the basis for most of their religious observances. Greek law is also to some extent derived from the concept of the Twelve, and Greeks in both court proceedings and in ordinary conversation took their oath “by the Twelve.” The divinities constituting this group were: Zeus (Jupiter, Jove) Leader of the Olympians, god of lightening, and representative of the power principle. Hera (Juno) Wife of Zeus and goddess of marriage and domestic stability. Poseidon (Neptune) God of the sea. Often called “the earth shaker,” possibly because the Greeks attributed earthquakes to marine origin. Hades (Pluto, Dis) God of the Underworld and presider over the realm of the dead. Also connected with the nature myth by his marriage to Persephone (Proserpine), who spent half of her time on earth (the growing season) and half in the underworld (the winter period). Hades does not represent death itself, that function being relegated to a lesser divinity Thanatos. Pallas Athena, Athena (Minerva) Goddess of wisdom, but also associated with many other concepts from warfare to arts and crafts. Her birth was remarkable, since she sprang fully-armed from the forehead of Zeus. She was the patron goddess of Athens and to the Athenians represented the art of civilized living. Phoebus Apollo Son of Zeus and Leto, daughter of the Titans Krios and Phoebe.
    [Show full text]
  • Mythology, Greek, Roman Allusions
    Advanced Placement Tool Box Mythological Allusions –Classical (Greek), Roman, Norse – a short reference • Achilles –the greatest warrior on the Greek side in the Trojan war whose mother tried to make immortal when as an infant she bathed him in magical river, but the heel by which she held him remained vulnerable. • Adonis –an extremely beautiful boy who was loved by Aphrodite, the goddess of love. By extension, an “Adonis” is any handsome young man. • Aeneas –a famous warrior, a leader in the Trojan War on the Trojan side; hero of the Aeneid by Virgil. Because he carried his elderly father out of the ruined city of Troy on his back, Aeneas represents filial devotion and duty. The doomed love of Aeneas and Dido has been a source for artistic creation since ancient times. • Aeolus –god of the winds, ruler of a floating island, who extends hospitality to Odysseus on his long trip home • Agamemnon –The king who led the Greeks against Troy. To gain favorable wind for the Greek sailing fleet to Troy, he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis, and so came under a curse. After he returned home victorious, he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus. • Ajax –a Greek warrior in the Trojan War who is described as being of colossal stature, second only to Achilles in courage and strength. He was however slow witted and excessively proud. • Amazons –a nation of warrior women. The Amazons burned off their right breasts so that they could use a bow and arrow more efficiently in war.
    [Show full text]
  • Yasser Abd El Tawab Nour (JAAUTH), Vol
    Yasser Abd El Tawab Nour (JAAUTH), Vol. 17 No. 1, 2019, pp. 16-25. The Effect of the Legend of Osiris on the Behaviour of the King Ptolemy Philadelphus Yasser Abd El Tawab Nour El Hady El Sherif the Tour Guidance Department High Institute of Specific Studies, El-Haram, El-Giza ARTICLE INFO Abstract Keywords: It is clear that, king Ptolemy "Philadelphus" was affected by the legend king Ptolemy of Osiris and what had accured to the four brothers, Osiris "Wsir", Isis "Philadelphus"; "Ast", Seth "stX", and Nephthys "Nbt-Hwt", and specially what had legend of Osiris; happened to god Osiris and his beloved sister-wife Isis. Therefore, this queen Arsinoe II. effect appeared clearly in the behaviour and deeds of king Ptolemy II “Philadelphus”as manifested in their cases. Firstly in honour of both Osiris and Isis he built the temple of Osiris in the city of Pithom and the (JAAUTH) great temple of Isis at the Island of Philae. Secondly by his marriage to Vol. 17, No. 1, his beloved sister-wife queen Arsinoe II as the case of Osiris and Isis in (2019), the legend. So "Philadelphus" is considered the first Ptolemaic king pp. 16-25 who married his sister. Thirdly, by honouring and deifying both of his dead father Ptolemy I "Soteros" and his dead mother queen Berenike I and then his deifying his beloved sister-wife queen Arsinoe II. Imitating Isis when she honoured her dead husband Osiris and Horus "Hr" when he honoured his dead father Osiris and his beloved mother Isis. Thereon both king Ptolemy II “Philadelphus” and his beloved sister-wife queen “Arsinoe II” become representing god Osiris and goddess Isis on the earth.
    [Show full text]