Sporadic theological and historical musings by Edgar Foster (Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies and one of Jehovah's Witnesses).
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Osiris Described as "most great god" in the Greek Papyri
According to Amazon, I purchased Select Papyri, Volume II, Public Documents (Loeb 282, Greek) on 8/20/2004. This volume contains a reference to Osiris being called the great god; here is the image from the Loeb work:
"In myth Osiris had been a king of Egypt at its beginning and was thought to have been buried at Abydos, where Egypt’s actual early kings built their funerary complexes."
Yeah, the process whereby a human mythologically becomes divine is known as euhemerism, I believe (named after Euhemerus).
See also https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=vYIeAAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=osiris&ots=E3oNvam95q&sig=D113YX4QPE39dTo4EzKFvCAVjS4#v=onepage&q=osiris&f=false
Jim, of course you're right. I'm going out the door soon, but see https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%BC%CE%AD%CE%B3%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%82#Greek
Guess what I was trying to say is that megistos is a form of megalos, just different termination of adjectives (like the English, greater, greater, greatest).
BTW, I am not suggesting that early Christians saw a parallel between Osiris and Jesus.
I wonder if the move to henotheism, or a kind of proto-monotheism (I think the term monotheism does more damage than good to be honest) represented here could reflect Jewish (and later Christian) influence in Egypt, given the large diaspora population, in terms of the native population forming their treligious ideologies in reaction (i.e. "YHWH isn't the most high God, actually Osiris is).
Quite frankly, it's hard for me to say. This papyrus is dated to the early second century: it's conceivable that Jews and Christians influenced Egyptian theology, but I cannot say for sure.
I know that Lactantius and other church fathers were critical of polytheism in their time. J.G. Griffiths is also good on Egyptology.
12 comments:
"In myth Osiris had been a king of Egypt at its beginning and was thought to have been buried at Abydos, where Egypt’s actual early kings built their funerary complexes."
http://isaw.nyu.edu:8080/isaw/events/archive/2011/terrace
Yeah, the process whereby a human mythologically becomes divine is known as euhemerism, I believe (named after Euhemerus).
See also https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=vYIeAAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=osiris&ots=E3oNvam95q&sig=D113YX4QPE39dTo4EzKFvCAVjS4#v=onepage&q=osiris&f=false
Yes, I see Oseirious theou megistou. By way of comparison (for myself) Titus 2:13 has megalou theou.
Jim, of course you're right. I'm going out the door soon, but see https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%BC%CE%AD%CE%B3%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%82#Greek
Megistos is a superlative form.
Guess what I was trying to say is that megistos is a form of megalos, just different termination of adjectives (like the English, greater, greater, greatest).
BTW, I am not suggesting that early Christians saw a parallel between Osiris and Jesus.
Ok later :)
Sorry for any confusion, I was trying to say--great, greater, greatest. These forms are known as the positive, comparative, and superlative.
Tranio:
Alexandrum magnum, atque Agathoclem, aiunt maxumas
Duo res gessisse. Quid mihi fiet tertio,
Qui solus facio facinora immortalia?`
- Mostellaria. III. 2. Titus Maccius Plautus.
Thanks, Duncan. Magnum and maxumas strike me here. And this is from good old Plautus, whom I like better than Aristophanes.
I wonder if the move to henotheism, or a kind of proto-monotheism (I think the term monotheism does more damage than good to be honest) represented here could reflect Jewish (and later Christian) influence in Egypt, given the large diaspora population, in terms of the native population forming their treligious ideologies in reaction (i.e. "YHWH isn't the most high God, actually Osiris is).
Quite frankly, it's hard for me to say. This papyrus is dated to the early second century: it's conceivable that Jews and Christians influenced Egyptian theology, but I cannot say for sure.
I know that Lactantius and other church fathers were critical of polytheism in their time. J.G. Griffiths is also good on Egyptology.
There might be something helpful in this one: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Origins_of_Osiris_and_His_Cult.html?id=vYIeAAAAIAAJ
https://books.google.com/books?id=BIAjDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT447&lpg=PT447&dq=osiris+jg+griffiths&source=bl&ots=SJdqHufee0&sig=ACfU3U2Gt5SjNkaaJ2YZtVyF7iFZVQTBVQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik6uyBg5nqAhUPmuAKHTweBjMQ6AEwDXoECBkQAQ#v=onepage&q=osiris%20jg%20griffiths&f=false
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