The "One God" in Ancient Egypt

In this episode, we explore whether or not we can find the conception of a single, absolute god in ancient Egyptian theology.
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Sources/Suggested Reading:
Assmann, Jan (2001). "The Seach for God in Ancient Egypt". Translated by David Lorton. Cornell University Press.
Copenhaver, Brian P. (ed.) (1995). "Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, with Notes and Introduction". Cambridge University Press.
Hornung, Erik (1982). "Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many". Translated by John Baines. Cornell University Press.
Hornung, Erik (2001). "Akhenaten and the Religion of Light". Translated by David Lorton. Cornell University Press.
Simpson, William Kelley (ed.) (2003). "The Literature of Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Stories, Instructions, Stelae, Autobiographies, and Poetry". Yale University Press.
Teeter Emily (2011). "Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt". Cambridge University Press.
#Egypt #Antiquity #Religion

[@robertabrahamsen9076]

The Bactrian Greeks are said to have adopted Buddhism, but retained the worship the traditional Olympian pantheon. I'd love to hear Let's Talk Religion's thoughts on this interesting example of historical syncretism.

[@LuisAldamiz]

Buddhism had generally no problem in incorporating all kinds of gods, as long as Buddha reigned supreme. This surely began in India itself.

[@celsus7979]

'Reigning supreme' is kind of misleading. It paints a picture of Buddha as being a God. Buddha didnt have any godly powers or godly origin.

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@celsus7979 - Regardless of what the doctrine says, Buddha behaves as a supreme God in Buddhism. For example consider how he tames Sun Wukong, the rebellious monkey god who defeated Heaven (Tian) itself. For theological (theoretical) discussions you may be right but for all the effective meaning of what actually is a god or a God in human psychology and sociology, Buddha is a Supreme God.

[@diansc7322]

@@celsus7979 classic Buddhists do believe that the Buddha had godly powers (omniscience, being able to fly to heaven and talk to gods, ability to tame animals and produce fire and water, emanating light, teletransportation, etc) and godly origin (considered to be the reincarnation of the god Svetaketu who descended in his mother Mayadevi as a white elephant, being born from the side of his mother, talking and walking from birth, etc)

[@pebystroll]

@@LuisAldamiz great rebuttal

[@diegoherrera7785]

Please more of this content! Sadly there's not enough discussion about ancient religions as religions because they're only seen as myths with stories for videogames and movies.

[@muhammadmehboob4912]

Amazing stuff...blessings and love to you ❤

[@marvalice3455]

Well, it doesn't help that most of them _are not_ religions in the modern sense. Egypt had a robust theology, but it was rather exceptional in that way. Most ancient "religions" were not nearly so structured.

[@gagishaggi6969]

TIme may just heal that wound.

[@IrishSnwbrdr]

I am an academic research scientist who grew up with a large amount of skepticism toward religion writ large for most of my life. Meditation made me more sympathetic to spiritual ideas about oneness, but I was still left with archaic and simplistic views about religion and theological history. Your channel has exposed me to the almost universal presence of universalism in religions across space and time, which has inspired in me this feeling that at some level we are all looking for the same thing. I find that feeling to be incredibly enriching existentially (something truly hard to find in the world these days) and has given me a great deal of empathy and respect towards others and their convictions. I don’t think I would have been receptive to these ideas in many other forms, but your academic due diligence, respectful delivery, and emphasis of nuance and context makes the information you present almost impossible to earnestly disregard. I also think that the value of your presentation qualities are amplified by the unfortunate state of the discipline you present on. I think that because the humanities don’t have immediate profit potential, they unfortunately lack a robust public communication industry that STEM research relies on for inspiring future thinkers and maintaining the pace of the public’s general knowledge about science. Because of this, ideas that are immensely important for understanding our place in the world and the experience of living itself are seen as esoteric and inaccessibly stuck in the Ivory Tower. You deserve praise for providing this quality of service on a free and accessible platform. I know many others on here have probably had interest in these topics for a while, but at least for me (and perhaps others who spent years calloused from appreciating spiritual questions), you have opened up a new dimension of the world to appreciate. Thank you.

[@Ricca_Day]

I’m happy for you, my brother. Life is substantially more enjoyable with an understanding of the Breadth of It beyond this mortal coil, Prior to our own incarnations and Beyond. Blessings 🦋

[@j7clarke]

Well said 👏🏽

[@Jedi_Are_Scum]

The movie Zeitgeist believes Christianity was a copy of ancient Egyptian religion. I agree with you. I think all religions can fit,, as the same, and one. Their God was Atum. The splitting of an atom destroys. And Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in the first human to be Adam. The Hindus believe the God of destruction and creation. Again, splitting an atom can destroy... We would have to rebuild and recreate. Plato's Atlantis story I believe to be true. We are on the same path, It seems humans never learn, we destroy and rebuild, and destroy ourselves again. Like a loop.

[@bipolarbear9917]

I too found orthodox organized religion too mired in ridiculous childish stories and inconsistencies to be credible. It was obvious to me from a very young age that all religions were human constructs being expressed in a variety of different ways. First I thought I was an atheist, but then I stumbled on the term 'Modern Deist' which seemed to describe my spiritual feelings better than the term 'Atheist' or 'Agnostic'. Then a couple of years later I again stumbled across yet another term; 'Scientific Pantheism' (also called 'Naturalistic Pantheism'). This seems the most appropriate description, because it's flexible, completely consistent with science, there's no anthropomorphized God, and no dogma, just the sense of oneness with the Cosmos. As Carl Sagan so beautifully put it; 'The Cosmos is all that is, all that ever was, or ever will be'...'We are made of star stuff...star stuff contemplating the stars'...'We are not only in the Cosmos, the Cosmos is within us...We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself'.

[@hamidhamidi3134]

But one religion kills you for thinking, conversion etc. Islam kills you if you don't agree with what it says and claims.

[@JDG602]

This is probably one of the most fascinating videos of yours I have watched. I spend quite a bit of time studying Hermeticism and have too many books on ancient Egyptian culture, religion, and literature so this aligns perfectly with my interests. Great work. I appreciate it. I wonder if one day you will ever do a video on Mesopotamian religion? We have a good amount of data on their religious beliefs but due to the "game of thrones" of southern and northern Mesopotamia and the mix of cultures and peoples, it can be quite the undertaking. I would love to see Sumerian, Akkadian, or even Babylonian religions or even possibly how their theology evolved or changed throughout the ages. The religious beliefs of the Sumerians were adopted by many of these cultures with some minor changes and different titles and ideas but I think that would be fascinating and would love to see what you could come up with. Top-notch channel with great scholarship.

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Yes, I hope to cover Mesopotamian religion eventually as well!

[@adamhagewiesche7254]

What are the best books on studying ancient Egyptian religion and hermeticism?

[@JDG602]

@@adamhagewiesche7254 I don't think I could tell you the BEST ones. Still, some excellent ones on Hermeticism: Eternal Hermes, Egyptian Hermes, Secret History of Trismegistus, Gnosis and Hermeticism, and Quest for Hermes Trismegistus are all solid books in my opinion. You could read the actual Hermetic texts known as the Corpus Hermeticum. I really, at this point in time, do not have recommendations for Egyptian religion. Still, some books I have include Religion and Ritual in Egypt, Egyptian Myth and Legends, Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt, Kemetic Literature, Book of the Dead, and Ancient Egyptian Literature Vol. 1-3. I have not read all of the Egyptian books yet so that is why I can't give the best recommendation but hopefully, this was helpful.

[@adamhagewiesche7254]

@@JDG602 Thank you so much. I'll be looking into these.

[@avatarparadigms]

I'm looking for good books on ancient Egyptian Theology. Any suggestions?

[@onechild31]

Jan Assmann has truly revivified Egyptology. His article "Monotheism and Polytheism" is an eye opener too. Thanks so much for your insightfully historical presentations.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

An outdated and overturned eye-opener

[@NinaNina-ry8fn]

Dear Philip, This was an outstanding presentation. very impressive with beautiful illustrations.Many thanks from all of us

[@THEScottCampbell]

Some forms of ancient Egyptian religion could be interpreted as proto-Christianity in terms of moral precepts and general concepts of Mankind's relationship to the divine. This is a GREAT introductions to the depth and complexity of Egyptian religion. It also helps to explain the early acceptance and proliferation of Christianity in Egypt.

[@justchilling704]

There definitely some overlap I agree. You see the same thing with a lot of various religions.

[@meinbherpieg4723]

Indeed I did find this informative and interesting. Thank you for the great research and explanations. Mankind has never had such ease of access to such truly meaningful information. You are providing a great service. Take care.

[@somerandomguy6028]

I admire your videos. They are both deep and accessible at the same time, which is not an easy thing to accomplish. Please keep making these videos.

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Glad to hear it!

[@josef2012]

Jan Assmann has to be the greatest name in Egyptology.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

Quoting outdated and biased scholars is this guy's specialty

[@iamseamonkey6688]

@@DevoteeofThunor finding a non outdated scholar is extremely difficult, and finding an unbiased one is impossible. Historians have to make do with what they have.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@iamseamonkey6688 what?There's plenty of current Egyptologists

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@iamseamonkey6688 your comment makes no sense at all

[@1972jojodancer]

Thank you making it clear that the main resource you used here to survey this subject was the book by Jan Assmann. And for encouraging us to consider work by other scholars, even those with an opposing viewpoint.

[@wordawakeningny]

Good teaching brother. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@larrycdalton]

Good one!...probably your best to date. Thank you.

[@Eljefe003]

As always very beautifully done!

[@rosshankle4721]

Thanks for the excellent work, it was a pleasure to watch. When you mentioned the work of Hornung as offering an alternative view to Assmann, I must admit I had hoped to see a bit more of comparison between the two viewpoints. But after watching I had to subscribe.

[@rationalmystic]

Great video - really enjoyed it - keep up the great work!!

[@OffRampTourist]

Many thanks for this video. My understanding of the subject has been realigned and harmonized.

[@hexapoda2868]

this is quality content. thankyou very much, have a fantastic day

[@omarhagag8252]

Thanks for all the valuable information and excellent presentation.

[@algepaca]

Ohh it’s so cool to hear you mention Jan Assmann! I love his work and I heard that he frequently visits the institute that I study and work at :D

[@DevoteeofThunor]

Assman' work is dated and very off

[@colbyaguilar4873]

Love the Amun-Min cameo at 14:50 when talking about Amun-Ra. Min's one of my favorite Egyptian gods, has to be one of the hardest workers out there

[@jasontravis3568]

Great episode as ever.

[@papoumkl7118]

So many beautiful expressive pictures !

[@BlackKippahActivity]

This is such an interesting video. Thank you!!

[@annemariededekind6271]

We need this information. Thank you for providing it for is.

[@adriangrant1746]

Highly informative. Thanks!

[@gunkwretch3697]

Excellent explanation, thank you for this

[@bobbybill4042]

Amazing topic that I often wonder about.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

I recommend the book "The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt" by Egyptologist Richard H.Wilkinson he's a professor emeritus too

[@hl-yz7gr]

Thanks, can you give me a brief?

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@hl-yz7gr brief explanation?Yes well the book goes into a very detailed covering of Egyptian religion,cults,and even covers pre dynastic Egyptian religion which is much more totemic or animistic than polytheistic.It also covers indepth information on many of the Gods and who they were syncretized with and why,etc

[@ayatashraf8303]

It's from 2003 I would recommend newer ones from 2010s more so but nevertheless the book is a good one

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@ayatashraf8303 definitely not

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@ayatashraf8303 the age of a book doesn't make the research or material on it void because new findings or theories etc do that.That book is still on solid ground and footing over 15 years later because of the amount of research that's gone into it whereas books by more feminist Egyptologist like Kara Cooney don't even hold up to scrutiny

[@mayefulvazmanzur2899]

Thank you for the information. This video is excellent..

[@Klondike6916]

You have a great channel 👌🏻

[@pilartobala9901]

I love Egypt……. Akenaton is very interesting, Hathor is my favorite! Dandera is a beautiful place. Bendiciones Filip para ti desde México 🇲🇽!

[@paulmilligan2657]

Great talk brother 🔥

[@lucasm9412]

Great video. Thanks for all your stuff, I’ve really gotten into this channel recently and plan to get on patreon soon. Do you think you might ever make a video on Neoplatonism specifically? It seems like Platonic/Neoplatonic thought is so influential to a lot of the other stuff discussed on this channel

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Plotinus and Neoplatonism is definitely on my list of upcoming episodes!

[@lucasm9412]

Sweeeeeet! I’ll get a front row ticket

[@Mrdeanop2]

@@LetsTalkReligion please for the love of Atum could you explain the Henads in Neoplatonism and their relationship with The One 🙃 They are so confusing.

[@Viltliv]

Awesome work!! Bra jobbet! ❤❤❤

[@davelauerman6865]

Another fascinating and informative piece from a man quickly becoming my favorite presenter. I am an agnostic, and sometimes flirt with true atheism. Through these videos I have begun to think that while religion (organized) is a bane, belief in higher powers is natural, human, universal and part of being human.

[@matthewwilkinson2170]

You should check out the book “the Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss” by David Bentley Hart

[@artpoet9915]

I have a saying that goes hand in hand with your sentiment; Saints, scriptures and sages and no Religion Yet I would recommend you look into the psychological benefits of communal experiences such as going to church or singing Kirtan with a group. Whether you believe what the others there do or not, you can gain the benefit of engaging in a superordinate goal of unity. I go to a protestant Christian church even though my knowledge of God is different than everyone else there. The experience of singing in unison and focusing on the immaterial is quite the blissful experience that easily puts one into a state of flow. art.

[@serpentlaw5961]

And when you play with the *paranormal* , you realize there is a higher intelligence.

[@Duiker36]

I think it might be fairer to say that a number of centuries-old religions that were organized in the last few millennia are a bane. When people accrete power from the weight of lineage and tradition, that has a bad effect on things. But the instinct to systematize reality into a coherent narrative isn't wrong. It's how people understand reality in the first place, at all. The problem is an unwillingness to change that narrative when evidence conflicts with its components, and that unwillingness comes from understanding that the privilege that someone has depends on everyone agreeing that their privilege is justified.

[@serpentlaw5961]

@@Duiker36 *Excellent comment!* I totally agree. The abuse of religion or the ruse of having divine backing or a secret occult recipe to fame and power without any real logical communal motive for good *only to create debauched monarchies by claiming to be God's replacement* (the usual "Daddy-said-I-can-now-shut-up" - tactic), is wrong. *Sibling rivalry!* The right to boss others must come from the others first. Merit is important. Any animal can have offspring, - but the real art is birth-control, and it protects from overpopulation and wars for resources. *Therefore consulting Ouija Boards is actually the best way to find out how lacking in power we all are and should remain. Lol.*

[@solomonessix6909]

Thank you for your research. My curiosity lead me to “ Moses and Monotheism” by Sigmund Frued a year ago. I plan to reference Jan Assmann next.

[@ReligiosityPlus]

Very well done video! I've been researching Egyptian religion recently and this was very concise with great production quality. The more I research the more I discover that "monotheistic" religions usually have some very "polytheistic" aspects to them, even if they don't officially recognize them as such. Thanks again for a wonderful video!

[@justchilling704]

You have it backwards. Polytheistic religions always have a root of monotheism, most cultures around the world started of monotheistic, then typically once they form civilizations and organize cities they typically start worshiping other gods specifically lesser gods that are basically super humans.

[@Sushil_sharma344]

@@justchilling704 Nopes there is enough archological evidence of polytheism pagansism is far older than monotheism . basically earliest civilization were pantheist and "henotheist" who worship one god as supreme but acknowledge other gods or godesss as well so i corect term is "henotheism" nor monotheism !

[@justchilling704]

@@Sushil_sharma344 You’re conflating things. There is zero evidence that monotheism is somehow younger than paganism it doesn’t make sense either. I’d love to see how you think archeology has anything to do with metaphysical things such as beliefs that’s somewhat more related to history. There are tribes that have always been monotheistic, there are pagan civilizations that a record period in their past of worshipping one God. I have no idea why you’re pushing for this view so hard but it’s never been accurate, especially when Aboriginal Australian’s, Indigenous American’s, and African’s histories and beliefs demonstrate this. W for God L for you.

[@Sushil_sharma344]

Monotheism was started by Judaism or zororastion but all ancient civilizations were polytheist paganist . whether it Mesopotamia Egyptian or indus valley civilization even Mayans so there is no way monotheism is older than polytheism or pagansism at all and Tribes were not monotheist they were henotheist that was the correct term to be used they do worship worship their personal god by acknowledgimg the existence of other gods as well ! And another important thing tribal very much like the idea of pagans to make idol of their own god so this again different from strict monotheism where you don't have build any idol for that but never possible in ancient civilizations all those polytheist or henotheist used pagangs way to worship their god ! What I'm saying is polytheism or paganism is older than "strict monotheism" what I mean by "strictly monotheism" is not building any idols or associating any symbolic to the god !

[@justchilling704]

@@Sushil_sharma344 This is how I know you’re ignorant on the topic. How tf did Jews invent monotheism when, like I said before there are tribes far from them that believed in One Supreme God before them?! It’s also clear you don’t even know that Hinduism is monotheistic, or for that matter very ancient Mesopotamians go read a book or two instead of wasting my time.

[@kessaid]

Very interesting episode, thank you

[@ISAbyanymeans]

Anybody who is interested in this topic needs to read “Sufism and Ancient Wisdom”! A book that focuses on the influences on Islam and Islamic Mysticism mainly from Ancients Egypt and Mesopotamia, but also of course Greek philosophy, and delves into the theological concepts of Monotheism, Polytheism, Prophethood, Tradition, and so much more. It quotes Assman several times as well. fascinating book. Filip, I think you’d love the work and it would spark so many interesting videos. Thanks for this.

[@zelinabott-goins8719]

Sounds very interesting. Thanks for the recommendation

[@wonderpeter5231]

Amazing video. Very interesting.

[@koksalceylan9032]

Your work is Very good,i thank you for that. There are much crackpots on you tube but you stay reasonable and educational.

[@bolatm22]

Glad to find this channel! Thanks for all your videos! Do you have any plans on Tengrism?

[@LipovBog]

Great content!

[@Atigulus1]

This was a great informative video on something that's very poorly understood due to our specific history and relationship with religion. We often don't realize we project social ideas onto the thinking of other people's. For instance, many hunter-gatherer people believe in some kind of singular creator and original deity, but the perspective of whether it's "monotheistic" or not is anchored on where anthropologists stand on an argument about western Christian doctrine. The truth is our rigid idea of polytheism vs monotheism has kept us from understanding the complex dynamics of theology different people's have, and the idea that these ideas may not be diametrically opposed the same way we see them.

[@the11382]

I agree, furthermore, our categories don't fit with the religions of the world. How do you even begin to categorize religions? Maybe if you add distinctness into the mix? Christianity is one God, distinct from everything else. Egypt is multiple gods, but not fully distinct from each other. Hinduism is an Ultimate God with multiple Gods with little to no distinction. Its a start?

[@justchilling704]

I don’t think you understand “Western Christian Doctrine” Christians depending on their culture may describe it differently, but the Bible makes it clear, that there are many gods but only one supreme creator God who created everything. This is why I’m Exodus for example, says that God will pass judgement on the “gods” of Egypt. Monotheism can be defined as belief in a one supreme creator God, or just one God.

[@Atigulus1]

@@justchilling704 I think you're misunderstanding my point. My point is that when people tall about what constitutes "monotheism", they are using a Christian framework whether in favor or against said "monotheism".

[@justchilling704]

@@Atigulus1 Youee correct about Westerners and people from a Christian’s background, I agree, I’m just pointing out that the Christian and also Jewish framework is the same as the one found in much of Africa, Asias etc. Many gods but one supreme creator God. Check out Dr. Michael Heiser he does a lot of work in this area.

[@dineshbora8395]

Sad to see that such a resourceful and well researched channel at +300 subs. Tell us lots about times we are living in.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

Definitely not a well researched channel

[@kyleharris2844]

Excellent as always, my friend.

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Thank you!

[@aperennialdigression5698]

This is great! Thanks!

[@edward9674]

Great video!

[@hungsu9204]

An extremely interesting video. Well researched. Well thought through. Well presented. Thank you.

[@johnmcdyer3186]

Love this channel, great episode. I've always been casually interested in Egypt mythology- was it a mistake to say Tefnut is goddess of fire? I always see moisture or dew.

[@sympathybear7031]

This blew my mind!!! Amazing video. I always used to wonder about the supreme god in ancient egypt and woukd just find the sun god which didnt make sense as according to biblucal accounts if two prophets came to egypt why was there not a shred of evidence of monothieism in their mythology!!!! This video has cleared so many things!! Thankyou. Can u please do a video on the accounts of an ancient flood across various theologies and mythologies.

[@catherinehartmann1501]

Wow - so many parallels!

[@Duragizer8775]

I've gravitated to panentheism in recent years, my view of deity inspired in part by my reading of the Bhagavad Gita. God can be experienced as one or many; both ways are valid.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

Deity?

[@DevoteeofThunor]

The Bhagavad Gita isn't related to Egyptian religion though and neither is Vaishnava philosophy

[@Duragizer8775]

@@DevoteeofThunor Ever hear of religious syncretism?

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@Duragizer8775 do you even understand what religious syncretism is??

[@Duragizer8775]

@@DevoteeofThunor Indeed I do. Though perhaps I should've instead asked if you've ever heard of omnism, or perennial philosophy. Regardless, I have no problem taking the Gita's teaching that the Hindu gods are manifestations of Brahman and universalizing it to include other divinities from other religious traditions.

[@theanonymouscommenter7445]

Very interesting video.

[@beachgirl_bev]

Very interesting! Could you perhaps expand on the difference between theology and mythology in this case?

[@brotherjongrey9375]

"Was Egypt poly or mono theoist?" Depends on when you ask. Egyptian theology was around for thousands of years before the Greeks took over. Things change a lot in that time

[@Sabrowsky]

Yeah, looking at how much abrahamic religion has changed over the course of its 3000ish year history, one can only imagine the plethora of movements and changes egyptian religion might have had in its own incredibly long history

[@DevoteeofThunor]

It really doesn't depend on who you it has everything to do with reading the texts and primary sources on Egyptian religion rather than taking the skewed views of a scholar whose too influenced by monotheism

[@DevoteeofThunor]

There are definitely good legitimate non biased scholars of Egyptology out there

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Of course. All religions change and evolve over time and place.

[@Duiker36]

@@DevoteeofThunor The texts and primary sources that survived, sure. And maybe also looking at the difference between the everyday practices of adherents versus what's written on their conveniently-preserved book.

[@ethanjacobrosca7833]

Now that you have done videos on the "One God" in Ancient Egypt and on Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia I would like to ask this. Did Ancient Mesopotamia ever have a concept of, depending on how you want to call it, "One God"/"Absolute Divinity"/"Ultimate Reality"/"Brahman"? If so, I would like to see a video on that too.

[@jamesknight7374]

Thank you for trying to put light on the grey.

[@cuckoophendula8211]

Just a minute and a half into this, and I'm already reminded of a conversation I had with someone who cautioned against using the terms "monotheism" and "polytheism" as they may make our minds gravitate toward some preconceived examples. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it reminding myself that Elohim in Hebrew technically means "Gods" and the concept of Brahman in Hinduism feels a bit monotheistic. EDIT: and then of course the video goes on to talk about this a bit more xD

[@sonder152]

Brahman is just a concept within Vedanta

[@omarchehimi8981]

Elohim does not mean "gods" in Hebrew/Canaanite. There are many words in Hebrew with the plural ending "-im" that are actually singular. Elohim is singular. *Some* argue that it's an example of "Pluralis Majestatis" which refers to the use of a plural word to refer honorifically to a single person or entity (also called the 'plural of respect', the 'honorific plural', the 'plural of excellence', or the 'plural of intensity'). But most Hebrew authorities agree that Elohim is not an example of the above and is just singular.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@omarchehimi8981 Elohim is definitely both plural and singular depending on usage

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@omarchehimi8981 most Hebrew authorities are not authorities at all except to other Jews

[@uditverma7386]

Elohim is a way to refer to the One God in Majesty by pluralising it, as far as i remember reading.

[@terrywallace5181]

Good program.

[@uncommonsensewithpastormar2913]

An excellent video as usual. I wonder if anyone has explored the possibility of this budding monotheism influencing the ancient Hebrew concept of Yahweh? The One who transcends both being and nothingness is also clearly evident in the metaphysics of Plotinus who was himself born and raised in Egypt. His Neoplatonism had, of course, a big influence on the early church fathers, especially St. Augustine of Hippo.

[@hnmpu8303]

Could you please do a video on "zanadiqa" such as Ibn al-Muqaffa, Ibn ar-Rawandi or al-Razi? I think a lot of people would find it very interesting.

[@aquila4228]

There is a deep connection between the themes discussed in this video and the early Christian gnostics(that interestingly enough were very present in Egypt). We see the same idea of manifestations of an unfathomable One in the form of other “deities”. Maybe there is an old connection between those beliefs, the survival of the concept through different traditions

[@cuckoophendula8211]

Man, any other religious philosophy nerds out there intrigued by the concept behind what the god Atum represents? Simultaneously representing nothing as well as everything kind of reminds me a bit about the "Dao." (EDIT: I slightly tweaked my previous sentences here for clarification now talking about what Atum _represents_ rather than kind of saying Atum = Dao or monotheistic God). This idea also feels like it parallels a thought I once had that partially led to my transition from agnosticism to apatheism. (for those who are curious, this thought experiment started by me thinking of a situation where I felt very thankful for something, but not toward any particular person. For me, this was being grateful for the experience of music, and the thoughts occurred while I was sitting in a lecture learning about the anatomy of the inner ear and the Organ of Corti. It was in this lecture where I finally learned why we're able to perceive pitch, harmonies, and volume due to the intricate structures that subdivide frequencies via the cochlea and the orchestration of depolarizing action potentials via the shearing of tiny hair cells. Without them, music as we knew it wouldn't exist. I then thought that even if the atheistic nihilism model of the universe were true, I wanted to thank something even if it was nothing. I wanted to thank the fact that I sat in the lecture that day. I wanted to thank the fact that I had prior experiences of music that impacted me during difficult times earlier in life. I wanted to thank the billions of years of Darwinian pruning that led to these structures forming the way they did. I wanted to thank how my own consciousness existed to the point where I'd be able to appreciate this realization even if it could just be the result of the anthropic principle and survivorship bias. Before I knew it, thanking nothing felt like thanking...everything. And thanking everything...felt like believing in God all over again.)

[@robertabrahamsen9076]

I once asked my philosophy group to compare the concepts of Tao and God. To some members, these were identical concepts, to others they were diametrically opposed.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

Aten is not like the Dao because Aten is the sun disc not a deity and Dao is a pervading principle not a god or a life source

[@cuckoophendula8211]

@@DevoteeofThunor Thanks for pointing this out, and I've since tried clarifying the syntax of my first paragraph a bit more since I realized that I was actually focusing on the concept on what Atum _represented_ rather than saying that Atum is straight up synonymous with the Dao or monotheistic God. But meanwhile, it's cool that you also pointed a delineation between what is a material representation of a god and what is a pervading principle. It reminds me of how I've been having a continual thought experiment on how well the terms "the universe" (material representation) and "the truth" (pervading principle) could be interchanged with the word "God" within the context of the bible and say...secular scientific journals. While it doesn't always work 1:1 (i.e. God speaking through prophets), it's very interesting seeing what stays consistent when switching between an atheistic and theistic lens. Personally, I prefer the old testament God being represented by a pervading principle like "the truth" over the pantheistic representation of "the universe," but it's a close match.

[@Assamita01]

Interesting reflection. Thanks for sharing it.

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@cuckoophendula8211 well we can firmly establish that Atum is not like the concept of Brahman for many reasons one being he clearly has a creation account attributed to him and Brahman is absent from most all of Hindu theology but in Hindu philosophies Brahman is prominent because all of the sampadryas have their own ideologies on Brahman

[@mikelmokbel304]

The pyramid texts on cheops pyramid have a phrase written in ancient Egyptian language - wa wa en snu - that translate one and only has no second. The ancient Egyptians believe in one god who has characters represented in his creatures. So they appreciated the creatures who had these characters

[@fernandoroque2374]

Excellent video per usual, I wonder If you Will someday make a video about Brazil's african religions

[@tomhalla426]

Reporting on religion is difficult, but this site does it well. Avoiding preaching when discussing religion is rare.

[@abolresh]

Hello, It's great presentation on such highly complicated topic but you greatly simplified as much as possible, thank you. As an a Egyptian deeply interested in my Ancient Ancestors, as a Muslim believe in Oneness and as as believer in spiritism also, seems language has a great rule in misunderstanding or unclarity in these topics. The ancient word NITCHER (𓊹) which is translated to GOD and the word NITCHRO (𓊹𓊹𓊹) which is translated into GODs seems either misinterpreted or has another meaning. Seems ancient Egyptians somehow understood the concept of Spiritism doctrine. As per my understanding, they were dealing with all NITCHRO not as Gods but as noble spirits who guided and guides humanity in all aspects along with this they knew the ONE which they referred to as ATUM. It's very interesting when you see too many similarities in ancient Egypt's doctrine with modern monotheistic religions specially Abrahamic religions. Examples: 1- God has (Blown) life into ADAM's body through ADAM's (nostril) which very similar to ATUM blowing SHU!!! 2- God has created ADAM from clay which is typically the ancient Egyptian believe of human kind are created from clay on a clay roller by KHNUM!!! Seems there is some missing links between ancient religions in general and modern ones. Because as you mentioned in all polytheistic religions there is always a referment for ONE divine power which dominates over all other Gods they might be worshiping. I got this from a Hindu friend when was openly discussing such topic with him. And the most interesting is when I asked him on if they believe in ONE superpower or divine, he immediately responded back "of course" with a look which means (how you would think otherwise)!! Great work. Thank you

[@waderutherford9083]

If I am not mistaken there was a Slavic monotheism. That could be an interesting video topic.

[@ThothAdam]

Wonderful!

[@jakec5618]

Questions for you, where does the bulk of our understanding of ancient religions come from? I'm just wondering how well we truly do understand them and is our understanding accurate? Is there strong enough evidence to indicate high confidence in what's currently known? Also, how did the ancient Egyptian religion come to be? How did it start? For example, in the Abrahamic religions, there is a "founder" (Moses, Jesus, Muhammed). Learning about religions is very fascinating and your videos are great and helpful. I've learned so much. Thanks !

[@HappyTheNeko]

I am by no means a scholar in any of these areas, but I had an interesting thought with the dates of things. You said the Instruction for King Merikare comes from the Middle Kingdom, which according to people way smarter than me is approximately 2050 - 1650 ish BCE. According to biblical scholars, the story of Joseph of Egypt is also thought to occur during this same time period (2000 - 1600 BCE). So it would be interesting if this One God idea came from a mixing of Hebrew and Egyptian culture.

[@OrthodoxCatholic1]

Dr Assman's parents must be disappointed he went into Egyptology rather than the family's proctology practice, I recall when Dr Van Nostrand met Dr Assman in a license plate mix up

[@dr.banoub9233]

Lol

[@bernardcornellisvanmeijere4375]

Considering that Ancient Egypt at various points in history either ruled or had large influence in Canaan/Israel, did any of the Ancient Egyptian religious traditions and notions influence the religious culture and thought of Canaan/Israel?

[@jessicaclakley3691]

Well there is the idea that Akhenaten’s revolutionary monotheistic approach influenced Moses but I’m of the belief that these cultures transmitted info back and forth rather than some top down concept.

[@bernardcornellisvanmeijere4375]

@@jessicaclakley3691 yeah I can see it like that.

[@visionplant]

There's a theory that Moses was a priest of Akhenaten but that's highly speculative

[@arturhashmi6281]

Canaanite dynasty also ruled Egypt

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@jessicaclakley3691 there's no archeological or anthropological evidence for Moses

[@gabriels302]

Another autor that discusses this topic is Moustafa Gadalla in his book "Egyptian cosmology". I recommend.

[@adamdudziak1958]

Thanks!

[@rabbiyohanan6823]

In the Papyrus of Ani (Also known generally as the Book of the dead) we find that Ani (a scribe who has died) will have to face the One (yes like in the Corpus Hermeticum), Father of all gods, the creator of the cosmos, he who created himself, he who created with words, or he who came before Nu. Sometimes Rah is identified as being this god, sometimes the text refers to him as being Osiris, Atum or Amon. From what I can tell, some Egyptians believed all major gods were "sun rays" of the One, quite similar to most Hindu beliefs. Give it a read when you can, it's an amazing book that may or may not have been used as a "manual" for initiation before becoming a manual for the other world.

[@mattisvov]

I find the idea of the overlap between monotheism and polytheism to be a fascinating topic. Like, some expressions of Catholicism are almost polytheistic in practice. You have patrons saints with specific domains that you can entreat for help with things in that domain. Like, some saint may be the protector of childbirth, so you pray to them for a safe delivery just like a polytheist might to the god of childbirth. I have vague memory of this being a criticism leveled by protestant thinkers, but I might misremember.

[@kf9926]

I always thought the same thing! Sure there’s a Saint they pray to for safe journey when sailing. How is that monotheistic

[@FraterRC]

really excellent video, the problem of mono/polytheism is so necessarily simplified for most people it's really essential to start pointing out how earlier models of "pagan" belief were just as confronted with the experience of an embodied god and pantheistic divinity especially when they were no longer allowed to worship at their temples. The parallels to Jewish development and the later Christian revolution echo the Egyptian experiences so profoundly. PS Loved the great clips and pics of egypt!

[@DevoteeofThunor]

Egyptian religion was never pantheism

[@FraterRC]

@@DevoteeofThunor And that's exactly why I didnt say that it was. ;)

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@FraterRC most of your original comment makes zero sense

[@FraterRC]

@@DevoteeofThunor lol

[@justinshenett1920]

You should do a series on the Titans

[@MH-ms1dg]

It would’ve varied over place too Egypt was huge Amun may have been paramount in New Kingdom Thebes and even northern Nubia, but not necessarily in the far north or other cities like Memphis where Ptah had his own big temple

[@KiSH9891]

is there any way around these full length ads? i like listening to videos like these on my phone while i work and pressing the skip ad button isn't handy and breaks the flow of work. i don't mind the 15 second ads, but documentary level ads are mood killers.

[@houssameddineafyouni]

Hi! Thank you for your time and for the effort toy have put into this video. Ancient Egyptian religion is a fascinating topic and a favorite of mine personally. There is a theory that says that they mastered the Will of human beings and by doing so achieved the impossible on terms of science and architecture. My reference in this case is the Quran wherein they are mentioned as enslavers of the Israelites... Who are the Israelites? As per my knowledge they are a certain type of people whose unwavering faith in the unseen and their creative imagination constitutes the essence of human advancement, a group of prophets in a sense who were used but never given their dues for all the achievements they'd made. I had come across writings that attempted to explain the Egyptians' knowledge of the relationship between the conscious and the subconscious and how through this relationship the impossible is achieved through mere thought manifestation, from the unseen to the seen manifested 3D plane. Thought vibration + emotion leading to manifestation through the law of vibration and attraction.. can you share any information about that and if you can recommend any books that dive into this topic if any? Thanks again for all your work, highly appreciated. Peace brother

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

You are not making any sense

[@houssameddineafyouni]

@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl Well it's not common sense 😁

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

@@houssameddineafyouni oh no you aren't making sense because what you are talking is nonsense. 'They achieved impossible' ? They did no such thing all they did was not unique to them

[@houssameddineafyouni]

@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl It seems that you are falling into an Ad Hominem fallacy. There is no reasoning in your response. If you had read what I wrote with an open mind, you would have noted that there is an inquisitive approach to my premise, trying to find answers by challenging indoctrinated modalities of thinking. If everything that we've been told were true, we wouldn't be in the mess that we're in right now. If we don't challenge norms we won't discover new answers. I would love to hear your theory about how the pyramids were built and the science they applied. I'm not saying that ancient Egyptians had it all figured out, if they had, they would still be around. Maybe you know something I don't and in such case please share what you know, I love learning. Truly

[@Nuruddunya]

I am once again asking for a video on the ossetian religion

[@steakfilly5199]

Aristotle is an interesting one. Before I discovered his work myself I have pretty much fabricated my own version of his beliefs, minus the polytheism below the main god. Aristotle is cool. I like him

[@user-tf1nm1bl2o]

Thanks for the good work. My questions : 1) did Khufu try to initiate a new religious movement at his time? if so what was it ? 2) Is the monotheism of Abrahamic Religions more a descendant of the religious traditions of Mesopotamia , the Levant or Egypt ?

[@AncientSomali.]

U probably don’t know any thing about Somalia But The earliest recorded ancient Egyptian expedition to Punt was organized by Pharaoh Sahure of the Fifth Dynasty (25th century BC), returning with cargoes of antyue and Puntites. However, gold from Punt is recorded as having been in Egypt as early as the time of Pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty. In our life style & religion and Gods in our history and culture still exist in Faroues culture in Somalia . All this gods that u mention here exist places in Somalia .. like El waaq Abudwaaq this waaq exist in Egyptian time even Ra exist like place in Somalia .. I hope world do some reaserch in Somalia .. we are finding some Egyptian money in Somalia

[@KevinKanthur]

This video was very interesting. Thank you. Can you talk about the notion that the abrahamic religions "copied" religions from Ancient Egypt? I remember "Zeitgeist" the movement made a movie about what they think and the first part was all about that. They show how coincidental are the notion of God and the Sun, and how in ancient religions the son of God also resurrects after the third day, and a lot of other things like that.

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Most of that stuff has little to no support in scholarship. Of course religions and cultures were influenced by each other, but the way it is presented by movies like that is usually very inaccurate.

[@jasminenwhitaker9717]

Good morning everyone blessings 🙌 🙏 ✨️

[@taijilou]

Will you please do one on Kriya Yoga?

[@teeniequeenie8369]

ONE THING THATS ALWAYS MADE MY HEAD SPIN IS TRYING TO THINK OF WHO CREATED GOD OR HOW DID THEY COME ABOUT.

[@gemsamaa]

I have watched a few of your videos . Great research and presentation. I didn't realize how many subjects you covered until I saw your channel. In regards to this video I would encourage you to read Metu Neter volumes 1 - 7 by Ra Un Nefer Amen the foremost expert on Kemetic spirituality.

[@kobalt77]

Atum = Atom, the building block/essence of everything. Wonderful presentation, thank you !

[@sherylcrowe3255]

Thanks ✌️

[@derekfume8810]

Shout out to Assman dude 😄

[@tuberklz]

what's the earliest sign of one-god concept? do we know? is polytheism to monotheism an evolutionary path or just needs of societies? i know maybe, these questions are so basic that may not have a simple answer. yet, forging a more refined question hard for random guy like me. anyways, again great video.

[@100monotheist-fkeroffalseg8]

​Paganism is such a beautiful and diverse religion, pagans don't have any issue with respecting Gods of other cultures and look at them like mirror images of their own Gods...beautiful...

[@DevoteeofThunor]

Paganism isn't a religion of it's own it's just a term for all non monotheistic religions

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@Ab99 your comments are so absolutely horrible and uneducated that I can't even begin to debunk them because that would mean I take them seriously

[@LetsTalkReligion]

That feels like a pretty selective reading of the history of polytheism. Even in Egypt itself there were instances of hostility towards other gods or religious systems.

[@ssheikh3598]

Indian Hindus Pagans are peaceful as long as one does not eat cow meat.... If a person is allegedly found with cow meat, he's beaten to death by "peaceful", " Tolerant " pagan Hindus... Just search "Cow-Vigilantism" Or "Mob-lynchig in India"...

[@DevoteeofThunor]

@@LetsTalkReligion when?I know Egypt during the New Kingdom adopted Ba'al Hadad and a Canaanite Goddess and even Reshep/Rashep

[@betweenearthandsky4091]

I really love your videos, and feel super inspired to create a channel in a similar kind for some time now. My only concern at this point is how to deal with copyright when using images for speaking about the different topics? Anyone knows how he handles this? 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Wikimedia Commons is always a good source for images with a creative commons licence. There are also services like Storyblocks that offer stock footage for a montly/yearly fee.

[@betweenearthandsky4091]

@@LetsTalkReligion thank you so much for answering! 🙏🏼🙌🏼

[@Tilnaor]

I was thinking about the Egyptian gods as aspects of a one (Atum Ra) after I learded that even the Sun has many gods depends of context. Like the dawn and dusk is Harakhty, the rising Sun is Khepera and the noon is Ra. Later found other confirmations: “Three are all gods - Amon, Ra, and Ptah - and there is none like them. Hidden is his name as Amon, Ra belongeth to him as face, and Ptah is his body […] Only he is: Amon and Ra and Ptah, together three” New Kingdom’s Poems on Thebes and its God Also "Homage to thee, Osiris, Lord of eternity, King of the Gods, whose names are manifold" by Hymn to Osiris And I assume that quasi plurality was more or less known at time, and that was the reason why Akhenaten's one god concept was accepted. Of course the priests were against it becouse their wealth was on risk, but the people get used to it very soon.