zmm 



_r r w a V-' .Toll* 



=:.^^j. t 111 





i _ 



1 6. Niche statue of the scribe Amenhotep, holding stela with hymn to 

 sun deity, probably from Thebes, Dynasty XVIII. 95021 



Enter Christianity 



This was the threefold appeal of the cult of Isis and 

 Osiris, and it filled several voids that were not served, 

 or were poorly served by the indigenous classical deit- 

 ies. The cult's widespread popularity is demonstrated 

 by the many sites where images of Isis or Osiris, or 

 archaeological remnants of their shrines, have been 

 found, scattered throughout the Roman Empire and 

 even beyond its borders in Central Europe. The two- 

 fold appeal of the cult, resurrection and eternal life, 

 and power over fate made the Isis-Osiris cult a stiff 

 competitor for early Christianity, and its appeal to 

 women exceeded even what Christianity could offer. 

 Along with Christianity, the Romans classed the cult 

 as one of the Oriental mystery cults. 



As in Christianity, the followers of Isis and Osiris 

 were expected to improve their moral attitudes, for 

 after death they had to face the old Egyptian judgement 

 of the deceased, first before the 42 assessors, then in the 



T^niii 



9A 



1 7. Solar trinity, Khepri and Re-Atum, standing inside the solar disc, 

 Re-Aton (center): from tomb of Merenptah, Valley of the Kings, 

 Dynasty XIX. 



Frank Yurco photo 



certain death. Fearfully, the night before he is to be 

 exhibited, he lays down on the seashore and prays. Isis 

 appears and instructs him on how to achieve redemp- 

 tion. The next morning he is to join a procession of 

 devotees of Isis. He is to find the high priest and nibble 

 the roses he carries. The next day, following instruc- 

 tions, he locates the priest, eats the roses, and regains 

 human form. He then joins the cult of Isis, ultimately 

 undergoing the Osiride mysteries that probably con- 

 28 cemed the resurrection and life after death. 



weighing of the heart. Vignettes of both stages re- 

 mained popular in Books of the Dead, even of the 

 Ptolemaic-Roman Period. (See the papyrus of Pa-di- 

 Hor-pa-khered, cat. 31325, in burial group 7 of the 

 Egyptian exhibit, and in the papyrus cat. , 3 1324, even 

 later in date. ) Finally, the appeal of Isis to women, with 

 tenets of equality with men and an equivalent dignity, 

 was something that Christianity could not then offer. 

 Two factors that helped Christianity emerge 

 victorious were (1) it appealed to the poor — by con- 



