SEYFFARTH— EGYPTIAN THEOLOGY. 69 



inmates of the globe are interred for a vernal resurrection. — The 

 singular nature of this beetle is the reason that the Egyptians 

 made it an emblem of that Being who rolls, before the eyes of 

 all, the immense globe of the starred heavens round its axis 

 every day. 



There are, finally, two other images, representing the Creator, 

 to be explained. The figures above the heads of the seven pla- 

 nets (PI. II. No. 30) are called "the invisible Creator," because 

 the cave — ocon, ohtii, the Hebrew n3n (chaba) — signifies oco6, 

 Creator; and the cat's head — i.e. the cat (pars pro toto. Gram, 

 ^g. p. 14, No. 36), called Pinn (chatul). Germ. Kater — fur- 

 nishes the words "il- , "iTp (kadar), niger, related with " ater," 

 hence obscurus, invisibilis. To the same root the name 'A6op, 

 called "Venus tenebjosa" (Jablons. Panth. L. i. p. 6), even "te- 

 nebrae" and "nox" (Hesych.) is to be referred. This image of 

 the invisible Creator stands above the heads of the planets, and 

 appears, like the beetle, in the attitude of pushing — to the end, 

 remember, that it is the invisible God who iolls the planets 

 amidst the fixed stars. 



The same supreme deity of the Egyptians is further symbolized 

 by the figure below the heavenly deities. For the ram's head 

 signifies, as we have seen (Nos. t, 58), bn (El), Allah, the Al- 

 mighty, the same god which the Pompeian altar ornaments with 

 a ram's head. and calls Kivouwc, the good progenitor. The vul- 

 ture bearing the ram's head, called m7it, and very often express- 

 ing the letters jnt (Gram. y^g. p. 66), furnishes the word El, 

 jw.e<Te, the almighty God. The spread-wings of the vulture, called 

 Tcn^o, involve the word T&.n^o, vivificator. The ring (cvTVor, 

 ^o\r) in the claws of the vulture gives 00A.K. weaver, complica- 

 tor. The uraeus snake (evRopi), crowned with the solar disk 

 (Roirpo), expresses Ro-rpo, x'jpco^, 2cop, the great king. These 

 four predicates of the supreme deity are followed by four human 

 figures, forming, as we have seen (Nos. 14, 25, 31, 39), personal 

 substantives, because the axe, e.g., not being followed by the 

 man (oe^J^), would signify " strong" or "to strengthen," and not 

 " a strong being." The wings alone signify " vivificare," but, 

 being followed by a human figure, give " vivifier." 



This description of the highest deity is, moreover, confirmed by 

 the added legends (No. 52), oe^A*. oout, Creator, and (Nos. 53-55) 



