the vernal equinoctial point in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. During 

 six dynasties these gods were worshipped peacefully, their incarnations 

 and religious rites being protected by the kings ; but about the year 

 B.C. 3800 the kingdom appears to have dropped to bits, its religion to 

 have been mixed up in a most confused manner, and its people divided 

 into a number of small nationalities, with separate kings and separate 

 laws ; until, at length, the whole country was once more united under 

 the reigning monarchs of the eleventh dynasty (Second Empire), whose 

 capital was Thebes, and whose popular deity was Amen, the hidden 

 god, called also Amen-Ra, to signify that he was not only the sun-god 

 in the under-world, but also the rising and conquering sun-god of the 

 early morn and spring of the year. In fact, Amen was the sun-god of 

 the whole revolution, the Theban Yao, one with his father Osiris in the 

 mid-day and mid-summer, one with his counterpart Horus at the early 

 morn and spring of the year, and one with Turn in the darkness of 

 night and winter ; just as Zeus of the Greeks was Zeus Amen (Jupiter 

 Ammon), Olympian Zeus, Zeus Yao, and Stygian Zeus, according to the 

 season of the year. 



Between the Middle Empire and the New Empire another catas- 

 trophe occurred to the Egyptians, in the form of an invasion of the 

 Hyksos, or shepherd kings of Arabia, who overran the whole country, 

 destroyed the temples, and levied heavy tribute on the people, eventu- 

 ally settling down for four centuries as Kings of Egypt, adopting many 

 of the native customs, and introducing many Semitic deities and obser- 

 vances. At last the Hyksos were driven forth, and the New Empire 

 commenced with the eighteenth dynasty ; but a considerable difference 

 was now found to exist in the religion of the country, partly on account 

 of the introduction of Semitic rites, and partly owing to the change that 

 had taken place at the vernal equinoctial point, by the precessional 

 movement of the zodiacal constellation Taurus. The vernal equinoctial 

 point was now (B.C. 2000) in the sign Aries, and therefore the principal 

 deities should be no longer represented as incarnate bulls, but as incar- 

 nate rams. Accordingly, we find that after this date the bull-god Apis, 

 or Serapis, gradually fell into disrepute ; and Amen, who was now the 

 supreme and representative god, was worshipped as an incarnate ram, 

 being depicted as a man wearing ram's horns. 



Another mode of worshipping the young sun-god, born at the winter 

 solstice, December 25th, was that known as the Mysteries of the Night, 

 or Passion of Osiris, at which an idol of the infant Horus, or Amen, 

 called also the Holy Word, was presented to the people in its mother's 

 arms, or exposed to view in a crib for the adoration of the people by 

 the priests, who were, according to Adrian, called Bishops of Christ 

 the anointed one) ; and when King Ptolemy, B.C. 350, asked 



