308 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIII. 



Seb, Sev, Saturn as Chronos. * 



Seb, the father of Isis and Osiris, was supposed 

 to be the same as Saturn, probably from his having 

 the title "Father of the Gods.*' This, however, 

 referred to liis being the parent of the Deities 

 above mentioned, and not to any resemblance he 

 bore to the Sire of Jove ; for the Saturn of Egypt 

 *' the father of Osiris," was said to be '* theyoungest 

 of the Gods." Indeed, the character of Saturn 

 differed essentially from that of the Egyptian Seb ; 

 and the rites of the former, when introduced by the 

 Ptolemies, were looked upon by the Egyptians to 

 be so much at variance with their religious notions, 

 that his temple, like that of Sarapis, w'as not ad- 

 mitted t within the precincts of their cities; and 

 it was not without compulsion that the worship of 

 these two Deities was tolerated by the people. 



Macrobius says, — " Through the tyranny of the 

 Ptolemies they were obliged to receive those Gods 

 into their worship, after the manner of the Alex- 

 andrians, by whom they were particularly adored ;'* 

 the opposition made to their introduction being, 

 as he thinks, in consequence of the novel custom of 

 slaying victims in their honour. He states, that it 

 was not lawful for the Egyptians to propitiate the 

 Gods by sheep and blood, but with prayers and 

 incense only; and Porphyry t expresses a similar 

 opinion, when he says, *' Those in earlier times, 



* Chronos, or Time. Vide infra, on Savak. 

 -|- Macrob. Saturn, i. 4. 

 j Porph. de Abstin. lib. ii. 



