S6h THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIII. 



"appropriated to Sarapis, being the symbolical 

 emblems or consecrated victims of the God of 

 Health ; " but it must be observed that these em- 

 blems are not given him by the Egyptians ; and 

 the cock is never represented. He also states, 

 on the authority " of Porphyry and Eusebius, that 

 he was supposed to preside over the invisible 

 world, and to be the Ruler of daemons, or malefi- 

 cent spirits."* 



Some, indeed, are disposed to think that Sarapis 

 wa3 an Egyptian Deity of an early a?ra, and that 

 the resemblance found to exist in the attributes of 

 the God of Sinope shows the Egyptians recognised 

 in him a God already known to them ; while others 

 conclude that he was altogether unknown in Egypt 

 previous to the age of Ptolemy Soter. But I will 

 endeavour to reconcile these opinions. The statue 

 was thought to bear analogy to Osiris ; the word 

 Sarapis was taken from the name of that Egyptian 

 Deity, being a corruption of Apis Osiris t (or Osiris 

 Apis) ; and the new God was made a separate Divi- 

 nity in consequence of some objection to the mode 

 of celebrating his worsliip. This is confirmed by 

 what Pausanias says of the worship of Sarapis 

 being introduced into Egypt; and of there having 

 been a temple dedicated to him at Memphis, and 

 another at Alexandria, previous to the reign of 

 Ptolemy ; the latter being, according to Pau- 



* Pricliard, Egypt, Myth. p. 94. 



f Plutarch (de Is. s. 37.) says, " Osiris and Sarapis are none other 

 than Epaphus (or Apis)." According to Clemens, " Aristeas the Argive 

 thought that Apis was calletl Sarapis ;" and he has a strange idea of 

 the Argive King Apis being the founder of Memphis. Strom, i. p. 29. 



