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| The god Amun came to be revered as a deity whose nature included a transcendent aspect close to that of the monotheistic god of Abraham. Detail statue of Amun, Luxor Museum. Egyptian Gods |
tran·scend·ence Noun /tranˈsendəns/
Synonyms:noun: excellence, superiority, transcendency
transcendences plural
Existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level
- the possibility of spiritual transcendence in the modern world
The question of whether the ancient Egyptians ever believed in the concept of monotheism (besides believing in many Egyptian gods) contains within itself another question - whether they developed the idea of a transcendent deity. Although earlier sweeping affirmations in this regard have not stood the test of time and scholarly analysis, the idea of transcendent divine ability - especially as manifest in the transcendence of space and time - may nevertheless be reflected in some of the Egyptian evidence.
As early as the Instruction for Merikare (apparently composed in Middle Kingdom times) we find the expression "the god knows every name", indicating perhaps the idea of an omniscient god. By late New Kingdom times we find instances of the great god Amun being viewed in a manner of which could indicate belief
in his transcendent ability. On text states that "Amun hears the prayer of one who calls to him, in a moment he comes from afar to the one who cries out to him". Afew other texts seems to echo this same attitude. While they may indicate only that Amun was being viewed as acting on a grander and wider scale than had been common before Ramessid times, there is no firm indication that the concept of transcendence was not involved. Certainly the Egyptian gods did not ultimately transcend time - as was seen in Part I - because like their human counterparts they were subject to old age and eventual demise. Nor could they fully transcend space, as they could not penetrate the outer regions beyond the created cosmos which Egyptian mythology explicitly states in uninhabited by the gods, or those regions of the Duat where the light of the sun god does not penetrate. Yet, despite these facts, it is possible that from the Egyptians' perspective, there was an idea of relative - if not absolute - transcendence in the religion of the late New Kingdom. The few texts which address the subject do seem to show that Amun was viewed as transcending space within the world in which the gods were created and functioned. We may also find, with the same god, texts which intimate the god's transcendence of even the bounds of the Egyptians' mythical cosmos.
Papyrus Leiden I 350 says of Amun: "He is hidden from the gods, and his aspect is unknown. He is farther than the sky, he is deeper than the Duat..."In this text, the "unknownable nature" of Amun is the main issue which is stressed, yet the expression "He is farther than the sky, he is deeper than the Duat" seems to indicate a view of the deity's transcendence of the cosmos itself and is not essentially different from the sentiment of the biblical Psalmist, long regarded by scholars as reflecting the transcendent omnipresence of the Hebrew God:
"Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where should I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold you are there" Psalm 139:7-8It is possible to view the nature of Akhenaten's Aten as being transcendent in certain ways and the fact that in the Late Period the solar ram was said to have not only four heads, but also 777 ears and millions of eyes, showing the idea of the greatly enhanced sense of the god in a practical, mythical manner. While this does not prove omniscience, it is not essentially different from the theological developments of later history which posit the idea of a God who sees even the smallest event...
From the Complete Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
