The development of ancient Egyptian religiosity is rooted in hoary antiquity. Its rudiments are visible in the Neolithic, when, as it is believed, quite developed and well-established magical traditions already existed. The latter were a form of non-religious mysticism, being, rather, a means of manipulating the environment. However, later, becoming more complicated, they gave rise to numerous cults of a certain religious nature.
The Origins of the Apis Worship
In ancient Egypt, agriculture played an important role for the economic development of the state. The whole life of the kingdom depended on the crop — peace, the welfare of the people, and the political situation. Therefore, the Egyptians were very sensitive to the factors of ensuring a good harvest. Spills of the Nile, insect populations and many other factors, due to their importance for the prosperity of the country, were drawn into a cult and later mythologized. Not the last role among them was played by animals, especially agricultural ones, since directly or indirectly they served as a source of food. Arable livestock was no exception. Bulls were widely revered in all cities of the state, tied to various gods and correlated with various myths. Throughout its history, Egypt has known several national bull cults and many local ones. An amazing evolution from the latter to the first is demonstrated by the cult of the notorious Apis.
Who was this mysterious bull?
The initial birth of reverence for Apis belongs to Memphis, the capital city of the Lower Kingdom. The deity of this city was exactly Apis. However, the influence of metropolitan politics and culture soon ensured the spread of his veneration throughout the country and even beyond its borders. It is known that at various points in history, Apis was worshiped by Persian kings and Roman emperors. For the Greeks, this sacred animal in general became one of the sources of the appearance of the syncretic cult of the god Serapis.
The Sacred Bull: Sacred Nature and Cult Theology
Speaking about the sacred animal in the context of the Egyptian religious tradition, it is necessary to mention what exactly was the sacredness of this or that animal. After all, Apis was not only a mythological abstraction like a famous heavenly cow. On the contrary, he was extremely concretized in the face, so to speak, of a certain living bull, for whom charters and traditions required special content, special worship, and after his death a special burial.
So, first of all, it is necessary to briefly outline the occult anthropology of the Egyptians. They, like many other mystics (and the Egyptians were distinguished by the deeply mysterious nature of their religion), were characterized by the trichotomic division of man into spirit, soul and body. In terms of the Egyptians themselves, these components of man have the following names:
1. Hut - the physical body.
2. The following two parts make up the soul:
- Ka is the so-called double or double.
- Hu is a rational soul.
3. Ba-bai - the spirit.
A similar "composition" of man by ancient Egyptian theologians was charged with their gods. Now we can explain the nature of the sacredness of Apis. As said, this is a specific specimen of a bull. The basis was the belief of the Egyptians that this bull is an incarnation of Ka, that is, the first part of the soul, God. Which god is a question for which there is no single answer. But anyway, the sacred bull Apis is an incarnate deity.
Genealogy of the Apis Sacred Tradition
Now about the genealogy of the cult. The sacred bull among the Egyptians correlated with several gods at once. Such a situation is quite typical for a polytheistic society, or even for a multi-religious society, such as Ancient Egypt. The fact is that in Egypt there has never been a single religious doctrine and a single religious institution. Egyptian tradition combines many more or less independent and independent religious structures. Penetrating into different of them, the cult of Apis was overgrown with various myths, therefore, in relation to later time, we can even conditionally talk about several cults of Apis.
Today, historical and archaeological data make it possible to reliably correlate the early form of worship of Apis with the god Ptah. This is the divine patron of the city of Memphis. It was with him that the sacred bull was associated with the Egyptians living in this city. After a while, the role of Memphis increased, and with it the popularity enjoyed by this sacred bull in Egypt. Later, a cult local in nature became pan-Egyptian. This also affected cult theology. The influence of Apis did not secure the authority of Ptah, and later the sacred bull was revered as an incarnation of another god - Osiris.
Apis: Life and Death of an Incarnate God
The life that the sacred bull lived was concluded in a special temple courtyard - apium. On certain days, festivities were held in honor of the bull (usually coinciding with the flood of the Nile) and sacrifices were made. There is evidence that he was given 25 years to live, after which the bull was drowned. This figure is usually associated with the lunar cycle of the Egyptian calendar. However, archaeological discoveries in the Memphis Acropolis, where dozens of mummies of bulls are buried, do not confirm this information.
The Return of Osiris - Apis's New Incarnation
One way or another, but the Egyptians believed that after the death of the current Apis, the essence of Ka reunites with Ba-Bai Osiris, and then reincarnates. A new incarnation was determined by a number of characteristic features (black coat, a number of specific marks, etc.). For some authors, the number of such signs reaches 29. When a suitable calf was found, he was fattened and taken to Apium, where he solemnly "took office." Thus, a new sacred bull was found in Egypt.