Ancient Israel & Ancient Egypt
Ancient Israel & Ancient Egypt
Olivia Nail
Osan American High School
Although ancient Egypt and ancient Israel are geographically close to each other, their religions are near polar opposites, and this affected their individual cultures immensely. Ancient Israel’s religion was a conservative monotheistic faith. The Ancient Egyptian’s religion was an opulent, polytheistic belief system. These two were similar in many ways, such as, the women of their cultures held similar rights; yet they have more differences than similarities.
The ancient Israelites believed in a god called Yahweh who had shown special compassion towards their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, intervening in events on their behalf in many spectacular ways and establishing a special relationship with them known as the "covenant". They believed Yahweh rescued them under the leadership of Moses from slavery and oppression in Egypt, and led them through the wilderness of Sinai to a land he promised would be their own. They practiced animal sacrifice under the supervision of a hereditary priesthood, and observed a unique set of religious and moral instructions revealed to them at Sinai. The core of these are the "Ten Commandments", less commonly known as "Decalogue", which prohibited the worship of other gods, the use of images, and all kinds of work on the Sabbath, as well as murder, adultery, stealing, lying and coveting (Ancient Israelite Religion, 2013).
In contrast to Ancient Israel, Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians ' interaction with many deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature. The practices of Egyptian religion were efforts to provide for the gods and gain their favor. Formal religious practices centered on the pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Although he was a human, the
Olivia Nail
Osan American High School
Although ancient Egypt and ancient Israel are geographically close to each other, their religions are near polar opposites, and this affected their individual cultures immensely. Ancient Israel’s religion was a conservative monotheistic faith. The Ancient Egyptian’s religion was an opulent, polytheistic belief system. These two were similar in many ways, such as, the women of their cultures held similar rights; yet they have more differences than similarities.
The ancient Israelites believed in a god called Yahweh who had shown special compassion towards their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, intervening in events on their behalf in many spectacular ways and establishing a special relationship with them known as the "covenant". They believed Yahweh rescued them under the leadership of Moses from slavery and oppression in Egypt, and led them through the wilderness of Sinai to a land he promised would be their own. They practiced animal sacrifice under the supervision of a hereditary priesthood, and observed a unique set of religious and moral instructions revealed to them at Sinai. The core of these are the "Ten Commandments", less commonly known as "Decalogue", which prohibited the worship of other gods, the use of images, and all kinds of work on the Sabbath, as well as murder, adultery, stealing, lying and coveting (Ancient Israelite Religion, 2013).
In contrast to Ancient Israel, Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians ' interaction with many deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature. The practices of Egyptian religion were efforts to provide for the gods and gain their favor. Formal religious practices centered on the pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Although he was a human, the
References: Ancient Israelite Religion. (2013). RE-XS for Higher Education. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/judaism/ancisr.html Court of the woman [Web log message]. Retrieved on May 1, 2013 from http://www.bible-history.com/court-of-women/women.html Johnson, J. H. (2002). Women 's Legal Rights in Ancient Egypt. The Fathom Archive :: The University of Chicago Library :: Digital Collections. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190170 Watson, J. (2011, October 23). An Overview of Ancient Egyptian Religion. Egypt Travel Guide - Tour Egypt. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/religion Women in Ancient Israel. (2013). Retrieved on May 1, 2013 from http://thejawboneofanass.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/women-in-ancient-israel/