Precepts of Ptah
PTAH
Traditionally, Ptah is the creator and god of Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt. Historically, the mythological figure is much more.
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One of the most important gods of ancient Egypt was Ptah of Memphis, a creator god and a director of human destinies. Mrs. Holmberg's study is essentially a reference book based on ancient textual sources and is primarily directed toward the Egyptologist.
In the last chapter Mrs. Holmberg wrestles with the "origin of the belief in Ptah" and exposes the current Egyptological perplexity about the origins of the worship of their historical gods. One leading theory is the notion that the Egyptians from the beginning recognized a "supreme being" under various names in different places. This being was the one primeval god, the creator god, and the continuing ruler of men and the other gods. In its extreme expression this view is a sort of practical monotheism, since the more important gods are brought together under one theological heading and the lesser gods are made clearly subordinate.
The opposing theory is geopolitically evolutionary. This view would argue that the most primitive deities were countless local gods who were gradually reduced in number by the enlarging of political units through conquest and assimilation. As the Egyptian nation emerged, the more successful of these local gods became cosmic forces-in part through political elevation of one cult-center over others, in part through a process of syncretism, and in part through man's attempt to answer the questions of his cosmological and cosmogonic speculation. Mrs. Holmberg tends to hesitate between these two theories, and in the present state of our ignorance about prehistoric origins one can hardly blame her. 1
PTAH – HOTEP
Ptah-Hotep a was well – known Egyptian sage (sage of Ptah, per se) that dates from around 2200 BCE. He may even have enjoyed a celebrity status. Whatever his fame, he was an advisor to the King and would have been viewed as a very
Traditionally, Ptah is the creator and god of Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt. Historically, the mythological figure is much more.
***
One of the most important gods of ancient Egypt was Ptah of Memphis, a creator god and a director of human destinies. Mrs. Holmberg's study is essentially a reference book based on ancient textual sources and is primarily directed toward the Egyptologist.
In the last chapter Mrs. Holmberg wrestles with the "origin of the belief in Ptah" and exposes the current Egyptological perplexity about the origins of the worship of their historical gods. One leading theory is the notion that the Egyptians from the beginning recognized a "supreme being" under various names in different places. This being was the one primeval god, the creator god, and the continuing ruler of men and the other gods. In its extreme expression this view is a sort of practical monotheism, since the more important gods are brought together under one theological heading and the lesser gods are made clearly subordinate.
The opposing theory is geopolitically evolutionary. This view would argue that the most primitive deities were countless local gods who were gradually reduced in number by the enlarging of political units through conquest and assimilation. As the Egyptian nation emerged, the more successful of these local gods became cosmic forces-in part through political elevation of one cult-center over others, in part through a process of syncretism, and in part through man's attempt to answer the questions of his cosmological and cosmogonic speculation. Mrs. Holmberg tends to hesitate between these two theories, and in the present state of our ignorance about prehistoric origins one can hardly blame her. 1
PTAH – HOTEP
Ptah-Hotep a was well – known Egyptian sage (sage of Ptah, per se) that dates from around 2200 BCE. He may even have enjoyed a celebrity status. Whatever his fame, he was an advisor to the King and would have been viewed as a very