Continuous creation: an Egyptian heritage in hermeticism
Ancient Egyptian myths of creation emphasize the continuity between the creator and what he creates. Unlike biblical ideas of creation, Egyptian creator gods beget and give birth and thus reproduce themselves in nature. Creation consists in a god stretching himself into nature. He continues to do so...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Morcelliana
[2017]
|
| In: |
Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni
Year: 2017, Volume: 83, Issue: 1, Pages: 37-60 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Hermetic philosophy
/ Gnosis
/ Egypt (Antiquity)
/ Religion
|
| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism BC Ancient Orient; religion BF Gnosticism |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
|
| Summary: | Ancient Egyptian myths of creation emphasize the continuity between the creator and what he creates. Unlike biblical ideas of creation, Egyptian creator gods beget and give birth and thus reproduce themselves in nature. Creation consists in a god stretching himself into nature. He continues to do so every morning, and creation is thus an incessant process in nature, kept going by temple ritual. Hermetic texts insist on this Egyptian heritage: the continuity between the creator and creation and the divinity of nature. Although the Hermetic creator god is transcendent, he is physically present as a process of incessant creation in nature. It is the aim of Hermetic texts to make their reader aware of himself as part of that process and thus continuous with the creator. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0081-6175 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni
|