How were ancient Egyptians so Religious?

I have been writing some of my blogs with ideas taken from my book, Sacred Strands, the Story of a Redeemer Woven through History. Today’s blog is about the ancient Egyptians, which is in Chapter 4 of my book.

The ancient Egyptians are fascinating. The Greek historian Herodotus tells us that the Egyptians “are religious to a higher degree than any other people.” The gods of ancient Egypt were seen as creators and sustainers of life and order. The people believed in life after death.

It appears that some of their ideas flow from truths given to early man by God, but then distorted by man’s additions of many gods with fabulous stories and myths.

Some historians have traced the pagan religions to the constellations of the zodiac, but failed to see meaning in the constellations. Christian writers, such as Frances Rolleston and Joseph Seiss, however, feel that these themes of the constellations, which flowed to the pagan myths and mysteries, come from an ancient truth which early man was familiar with–that of the prediction of a woman-born conqueror of the serpent. In Genesis 3, we find that after the fall of man God told the serpent (Satan) that the seed of the woman would bruise his head, but that he (the serpent) would bruise his heel. This is a striking symbolism and is seen throughout history in many of the pagan myths and mysteries. We find this symbolism in the constellations.

Christian historians see in the pagan myths elements and symbols of the Genesis “conqueror of the serpent” flowing down through history, even though the revelation has been corrupted by many of the pagan ideas and practices.

We see pictures of Isis (Egyptian goddess) with her infant son Horus, which appear to be a copy of the constellation Virgo. One of the minor constellations in the House of Virgo is Coma. In the old Denderah Zodiac of ancient Egypt, Coma is pictured as a woman holding a small child. Virgo and Coma show some of the symbolism of the promised Redeemer, “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15).

The allegation has been made by skeptics that pictures of Mary and the Christ child are copies from pictures of Isis and Horus. However, the story of Isis and Horus is not as old as the constellation of Virgo, so the question becomes–Are Isis and Horus a copy of the coming “seed of the woman” represented by the constellation Virgo? The  message of the coming Redeemer, the seed of the woman, flows through history and is finally revealed and understood when Jesus Christ came into the world.

You can get a copy of Sacred Strands, the Story of a Redeemer Woven Through History here.