Religion in Roman Egypt: Assimilation and Resistance (Mythos: The Princeton/Bollingen Series in World Mythology Book 133)

This exploration of cultural resilience examines the complex fate of classical Egyptian religion during the centuries from the period when Christianity first made its appearance in Egypt to when it became the region's dominant religion (roughly 100 to 600 C.E. Taking into account the full range of witnesses to continuing native piety--from papyri and saints' lives to archaeology and terracotta figurines--and drawing on anthropological studies of folk religion, David Frankfurter argues that the religion of Pharonic Egypt did not die out as early as has been supposed but was instead relegated from political centers to village and home, where it continued a vigorous existence for centuries. In analyzing the fate of the Egyptian oracle and of the priesthoods, the function of magical texts, and the dynamics of domestic cults, Frankfurter describes how an ancient culture maintained itself while also being transformed through influences such as Hellenism, Roman government, and Christian dominance. Recognizing the special characteristics of Egypt, which differentiated it from the other Mediterranean cultures that were undergoing simultaneous social and political changes, he departs from the traditional "decline of paganism/triumph of Christianity" model most often used to describe the Roman period. By revealing late Egyptian religion in its Egyptian historical context, he moves us away from scenarios of Christian triumph and shows us how long and how energetically pagan worship survived. Cover Page 1 Half-title Page 3 Title Page 5 Copyright Page 6 Dedication Page 7 Contents 9 Acknowledgments 11 Abbreviations 13 Overture: The Armor of Horus 21 One: Scope and Method 23 1.1 Introduction 23 1.2 The Problem of Egypt in Its Mediterranean Context 29 1.3 Tracing the Continuity of Egyptian Religion in Late Antiquity 33 1.4 Pressures and Traumas of the Late Empire 41 1.5 Examining Native Religions: From the Pan-Mediterranean to the Local 51 Two: Religion and Temples 55 2.1 The Distribution of Powers: Fertility 55 2.2 The Cult of the Nile as a Popular and an Institutional Phenomenon 60 2.3 Healing Cults as a Nexus of Temple and Popular Piety 64 2.4 Temple Festivals in Egyptian Life 70 2.5 The Evolution of Religious Festivals 76 2.6 Local Support of Temples 83 2.7 Religious Patronage and Its Challenges in Fifth-Century Atripe 95 Three: The Local Scope of Religious Belief 115 3.1 Religious Localism and Transregionalism 115 3.2 The Places of Isis and the Names of Sobek 116 3.3 The Persistence of Local Deities 124 3.4 Cults of Protection 129 3.5 Gods of Safe Fertility 139 3.6 Domestic Religion 149 3.7 Localization and Continuity in Egyptian Religion 161 Four: Mutations of the Egyptian Oracle 163 4.1 Foundations and Traditions of the Temple Oracle 163 4.2 The Persistence of the Temple Oracle in the Roman Period 171 4.3 New Egyptian Oracles of the Roman Period 179 4.4 Mutations of the Oracle in the Late Roman Period 197 4.5 Egyptian Oracles in the Roman Period 214 Five: Priest to Magician: Evolving Modes of Religious Authority 216 5.1 Decline and Persistence 216 5.2 Resilient Social Roles 222 5.3 Roman Hellenism and the Revaluation of Priestly Service 235 Six: The Scriptorium as Crucible of Religious Change 256 6.1 The World of the Scriptorium 256 6.2 Preservation and Syncretism 259 6.3 The Holiness of Languages and the Evolution of Coptic Script 266 6.4 From House of Life to Coptic Scriptorium 275 Seven: Idiom, Ideology, and Iconoclasm: A Prolegomenon to the Conversion of Egypt 283 7.1 Real Power 285 7.2 Demons 291 7.3 Rites of Demolition 295 Select Bibliography 303 Index 325 This exploration of cultural resilience examines the complex fate of classical Egyptian religion during the centuries from the period when Christinity first made its appearance in Egypt to when it became the region's dominant religion roughly 100 to 600 C.E. Taking into account the full range of witnesses to continuing native piety -- from papyri and saints' lives to archaeology and terracotta figurines -- and drawing on anthropological studies of folk religion, David Frankfurter argues that the religion of Pharonic Egypt did not die out as early as has been supposed but was instead relegated from political centers to village and home, where it continued a vigorous existence for centuries.

In analyzing the fate of the Egyptian oracle and of the priesthoods, the function of magical texts, and the dynamics of domestic cults, Frankfurter describes how an ancient culture maintained itself while also being transformed through influences such as Hellenism, Roman government, and Christian dominance. Recognizing the special characteristics of Egypt, which differentiated it from the other Mediterranean cultures that were undergoing simultaneous social and political changes, he departs from the traditional "decline of paganism/triumph of Christianity" model most often used to describe the Roman period. By revealing late Egyptian religion in its Egyptian historical context, he moves us away from scenarios of Christian triumph and shows us how long and how energetically pagan worship survived.

popular Religion Is At The Center Of This Excellent Study. Frankfurter Places Christianity In A Multifaceted, Often Unexpected Context In The Countryside Of Egypt. He Shows That Despite The State's New Religion, Egyptian Gods, Goddesses, And Cultic Practices Persisted. The Result Is A Thoroughly Stimulating Book---an Unusual Mix Of Erudition And Interpretation--and One Which I Read With Great Pleasure.--dorothy J. Thompson, Girton College, Cambridge

clearly Written And Well-researched, [frankfurter's] Book Is Accessible To A Wide Audience Of Scholars And Lay People Alike.--j. G. Manning, Stanford University

georgia Frank - Journal Of The American Academy Of Religion

this Ambitious Book Rewards The Specialist And Nonspecialist Alike With A Rich Overview Of Egyptian Religion In Late Antiquity Within A Comparative Religion Framework. . . . Frankfurter's Refreshing Synthesis Of Religion And Magic Both Rewards And Illumines The Reader. His Dexterity With Such A Diversity Of Visual, Material, And Textual Evidence Is A Hallmark Of This Erudite Book. . . . Generously Illustrated And Clearly Organized, This Thought-provoking Study Has Set A Benchmark For Future Work On Religion In The Ancient Mediterranean.

This exploration of cultural resilience examines the complex fate of classical Egyptian religion during the centuries from the period when Christianity first made its appearance in Egypt to when it became the region's dominant religion (roughly 100 to 600 C.E.). Drawing on anthropological and archaeological evidence, David Frankfurter argues that the religion of Pharonic Egypt did not die out as early as has been supposed but was instead relegated from political centers to village and home, where it continued a vigorous existence for centuries. The author describes how an ancient culture maintained itself while also being transformed through influences such as Hellenism, Roman government, and Christian dominance -- and by revealing late Egyptian religion in its Egyptian historical context, he moves us away from scenarios of Christian triumph and shows us how long and how energetically pagan worship survived. "This exploration of cultural resilience examines the complex fate of classical Egyptian religion during the centuries from the period when Christianity first made its appearance in Egypt to when it became the region's dominant religion (roughly 100 to 600 C.E.). Taking into account the full range of witnesses to continuing native piety - from papyri and saints' lives to archaeology and terra-cotta figurines - and drawing on anthropological studies of folk religion, David Frankfurter argues that the religion of Pharaonic Egypt did not die out as early as has been supposed but was instead relegated from political centers to village and home, where it continued a vigorous existence for centuries."--Jacket AS MUCH as this book concerns Egyptian religion in its later phases (roughly 100 to 600 C.E.), it is a study in cultural resilience, and it draws comparatively upon other such studies in order to answer the question, How does an established culture preserve its religious ways despite multiple pressures and traumas?