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The Sphinx Stela.
Tells the details of Tuthmosis IV's
dream, when he was spoken to by the Great
Sphinx
as a god. Giza. Egyptian Gods. |
In the earlier periods of Egyptian history, there was often
no clear distinction between the priesthood and other members
of the society, as temple service was conducted by individuals
who, after their assigned rotation of duties, returned to
secular work in theircommunities. However, in the New Kingdom
and later times when the priestly offices became professional
and large heraditary ones, the situation changed considerably,
and we find a much greater gap between the population at large
and those involved in formal services of the gods.
Lay individuals could place votive offerings in the outer areas
of temples, but the chief occasions during which they could
approach the gods were public festivals. At those times lay
people might witness the procession of a deity, although it
would be from a decorous distance and usually the actual image
of the Egyptian gods would not be visible to them. Those
outside the priesthood had access to "hearing ear" shrines
placed in the outer walls of many temples, and the clossal
statues in front of their pylons were also readily accessible
to the people as mediators of their prayers. In some temples
Egyptian gods could also be apprached through oracles which
answer important questions, and common people also had some
access to the gods in legal matters. This was sometimes
accomplished through specific movements of the god's portalable
shrine barque while it was being carried in
procession, when questions were addressed to
the deity. Though we do not know how commonly this type of
oracular manifestation occurred or how widely it was
accessible, it is probable that such guidance of the gods was
sought when the courts were not able to settle a matter.
Another way in which the common people had access to the
Egyptian gods was through dreams. For Egyptians, the sleeper
temporarily inhabited the world of the gods, and dreams could
thus often involve contact with the gods. The best-known
example of this are found in the records of New Kingdom
monarchs such as Tuthmosis IV to whom the Great Sphinx spoke as
god in a dream, but even the humble commoner could dream of
deities in the same manner. Magical texts describe the meaning
of such dreams which might be experienced and we have ample
evidence of dreams being actively elicited as means to
understanding the world of the Egyptian gods.
Finally, we must not rule out other forms of perception, for
the Egyptian gods could also be sensed through their fragrance,
through sounds and other similar ways. For the ancient Egyptian
even the wind felt on a person's face might be preceived as the
breath of a god or the passage of the air god Shu. We should
not altogether discount the preceived ability of the Egyptians
to encounter the gods in everyday contexts, although these may
have been viewed as of relatively less importance than the
potential for interaction with the divine found at the houses
of the Egyptian gods.
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