The object of the temple service was the divine image, for
the statue of the deity housed within the sanctuary of the
temple was the focal point of the entire cult. As a result, the
amount of work dedicated to the production of divine images was
often considerable and the results doubtless awe-inspiring.
Although they were not considered to be the gods themselves,
statue of Egyptian gods and goddesses were believed to house
the spirits or manifestations of the deities, and because of
this they were treated as though they were alive. Divine images
were taken from their shrines each day and washed, dressed in
clean clothes, adorned with precious ornaments and censed. They
were given offerings of food and drink - usually wine, milk or
water - and then returned to their shrines.
The distinction between the medium of the statue and the
seperate identity of the deity is clear in textual sources,
however.
"The God of
this earth is the sun in the sky. While
his images are on earth, when incense is given
them as daily food, The lord of rising is
satisfied" | The Instruction of Ani
The divine image was not only treated
reverntially, but was also the recipient of considerable gifts.
For example, Amenophis Son of Hapu, chief steward of Amenophis
III, records that he donated 1,000 animals to a statue of the
king. Royal gifts to the Egyptian gods were even more
prodigious, of course, and were often recorded in
representations of the kind presenting his gifts before the
image of the deity to whom they were made.
On festivals days or other special occasions the images of the
gods were often placed in portable barques which were carried
upon the shoulders of the priests and taken in procession to
significant sites. These were often the temples of other
deities, or their own outlying temples where the deity would
simply take up temporary occupancy for the duration of the
festival or special event.
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