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Isis [Note 1] was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom ( c. 2686 – c. 2181 BCE ) as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth , in which she resurrects her slain brother and husband, the divine king Osiris , and produces and protects ...
Isis was originally a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion, which did not include Greek-style mysteries, although it did contain elements that resembled those in later Greek mysteries. [9] Pharaohs underwent a consecration, related to their coronation rites, in which they were said to have close contact with the gods. [10]
The decline of ancient Egyptian religion is largely attributed to the spread of Christianity in Egypt. Historical Christianity's strict monotheistic teachings did not allow the syncretism seen between ancient Egyptian religion and other polytheistic religions, such as that of the Romans .
The religion declined following the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC and Egyptians began converting to Christianity. In addition practices such as mummification halted. The Ancient Egyptian religion was considered to have fully died in the 530s. Following the Arab conquest of Egypt under Amr ibn al-As, Egyptians started to convert to Islam.
During the 5th century the Isis temple continued to be used for clandestine sacrifices and incubation rites. [7] Coptic tradition says that the temple remained in use alongside the Christian shrine and the worship of Egyptian gods and their statues continued in the city. [6]
Isis's iconography in these paintings closely resembles and may have influenced the earliest Christian icons of Mary holding Jesus. [124] In the late centuries BCE, the worship of Isis spread from Egypt across the Mediterranean world, and she became one of the most popular deities in the region.
Joseph Dwelleth in Egypt painted by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1900. Biblical Egypt (Hebrew: מִצְרַיִם; Mīṣrāyīm), or Mizraim, is a theological term used by historians and scholars to differentiate between Ancient Egypt as it is portrayed in Judeo-Christian texts and what is known about the region based on archaeological evidence.
The vast majority of Egyptian Christians are Copts who belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Church. [2] [3] As of 2019, Copts in Egypt make up approximately 10 percent of the nation's population, [4] with an estimated population of 9.5 million (figure cited in the Wall Street Journal, 2017) [5] or 10 million (figure cited in the Associated Press, 2019). [6]