Religion in Roman Egypt

Rating:
Summary: Excellent research and writing
Review: What happened to the ancient Egyptian religion during the Roman rule and Christian incursion? This question is answered here. I am sure other people have read this book, but the book description delineates it so well it is difficult to add more.

David Frankfurter gives a balanced and well researched account of the survival, adaption and transformation of the indigenous Egyptian religion between roughly 100 to 600 C.E.- a time when Egypt was without a pharoah and under the governance of Rome, when Rome itself was becoming Christianized. All these things put pressure on the Egyptians to change.

The first chapter lays the groundwork and background and is a bit dry. Chapters 2 through 6 are the heart of the book and well worth it. Modern Pagans might be surprised and happy to see themselves in the domestic aspects of local religions discussed in Chapter 3. Chapter 5 was my favorite; it dealt with the transformation of the Priest into the Magician. Just how did the Egyptians get the reputation of high magic and deep wisdom among the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans? How did they use this? How did this survive into the Christian and Muslim eras?

The seventh chapter is the last chapter and a conclusion of sorts, delineating how the Christian leaders excoriated the Pagan (Hellenes, as they were called at that time) customs, yet how these customs were adapted into the new religion. And more importantly, why.

There is a great bibliography and a vast amount of footnotes for those who want to look further.

Those interested in ancient Egyptian religion, comparative religion or the interaction of the Pagan and Christian worlds will find this book both useful and informative.