Heliopolitan Theology (The Elements of Creation)

Heliopolitan Theology

The Ennead describes the inter-relationship between nine fundamental forces of nature. The first five, Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb and Nut express the creation of the universe. The next four, Isis, Osiris, Nepthtys and Set represent opposing, but balanced principles effective in the physical world: growth and destruction, order and disorder.

The Egyptian cosmos was made up of godly beings with personalities and wills. Atum, , j.tmw, was the primordial singularity from which all things proceeded. Before creation, Atum existed in the primeval waters as the potential of possibility.

Prior to creation there was nothingness:

nj xprt pt nj sxpr tA

Sky had not come into being, land had not come into being.

nj xprt r(m)T nj xprt nTrw nj xprt n(w)t

People had not come into being, gods had not come into being, death had not come into being.

-Pyramid Text 1466

Atum means 'complete' and 'finish,' and the head of the Ennead is the Finisher in the repetitive occurrence of continuing creation, completing himself within it. All of creation (the Ennead) derives from, and are manifestations of, him, created from his perception and annunciation.

jnD-Hr.k Tm nb pt qmA wnnt pr m tA

Hail to you, Atum, Lord of the Sky, who formed that which exits, who emerged as land.

sxpr styt nb ntjw ms nTrw nTr Aa xpr Ds.f nb anx

who caused to come into being the seeds, Lord of that which is, who birthed the gods, great god, self-developing, Lord of Life.

swAD rxyt

who caused to flourish mankind.

Htp tm jt(j) nTrw

Peace, Atum, father of the Gods

-Pyramid Text 1521a

The sky, , was a boundary between the surface of the Waters, , and the dry atmosphere, . The Waters also existed beneath the known earth. These were , the feminine counterpart to the upper waters, . The glyph represents the reverse of the glyph for sky-vault , that separates the Waters from the earth.

The Ennead functions to explain the relationships between the forces of Nature. Therefore, the first elements, Air and Moisture are dependant upon the evolution of the Monad, Atum, and are called his 'children.'

Shu is the dry void in the waters between the sky and the earth. He is first out-breath that fills the entirety of the world with air and creates a space for the first sunrise.

Tefnut , is the moist atmosphere which separates the earth from the waters below. She is also the first out-breath which creates the void below and holds up the land (Geb).

tA qA Xr nwt jn awj tfnt

The land is held up under Nut by your arms, Tefnut.

-PT 1405a

Together Shu and Tefnut, the void between the Upper and Lower Waters, created (gave birth to) an upper and lower boundary, Nut, the Sky, and Geb, the Earth.

jnk bA Sw rdy.n.f nwt tpt gb Xr r rdwj.f

I am the ba of Shu. To whom was put Nut atop him and Geb under his feet.

jnk jmty sny

I am between them.

-Coffin Text 78

This void therefore makes possible the evolution of the forces of life, Osiris, the male power of generation. Isis, the female principle of motherhood. Seth, disorder and aggression. And Nepthtys the principle behind the mysteries.

Jan Assmann has described Tefnut as 'Fire.' This establishes a succinct relationship between the four fundammental elements, Air (Shu), Fire (Tefnut), Earth (Geb) and Water (Nun), with Nut as the boundary between air and water. Tefnut was also the first Eye of Re, the first female solar principle.

The creation of the void is necessary for the ultimate act of manifestation, the first sunrise: Atum sends the sun (his Sole Eye) in search of Shu and Tefnut. In other words, the sun seeks out the void in which to arise.

jnk pw Sw (j)t(j) nTrw tm hAb wat jrt.f m HHw.j Hna snt tfnt

It is I, Shu, father of the gods, whom Atum sent, together with my sister Tefnut, in search of his Sole Eye.

-Coffin Text 76

Thus, the final result of Atum's evolution is the newborn sun itself, Kheprer.

xprr.k m rn.k pw n xprr

as you develop in this your name of Scarab (Kheperer)

-PT 1587

The first sunrise is the culmination of creation and the beginning of the eternal cycles of life ( ). Hence, the sun is both the source of (as Atum), and the creation of (as Horus), the Ennead. As the 'heir' Horus is the end-product and recipient of the cycle of formation, the personification of Kingship.

Each principle functions in the creation of both the cosmos and daily life. Hence, Atum is the source of all existence, Kheprer, new-born sun, is the cause of creation, and Horus is the final cause - the hereditary king of the gods and earthly principle of kingship.

Bibliograhpy:

Allan, James P., Middle Egyptian, Cambridge University Press,2000.

Allan, James P., Genesis in Egypt, New Haven, CT, 1988

Assmann, Jan, The Mind of Egypt, Metropolitan Books, 2002

Budge, E.A. Wallis, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Dover Publications, NY 1967

Davies, Vivian and Friedman, Renee, Egypt Uncovered, Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 1988

Falulkner, Dr. Raymond, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Chronicle Books, 1994

Forman, Werner and Quirke, Stephen, Hieroglyphs and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, U. of Oklahoma Press, 1996

Hagan, RoseMarie and Rainer, Egypt, People . Gods . Pharoahs, Taschen

Schultz, Regine and Seidel, Matthias, Egypt, The World of the Pharoahs, Konemann

Siliotti, Alberto, Egypt, Splendors of an Ancient Civilization, Thames and Hudson, 1996

Siverman, David P., Ancient Egypt, Oxford University Press 1997

Tartasky, Lorraine, Lioness of the Sun, PublishAmerica, 2002

Van der Plas, Dirk and Borghouts, J.F., Coffin Texts Word Index, CCER, Utrecht University

Vernus, Pascal, The Gods of Ancient Egypt, George Braziller, NY 1998

Zandee, Jan, Hieroglyphs of the "Hymns to Amun" of Papyrus Leiden I 350, 1948