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Religious syncretism [View all]
The Ptolomaic Empire in Egypt began in 305 BC, when Ptolomy I Soter, a top Greek general in Alexander the Great's army, took over Egypt 18 years after Alexander died in 323 BC. Maybe it took that long after Alexander's death for his friends and associates to quit fighting over who got what country to rule and get it settled.
Bits from the net:
By combining eastern Greek god Apis and Egyptian god Osiris, Ptolemy I Soter created a new god, Serapis, in an effort to blend elements of Greek and Egyptian religion. From Alexandria it spread to become one of the most widespread Eastern cults in the Roman Empire.
The Ptolemies used this type of religious syncretism (the blending of different religious practices and beliefs) to gain acceptance as rulers.
The Ptolemies used this type of religious syncretism (the blending of different religious practices and beliefs) to gain acceptance as rulers.
Religions from various other countries also have syncretic deities.
I read somewhere that when an attempt was made to combine Zeus and Yahweh into a single deity, Jews considered it to be the highest form of sacrilege and rejected it.
Do people really worship deities they know were invented by other people, or don't most of them know the deities are fictitious?
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