| Serapis | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Marble bust of Serapis wearing amodius | |||||||||
| Name inhieroglyphs |
wsjr-ḥp Koinē Greek:Σέραπις | ||||||||
| Major cult center | Serapeum of Alexandria | ||||||||
Serapis orSarapis is aGraeco-Egyptian god. Asyncretic deity derived from the worship of the EgyptianOsiris andApis,[1] Serapis was extensively popularized in the third century BC on the orders of Greek PharaohPtolemy I Soter,[2] as a means to unify the Greek and Egyptian subjects of thePtolemaic Kingdom.
Thecultus of Serapis was spread as a matter of deliberate policy by subsequent Ptolemaic kings. Serapis continued to increase in popularity during theRoman Empire, often replacing Osiris as the consort ofIsis in temples outside Egypt.Alongside his Egyptian roots he gained attributes from other deities, such aschthonic powers linked to the GreekHades andDemeter, and benevolence derived from associations withDionysus.
OriginallyDemoticwsjr-ḥp, ("Osiris-Apis"), the name of the deity is derived from the syncretic worship ofOsiris and the bullApis as a single deity under the Egyptian namewsjr-ḥp.[3] This name was later written in Coptic asⲟⲩⲥⲉⲣϩⲁⲡⲓUserhapi; Greeks sometimes used an uncommon formSorapis (Koinē Greek:Σόραπις), slightly closer to the Egyptian name(s).[citation needed]
The earliest mention of a "Sarapis" occurs in the disputed death scene of Alexander (323 BCE),[4] but it is something of a mixup: The unconnected Babylonian god Ea (Enki) was titledŠar Apsi, meaning "king of the Apsu" or "the watery deep",[a] andEa asŠar Apsi seems to be the deity intended in the description of Alexander's death. Since this "Sarapis" had a temple atBabylon, and was of such importance that only Sarapis is named as being consulted on behalf of the dying king, Sarapis of Babylon appears to have radically altered perceptions of mythologies in the post-Alexandrian era. His significance to the Hellenic psyche, due to the mention in the story of Alexander's death, may have also contributed to the choice of the similar-sounding Osiris-Apis as the chief Ptolemaic god, even if the Ptolemies understood that they were different deities.[citation needed]
Sarapis (Σάραπις, earlier form) was the most common form in Ancient Greek until Roman times, whenSerapis (Koinē Greek:Σέραπις, later form) became common.[6][b][8]
Aserapeum (Koinē Greek:σεραπεῖονserapeion) was any temple or religious precinct devoted to Serapis. The most renowned serapeum was in Alexandria.[c]
Serapis was depicted as a Greek god in general appearance with Egyptian trappings, sometimes identified either asPluto (Hades),Osiris,Dionysus,Ammon,Zeus,Jupiter,Pan,Asclepius, andDis Pater.[d] The depictions of Serapis combined iconography from manyEgyptian Greek cults, in most cases signifying the abundance and resurrection, namely, as thecornucopia horn andCalathus basket. Moreover, Serapis was generally considered to be the god of the underworld, healer, and protector of distressed, providing an asylum in his temple.[3]
The Greeks had little respect for animal-headed figures, and so a Greek-styleanthropomorphic statue was chosen as theidol, and proclaimed as the equivalent of the highly popular Apis.[e] It was namedUserhapi (i.e. "Osiris-Apis"), which became GreekSarapis,[12] and was said to be Osiris in full, rather than just hiska (life force).[citation needed]
The cult statue of Serapis that Ptolemy I erected in Alexandria enriched the texture of the Serapis conception by portraying him in a combination of both Egyptian and Greek styles.[13] The statue suitably depicted a figure resembling Hades or Pluto, both being kings of the Greekunderworld, and was shown enthroned with themodius, a basket/grain-measure, on his head, since it was a Greeksymbol for the land of the dead. He also held asceptre in his hand indicating his rulership, withCerberus, gatekeeper of the underworld, resting at his feet. The statue also had what appeared to be aserpent at its base, fitting the Egyptian symbol of rulership, theuraeus.[citation needed]
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There is evidence that the cult of Serapis existed before the Ptolemies came to power in Alexandria: a temple of Serapis in Egypt is mentioned in 323 BCE by bothPlutarch[14] andArrian.[15]
Ptolemy I Soter made efforts to integrate his new Egyptian subject's religions with that of their Hellenic rulers. Ptolemy's project was to find a deity that would win the reverence of both groups alike, despite the curses the Egyptian priests had chanted against the gods of the previous foreign rulers (e.g.Set, who was lauded by theHyksos).[f] The common assertion that Ptolemy "created" the deity is derived from sources which describe him erecting a statue of Serapis in Alexandria.[13] According toPlutarch, Ptolemy stole thecult statue fromSinope in Asia Minor, having been instructed in a dream by the "unknown god" to bring the statue toAlexandria, where the statue was pronounced to be Serapis by two religious experts. One of the experts was of theEumolpidae, the ancient family from whose members thehierophant of theEleusinian Mysteries had been chosen since before history, and the other was the scholarly Egyptian priestManetho, which gave weight to the judgement both for theEgyptians and the Greeks.[citation needed]
Plutarch may not be correct, however, as some Egyptologists allege that the "Sinope" in the tale is really the hill of Sinopeion, a name given to the site of the already existingSerapeum atMemphis. Also, according toTacitus, Serapis (i.e., Apis explicitly identified as Osiris in full) had been the god of the village ofRhakotis before it expanded into the great capital of Alexandria.[citation needed]
With his (i.e. Osiris's) wifeIsis, and their sonHorus (in the form ofHarpocrates), Serapis won an important place in theGreek world. In his 2nd-century CEDescription of Greece,Pausanias notes twoSerapeia on the slopes ofAcrocorinth above the rebuilt Roman city ofCorinth, and one at Copae in Boeotia.[16]
Serapis figured among theinternational deities whose cult was received and disseminated throughout the Roman Empire, withAnubis sometimes identified with Cerberus. At Rome, Serapis was worshiped in theIseum Campense, the sanctuary of Isis built during theSecond Triumvirate in theCampus Martius. The Roman cults of Isis and Serapis gained in popularity late in the 1st century whenVespasian experienced events he attributed to their miraculous agency while he was in Alexandria, where he stayed before returning to Rome as emperor in 70 CE. From theFlavian Dynasty on, Serapis was one of the deities who might appear on imperial coinage with the reigning emperor.[citation needed]
Like many pagan cults of its time, the cult of Serapis declined during the rule ofTheodosius I as the emperor, a Christian,implemented religious laws to restrict paganism across the empire. The main cult at Alexandria survived until the late 4th century, when a Christian mob directed byPope Theophilus of Alexandriadestroyed the Serapeum in Alexandria some time around 391 CE, during one of the frequent religious riots in the city.[citation needed]
The origins of Serapis has been the source of speculation by both Jewish and Christian philosophers in ancient times.Tertullian in early 3rd century AD believed that belief in Serapis was inspired by PatriarchJoseph who is traditionally believed to have acceded to the office of chief administrator of Egypt.[17] The same opinion was echoed in theTalmud.[18]
![Kushan ruler Huvishka with seated god Serapis ("Sarapo") wearing the modius, 2nd century CE.[19]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHuvishka_with_seated_god_Serapis_(%2522Sarapo%2522).jpg)
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