Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SERAPIS

(Gk. Sarapis)

A god created by a fusion of Osiris and the spirit of the Apis bull which was entombed at Memphis, thus also called Osorapis. Ptolemy I is attributed with creating Serapis in order to accentuate his own power, and imported a huge statue from Sinope to represent the god.

The cult of Serapis became quite popular within the Greek world. Serapis is a good example of the syncretism of the Hellenistic age, for not only did he have characteristics of Osiris, a god of the dead, he acquired healing powers, like Asclepius, and was even represented as Zeus Serapis. The only Egyptian god whom he could not rival was Isis, whose popularity in the Greco-Roman world was immense.

The cult of Serapis spread throughout the Roman Empire, evidenced in Africa, France, northwest Europe, and Britain. By the 2nd or 3rd century c.e., the Romans were reported to have entirely adopted the cult. The emperor Julian expressed admiration for Serapis and condoned the identification of Zeus with the god.

By the end of the 4th century, however, this formerly thriving cult was finished when the Christian patriarch of Alexandria destroyed a statue of the god and ordered the burning of the Serapis temple.

Alicia Batten

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SERAPIS

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)