preview

Egyptian Hymn To Ra Comparison

Decent Essays

Firstly, the God in the Book of Isaiah differs from those of Mesopotamia and Egypt in the type of religion — monotheism versus polytheism. The Sumerians, have a repetitive prayer that begs the favor of any and all gods that might listen. The prayer acknowledges the existence of gods that the individual might be unaware of and prays to them in equal measure. “May the god who is not known be quieted toward me,” the prayer begs. There is no primary deity they worship over any other, and each god in the prayer receives equal worship. In contrast to this, the Egyptian Hymn to Ra is told as a story of the “First, Great God”. The Hymn to Ra describes their primary god that receives worship from the people and the submission of other gods. The hymn …show more content…

The first similarity is the story of creation and the control of forces of nature. Sumerian gods were worshipped in order to invoke good fortune and fair conditions, in nature and social life. Then, in the Hymn to Ra it said, “the Earth is glad when it beholdeth thy rays; the people who have been long dead come forth with cries of joy . . .” This is referring to Ra, the sun god, journeying through the afterlife, which represents the passage of the night. When he emerges from the afterlife, it becomes day again, and he starts the sun’s journey across the sky. The Egyptians used Ra’s “journey” to explain the path of the sun. In the Book of Isaiah, the Lord explicitly describes his creation and control of the forces of nature: “. . . he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it . . . See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” This describes the deity’s power to create and dictate life, which is a common thread in all three religions. Their gods are directly responsible for the forces of nature, life, and fortune, despite the variances of the individual

Get Access