Roman Cult of Serapis

[Ursus]

~Egyptian and Ptolemaic origins~

 

In Memphis the Apis bull was the most sacred of animals, and something of a national mascot for all Egypt. In life the animal was considered a manifestation of the creator deity Ptah. But in death the creature was considered as embodying Osiris. When the animal died it was treated as if Osiris had died, and was given lavish rites due its station.

 

We therefore cannot repeat an old and now demonstrably false adage that Ptolemy Soter invented the god Serapis, for the conflation of Osiris with the Apis bull was an ancient Egyptian tradition. However, we might be able to say with somewhat more truth that Ptomely Soter reinvented the cult, or at least gave it new marketing for a new audience.

 

Accustomed as they were to Homeric deities and beautiful anthropomorphic depictions of said gods in art, what the Greeks (and later Romans) objected to most in Egyptian religion was its inherent animal fetish. The Greeks who theoretically were in awe of Egypt's ancient and mysterious legacy were most often in practice derisive of its animal headed deities. Thus if Ptolemy were to promote an Egyptian cult to his Greco-Macedonian companions, iconographically the deity had to be rendered more aesthetically pleasing to Hellenic sensibilities. Serapis was often portrayed as a benign Pluto, with elements of other deites such as Dionysus and Zeus.

 

The refashioned cult of Serapis did indeed begin to pentrate into the Hellenic psyche. Under Ptolemy III a Serapeum was built in Alexandria that quickly became one of the largest and most prestigious sanctuaries in Antiquity. In this large complex of buildings, which included an annex to the famous Library of Alexandria, the cult practiced incubation - sleeping to obtain divinely inspired dreams, usually a prophecy as to how to cure an illness.

 

Serapis thus resembled Pluto iconographically, was linked mythologically with Osiris as lord of the underworld, and in cult shared powers with some of the Greek healing gods. He could also be indentified with Dionysus-Sabazius as another resurrected vegetation deity. His consort Isis could be linked with the Greek Demeter or Greek Aphrodite. These identifications helped the cult of Isis and Serapis spread to other Hellenes throughout the Mediterranean.

 

 

~Journey to Rome~

 

Sailors, traders and emmigrants from Alexandria did much to further the spread of the cult. We find cults of Isis and Serapis formed as private associations throughout many major port towns of the Mediterranean, with official temple cults erected not long thereafter. Egyptian slaves sold in foreign markets often carried the cult with them to new lands. Interestingly enough, foreign merchants and slave traders were just as likely to adopt the cult, for they found in Isis and Serapis universal deities with powers to grant great boons.

 

Serapis made a home fairly early at Delos, one of Apollo's island sanctuaries. It seems there was even some rivalry between these two gods of healing, not least of which is because the cult of Serapis was linked with Ptolemaic imperialism.

 

From the slave trade at Delos, Serapis and Isis spread to the Italian ports. In importance and prestige Isis always seemed to eclipse her consort. The conservative Republican Senate treated the cults with suspicion and did not allow them to be permitted within the sacred city limits. Private chapels to the gods were ordered destroyed - but they were quickly rebuilt by the faithful. The cults were increasingly practiced not only by Greco-Oriental slaves and emmigrants, but by native Italians as well.

 

With the memory of Cleopatra in mind, who had proclaimed herself Isis on earth, Augustus was not keen on officially promoting any Egyptian cult in Rome, and in fact discouraged it. Yet within the house of the imperial family one could see paintings with a strong Egyptian theme! Tiberius was no hypocrite; he despised the cult and in fact strongly persecuted it after a sex scandal involving the cult became public.

 

 

~Imperial Ascendance~

 

Caligula was descended through Marc Antony, and perhaps it is not surprising a touch of Alexandrian devotions remained with the family. Caligula's chamberlain was an Egyptian who perhaps assisted the emperor in the study of the cult's mysteries. Caligula had a temple to Isis built on the Field of Mars.

 

From now on the Nilotic gods would be at home on the Tiber. The Flavian and Severan dynasties became duly enamored with the Nilotic cults. Vespasian claims to have been proclaimed emperor by an oracle from Serapis, and with the deity's help performed a healing "miracle."

 

But it was not until Caracalla that Serapis finally moved out under an Isiac shadow. The emperor erected a special cult to Serapis as god of healing and issued coins with his likeness. After a retreat to the Serapaeum at Alexandria , he was bestowed with the title philosarapis, or beloved of Sarapis. The zenith came when Caracalla constructed a gigantic temple to Serapis which seems to have dwarfed that to Captoline Jupiter, who had for centuries been officially the patron god of Rome. The Serapia of April 25th may have been to celebrate the commemoration of this temple.

 

By Caracalla's reign Serapis was increasingly equated with such other deities as Mithras and Helios, and became a solar and sky deity. Mithraeum in Caracalla's baths show such syncretic inscriptions.

 

The number of Egyptian slaves serving in the imperial household seems to have been large. From Emperor to slave the religion of Serapis thrived. There was no port in the empire where it did not spread, but always it was linked to that of the Isiac cult. Apuleius does however inform us that the Mysteries of Serapis were separate from those of Isis.

 

The related cults of Isis and Serapis would remain a major religious force in the Roman empire until their outlaw by Christian emperors. In many ways, the destruction of the Serapeum at Alexandria signified the death of paganism in Antiquity.

 

 

Robert Turcan. _Cults of the Roman Empire_

Geraldine Pinch _Egyptian Mythology_

Apuleius _The Golden Ass _

[Klingan]

Well, to put this simple, I've always been quite sure that Serapis was a Egyptian-Hellenistic mix of Zeus/Apis/Osiris(or perhaps some other Egyptian divinity) but the (rather old) Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology doesn't agree and now even wikipedia (even thou I don't really trust that site) turn against me.

 

From the Dictionary:

SERAPIS or SARA'PIS (Sapcm*), an Egyp tian divinity, the worship of which was introduced into Greece in the time of the Ptolemies. Apol- lodorus (ii. 1.

[Ursus]

In ancient Egypt the sacred bull Apis was seen as connected in life with Ptah, a creator god - but in death it was connected with Osiris, the first mummy, known as Osar-Apis

 

When Ptolemy came along, he took this old identification of Osar-Apis and gave it a new "flavor" ,so to speak, for his Hellenistic subjects. Serapis, as he was now called, was depicted iconographically as similar to Zeus, but he could also be connected in cultic power with Asklepius, Dionysus, and Pluto. Basically, if Isis was a goddess who comprehended most goddesses, Serapis was a god who comprehended most gods.

[guy]

Here's a nice coin with Serapis:

 

http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=114962

 

EGYPT, Alexandria. Domitius Domitianus. Usurper, AD 297-298. BI Octodrachm (24mm, 15.05 g, 12h). Dated RY 2 (AD 297/8). DOMITI ANOC CEB, radiate head right; all within pelleted border / Serapis advancing right, cradling scepter in left arm and raising right hand in greeting; palm to left, LB (date) to right. K

Edited February 23, 2013 by guy

[Klingan]

Thank you very much Ursus, this lifts the mists of Serapis a little bit!

 

And nice coins Gaius, always appreciated.

[Fulvia]

The god Serapis was a creation of Ptolemy I to try and unite the Greek and Egyptian deities, cultures, religion,and what have you. Now my understanding was this: that Serapis was something of a "bridging" god who kind of looked like Hades/Zeus, maybe Poseidon and somehow combined some of the Egyptian deities in there such as Osiris. Nevertheless,he always maintained that position as being his own unique god. Now I was reading a little bit about Ephesus in the first century AD recently and as the author was talking about the temples to Serapis and Isis, he was using the name Serapis but was accrediting the Osiris death/resurrection myth and god-attributes entirely to Serapis. The only thing Greek about this god was his name.

 

So that got me wondering- how "pure" did the Serapis religion stay? Did the Egyptian side win out after a few centuries and he just retained his own name? Or was he as a god even ever solidly defined? Or was his Greek/Egyptian proportions entirely fluid so that in one city you basically have Osiris- just with a different name, and in another city a perfect balance of Hades/Zeus and Osiris? Did the Greeks stay with Serapis or did he more or less stay a mostly Egyptian god? Did the Romans even like him?

 

I know, a million questions.

[Klingan]

Several topics merged. Thanks to Ursus for his short essay on the subject!

[Fulvia]

Ah, thank you.

 

So the cult of Serapis was almost like the fruit cake of all cults: whatever looked good to make the cult "taste" better went in.

[Klingan]

Ah, thank you.

 

So the cult of Serapis was almost like the fruit cake of all cults: whatever looked good to make the cult "taste" better went in.

 

I guess, but I also believe (although we can clearly see in this thread that I do not know much about Serapis) that the god represents one of the early stages of the monotheistic flows that was to become more and more common in the empire.

[AEGYPTUS]

 

Ah, thank you.

 

So the cult of Serapis was almost like the fruit cake of all cults: whatever looked good to make the cult "taste" better went in.

I guess, but I also believe (although we can clearly see in this thread that I do not know much about Serapis) that the god represents one of the early stages of the monotheistic flows that was to become more and more common in the empire.

 

If I am not mistaken I believe the trend you identified above (early move towards Monotheism) is now labelled as Henotheism, that is to say one god-head such as Serapis (considered to be an all powerful deity) represents an amalgam of various different deities. At least this is my rudimentary understanding of the topic which I have garnered from some of the

books I've been reading lately pertaining to Hellenistic Religion. All in all really interesting material (great essay Ursus)! 

[Metella]

I edited a book where the author connected the various tales of Christian Jesus with Serapis ... the visual look is similar - the dead and back to life - is similar - the good of the whole society was a new concept for gods at the time.... was an interesting theory.    

 

So Saturnalia turned to christmas and Serapis turned to Jesus.   I feel robbed of my heritage.