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According to Missionaries cult Of Christiasnity, the statement reported in the Qur'an 28:38 is in "direct contradiction" to Qur'an 7:127. 1]Pharaoh said: "O Chiefs! no god do I know for you but myself... [Qur'an 28:38] 2] And the chiefs of Pharaoh's people said: "Do you leave Musa and his people to make mischief in the land and to forsake you and your gods?" He said: "We will slay their sons and spare their women, and surely we are masters over them." [Qur'an 7:127]
[Pharoah=Fir”aun,Arabic; Pharaon,French] Missionary cults make the following two objections on the Truth Of Qur’a:n 1] The Pharaoh claims that he is the only god for his people, the Egyptians, in direct contradiction to 7:127 where the chiefs of his people express concern that AQ 2] This is an enormous historical error. The Pharaohs believed themselves divine, however there is no evidence that any Pharaoh considered himself the one and only god.They were Polytheists. Amenhotep was te only Pharaoh who is considered to be a Monotheist, however he did not hold himself to be the one and only god, he believed that title belonged to the God Aten [also called Aton]. The god Ra was considered the highest god in ancient Egypt, not the Pharaoh. Thus there are two pure contradictions;- 1] Internal. 2]External.
ANSWERING THESE OBJECTIONS The objection on the Truth Of Divine Text is certainly based on the misunderstanding of not only Qur’a:n but also not understanding the Egyptian Religion correctly. So it is requested that Christian Brothers may not be misguided from the works of missionaries cults who not only interpret Christianity but also a number of other religions making gulfs. Such objections are made upon the supposition that there was a single theological system in Egypt.
The researches made during the last few years have shown that there must have been several large schools of theological though in Egypt. Further Monotheism in Egypt Pre Existed Akhen-Aten. How ever the form of Egyptian Monotheism was different from SAMATIC MONOTHEISM. Perhaps a better word for Egyptian concept of God is neither Polytheism nor Monotheism but Henotheism. This term was coined by Max Muller. How ever when studied closely it is found that there are several types of Henotheism NOT just one. Like sects of Hinduism , Ancient Egyptians had different varieties of sects and they may differ in regard to concept over an agreed upon god. T he i n v e s t i g a ti o n c o ns i s t s o f s e v e ra l P re m i l i n a ri e s .
1ST Premilinary:=
Monotheism existed in Egypt PRIOR to AkhenAten. AtenAkhen was not the founder of Monotheism but a Reformer and a Founder of a relatively new Monotheistic Sect in Egypt.
It is certain that from the earliest time one of the greatest tendencies of the Egyptian religion was towards monotheism, and this tendency may be observed in all important texts down to the last period; it 1
2 is also certain that a kind of polytheism existed in Egypt side by side with monotheism from very early times. The type of Egyptian Monotheism [ or Henotheism if the term Monotheism is taken strictest sense of all senses] resembles Hinduism. Monotheistic [OR Henotheistic] theologies in Hinduism which teach that the many forms of God, i.e., Vishnu, Shiva, Brahama etc. just represent different aspects of a single or underlying DIVINE BEING (God) or Brahman (Baramh). (see articles on Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman).
In some Hindu sects there is an attempt to harmonize Monotheism and Polytheism [may be termed as Poly-Monotheism or Mono-Polytheism] in which the Divine is formally referred to as Brahman or Barmh (not Brahmin, the priestly caste; Not Barhama ). It is believed to be the source Being, the hub [The Divine Essence], from which all deities and gods [males and females]are manifest (and Incarnate etc.) . The many deities ie gods are like the spokes, all of which emanate from the hub and each playing an important role. The more common of these are BRAHAMA, VISHNU and Sheu (three hypostases of Hindu Trinity). Out of the three prime personified Manifestations Sheu is the first and more prime then other two secondary Manifestations BUT they are only relatively secondary, relative to Sheu, while in regard to other manifestations and incarnations they are [relatively] Prime. It may be noted that this Sheu is often confused by the Brahman Himself but it is not the case in actual. As he is the First of all Personified Manifestations, AND THE Manifestation of the very Godhead ,his name can be applied to Brahaman [ Bar-mh] , in some secondary sense. For this reason Sheu/Shiva is also termed as Maha Dev. The spouse of Maha Dev is the Manifestation of Omnipotence of God . Barhama is the Personified Manifestation of Power of Making [ Creation], and Vishnu is the Personified Manifestation of Power of Annhiliation. This does shew that Power of Creation and Power of Annhiliation are different from the General Quality Of Divine Power. It is written in ‘-Sknda Purana Osia 31 that once Barahma claimed to be the most powerful god among all gods. Maha Dev [Shiva] contradicted Barhama. Four Vedas [ Four Words Of God] chosen as Judges to make a Judgment on the issue. In their joint declairation they said thatMaha Dev is Barmh [Barahaman]. This means that the Maha Dev i.e Sheu\Shiva\Shiv is the Direct Manifestation of Godhead of Barhaman. They further said that the Spouse of Maha Dev is the Manifestation of Divine Power ,that is why Maha Dev is Always in personal contact with Parbati ,his spouse. The same work informs who Barhama lost his fifth head.Disputing from Haha Dev may be one of the reasons why he does not deserve to be worshipped.
But one thing is clear that :None of these three gods is distinct from the God Brahman\Bar-hm. Thus the God Brahman includes all of them. Some time God Exclude His Relative Attributes and Manifestations. 2
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Ancient Egyptians were some what similar to this type of Poly-Monotheism or MonoPolytheism. Although they were not one and the same but they share some common elements of faith.
It may also be noted that :-
Some sects of Hinduism never taught Polytheism , while some did, and some taught different sorts of Henotheism (not just one). Now one may see what did Egyptians believed about God . Arya Sama:j a relatively new Hindu cult did not believe in Manifestations and Incarnations ,as we see in Judaism.
Ancient Egyptian Religion Ancient Egyptian Religions was a religion with diverse views on the concept of God. Different Egyptian sect have different conceptions of God, including Henotheism,PolyMonotheism Monotheism,Panentheism, Pantheism, monism, and probebly Monotheism as well were found in a minority of Egyptian denominations. Egyptian Religion can be categorized into four major sects: Polytheism, PolyMonotheism, Henotheism . Some worshipped the ruling Pharaoh\Pharoa\ Pharaun as an aspects of the Supreme Being [ the God]. Some minor sects may have believed in Atenism even after AkenAten, or remained on Monotheism which was before Akhen –Aten.
One God And Ancient Egyptian Religion The Ancient Egyptians believed in One God whom was self-produced, self-existent, immortal, invisible, eternal, omniscient, almighty, etc. This One God was REPRESENTED through the functions and attributes of "His" domain. These attributes were called the "neteru". The term "gods" and "goddesses" are a MISREPRESENTATION of the Egyptian term "neteru if the meanings of these terms are fixed as according to some other Monotheistic and Polethiestic religions. How ever if their meanings are taken correctly as according to the Egyptian concepts, then these terms may be applied on these Neteru ". While it may be the case that a Minority of Ancient Egyptians believed in Pure Monotheism
Secondary Preliminary Not only ancient writers misunderstood Egyptian Religion usually and nature of their gods [ the nature of Neterus] and the Relations Of These Neterus to God, several modern Egyptologists and Western writers have done the same. This is essentially a revival of an interesting discussion-board topic several years back, that proved to be instructive in highlighting the complexity of ancient Egyptian religious and spiritual thought.
Most objection makers are not aware of the fact that the Concept of Monotheism had deep roots in Egypt, reaching as far back in time as the New Kingdom. In order 3
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to understand Egyptian religion correctly one has to understand the concept of the "Neteroo \Neteru\Nataru".A proper study shews that contrary to how the Egyptian religion has been "described" and "painted" by many writers and Egyptologists ,it truly was Monotheistic to the core. The most common knowledge about Ancient Egyptian divinities comes to us as a result of the "interpretation" by western academic Egyptologists of the Ancient Egyptian texts. Their "interpretations" are constrained by their western and Judaeo-Christian paradigms. As a result, they report a confused religious system with a great number of "so-called" gods. Academic Egyptologists, while worshipping everything Greek or Roman, totally ignore the eyewitness accounts of Herodotus, Plutarch, Plato, Diodorus, and other historians who reported about the Ancient Egyptian traditions, and who were much closer to the scene than the further removed western academic Egyptologists whose agenda is to find "links" to today's existing religions of Judaism and Christianity instead of recognizing that key religious foundations common to both existed thousands of years earlier in Egypt long before there were ever the birth of the "Jewish" people. That being the case then understand that the Ancient Egyptian word, "neter", and its feminine form "netert", have been translated to "god" and "goddess", by almost all academicians. The translation may only be correct if “a god” or “a goddess” is not taken in the concepts of Judaism,Christianity,and Pagan religions of Ancient Greace and Rome."Neteru" (plural or neter/netert) are not "gods" or "goddesses" in the sense of stated above Monotheistic and Polytheistic religions, but the Divine Principles and Functions and Energies contained in the One Supreme Creator. There is a common simple description that explains all of this: "The All who are One". But they did not constitute gods distinct from God. These gods or more strictly Neteru gods [whether male or female] were not only not distinct from the God but were his Manifestations or Incarnations or Culminations. One may note the following points:= .1]..Neteru, i.e., the beings or existences which in some way partake of the nature or character of God, and are usually called "gods". [notice the emphasis on capital letter used for the one being, and that the lower case letter for incarnations] An excerpt from E. A. Wallis Budge's "Egyptian Religion"[ Making note of common misunderstandings of ancient Egyptian belief...] 2]*We have already said that the "gods" are only forms, manifestations, and phases of Ra, the Sungod, who was himself the type and symbol of God, and it is evident from the nature of these epithets that they were only applied to the "gods" because they represented some quality or attribute which they would have applied to God had it been their custom to address Him. Source: Title: Egyptian Religion; chapter 1>The Belief in God Almighty; E.A Wallis Budge. In reference to the above text, as an example amongst many, it should be noted that Ra, the Sun-god, is actually a symbol of invisible one Almighty God,His Manifestation Not the very God Himself. The neteru are just Personified Manifestations or Incarnations of the various innate Qualities or Powers of the One Invisible Almighty God but not the God. 4
5 Ra though, in many cases being the main "type and symbol" of the Supreme Being,who[i.e Ra] was apparently at the top of the divine hierarchy [Personified Manifestation], in terms of visible characterizations of the supreme being's attributes, while the rest of the neteru — generally personified by both mythic and deceased [royalty] anthropomorphic figures — were lesser Manifestations ,Personifications ,Incarnations etc. of the different attributes of the [invisible] supreme being's power. If one re-examine the various Egyptian texts, it appeared that both Monotheist and Polytheist *tendencies* existed.This may be termed as Poly-Monotheism or Mono-Polytheism.
Most of the gods like Osiris, including Ra himself, are " manifestations, or phases, or attributes of one god", the invisible God. In other words, these aren't really separate and distinct gods, but incarnations or manifestations or forms or culminations of the One God. This in itself would be aligned to the "monotheistic" approach, however outwardly it might appear to a layperson, not familiar with the concept. In strict sense it is not Pure Monotheism but as a lose term it is a type of Monotheism. From the perspective of strict sense any thing less than is is Polytheism but in the lose sense it is a type of Monotheism, less strict and broad.Thus Not only Personified Menifestations and Incarnations of The God [NETERUS]are gods but the very God is also a god. This type of Monotheism is some what different from Henotheism sinse It is a belief of One Supreme or Prime god [say God] and a number of lesser gods [whether Subordinate to God or weak independent gods].Since in this case lower gods are distinct from the God , and not His Manifestations or Incarnations or both.
Point#1 1]One God Of Ancient Egypt. Expert now come to to agree that Egyptian believed in Only One God. [Note G of the word God is Capital, not small] Budge seconded Dr. H. Brugsch who collected a number of the epithets [published in “Religion” pages 99-101] which are applied to the gods, from texts of all periods; and from these we may see that the ideas and beliefs of the Egyptians concerning God were almost identical with those of the Hebrew and Muhammadans at later periods. When classified these epithets read thus [Budge provided a number of examples some of them are given below:= ] :1]“God is the eternal One, He is eternal and infinite; and endureth for ever and aye; He hath endured for countless ages, and He shall endure to all eternity.” 2]”God is One and alone, and none other existeth with Him; God is the One, the One Who hath made all things.” 3]“ God is the hidden Being, and no man hath known His form. No man hath been able to see out His likeness; He is hidden from gods and men, and He is a mystery unto His creatures” However it may be noted that Semitic Religions preach Monotheism while Egyptian Religion Preached
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6 Poly-Monotheism or Mono-Polytheism. The commonness between Egyptian and Semitic Religions may not be due to the case that the latter has borrowed from the former. Parallel believes may have parallel origins , not necessarily the case of borrowing ------------- . Dr Brugsche had shewn sufficient evidences that Ancient Egyptian did worshipped only One God [GCapital]. Some of his findings are as follow= “ God is One and Alone, and none other existed with Him [in the Beginning].God is One Who Hath Made all things, God is a Spirit, the Great Spirit, a Hidden Spirit and Spirit of spirits. God is from the Beginning , He Existed from Old, and was when nothing had being. God is Truth and Liveth By Truth. He is the King Of truth. God is Life and Through Him only man liveth. He Endureth With Out Increase and Diminution . He Hath Created All That There Is. God Hath Made the World. 1] Etude, des Ritual Funeraire des Ancient Egyptian [Revue Archeologique Paris pg72, year 1860]. 2] The Egyptian Book of the Dead By E. A. Wallis Budge. •
3] La croyance en un Dieu unique et créateur
Point#2 Despite the above, it is restated that: 1]It is true that the Egyptians paid honour to a number of gods.2] A number so large that the list of their mere names would fill a volume. 3] But it is equally true that the educated classes in Egypt at all times never placed the "gods" on the same high level as God. 4] They never imagined that their views on this point could be mistaken. 5]They believed that There is Only One God and all the other Gods are His Personified Manifestations. There are some statements which can only be explained according to the Dogma Of Manifestation and Incarnation Of the Only One God in Multitudes of gods . i)
He is the maker of His Own form.[ Explanation:- God is the maker of His [Prime] Manifestation]
ii)
He Multiplieth Himself. [Explanation:- He Manifests in Multitudes of Manifestations,Incarnations]
iii)
He is manifold in forms and members. [Explanation:- He is Manifold in Manifestations and Incarnations and those Personified Manifestations.]
iv)
He is the maker of His own Body.[Explanation:- The Human Body In Which This God Incarnates is made by Him]
ATTENTION:= 6
7 The word “ form” Must Not be taken in the meanings of:= 1] Divine Essence 2]Divine Ousia 3]Divine Esse 4] Divine Form. 5]Divine Nature 6]Godhead Since Essence, Ousia, Esse, Form, Nature and Godhead all are one and the same in the Divine Case. It may be taken in the meaning of Nature of Manifestation, Incarnation, Assumption of NonDivine Nature or Culmination , or appearance etc.
Point#3 Need of a Single God whose all the other gods are Manifestations may have also emerged to bring a multitude of gods of different places in a common system, particularly after the unification of two Egyptian Kingdoms.It may be noted that God in Egyptian PolyMonotheism religion God was with out a Proper Noun, though he had several noun in regard to Manifestations etc. But Aken –Aten NAMED this Nounless God as Aten, the name of one of the lower Manifestations of God and denied all Manifestations incarnations Of God. It is incorrect to assume that AkhenAten made Aten as the Supreme Being, but what he most probably did was to rename the Nounless God by the noun Aten , a noun of one of his Manifestations. How ever he rejected Manifestation and incarnation dogmas. He was not influenced by Judaism but probably reformed a minority sect of Egypt with some modifications.
Point#4 Pharaoh and Godhood:= According to Rekhmere[Prime Minister/Vizier Rekhmereʿ of Tuthmosis III from 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom Period], the king of Egypt was a god by whose decree one lives. He is alone, has no equal and takes care of his subjects like a parent. This affirms that the officials in ancient Egypt considered Pharaoh to be their principal god, thus indirectly confirming the statement made by Pharaoh to his chiefs, as reported in the Qur'an, that he knew of no god for them but himself. Furthermore, Rekhmereʿ adds that the ruler like Egypt had divine qualities such as omniscience and a wonderful creator. Our last example of the divine kingship in ancient Egypt
comes from the Great Temple at Abu Simbel [Figure 2]. An interesting relief in the Great Temple of Abu Simbel shows the "Lord of Two Lands ‘Usermare-setpenre’" (= Ramesses II) offering to "Ramesses-meryamun" (= Ramesses II). Obviously, Ramesses II is worshipping Ramesses II here. However, we also note that the worshipper and the one who is 7
8 worshipped have two different names and that these names are pronomen and nomen of Ramesses II, respectively. A closer look at the iconography reveals that the worshipper and he who is worshipped are not identical. He, to whom the offering is made, is adorned with a sun-disk and has a curved horn around his ear, depicting his divinity. Therefore, Ramesses II is not simply worshipping himself, but his divine self. [H. Te Velde, "Commemoration
In Ancient Egypt ", in H. G. Kippenberg, L. P. van den Bosch et al., Visible Religion: Annual For Religious Iconography , 1982, Volume I - Commemorative Figures: Papers Presented To Dr. Th. P. Van Baaren On The Occasion Of His Seventieth Birthday, May 13, 1982, E. J. Brill: Leiden, p. 136.] This means that the Defication of Pharaun or Pharaoh or Pharoa was found prior to ‘Ramesses the second’ but Ramesses the second Exalted himself to the Direct incarnation of God. He was no longer a Incarnation of god Ra who in turn was believed to be a Manifestation of God, but he either became Prior to Ra or at least equal to Ra. A similar problem still exist in Hinduism where it is often argued who is Prior, Krishna OR Vishnu. Majority of Hindus beleive that Krishna is one among the ten avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu. But a number of believer of Krishna believe that Krishna is the source of all the Vishnu forms including Maha Vishnu, Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Kshirodakashayi Vishnu. There are 24 lila avatars like Matsya avatar, Kurma avatar etc., and all these avatars originate from Krishna.
This was the case in ancient Egypt as well. While Pharaohs in general were considered as inferior to Ra, king Ramesses II had a different approach. He even tried to picturize God [who was believed to be formless in general]in his likeness. An other approach is that Pharaoh Ramesses the second considered himself as first as a heavely Manifestation of God and then as an Incarnation of this heavenly Manifestation.
It is clear that the Pharaoh Ramesses II claimed to be the only god/God of Egypt but not the only god. He restricted all the other gods to heaven and made an independence of Land Of Egypt from their godheads godhoods and divinities. He did not eliminated them from being gods as done by his predecessor Pharaoh Akhen –Aten. Akhen-Aten attempted to erase and delete all the Manifestation gods of the God. But Ramesses the second only limited their godhoods and godheads. This can be best explained as distribution of Power and places among the Incarnations and Manifestations of God. Or a more powerful concept is that it can be explained as the distribution of Powers and Dominion among the incarnations and manifestations Of One and Only God [G-Capital] and the Incarnated God.This did not disturb the Power Of God who was believed to be All Powerful.But he did not considered gods of God [i.e Manifestations of God] as distinct gods , they [including the Pharaoh himself] were believed to be one in the Great God discussed above [with the only difference that the God was believed by the Pharaoh Ramesses ,the second as his Divine Self of the Pharaoh or himself as the direct incarnation of God head of God. ].
CONCLUSION:= 8
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There is no contradiction in Qur’a:n. An allegation on the Holy Truth Of Qur’a:n is based on misunderstanding of a] Qur’a:n and b] ancient Egyptian religion sects and concepts about God and gods. When the ancient religion of Egyptians is examined it is found with clearity that it had both Polytheistic and Monotheistic elements fused together cleverly which may confuse a modern mind considering a type of contradiction. Whether a contradiction or not we put it aside since this is beyond the scope of the present discussion, one thing is clear, and that is IT WAS NOT A CONTRADICTION TO ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. One must recall the following significant points:= 1]When we examine these "gods" closely, they are found to be nothing more nor less than forms, or manifestations, or phases, or attributes,[ Personified Attributes ]of one god [God], the god being Ra the Sun-god, who, it must be remembered, was the type and *symbol* of *God*. 2]*We have already said that the "gods" are only forms, manifestations, and phases of Ra, the Sungod, who was himself the type and symbol of God ,not the very God himself. It is also evident from the nature of these epithets that they were only applied to the "gods" because they represented some quality or attribute which they would have applied to God had it been their custom to address Him. 3]Pharaoh considered himself as an Incarnation of God or God Incarnate or both. The Pharaoh namely Ramessess the second ,exalted himself to the position and status of the Only God. He believed himself to be the God Incarnate and Incarnated God. Rest of gods [g is small] were the manifestations, incarnations,forms, culminations etc.of this only God[G is Capital], inseperable from Him and not distinct from Him ,united with Him in His Divine Being. The Pharaoh believed himself as a person of two selves. One the Divine Self and the other one the human self. Each self has a characteristic and a nature of its own. How ever there was a difference between the Pharaoh and the other gods [Neterus]. He was not just an incarnation of God but the incarnated God.How ever if it can be suggested that the Pharaoh considered himself As a Prime Incarnation or Supreme Menifestation or the Pharaoh considered himself as the incarnation or manifestation of the very God while the other gods [Neterus] were believed to be the Personified Incarnations and Personified Manifestations of Qualities Of this God. Any how the first mentioned concept is not only most probable but also almost certain if not certain.[Almost certain falls sort of being certain.] Regardless of the choice of mentioned above concepts, one thing is Certain. The Pharaoh and other gods [neterus] were neither separate nor distinct from the God of Ancient religion of Egypt. Soit is clear that:= 1]In verse of Qur’a:n [28:38], the Pharaoh is speaking with respect to his Divine Self which is the Self Of God. 2]In verse of Qur’a:n [7:127] the Courtiers and Nobilities of The mentioned above Pharaoh are speaking to the Pharaoh inregard to his human self. As he and other gods [Naturus] were not believed to be separate from the Egyptian God, He considered himself and the gods as One God [in the sense of Incarnations and Manifestations] and God Of Moses as a Separate Claimant of Divinity. Pharaoh denied YAHVAH not only as a God [G is capital] but also as a god [g is small].Or in some other words Pharaoh claimed that: =
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10 His Divine Self is along with all Inseparable Manifestations, Incarnations etc is the Only God and Yahvah Of Moses is not a god [In Broad sense] i.e Neither Yahvah is a God [Supreme Being] nor a god [Personified Menifestations, Incarnations etc. of the God (Supreme Being)]. Considering the concept of Egyptians the word god may be used in several meanings. 1]One who is worshipped whether A Personified Manifestation of the God[Neterus] or the very God Himself. 2] God. 3] god [neteru]. It may be noted when speaking about God all the Manifestations and Incarnations are generally included since they were not considered to be distinct from God. But in some cases the God with out Manifestations and Incarnations may be considered as God as well. The verse [28:38] may mean that:Pharaoh said: "O Chiefs! no God do I know for you but myself... [Qur'an 28:38] Commentary:= The Pharaoh is speaking in regard to his [believed]Divine Self.He is including all the Neterus in his Divine Self as according to Pharoahic religion.
The verse [7:127] may mean that:And the chiefs of Pharaoh's people said: "Do you leave Musa and his people to make mischief in the land and to forsake you and your neterus ?" He said: "We will slay their sons and spare their women, and surely we are masters over them." [Qur'an 7:127]. Commentary:- The nobilities, chiefs , chieften courtiers etc. are talking to the Divine Self in regard to Neterus, probably including the human self of the Pharaoh. So there is no contradiction.These are just two believes of Courtiers etc of Poly-Monotheism.
A POSSIBLE OBJECTION:=
It may be said that the highest god was Ra and Not the Pharaoh /Pharaun/Pharoa/Fir�aun. R es pon s e One more example may be cited in response, that Krishna is believed to be 8 th incarnation of god Vishnu , but he speaks as if he is the God’s direct incarnation or the very God Himself, instead of an incarnation of a manifestation of God. That is the reason that Hindu sects still differ in their believes over Krishna and Vishnu. Some think that Krishna is more prime to Vishnu. Some believe Vishnu is more prime then Krishna. Some have some other ideas. A number of different answers may be found. Different sects have different responses. Even in a singles sect or cult variety of opinion may be found. A simple analogous situation was in ancient Egypt.
It is the case that Pharaoh Ramesses the second believed himself to be the most powerful
Incarnation among all Manifestations Of God. Other Manifestations did not talk in regard to the God as their Divine Self, while Pharaoh did so. This does shew that he claimed to be more prime than Ra ,if not Explicitly then Implicitly It is clear that in Egypt the Pharaoh of Egypt claimed to be the direct Incarnation of God and not an incarnation of a Manifestation of God. In this case it may be the most appropriate explanation that the Pharaoh spoke as if he was the very God in regard to his Divine Self. He is talking in regard to his [supposed] Divine Self, the only God. In this case Pharaoh probably considered all the other gods as Manifestations and Incarnations of his Divine Self, and included all of them in his Divine Self as according to his cult. But not all the Pharaohs of Egypt has come to this.Even some Courtiers of Pharaohic Court had not embraced his sect, yet to contradict an addressing Pharaoh is a different case ,even if some of them disagreed on sectarian grounds.Afterall religional and sectarian differences they were loal to the Egyptian Monarch. Results:-
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11 Ancient Egyptians were Poly-Monotheists. Pharaoh Ramesses the second claimed to be the direct incarnation or the prime manifestation. It is possible that some of his courtiers may have not accepted his cult but none of them had the courage to contradict him In his court when he spoke some thing which they did not believed. It may be the case that the Pharaoh was speaking by including himself in God.
Any how the Pharaoh said to be only God in the sense of Poly-Monotheism and not in the sense of Monotheism or Pure Monotheism [ in regard to his Divine Self, The Only God] or inregard to the God who Manifested and Incarnated, and not in regard to Personified Manifestations and Incarnations or Person-like Manifestations and Incarnations. If the Courtiers, Chiefs and Nobilities said in the number of gods of Pharaoh, they did not say in the in the sense of Polytheism but in the sense of a particular kind of Henotheism may be called as Poly-Monotheism [ Dogma of Manifestation of Only One God in several gods and goddesses]. So there is no contradiction according to this form of Henotheism. Thus Qur’a:n is just narrating two different statements of those who believed in Dogma Of Manifestation and Incarnation. As YAHVAH was neither the Egyptian God nor any one of His manifestations and Incarnations he was something other than Egyptian God. So Pharaoh according to his cult meant that “Neither Yahvah Was God nor god.So Pharaoh presented himself as the only God as he was believed to be God Incarnate or Incarnated God ,not just incarnation of God, and was peaking in regard to his supposed Divine Self, The Only God of Egypt.Some people has claimed that Pharaoh was a Monothelete. But it is certainly just a fifty fifty chance, and there is nothing which suggest that an analogue of Monotheletism existed in ancient Egypt ,inspite of the Fact that Pharaoh sometime spoke in regard to the God of whom Pharoahs considered themselves as incarnations. Please Note:1It must be noted that Hinduism and Egyptian Religions were not one and the same yet some similarities do exist between these two ancient religions. It may not be a new thin in the world of religions. For example similarities do exist between Christianity and Judaism, Judaism and Atenism , Arya Sama:j and Judaism, Etc. This does not mean that one is borrowing from the other. After all , the similarities between Judaism and Christianity are so obvious that the latter has borrowed the Holy Book of Tanach of Judaism[Jewish Bible] and renamed it as OT inas first part of Christian Bible, yet the major dogma of Trinity cannot be found in Judaism, and entire Jewish history is unaware of this dogma. Anyhow it is just attempted to shew that there is a possibility of different believes about one and same manifestation or incarnation in the ancient Egypt as in still exist in Indian Subcontinent. 2] Always consider the difference between God [ G-capital] and god [g-small] In the beginning of a sentence where god is written as God as the first letter of a sentence one should take precautions either by violating the tradition and beginning with a small g, or by writing as God [An other violation] or by writing quantifiers in the brackets to be saved from confusions.
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