The religious polity of the Ethiopians and Egyptians was splendid, indeed; and we shall treat of that of both of these peoples together, as that of one was that of the other; and though the religion was much older than the literature, as was that of all other peoples perhaps, we have, on account of its grandeur, preferred to place it second in the progress of African civilization.
They believed in one omnipotent God, who ruled over all things, possessing three distinct personal attributes, and always so represented Him. They also believed in a Mediator, through alone they could approach God; but their Kings were their mediatorial deities, through whom alone God answered all their desires, and their Priests, tutelary divinities, by whom the desires of the people were made known to the gods or kings. Though they represented Him in three distinct persons; indeed, their idea of His personality was that of a Three One God.
This was most beautifully exemplified and illustrated in the person of Ham, Rameses I deified and worshipped as Jupiter Ammon. He was represented as the body of a man, with the head of a ram with handsomely curved, extended horns, seated on a great white throne of gold and ivory; in his left hand heheld a golden wand or sceptre, and in his right a thunder bolt; at his right side sat a phoenix with extended wings, generally mistaken for and called by writers an eagle, the Greeks having first given rise to this mistake by representing their Jupiter attended by an eagle, in imitation of Jupiter Ammon by a phoenix.
How symbolical is this representation from the throne to the God head, god for purity; ivory for durability; the sceptre for authority, and thunder bolt for power. And how figurative the ram's head. A sheep for harmlessness or innocence; yet a caution or admonition not to approach too near, illustrating the biblical declaration that "no man can look upon God's face and live;" as it is a fact, that anything, man or beast, whose head approaches that of a ram's, is instantly met with a terrible butt. And the phoenix, how marvellously illustrative of the essential attributes of the Christian's conception of God, as a self created being, without beginning or end.
The Phoenix, by the legend, was a bird that lived in Africa; there never was but one, which never had a beginning nor an end, but transfigurated and renewed itself at illimitable periods of time: a large and stately bird, resembling an eagle, much larger and handsomer in symmetry of form and beauty of plumage. Color, a beautiful pea green, bright golden wings and golden tail, a solid crest of gold upon its head, and brillant green cape feathers, with a breast of gold. It always walked and never flew, and was never known to eat or drink, and kept secluded from all living things. It lived and lived on through ages and periods, and periods and ages of time, for hundreds of thousands of years; when seeming weary of life, it commenced to build a nest of sticks and broken limbs of trees gathered in the forest, which consumed a long period of time in construction.
When, in course of time, the nest was finished, the phoenix sat upon it about the same length of time it required in construction, when it dropped a golden egg, which instantly set the nest in a flame of fire; then raising up in excitement its head and wings, it, together with the nest was consumed; leaving nothing but a heap of whitish ashes, in which was found a round ball, out of which a white worm worked itself, which instantly sprang into a full sized phoenix. Such is the beautiful legend, as the history of this allegorical bird, one of the symbols of the Deity as understood by Ethiopia and Egypt. Here, again, is the beautiful scriptural illustration of a "self created God," and "our God is a consuming fire," the "worm that never dieth."
Again Ham, the father, was Rameses I (Jupiter Ammon), represented as a sheep or ram; Mizraim, a son, joint ruler and successor, was Rameses II (Sesostris), represented as Apis, an ox or bull; Kush or Cush, the eldest son, cojoint ruler in the upper Nile region in Egypt, and master ruler in Ethiopia and Meroe, was, by courtesy of family pride and dynasty policy, called Rameses III (Osiris), represented as a dog. Hence, in the genius of Ethiopian and Egyptian polity, these three great princes became inseparably united into one godhead, or a father and two sons, or three persons in one, as Rameses, Sesostris and Osiris; the sheep, ox and dog, or ram, bull dog. The dog is sometimes represented as a jackal, especially when in the attitude of guardianship or vigilance.
Hence, from that period, the god or gods of Ethiopia and Egypt, were represented as three in one. And here, again, we see that the golden calf set up and worshipped by the Israelites in the wilderness, was in imitation of the bull god of Egypt, and so was the Saviour who spent the first twelve years of his life in Egypt, called the "Lamb of God," no doubt in remembrance of the ram god, revered for his goodness and innocence, the people there at that time being in sympathy with the "young child and his mother."
There was another striking metaphysical conception in the persons of these Ethiopian and Egyptian gods: the wealth of the country, and watchful care of the Almighty, in the character of the gods themselves. As stock in cattle comprised the greater part of the wealth of oriental countries in those days, two of the persons of the Three One God consisted of the most valuable cattle stock, bovine and sheep; one was of a guardian nature, canine, a dog, to watch and guard them. A most beautiful and wonderful conception was all this religious polity of theirs, from beginning to end. Conceptions such as these could only have emanated from the minds and morals of a people of the highest susceptibility and progressive civilization.
