Post by Tamrin on May 10, 2009 22:06:12 GMT 10
In the age of the Enlightenment, the fascination with Ancient Egypt reached a particular climax. The reason is threefold: firstly, Egypt appeared as the most ancient, most original civilization, and the concept of history prevailing in the 15th through 18th centuries still shrouded the beginning in particular glory; secondly, ancient Egyptian religion was connected not only with what in that time was understood by “natural religion” as opposed to “revealed” or “positive religion” but even identified with spinozism ante Spinozam or a kind of Deism; thirdly, Ancient Egypt appeared as the model of a split culture, divided into an exoteric, popular polytheism, and a secret, esoteric monotheism or spinozism, and this double philosophy, “philosophia duplex” as it was called, was hailed as a model of enlightenment could be promoted in times of persecution and censorship.
