Lecture IV. The Sun-God And The Ennead. 77
theological associations made it the starting-point of a new phase
of religious thought.
It was not until the rise of the Twelfth Dynasty that a special
temple was built to Ra in Heliopolis.^52 Up to that time Ra had
been content to share with Tum the ancient temple of the city,
or rather had absorbed Tum into himself and thus become its
virtual possessor. But his religious importance goes back to
prehistoric times. The temple of Heliopolis became the centre
of a theological school which exercised a great influence on
the official religion of Egypt. It was here that the sun-worship
was organised, and the doctrine of creation by generation or
emanation first developed; it was here, too, that the chief gods of
the State religion were formed into groups of nine.^53
The doctrine of these Enneads or groups of nine was destined
to play an important part in the official creed. From Heliopolis it
spread to other parts of Egypt, and eventually each of the great
sanctuaries had its own Ennead, formed on the model of that [083]
of Heliopolis. At Heliopolis the cycle of the nine supreme gods
contained Shu and Tefnut, Seb and Mut, Osiris and Isis, Set and
Nebhât, the four pairs who had descended by successive acts of
generation from Tum, the original god of the nome. We owe the
explanation and analysis of the Ennead to Professor Maspero,
who has for the first time made the origin of it clear.^54
Tum, who is always represented in human form, was the
ancient sun-god and tutelary deity of Heliopolis. To him was
ascribed the creation of the world, just as it was ascribed by
each of the other nomes to their chief god. But whereas at the
Cataract the creator was a potter who had made things from clay,
(^52) It was then that the two obelisks were erected in front of the temple by
UsertesenI.{FNS, which caused it to be known as Hât-Benbeni,“the house of
the two obelisks.”
(^53) The members of the Ennead of Heliopolis or On are named in the Pyramid
texts (Pepiii. 666) Tum, Shu, Tefnut, Seb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nebhât.
(^54) See hisÉtudes de Mythologie et d'Archéologie égyptiennes, ii. p. 337 sqq.