埃及宗教(Egyptian religion)

西元前第四千纪到西元後最初几个世纪间古埃及的多神信仰体系，包括民间传统和宫廷宗教。源於尼罗河谷地的地方神只，同时拥有人类与动物的形体，大约在西元前2925年政治上统一以後，常被合并为全国性的神只而崇拜。这些神并非全能或全知的，但其伟大远超过人类。关於祂们的性格并无清楚地界定，许多地方也有所重叠，特别是那些主神。何露斯（Horus）是最重要的神只之一，祂是统治宇宙的众神之王，代表着俗世的埃及国王。其他重要的神只还有太阳神瑞（Re）、创世之神卜塔（Ptah）和阿顿，以及伊希斯（Isis）和俄赛里斯。玛雅特（Ma'at，意谓阶级）的概念是基本的：国王在社会与宇宙的层次维持玛雅特。对往生的信仰与成见弥漫於埃及宗教，现存的坟墓和金字塔可以证明。人们相信埋葬在国王之旁，有国王作伴，才能顺利抵达阴间。棺文及「死者书」（Book of the Dead）中的咒语可以超渡死者。

English version：

Egyptian religion

Polytheistic belief system of ancient Egypt from the 4th millennium BC to the first centuries AD, including both folk traditions and the court religion. Local deities that sprang up along the Nile Valley had both human and animal form and were synthesized into national deities and cults after political unification c. 2925 BC. The gods were not all-powerful or all-knowing, but were immeasurably greater than humans. Their characters were not neatly defined, and there was much overlap, especially among the leading deities. One important deity was Horus, the god-king who ruled the universe, who represented the earthly Egyptian king. Other major divinities included Re, the sun god; Ptah and Aton, creator gods; and Isis and Osiris. The concept of Ma'at (“order”) was fundamental: the king maintained Ma'at both on a societal and cosmic level. Belief in and preoccupation with the afterlife permeated Egyptian religion, as the surviving tombs and pyramids attest. Burial near the king helped others gain passage to the netherworld, as did spells and passwords from the Book of the Dead.