Sem (priest)
| Sem and Mut-nefer in hieroglyphics | ||||||||||
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| Thinite time |
Mut-nefer Mwt-nfr |
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| Middle realm |
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| New kingdom |
Sem / Setem Sm / Stm |
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| Subheading |
Chetemu-netjer Ḫtmw-nṯr seal keeper (of) God also: God sealer |
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Sem (also Setem ) is mainly the ancient Egyptian name of a functional title of the " high priest of Osiris " in the old , middle and early times of the New Kingdom and was defined by the activity of the Sem priesthood in the mortuary temples . The exact translation of the term “Setem priest” used in this context remains unclear.
An ivory tablet from Den ( 1st dynasty ) represents the oldest iconographic evidence for the function of the title Sem, which at that time as Mut-nefer was still linked to the title Tjet . The cult of Sem took a special position, as it also included activities of the position of "high priest of Sameref " and formed the basis for the worship of Osiris-Chontamenti in Abydos .
From this Osiris temple district, which was in the north of Abydos, only small remains exist today. The inscriptions of Abydenean monuments in the Middle Kingdom show that the priests and officials working in Abydos understood themselves as "Sa-meref" and "Sem" at the same time.
background
Allocation of the role of the Sem priest
The Sem priest mainly symbolizes the caring son of Osiris in the context of Horus , which results from the cult of the dead. The Sem priest thus represents the character of a son who cares for his dead father. The Sem priesthood thus takes on the tasks of the Sem deities on a secular level . As the counterpart of the divine son Sa-meref, the Sem priest can animate and regenerate the king and open his path to eternal rule. From the time of Thutmose III. dates the inscription of Neb-waui, "High Priest of Osiris and Sa-meref":
“I performed my first office in the temple of the father Osiris. I was a Sa-meref in the procedure of the gold house, in the secrets of the Lord of Abydos. I was adept at decorating the statue of God with regard to the arms : a Sem priest with clean fingers. All craftsmen were under my supervision: They happened through me. "
In the further course of the 18th dynasty , the " high priests of Ptah " also carried the title of Sem priest, as they saw themselves as an image of the god Iunmutef , which is why the robes of the Sem priests changed accordingly , now the panther skin and the youth lock included. In the reign of Amenhotep III. the earliest evidence for the expansion of the Memphite high priest title with the Sem priesthood can be dated. A statue of Ptahmose, son of Mencheper , shows him in the costume of Junmutef, supplemented with the inscription "Image of Junmutef". Therefore, the Sem priest also used the designation of the “king's son” with the title “ Horus Iunmutef ”.
In the Old Kingdom originally was responsible for the king's task eldest son, the later the Sem-priest took over as the embodiment of King's Son in the role of "onlookers in the ritual cleansing of the dead" and thus directly related to the serving Osiris deity Sem produced .
Activities of the Sem priest
His activity as a ritual priest regarding the opening ceremony of the mouth , in which he is depicted with a panther skin , is clearly documented . Among other things, the Sem priest took on the role of mediator between the king and the gods.
Further tasks included dressing the king, assigning sacrifices to the gods and statues of gods and shrines. In connection with the processions of the Sedfest , the activities of the Sem priest focused on the maintenance and renewal of royal rule. In the vestibule of the temple of Pepi II you can see on the west wall how Sem offers the typical triple sacrifice of linen , incense and anointing oil to the "gods of the shrines" , whereupon the gods benevolently confirm the throne, as does the king as " First of all living ":
“The gods come by 'bringing life, power and health for the son of his body Nebmaatre' and promise him: 'He celebrates the New Year festival with a wide heart, he rejuvenates the months in the Nehebkau festival and he spends many Sed festivals on the throne like Re.'"
In the liturgy of the Greco-Roman period , Seth turned into a panther while fleeing from Thoth and Anubis , who was killed by Anubis. Then Anubis entered the embalming hall of Osiris with the panther's fur removed and said: "Seth is here".
See also
literature
- Friedrich-Wilhelm Bissing, Hermann Kees: The Re-Sanctuary of the King Ne-Woser-Re (Rathures), Bd. 2 . Duncker, Berlin 1923, sheets 13, 18 and pp. 68–69.
- Hermann Kees : The priesthood in the Egyptian state from the New Kingdom to the late period . Brill, Leiden 1953.
- Christian Leitz u. a .: Lexicon of the Egyptian gods and names of gods . Vol. 6: H̱ - s . Peeters, Leuven 2002, ISBN 90-429-1151-4 , p. 306
- Flinders Petrie : Abydos I + II . Brian Yare Egyptology, Worcester 2005 (Reprint 1902).
- Heinrich Schäfer : The Mysteries of Osiris in Abydos under King Sesostris III - After the memorial stone of the Upper Treasurer I-Cher-Nofret in the Berlin Museum. Hinrichs, Leipzig 1904, pp. 15-19.
- William A. Ward : Index of Egyptian administrative and religious titles of the Middle Kingdom: with a glossary of words and phrases used. American University of Beirut, Beirut 1982, p. 168, No. 1465.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Elisabeth Staehlin: Investigations into the Egyptian costume in the Old Kingdom . Hessling, Berlin 1966, pp. 66–67, panel XXXIV, figure 38.
- ↑ Selke-Susan Eichler: The administration of the "House of Amun" in the 18th dynasty . Buske, Hamburg 2000, ISBN 3-87548-232-8 , pp. 191-192.
- ^ Gustave Jéquier: Le monument funéraire de Pepi II, Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte, Vol. 2: Le temple . Institut Français d'Arch. Orientale, Cairo 1938, plates 50 and 52.