【TOEFL托福背景知識】古埃及宗教信仰

在托福考試中，考生會遇到各式各樣的學術型題目。今天Atlas101將和大家分享藝術文化（Art and Culture）相關的背景知識——古埃及宗教！！閱讀本篇文章，你可以認識跟古埃及人的宗教信仰文化，以及學習相關英文單字，我們希望能夠幫助托福（TOEFL iBT）托福考生多在考試中面對不同領域的知識，能夠更加游刃有餘。

主題摘要與托福單字

1.Belief in Many Gods and "Maat" Concept（信仰眾神與「瑪特」概念）:

Ancient Egyptians believed in a pantheon of gods and goddesses, each with specific roles, while the concept of "Maat" emphasized harmony and balance in the universe.古埃及人相信眾多的神祇，每個都有特定的角色，而「瑪特」的概念強調宇宙的和諧與平衡。

2.Daily Religious Actions（日常宗教行為）:

Everyday religious practices among the ancient Egyptians included making offerings and communicating with their gods through prayers and rituals. Additionally, stelae were erected as commemorative markers for the deceased and as conduits for seeking divine intervention in daily affairs.

古埃及人的日常宗教實踐包括供奉祭品、透過祈禱和儀式與神明溝通。此外，石碑被用來紀念逝者，並請求神靈的幫助，在日常生活中是重要的媒介和紀念標誌。

3.Stelae's Role and Meaning （石碑的角色與意義）:

Stelae played multifaceted roles in ancient Egyptian society, serving as both memorials for the deceased and mediums for soliciting assistance from the gods. These inscribed monuments facilitated a spiritual connection between the living and the divine, preserving cultural beliefs and traditions for future generations.

石碑在古埃及社會中扮演著多功能的角色，既是紀念逝者的標誌，也是向神靈祈求幫助的媒介。這些銘文碑文促進了生與死、人與神之間的精神聯繫，保存了文化信仰和傳統，傳承給後代。

托福單字

offerings (n)：供品；奉獻

rituals (n)：儀式

deceased (adj)：已故的

divine (adj)：神聖的

memorials (n)：紀念物

inscribe (v)：刻上

monuments (n)：紀念碑

preserve (v)：保存

deity (n)：神祇

afterlife (n)：來世

worship (n)：崇拜

inscription (n)：銘文

significance (n)：重要性

burial (n)：埋葬

tomb (n)：墓穴

延伸閱讀：Ancient Egyptian Religious Beliefs

Ancient Egyptian religion was a multifaceted system shaped by polytheism and intricate rituals, with gods and goddesses revered across various regions. Central to this belief system was the figure of the king, who bridged the gap between mortals and the divine through religious ceremonies and monumental constructions.

Deities like the sun god and Osiris held significant roles in Egyptian cosmology, embodying cosmic principles such as the cycle of day and night and the realm of the afterlife. Upholding Maat, the concept of truth and cosmic balance, was paramount for maintaining order in the universe, a duty entrusted to the king to ensure divine favor.

Everyday religious practices played a vital role in popular worship, with votive offerings and private communion with the gods reflecting the devotion of ordinary Egyptians. Among these practices, the use of stelae, upright monuments containing inscriptions or images, held particular significance.

Stelae served various purposes, from commemorating individuals or events to delineating physical spaces. In ancient Egypt, stelae originated as burial markers in the necropolis at Abydos, evolving into freestanding monuments or carved rock inscriptions. These monuments often depicted the deceased and invoked divine protection through images of the sky or symbolic motifs.

Commissioned by both royal and non-royal patrons, funerary stelae recorded the names and titles of the deceased, ensuring their memory endured. False-door stelae provided entryways for the deceased to access offerings left in tomb chapels, while votive stelae erected in temples or homes sought divine intervention for healing or wish fulfillment.

Through stelae and other religious practices, ancient Egyptians sought to maintain harmony with the divine realm, shaping their worldview and cultural identity. These enduring beliefs and rituals offer valuable insights into the rich tapestry of ancient Egyptian religion and its profound impact on society.

資料來源一：〈Popular Religion in Ancient Egypt: Everything You Need to Know〉

資料來源二：〈Stelae: Ancient Egypt's Versatile Monumental Form〉

資料來源三：Britannica"stela"

延伸閱讀中文翻譯

古埃及的宗教是一個多元而複雜的系統，由多神教信仰和複雜的儀式所塑造，各地區崇拜著眾神和女神。這一信仰系統的核心是國王這一形象，他通過宗教儀式和宏偉的建築橋樑起了凡人與神靈之間的差距。

太陽神和奧西里斯等神明在埃及宇宙觀中擁有重要地位，代表著日夜循環和來世的領域。堅持真理和宇宙平衡的概念「馬特」對於維持宇宙秩序至關重要，這是一項由國王擔負的責任，以確保得到神靈的青睞。

日常宗教實踐在普遍崇拜中發揮了重要作用，供品和私下與神靈的交流反映了普通埃及人的虔誠。在這些實踐中，石碑的使用具有特殊的意義。

石碑有著各種不同的用途，從紀念個人或事件到劃定實際空間。在古埃及，石碑最初起源於阿比多斯的墓地，演變成獨立的紀念碑或刻在岩石上的銘文。這些紀念碑通常描繪了逝者，並通過天空或象徵性圖案的形象來祈求神的保護。

石碑由皇室和非皇室贊助人委託製作，墓葬石碑記錄了死者的姓名和頭銜，以確保他們的記憶永存。虛假的門石碑為死者提供了進入墓穴禮拜堂的通道，以便他們獲得放置在那裡的供品，而在寺廟或家中豎立的供品石碑則尋求神靈的幫助，以求醫治或滿足願望。通過石碑和其他宗教實踐，古埃及人尋求與神靈領域保持和諧，塑造了他們的世界觀和文化身份。這些持久的信仰和儀式為我們提供了有價值的見解，揭示了古埃及宗教對社會的深遠影響。