The Open court . d. But we cannot for a moment doubtwhat god we have before us : it is Osiris, to whom the representa-tion as a mummy is appropriate, or more particularly, Osiris-Apis,of whom the serpent is an attribute, and who is even sometimeshimself represented in serpent form ; for him, Sol-Serapis, thecharacter is fitting, and we can now confidently regard it as that 1 Not reproduced by Professor VViiiiscli. ANUIilS, SETH, ANU CHRIST. 87 of the sun-god. This very same representation of a mummy en-wrapped by a serpent is given by King, plate F 3 ; this as well asthe drawing of our tablets
The Open court . d. But we cannot for a moment doubtwhat god we have before us : it is Osiris, to whom the representa-tion as a mummy is appropriate, or more particularly, Osiris-Apis,of whom the serpent is an attribute, and who is even sometimeshimself represented in serpent form ; for him, Sol-Serapis, thecharacter is fitting, and we can now confidently regard it as that 1 Not reproduced by Professor VViiiiscli. ANUIilS, SETH, ANU CHRIST. 87 of the sun-god. This very same representation of a mummy en-wrapped by a serpent is given by King, plate F 3 ; this as well asthe drawing of our tablets suggest immediately the way in which itwas customary to represent the Aeons, as men with lion-headsand enwrapped by serpents. Now Serapis is given the title Aeonupon a gold tablet published by P. Secchi, bearing the inscription :Lord Serapis, creeping Aeon, Give victory under the rock. It was found in the Vigna Codini in Rome, not at all far awayfrom our lead tablets, and in the mouth of a skull. It was probably. Lead Tablet No. 29. intended to serve the same purpose as the similar tablets ofThurioi: to be an amulet for the deceased, which should protecthim from the dangers of the underworld and assure him a favorablereception at the hands of the rulers there. The meaning of thesecond verse is not quite clear; but there is no doubt that the lineswere addressed to Serapis as lord of the underworld, and that heis characterised as creeping Aeon. The epithet creeping isplainly derived from the verb Ip-ww, which denotes the action of theserpent and is found along with the more commonly used formsepTTCTov and epTrr/o-Tiy?. Now Aeon expresses evident Gnostic con- 88 THE OPEN COURT. ceptions ; therefore the people who were buried in the Vigna Codinihad views similar to those cherished by the imprecators of thegrave in the Vigna Marini. This Lord Serapis creeping Aeonexpresses in words precisely the same thing as our drawing (pp. lOO-IOl). The close relation between the God of the Semi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade188, booksubjectreligion, bookyear1887
