Page:The Religion of Ancient Egypt.djvu/16

 THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION

religion of ancient Egypt is known to us through authentic records of various kinds, extending through a period of not less than three thousand years. It may have been in existence for many centuries anterior to the earliest of the monuments which have been preserved. Its origin is a matter, not of history, but of speculation. Its last centuries coincide with the first centuries of the Christian religion which gradually supplanted it. During this period the zoolatry, or worship of the sacred animals, was the feature which chiefly attracted the notice of the Christian apologists who have made any observations upon the subject.

Early Christians on the Egyptian Worship.

Clement of Alexandria, one of the most learned and philosophical of the Greek Fathers, introduces his