Serapis: Hades Meets Sol Invictus

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This week's episode is on Serapis, a Graeco-Egyptian deity promoted by Ptolemy I Soter (Macedonian general who became ruler of Egypt) around the 200s BCE. Serapis is a male deity that combines elements of Hades/Pluto, Dionysus, Osiris, Apis, and Helios--and may have some connections to the Jesus myth. We certainly see how Emperor worship becomes folded into the mythology of this period, and its later influence on Christianity. As our current society is going through upheavals and changes in its worldviews, it is worth considering a syncretic deity that was worshipped at another time of upheaval.