Egyptian Cultural Icons in Midrash

Rabbinic midrash of late antiquity and the early medieval period visualized Egypt and presented Egyptian religious concepts and icons.

Midrash is analyzed in a cross-cultural perspective utilizing insights from the discipline of Egyptology.

Topics: the Greco-Roman Nile god, Isis, Serapis and other gods, festivals, mummy portraits, funeral customs, the Egyptian language, Pharaohs, Cleopatra, Alexandria, the divine eye.

The hermeneutical role of Egyptian cultural icons in midrash is explored.