Ancient African Symbols Relationship To Religion

Introduction of ancient African symbols relationship to religion

African symbols have served an essential role in the development of every facet of civilization. Writing, art, science, philosophy and many other areas of everyday life have been influenced by these symbols. Ancient African symbols were a language which communicated on various levels, informing the educated mind of abstract and practical means of thought. Ancient African symbols relationship to religion were no less important for communicating an understanding of the divine or knowledge of God.

Symbols from heaven

Ancient African astronomers/priests devoted themselves to the study of the heavens. They used symbols to catalog and codify their findings, subsequently submitting their reports to community officials. These astronomer/priest waxed well-versed in the secrets of the universe, discovering the movements of the stars and planets. Their increase in knowledge over generations enabled them to discern the relationships between phases of heavenly bodies and their influence on human beings, animals, vegetation and the earth itself.

Relationship to religion

African astronomer/priest developed a specialized interest in religion as their knowledge began to increase. That knowledge empowered them to greater understand their relationship with the infinite power which was seen as God. Ancient Africans of the Nile River Valley viewed the universe as the ultimate expression of one superior being manifesting itself in all of the functions and principles of that universe. These features of the one supreme God were collectively referenced as Netcherw and individually as Netcher. Each manifestation of a Netcher was associated with a divine feature of God represented by a specific symbol. Animals were usually selected to represent qualities of a certain Netcher since the nature of animals were unique and tended to remain constant. The following examples illustrate some ancient African symbols relationship to religion.

Ancient symbol of truth

Our first example pointing out ancient African symbols relationship to religion is Maat. Maat is associated with the seven cardinal virtues, the keys to human perfectibility. They are: truth, justice, propriety, harmony, balance, reciprocity and order. The symbolic representation of Maat as a human figure with outstretched hands and wings is the prototype of the image of the angel found in the world’s major western religions. The ostrich feather and the balance are also symbols of Maat and the precepts she represents. The seven virtues and 42 admonitions of Maat were the guidelines of correct behavior and the standard against which the soul of the deceased would be judged. People who lived in accordance with the principles of Maat were guaranteed a just reward in the afterlife after the judgement of the soul. (Browder, Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization. 1992, p.82).

The divine attributes of Maat were the prime inspiration for the concept of the angel in Christian theology. The fifteenth-century painting of ” St Michael Weighing Souls ” portrays the winged image of a male weighing the soul of a man on the scale of judgement.