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From earliest times Heliopolis was the cult center for the worship of the sun god, usually in his manifestation as Re, but also as Re-Horakhty and Atum.
Around the Fifth Dynasty (c. 2480–2340 B.C.E.) Helipolitan cult of Re achieved its preeminent position in the cosmogony of the Egyptians, a position which it retained well into the third century B.C.E.
Heliopolis is specifically mentioned four times in the Bible: Genesis 41:45, 45:50 and 46:20, where Joseph is given as wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Phera, the priest of On (who must have been the high priest of Re of Heliopolis).
The prediction of the destruction of Beth-Shemesh, "the House of the Sungod," in Jeremiah 43:13 is also probably a reference to Heliopolis. Another possible reference to the city is Isaiah 19:18, where, in view of the Egyptian context of the passage, the reading ir ha-heres, or "city of the sun," as attested by Symmachus and Vulgate, is preferred by many scholars to the present masoretic text ir ha-heres, or "city of destruction."
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On
, Aven, Beth-ShemeshJeremiah 43:12 And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
Jeremiah 43:13 He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh/Heliopolis/On, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.
Heliopolis (ancient Egypt) (Greek, "city of the sun"), city of ancient Egypt, the center of sun worship.
The ruins of the city are 8 km (5 mi) east of the Nile River at the apex of the Nile delta, and about 10 km (about 6 mi) northeast of Cairo.
Heliopolis was originally the center of worship of the god Tem, deity of the setting sun, later regarded as a form of the sun god Ra. In Egyptian theological literature, the city was known as Per-Ra ("City of Ra"), of which the Greek name is a translation.
In the Bible, Heliopolis is referred to as On, Aven, and Beth-Shemesh.
Although its history goes as far back as about 2900 bc, the city reached its greatest development during the New Kingdom, beginning about 1550 bc, when Ra, later called Amon-Ra, came to be regarded as the chief god of the Egyptian pantheon.
Under the pharaoh Ramses II during the 13th century bc, the temple of Heliopolis reached the height of its influence, with almost 13,000 priests and slaves serving in it. Most of the religious literature of ancient Egypt was written by the priests of Heliopolis [On]
BETH-SHEMESH (Heb. be‚tâ sŒemesŒ, 'house (temple) of the sun'), a name applied to 4 places in the Bible. A city in Egypt (Je. 43:13) probably to be identified with Heliopolis (which is here given in rsv) (*On). t.c.m.
Potipherah : Strong's Ref. # 6319, Romanized Powtiy Phera`, Pronounced po-tee feh'-rah, of Egyptian derivation; Poti-Phera, an Egyptian:
Genesis 46:20 And unto Joseph in the
land of Egypt were born Manasseh
and Ephraim, which
Asenath the daughter of Potipherah
priest of 0n .. [
On/Bethshemesh/Heliopolis]
bare unto him.
Israel/Jacob of course was only one grandfather. Every Israelite ever to exist
in the tribe of Manasseh, Ephriam, Joseph ever to exist of course would be as
much a Potipherah-ite as Israelite.
The tribe of Joseph of course were Egyptian descendants.
Out of the loins of
the Egyptian sun worshipping priest