 Scholars have long debated whether traditional Egyptian religion ever asserted that the multiple gods were , on a deeper level , unified . Reasons for this debate include the practice of syncretism , which might suggest that all the separate gods could ultimately merge into one , and the tendency of Egyptian texts to credit a particular god with power that surpasses all other deities . Another point of contention is the appearance of the word " god " in wisdom literature , where the term does not refer to a specific deity or group of deities . In the early 20th century , for instance , E. A. Wallis Budge believed that Egyptian commoners were polytheistic , but knowledge of the true monotheistic nature of the religion was reserved for the elite , who wrote the wisdom literature . His contemporary James Henry Breasted thought Egyptian religion was instead pantheistic , with the power of the sun god present in all other gods , while Hermann Junker argued that Egyptian civilization had been originally monotheistic and became polytheistic in the course of its history . 
 Scholars <a href='been_done' title='1'><mark>have</mark></a> long debated whether traditional Egyptian religion ever asserted that the multiple gods <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> , on a deeper level , unified . Reasons for this debate include the practice of syncretism , which might suggest that all the separate gods could ultimately merge into one , and the tendency of Egyptian texts to credit a particular god with power <a href='null_relcl' title='3'><mark>that</mark></a><a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>surpasses</mark></a> all other deities . Another point of contention <a href='drop_aux' title='5'><mark>is</mark></a>the appearance of the word " god " in wisdom literature , where the term <a href='uninflect' title='6'><mark>does</mark></a> not refer to a specific deity or group of deities . In the early 20th century , for instance , E. A. Wallis Budge believed that Egyptian commoners <a href='uninflect' title='7'><mark>were</mark></a> polytheistic , but knowledge of the true monotheistic nature of the religion was reserved for the elite , <a href='null_relcl' title='8'><mark>who</mark></a>wrote the wisdom literature . His contemporary James Henry Breasted thought Egyptian religion was instead pantheistic , with the power of the sun god present in all other gods , while Hermann Junker argued that Egyptian civilization had been originally monotheistic and became polytheistic in the course of its history . 
Scholars done long debated whether traditional Egyptian religion ever asserted that da multiple gods was , on a deeper level , unified . Reasons for this debate include the practice of syncretism , which mite suggest that all the separate gods could ultimately merge into one , and the tendency of Egyptian texts to credit a particular god with power surpass all other deities . anotha point of contention tdaappearance of the word " god " in wisdom literature , where the term do not refer to a specific deity or group of deities . In the early 20th century , for instance , E. A. Wallis Budge believed that Egyptian commoners was polytheistic , but knowledge of the tru monotheistic nature of the religion was reserved fa the elite , wrote the wisdom literature . His contemporary James Henry Breasted thought Egyptian religion was instead pantheistic , wit thdaower of thedan god present in alll other gods , while Hermann Junker argued that Egyptian civilization had been originally monotheistic and became polytheistic in the course of its history .