Serapis (sĕrāˈpĭs) [key] or Sarapis säräˈpĭs, Egyptian god whose devotees united the worship of the Apis bull and the god Osiris. His cult, which originated at Memphis, rose to its greatest significance at Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I. He was adopted as the universal godhead by some Gnostic sects. In Greece during Hellenistic times and later during the Roman Empire his worship rivaled that of other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cults.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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