Given the task definition and input, reply with output. In this task, you will be given a passage to read. A fill in the blank question will be given to you. Your answer should fit the blank appropriately.

Modern knowledge of Egyptian beliefs about the gods is mostly drawn from religious writings produced by the nation 's scribes and priests . These people were the elite of Egyptian society and were very distinct from the general populace , most of whom were illiterate . Little is known about how well this broader population knew or understood the sophisticated ideas that the elite developed . Commoners ' perceptions of the divine may have differed from those of the priests . The populace may , for example , have mistaken the religion 's symbolic statements about the gods and their actions for literal truth . But overall , what little is known about popular religious belief is consistent with the elite tradition . The two traditions form a largely cohesive vision of the gods and their nature . fill in the blank : Modern knowledge of Egyptian __________________ about the gods is mostly drawn from religious writings produced by the nation 's scribes and priests .
beliefs