,,books ,,on                 ,,egypt    
,,and ,,chaldea                         
,,by       ,e4 ,a4 ,,wallis ,,budge1 ,m4
 ,a41 ,,litt ,d41 ,d4 ,,lit4            
,keeper of the ,egyptian and ,assyrian  
,antiquities in the ,british ,museum    
,,and                  ,l4 ,w4 ,,king1  
,m4 ,a4          ,assistant in the      
,department of         ,egyptian and    
,assyrian ,antiquities               in 
the ,british ,museum                    
,crown #hvo1 #c,s1 #f;d1 net each       
,vol ,i--,,egyptian ,,religion4         
,egyptian ,ideas of the ,future ,life   
,by ,e4 ,a4 ,,wallis ,,budge    ,vol    
,,ii--,,egyptian ,,magic4  ,by ,e4 ,a4  
,,wallis ,,budge    ,vol4               
,,iii--,,egyptian ,,language4  ,easy    
,lessons in ,egyptian ,hieroglyphics ,by
 ,e4 ,a4 ,,wallis ,,budge    ,vol       
,,iv--,,babylonian ,,religion4          
,babylonian ,religion and ,mythology4   
,by ,l4 ,w4 ,king    ,vol ,v--,,assyrian
 ,,language4  ,easy ,lessons in the     
,cuneiform ,texts ,by ,l4 ,w4 ,,king1   

,m4 ,a4    ,vols ,,vi1 ,,vii1           
,,viii--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,dead4 
an ,english ,translation of the         
,chapters1 ,hymns1 c41 of the ,theban   
,recension ,with ,introduction1 ,notes1 
and numerous ,illustrations ,by ,e4 ,a4 
,,wallis ,,budge1 ,litt4 ,d4    ,vols   
,,ix-,,xvi--,a ,,history ,,of ,,egypt4  
from the end of the ,neolithic ,period  
to the ,death of ,cleopatra ,,vii1      
,b4,c4  #cj ,by ,e4 ,a4 ,,wallis        
,,budge1 ,litt4 ,d4 #h vols4            
,illustrated4       99    99    99    99
    99          ,,vol4 ,i4    ,,egyptian
 ,,ideas ,,of ,,the ,,future ,,life     
,,publishers' ,,note4    ,in the year   
#ahid1 ,dr4 ,wallis ,budge prepared for 
,messrs4 ,kegan ,paul1  ,trench1 ,trbner
  ,co4 an elementary work on the        
,egyptian language1  entitled ,first    
,steps in ,egyptian1 and two years later
 the companion  volume1 ,an ,egyptian   
,reading ,book1 with transliterations of
 all the  texts printed in it1 and a    
full vocabulary4 ,the success of these  

works  proved that they had helped to   
satisfy a want long felt by students of 
the ,egyptian language1 and as a similar
 want existed among students of  the    
languages written in the cuneiform      
character1 ,mr4 ,l4,w4 ,king1 of the    
,british ,museum1 prepared1 on the same 
lines as the two books mentioned  above1
 an elementary work on the ,assyrian and
 ,babylonian languages  7,first ,steps  
in ,assyrian71 which appeared in #ahih4 
,these works1  however1 dealt mainly    
with the philological branch of         
,egyptology and  ,assyriology1 and it   
was impossible in the space allowed to  
explain much  that needed explanation in
 the other branches of those            
subjects--that is  to say1 matters      
relating to the archaeology1 history1   
religion1 etc41 of  the ,egyptians1     
,assyrians1 and ,babylonians4 ,in answer
 to the numerous  requests which have   
been made1 a series of short1 popular   
handbooks on  the most important        
branches of ,egyptology and ,assyriology

 have been  prepared1 and it is hoped   
that these will serve as introductions  
to the  larger works on these subjects4 
,the present is the first volume of the 
series1 and the succeeding volumes will 
be published at short intervals1  and at
 moderate prices4                       
,,egyptian ,,ideas                      
,,of ,,the                     ,,future 
,,life                          ,,by    
,e4,a4 ,,wallis ,,budge1 ,m4 ,a41       
,,litt4 ,d41 ,d4 ,,lit4     ,,keeper ,of
 ,,the ,,egyptian ,,and ,,assyrian      
,,antiquities                ,,of ,,the 
,,british ,,museum                      
,,with ,,eight ,,illustrations          
,,third ,,edition                       
#aijh    ,to ,,sir ,,john ,,evans1 ,k4  
,c4 ,b41 ,d4 ,c4 ,l41 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41      
,,etc41 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,,in  ,,grateful 
,,remembrance ,,of ,,much ,,friendly    
,,help ,,and ,,encouragement            
,,preface4       99    99    99    99   
99    ,the following pages are intended 
to place before the reader in a handy   

form an account of the principal ideas  
and beliefs held by the ancient         
,egyptians concerning the resurrection  
and the future life1 which is  derived  
wholly from native religious works4 ,the
 literature of ,egypt  which deals with 
these subjects is large and1 as was to  
be expected1 the  product of different  
periods which1 taken together1 cover    
several  thousands of years2 and it is  
exceedingly difficult at times to       
reconcile the statements and beliefs of 
a writer of one period with  those of a 
writer of another4 ,up to the present no
 systematic account of  the doctrine of 
the resurrection and of the future life 
has been  discovered1 and there is no   
reason for hoping that such a thing will
  ever be found1 for the ,egyptians do  
not appear to have thought that it  was 
necessary to write a work of the kind4  
,the inherent difficulty of  the        
subject1 and the natural impossibility  
that different men living in  different 
places and at different times should    

think alike on matters  which must1     
after all1 belong always to the region  
of faith1 render it  more than probable 
that no college of priests1 however     
powerful1 was  able to formulate a      
system of beliefs which would be        
received throughout  ,egypt by the      
clergy and the laity alike1 and would be
 copied by the  scribes as a final and  
authoritative work on ,egyptian         
eschatology4  ,besides this1 the genius 
and structure of the ,egyptian language 
are such  as to preclude the possibility
 of composing in it works of a          
philosophical or metaphysical character 
in the true sense of the words4  ,in    
spite of these difficulties1 however1 it
 is possible to collect a  great deal of
 important information on the subject   
from the funereal and  religious works  
which have come down to us1 especially  
concerning the  great central idea of   
immortality1 which existed unchanged for
 thousands  of years1 and formed the    
pivot upon which the religious and      

social life  of the ancient ,egyptians  
actually turned4 ,from the beginning to 
the end  of his life the ,egyptian's    
chief thought was of the life beyond the
  grave1 and the hewing of his tomb in  
the rock1 and the providing of its      
furniture1 every detail of which was    
prescribed by the custom of the         
country1 absorbed the best thoughts of  
his mind and a large share of his       
worldly goods1 and kept him ever mindful
 of the time when his mummified  body   
would be borne to his everlasting house 
in the limestone plateau  or hill4      
,the chief source of our information    
concerning the doctrine of the          
resurrection and of the future life as  
held by the ,egyptians is1 of  course1  
the great collection of religious texts 
generally known by the  name of ,book of
 the ,dead4 ,the various recensions of  
these wonderful  compositions cover a   
period of more than five thousand years1
 and they  reflect faithfully not only  
the sublime beliefs1 and the high       

ideals1  and the noble aspirations of   
the educated ,egyptians1 but also the   
various superstitions and childish      
reverence for amulets1 and magical      
rites1 and charms1 which they probably  
inherited from their pre-dynastic       
ancestors1 and regarded as essentials   
for their salvation4 ,it must be        
distinctly understood that many passages
 and allusions in the ,book of  the     
,dead still remain obscure1 and that in 
some places any translator  will be at a
 difficulty in attempting to render     
certain1 important words  into any      
modern ,european language4 ,but it is   
absurd to talk of almost  the whole text
 of the ,book of the ,dead as being     
utterly corrupt1 for  royal personages1 
and priests1 and scribes1 to say nothing
 of the  ordinary educated folk1 would  
not have caused costly copies of a very 
lengthy work to be multiplied1 and      
illustrated by artists possessing the   
highest skill1 unless it had some       
meaning to them1 and was necessary for  

the attainment by them of the life which
 is beyond the grave4 ,the  finds of    
recent years in ,egypt have resulted in 
the recovery of  valuable texts whereby 
numerous difficulties have been cleared 
away2 and  we must hope that the faults 
made in translating to-day may be       
corrected  by the discoveries of        
to-morrow4 ,in spite of all             
difficulties1 both  textual and         
grammatical1 sufficient is now known of 
the ,egyptian  religion to prove1 with  
certainty1 that the ,egyptians          
possessed1 some  six thousand years ago1
 a religion and a system of morality    
which1 when  stripped of all corrupt    
accretions1 stand second to none among  
those  which have been developed by the 
greatest nations of the world4    ,e4   
,a4 ,,wallis ,,budge4  ,,london1        
,august #bast1 #ahii4                   
,,contents4    ,,chapter       ,i4 ,,the
 ,,belief ,,in ,,god ,,almighty         
,,ii4 ,,osiris ,,the ,,god ,,of ,,the   
,,resurrection     ,,iii4 ,,the ,,gods  

,,of ,,the ,,egyptians      ,,iv4 ,,the 
,,judgment ,,of ,,the ,,dead       ,v4  
,,the ,,resurrection ,,and ,,immortality
          ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4  
,,chapter      ,i4 ,,the ,,creation     
,,ii4 ,,isis ,,suckling ,,horus ,,in    
,,the ,,papyrus ,,swamp    ,,iii4 ,,the 
,,soul ,,of ,,osiris ,,and ,,the ,,soul 
,,of ,r,a ,,meeting ,,in ,,tattu4 ,r,a1 
,,in ,,the ,,form ,,of ,a ,,cat1        
,,cutting ,,off ,,the ,,head ,,of ,,the 
,,serpent ,,of       ,,darkness         
,,iv4 ,,the ,,judgment ,,of ,,the ,,dead
 ,,in ,,the ,,hall ,,of ,,ma,a,,ti      
,v4 ,,the ,,deceased ,,being ,,led      
,,into ,,the ,,presence ,,of ,,osiris   
,,vi4 ,,the ,,sekhet-,,aaru ,,or        
,,elysian ,,fields--         7#a7 ,,from
 ,,the ,,papyrus ,,of ,,nebseni         
7#b7 ,,from ,,the ,,papyrus ,,of ,,ani  
7#c7 ,,from ,,the ,,papyrus ,,of        
,,anilai          ,,chapter ,i4         
,,the ,,belief ,,in ,,god ,,almighty4   
,a study of ancient ,egyptian religious 
texts will convince the reader  that the

 ,egyptians believed in ,one ,god1 who  
was self-existent1 immortal1  invisible1
 eternal1 omniscient1 almighty1 and     
inscrutable2 the maker of  the heavens1 
earth1 and underworld2 the creator of   
the sky and the sea1  men and women1    
animals and birds1 fish and creeping    
things1 trees and  plants1 and the      
incorporeal beings who were the         
messengers that  fulfilled his wish and 
word4 ,it is necessary to place this    
definition of  the first part of the    
belief of the ,egyptian at the beginning
 of the  first chapter of this brief    
account of the principal religious ideas
  which he held1 for the whole of his   
theology and religion was based upon    
it2 and it is also necessary to add     
that1 however far back we follow his    
literature1 we never seem to approach a 
time when he was without this           
remarkable belief4 ,it is true that he  
also developed polytheistic ideas  and  
beliefs1 and that he cultivated them at 
certain periods of his  history with    

diligence1 and to such a degree that the
 nations around1  and even the stranger 
in his country1 were misled by his      
actions1 and  described him as a        
polytheistic idolater4 ,but             
notwithstanding all such  departures    
from observances1 the keeping of which  
befitted those who  believed in ,god and
 his unity1 this sublime idea was never 
lost sight  of2 on the contrary1 it is  
reproduced in the religious literature  
of all  periods4 ,whence came this      
remarkable characteristic of the        
,egyptian  religion no man can say1 and 
there is no evidence whatsoever to guide
 us  in formulating the theory that it  
was brought into ,egypt by immigrants   
from the ,east1 as some have said1 or   
that it was a natural product of  the   
indigenous peoples who formed the       
population of the valley of the  ,nile  
some ten thousand years ago1 according  
to the opinion of others4  ,all that is 
known is that it existed there at a     
period so remote that it  is useless to 

attempt to measure by years the interval
 of time which has  elapsed since it    
grew up and established itself in the   
minds of men1 and  that it is           
exceedingly doubtful if we shall ever   
have any very definite  knowledge on    
this interesting point4    ,but though  
we know nothing about the period of the 
origin in ,egypt of  the belief in the  
existence of an almighty ,god who was   
,one1 the  inscriptions show us that    
this ,being was called by a name which  
was  something like ,neter1 ,footnote3  
,there is no e in ,egyptian1 and this   
vowel is added merely to make the word  
pronounceable4 the picture sign  for    
which was an axe-head1 made probably of 
stone1 let into a long  wooden handle4  
,the coloured picture character shews   
that the axe-head  was fastened into the
 handle by thongs of leather or string1 
and judging  by the general look of the 
object it must have been a formidable   
weapon  in strong1 skilled hands4 ,a    
theory has recently been put forward to 

the  effect that the picture character  
represents a stick with a bit of        
coloured rag tied to the1 but it will   
hardly commend itself to any            
archaeologist4 ,the lines which cross   
the side of the axe-head represent      
string or strips of leather1 and        
indicate that it was made of stone      
which1 being brittle1 was liable to     
crack2 the picture characters which     
delineate the object in the latter      
dynasties shew that metal took the      
place of the stone axe-head1 and being  
tough the new substance needed no       
support4 ,the mightiest man in the      
prehistoric days was he who had the     
best weapon1 and knew how to wield it   
with the greatest effect2 when the      
prehistoric hero of many fights and     
victories passed to his rest1 his  own  
or a similar weapon was buried with him 
to enable him to wage war  successfully 
in the next world4 ,the mightiest man   
had the largest axe1  and the axe thus  
became the symbol of the mightiest man4 

,as he1 by  reason of the oft-told      
narrative of his doughty deeds at the   
prehistoric  camp fire at eventide1 in  
course of time passed from the rank of a
 hero  to that of a god1 the axe        
likewise passed from being the symbol of
 a  hero to that of a god4 ,far away    
back in the early dawn of civilization  
in ,egypt1 the object which ,i identify 
as an axe may have had some other       
signification1 but if it had1 it was    
lost long before the period of the  rule
 of the dynasties in that country4      
,passing now to the consideration of the
 meaning of the name for ,god1  neter1  
we find that great diversity of opinion 
exists among  ,egyptologists on the     
subject4 ,some1 taking the view that the
 equivalent  of the word exists in      
,coptic1 under the form of ,nuti1 and   
because  ,coptic is an ancient ,egyptian
 dialect1 have sought to deduce its     
meaning  by seeking in that language for
 the root from which the word may be    
derived4 ,but all such attempts have had

 no good result1 because the word  ,nuti
 stands by itself1 and instead of being 
derived from a ,coptic root  is itself  
the equivalent of the ,egyptian neter1  
,footnote3 ,the letter  r has dropped   
out in ,coptic through phonetic decay4  
and was taken  over by the translators  
of the ,holy ,scriptures from that      
language to  express the words ,god and 
,lord4 ,the ,coptic root nomti cannot in
  any way be connected with nuti1 and   
the attempt to prove that the two  are  
related was only made with the view of  
helping to explain the  fundamentals of 
the ,egyptian religion by means of      
,sanskrit and other  ,aryan analogies4  
,it is quite possible that the word     
neter means  strength1 power1 and the   
like1 but these are only some of its    
derived meanings1 and we have to look in
 the hieroglyphic inscriptions  for help
 in order to determine its most probable
 meaning4 ,the eminent  ,french         
,egyptologist1 ,e4 de ,roug1 connected  
the name of ,god1 neter1  with the other

 word neter1 renewal or renovation1 and 
it would1  according to his view1 seem  
as if the fundamental idea of ,god was  
that  of the ,being who had the power to
 renew himself perpetually--or in other 
words1 self-existence4 ,the late ,dr4   
,h4 ,brugsch partly accepted this  view1
 for he defined neter as being the      
active power which produces  and creates
 things in regular recurrence2 which    
bestows new life upon  them1 and gives  
back to them their youthful vigour4     
,footnote3  ,religion und ,mythologie1  
p4 #ic4 ,there seems to be no doubt     
that1  inasmuch as it is impossible to  
find any one word which will render     
neter adequately and satisfactorily1    
self-existence and possessing  the power
 to renew life indefinitely1 may        
together be taken as the  equivalent of 
neter in our own tongue1 ,m4 ,maspero   
combats rightly the  attempt to make    
strong the meaning of neter 7masc471 or 
neterit  7fem47 in these words3 ,in the 
expressions 'a town neterit 'an arm     

neteri1' 444 is it certain that 'a      
strong city1' 'a strong arm1' give  us  
the primitive sense of neter8 ,when     
among ourselves one says 'divine        
music1' 'a piece of divine poetry1' 'the
 divine taste of a peach1' 'the  divine 
beauty of a woman1' the word divine is a
 hyperbole1 but it  would be a mistake  
to declare that it originally meant     
'exquisite'  because in the phrases     
which ,i have imagined one could apply  
it as  'exquisite music1' 'a piece of   
exquisite poetry1' 'the exquisite taste 
of a peach1' 'the exquisite beauty of a 
woman4' ,similarly1 in ,egyptian1  'a   
town neterit is 'a divine town2' 'an arm
 netsri' is 'a divine  arm1' and neteri 
is employed metaphorically in ,egyptian 
as is the  word 'divine' in ,french1    
without its being any more necessary to 
attribute to the word neteri the        
primitive meaning of 'strong1' than  it 
is to attribute to the word 'divine' the
 primitive meaning of  'exquisite4'     
,footnote3 ,la ,mythologie ,egyptienne1 

p4 #bae4 ,it may be1  of course1 that   
neter had another meaning which is now  
lost1 but it  seems that the great      
difference between ,god and his         
messengers and  created things is that  
he is the ,being who is self-existent   
and  immortal1 whilst they are not      
self-existent and are mortal4    ,here  
it will be objected by those who declare
 that the ancient ,egyptian  idea of    
,god is on a level with that evolved by 
peoples and tribes who  stand           
comparatively little removed from very  
intelligent animals1 that  such high    
conceptions as self-existence and       
immortality belong to a  people who are 
already on a high grade of development  
and civilization4  ,this is precisely   
the case with the ,egyptians when we    
first know them4  ,as a matter of fact1 
we know nothing of their ideas of ,god  
before they  developed sufficiently to  
build the monuments which we know they  
built1  and before they possessed the   
religion1 and civilization1 and complex 

social system which their writings have 
revealed to us4 ,in the remotest        
prehistoric times it is probable that   
their views about ,god and the  future  
life were little better than those of   
the savage tribes1 now  living1 with    
whom some have compared them4 ,the      
primitive god was an  essential feature 
of the family1 and the fortunes of the  
god varied with  the fortunes of the    
family2 the god of the city in which a  
man lived was  regarded as the ruler of 
the city1 and the people of that city no
 more  thought of neglecting to provide 
him with what they considered to be due 
to his rank and position than they      
thought of neglecting to supply their   
own wants4 ,in fact the god of the city 
became the centre of the social  fabric 
of that city1 and every inhabitant      
thereof inherited  automatically certain
 duties1 the neglect of which brought   
stated pains  and penalties upon him4   
,the remarkable peculiarity of the      
,egyptian  religion is that the         

primitive idea of the god of the city is
 always  cropping up in it1 and that is 
the reason why we find semi-savage ideas
  of ,god side by side with some of the 
most sublime conceptions1 and it of     
course underlies all the legends of the 
gods wherein they possess all  the      
attributes of men and women4 ,the       
,egyptian in his semi-savage state  was 
neither better nor worse than any other 
man in the same stage of  civilization1 
but he stands easily first among the    
nations in his  capacity for            
development1 and in his ability for     
evolving conceptions  concerning ,god   
and the future life1 which are claimed  
as the peculiar  product of the cultured
 nations of our time4    ,we must now1  
however1 see how the word for ,god1     
neter1 is employed in  religious texts  
and in works which contain moral        
precepts4 ,in the text  of ,unas1       
,footnote3 ,ed ,maspero1 ,pyramides de  
,saqqarah2 p4 #be4 a king  who reigned  
about ,b4,c4 #ccjj1 we find the         

passage3--,that which is sent  by thy ka
 cometh to thee1 that which is sent by  
thy father cometh to  thee1 that which  
is sent by ,ra cometh to thee1 and it   
arriveth in the  train of thy ,ra4 ,thou
 art pure1 thy bones are the gods and   
the  goddesses of heaven1 thou existest 
at the side of ,god1 thou art           
unfastened1 thou comest forth towards   
thy soul1 for every evil word 7or       
thing7 which hath been written in the   
name of ,unas hath been done away4      
,and1 again1 in the text of ,teta1      
,footnote3 ,ibid41 p4 #aac4 in the      
passage which refers to the place in the
 eastern part of heaven where  the gods 
give birth unto themselves1 where that  
to which they give birth  is born1 and  
where they renew their youth1 it is said
 of this king1  ,teta standeth up in the
 form of the star444he weigheth words   
7or  trieth deeds71 and behold ,god     
hearkeneth unto that which he saith4    
,elsewhere ,footnote3 ,ed4 ,maspero1    
,pyramides da ,saqqarah1 p4 #aaa4 in    

the same text we read1 ,behold1 ,teta   
hath arrived in the height of  heaven1  
and the henmemet beings have seen him2  
the ,semketet ,footnote3  ,the morning  
boat of the sun4 boat knoweth him1 and  
it is ,teta who  saileth it1 and the    
,mantchet ,footnote3 ,the evening boat  
of the sun4  boat calleth unto him1 and 
it is ,teta who bringeth it to a        
standstill4  ,teta hath seen his body in
 the ,semketet boat1 he knoweth the     
uraeus  which is in the ,mantchet boat1 
and ,god hath called him in his         
name444and hath taken him in to ,ra4    
,and again ,footnote3 ,ibid41 p4  #aej4 
we have3 ,thou hast received the form   
7or attribute7 of ,god1 and  thou hast  
become great therewith before the gods2 
and of ,pepi ,i41 who  reigned about    
,b4,c4 #cjjj1 it is said1 ,this ,pepi is
 ,god1 the son of ,god4  ,footnote3     
,ibid41 p4 #bbb4 ,now in these passages 
the allusion is to  the supreme ,being  
in the next world1 the ,being who has   
the power to  invoke and to obtain a    

favourable reception for the deceased   
king by  ,ra1 the ,sun-god1 the type and
 symbol of ,god4 ,it may1 of course1 be 
urged that the word neter here refers to
 ,osiris1 but it is not  customary to   
speak of this god in such a way in the  
texts2 and even if  we admit that it    
does1 it only shows that the powers of  
,god have been  attributed to ,osiris1  
and that he was believed to occupy the  
position in  respect of ,ra and the     
deceased which the supreme ,being       
himself  occupied4 ,in the last two     
extracts given above we might read a god
  instead of ,god1 but there is no      
object in the king receiving the form   
or attribute of a nameless god2 and     
unless ,pepi becomes the son of ,god2   
the honour which the writer of that text
 intends to ascribe to the king  becomes
 little and even ridiculous4    ,passing
 from religious texts to works          
containing moral precepts1 we find  much
 light thrown upon the idea of ,god by  
the writings of the early  sages of     

,egypt4 ,first and foremost among these 
are the ,precepts of  ,kaqemna and the  
,precepts of ,ptah-hetep1 works which   
were composed as  far back as ,b4,c4    
#cjjj4 ,the oldest copy of them which we
 possess is1  unfortunately1 not older  
than ,b4,c4 #bejj1 but this fact in no  
way affects  our argument4 ,these       
precepts are intended to form a work of 
direction  and guidance for a young man 
in the performance of his duty towards  
the  society in which he lived and      
towards his ,god4 ,it is only fair to   
say  that the reader will look in vain  
in them for the advice which is found   
in writings of a similar character      
composed at a later period2 but as a    
work intended to demonstrate the whole  
duty of man to the youth of the  time   
when the ,great ,pyramid was still a new
 building1 these precepts  are very     
remarkable4 ,the idea of ,god held by   
,ptah-hetep is illustrated  by the      
following passages3--      #a4 ,thou    
shalt make neither man nor woman to be  

afraid1 for ,god is    opposed thereto2 
and if any man shall say that he will   
live thereby1    ,he will make him to   
want bread4      #b4 ,as for the        
nobleman who possesseth abundance of    
goods1 he may act    according to his   
own dictates2 and he may do with himself
 that which    he pleaseth2 if he will  
do nothing at all1 that also is as he   
pleaseth4 ,the nobleman by merely       
stretching out his hand doeth that      
which mankind 7or a person7 cannot      
attain to2 but inasmuch as the    eating
 of bread is according to the plan of   
,god1 this cannot be    gainsaid4       
#c4 ,if thou hast ground to till1 labour
 in the field which ,god hath    given  
thee2 rather than fill thy mouth with   
that which belongeth to    thy          
neighbours it is better to terrify him  
that hath possessions to    give them   
unto thee4      #d4 ,if thou abasest    
thyself in the service of a perfect man1
 thy    conduct shall be fair before    
,god4      #e4 ,if thou wouldst be a    

wise man1 make thou thy son to be       
pleasing    unto ,god4      #f4 ,satisfy
 those who depend upon thee as far as   
thou art able so to    do2 this should  
be done by those whom ,god hath         
favoured4      #g4 ,if1 having been of  
no account1 thou hast become great2 and 
if1    having been poor1 thou hast      
become rich2 and if thou hast become    
governor of the city1 be not            
hard-hearted on account of thy          
advancement1 because thou hast become   
merely the guardian of the    things    
which ,god hath provided4      #h4 ,what
 is loved of ,god is obedience2 ,god    
hateth disobedience4      #i4 ,verily a 
good son is of the gifts of ,god4       
,footnote3 ,the text was    published by
 ,prisse d',avennes1 entitled ,facsimile
 d'un papyrus    gyptien en caractres   
hieratiques1 ,paris1 #ahdg4 ,for a      
translation of    the whole work1 see   
,virey1 tudes sur le ,papyrus ,prisse1  
,paris1    #ahhg4    ,the same idea of  
,god1 but considerably amplified in some

 respects1 may  be found in the ,maxims 
of ,khensu-,hetep1 a work which was     
probably  composed during the           
,x,v,i,i,ith dynasty4 ,this work has    
been studied in  detail by a number of  
eminent ,egyptologists1 and though      
considerable  difference of opinion has 
existed among them in respect of details
 and  grammatical niceties1 the general 
sense of the maxims has been clearly    
established4 ,to illustrate the use of  
the word neter1 the following  passages 
have been chosen from it3,footnote3     
,they are given with  interlinear       
transliteration and translation in my   
,papyrus of ,ani1 p4  lxxxv4 ff41 where 
references to the older literature on   
the subject will  be found4--      #a4  
,god magnifieth his name4      #b4 ,what
 the house of ,god hateth is much       
speaking4 ,pray thou with a    loving   
heart all the petitions which are in    
secret4 ,he will perform    thy         
business1 he will hear that which thou  
sayest and will accept    thine         

offerings4      #c4 ,god decreeth the   
right4      #d4 ,when thou makest an    
offering unto thy ,god1 guard thou      
against the    things which are an      
abomination unto him4 ,behold thou his  
plans with    thine eye1 and devote     
thyself to the adoration of his name4   
,he giveth    souls unto millions of    
forms1 and him that magnifieth him doth 
he    magnify4      #e4 ,if thy mother  
raise her hands to ,god he will hear her
 prayers and    rebuke thee4      #g4   
,give thyself to ,god1 and keep thou    
thyself daily for ,god4    ,now1        
although the above passages prove the   
exalted idea which the  ,egyptians held 
of the supreme ,being1 they do not      
supply us with any of  the titles and   
epithets which they applied to him2 for 
these we must  have recourse to the fine
 hymns and religious meditations which  
form so  important a part of the ,book  
of the ,dead4 ,but before we quote from 
them1 mention must be made of the       
neteru1 i4e41 the beings or  existences 

which in some way partake of the nature 
or character of ,god1  and are usually  
called gods4 ,the early nations that    
came in contact  with the ,egyptians    
usually misunderstood the nature of     
these beings1 and  several modern       
,western writers have done the same4    
,when we examine these  gods closely1   
they are found to be nothing more nor   
less than forms1  or manifestations1 or 
phases1 or attributes1 of one god1 that 
god being  ,ra the ,sun-god1 who1 it    
must be remembered1 was the type and    
symbol  of ,god4 ,nevertheless1 the     
worship of the neteru by the ,egyptians 
has  been made the base of the charge of
 gross idolatry which has been  brought 
against them1 and they have been        
represented by some as being on  the low
 intellectual level of savage tribes4   
,it is certain that from the  earliest  
times one of the greatest tendencies of 
the ,egyptian religion  was towards     
monotheism1 and this tendency may be    
observed in all  important texts down to

 the latest period2 it is also certain  
that a  kind of polytheism existed in   
,egypt side by side with monotheism from
  very early times4 ,whether monotheism 
or polytheism be the older1 it is       
useless in our present state of         
knowledge to attempt to enquire4        
,according to ,tiele1 the religion of   
,egypt was at the beginning             
polytheistic1 but developed in two      
opposite directions3 in the one         
direction gods were multiplied by the   
addition of local gods1 and in the      
other the ,egyptians drew nearer and    
nearer to monotheism4 ,footnote3        
,geschiedenis van den ,godedienst in de 
,oudheid1 ,amsterdam1 #ahic1 p4 #be4  ,a
 number of valuable remarks on this     
subject are given by ,lieblein in       
,egyptian ,religion1 p4 #aj4 ,dr4       
,wiedemann takes the view that three    
main elements may be recognized in the  
,egyptian religion3 7#a7 ,a solar       
monotheism1 that is to say one god1 the 
creator of the universe1 who  manifests 

his power especially in the sun and its 
operations2 7#b7 ,a cult  of the        
regenerating power of nature1 which     
expresses itself in the  adoration of   
ithyphallic gods1 of fertile goddesses1 
and of a series of  animals and of      
various deities of vegetation2 7#c7 ,a  
perception of an  anthropomorphic       
divinity1 the life of whom in this world
 and in the  world beyond this was      
typical of the ideal life of man        
,footnote3 ,le  ,livre dei ,moris       
7,review in ,muson1 ,tom4 xiii4         
#ahic74--this last  divinity being1 of  
course1 ,osiris4 ,but here again1 as    
,dr4 ,wiedemann  says1 it is an         
unfortunate fact that all the texts     
which we possess are1  in respect of the
 period of the origin of the ,egyptian  
religion1  comparatively late1 and      
therefore in them we find these three   
elements  mixed together1 along with a  
number of foreign matters1 in such a way
 as  to make it impossible to discover  
which of them is the oldest4 ,no better 

example can be given of the loose way in
 which different ideas about a  god and 
,god are mingled in the same text than  
the ,negative ,confession  in the       
hundred and twenty-fifth chapter of the 
,book of the ,dead4 ,here1  in the      
oldest copies of the passages known1 the
 deceased says1 ,i have  not cursed ,god
 7#a4 #ch71 and a few lines after 7#a4  
#db7 he adds1 ,i have  not thought scorn
 of the god living in my city4 ,it seems
 that here we  have indicated two       
different layers of belief1 and that the
 older is  represented by the allusion  
to the god of the city1 in which case it
  would go back to the time when the    
,egyptian lived in a very primitive     
fashion4 ,if we assume that ,god 7who is
 mentioned in line #ch7 is ,osiris1  it 
does not do away with the fact that he  
was regarded as a being  entirely       
different from the god of the city and  
that he was of  sufficient importance to
 have one line of the ,confession       
devoted to  him4 ,the ,egyptian saw no  

incongruity in setting references to the
 gods  side by side with allusions to a 
god whom we cannot help identifying     
with the ,supreme ,being and the        
,creator of the world2 his ideas and    
beliefs have1 in consequence1 been sadly
 misrepresented1 and by certain  writers
 he has been made an object of ridicule4
 ,what1 for example1 could  be a more   
foolish description of ,egyptian worship
 than the following8  ,who knows not1 ,o
 ,volusius of ,bithynia1 the sort of    
monsters ,egypt1 in  her infatuation1   
worships4 ,one part venerates the       
crocodile2 another  trembles before an  
ibis gorged with serpents4 ,the image of
 a sacred  monkey glitters in gold1     
where the magic chords sound from       
,memnon broken  in half1 and ancient    
,thebes lies buried in ruins1 with her  
hundred  gates4 ,in one place they      
venerate sea-fish1 in another           
river-fish2  there1 whole towns worship 
a dog3 no one ,diana4 ,it is an impious 
act to  violate or break with the teeth 

a leek or an onion4 ,o holy nations6    
whose gods grow for them in their       
gardens6 ,every table abstains from     
animals that have wool3 it is a crime   
there to kill a kid4 ,but human  flesh  
is lawful food4    ,footnote3 ,juvenal1 
,satire ,,xv4 7,evans' translation in   
,bohn's ,series1 p4  #ahj74 ,led astray 
by ,juvenal1 our own good ,george       
,herbert 7,church  ,militant7 wrote3--  
,at first he 7i4e41 ,sin7 got to ,egypt1
 and did sow    ,gardens of gods1 which 
every year did grow    ,fresh and fine  
deities4 ,they were at great cost1      
,who for a god clearly a sallet lost4   
,ah1 what a thing is man devoid of      
grace1    ,adoring garlic with an humble
 face1    ,begging his food of that     
which he may eat1    ,starving the while
 he worshippeth his meat6    ,who makes 
a root his god1 how low is he1    ,if   
,god and man be severed infinitely6     
,what wretchedness can give him any     
room1    ,whose house is foul1 while he 
adores his broom8    ,the epithets which

 the ,egyptians applied to their gods   
also bear  valuable testimony concerning
 the ideas which they held about ,god4  
,we  have already said that the gods are
 only forms1 manifestations1 and  phases
 of ,ra1 the ,sun-god1 who was himself  
the type and symbol of  ,god1 and it is 
evident from the nature of these        
epithets that they were  only applied to
 the gods because they represented some 
qualify or  attribute which they would  
have applied to ,god had it been their  
custom  to address ,him4 ,let us take as
 examples the epithets which are applied
  to ,hapi the god of the ,nile4 ,the   
beautiful hymn ,footnote3 ,the whole    
hymn has been published by ,maspero in  
,hymns au ,nil1 ,paris1 #ahfh4 to  this 
god opens as follows3--      ,homage to 
thee1 ,o ,hapi6 ,thou comest forth in   
this land1 and dost    come in peace to 
make ,egypt to live1 ,o thou hidden one1
 thou guide of    the darkness          
whensoever it is thy pleasure to be its 
guide4 ,thou    waterest the fields     

which ,ra hath created1 thou makest all 
animals    to live1 thou makest the land
 to drink without ceasing2 thou         
descendest the path of heaven1 thou art 
the friend of meat and drink1    thou   
art the giver of the grain1 and thou    
makest every place of work    to        
flourish1 ,o ,ptah6 444 ,if thou wert to
 be overcome in heaven the    gods would
 fall down headlong1 and mankind would  
perish4 ,thou makest    the whole earth 
to be opened 7or ploughed up7 by the    
cattle1 and    prince and peasant lie   
down to rest4444 ,his disposition 7or   
form7 is    that of ,khnemu2 when he    
shineth upon the earth there is         
rejoicing1 for    all people are glad1  
the mighty man 787 receiveth his meat1  
and every    tooth hath food to consume4
    ,after praising him for what he does
 for mankind and beasts1 and for  making
 the herb to grow for the use of all    
men1 the text says3--      ,he cannot be
 figured in stone2 he is not to be seen 
in the sculptured    images upon which  

men place the united crowns of the      
,south and the    ,north furnished with 
uraei2 neither works nor offerings can  
be made to    him2 and he cannot be made
 to come forth from his secret place4   
,the    place where he liveth is        
unknown2 he is not to be found in       
inscribed    shrines2 there existeth no 
habitation which can contain him2 and   
thou    canst not conceive his form in  
thy heart4    ,first we notice that     
,hapi is addressed by the names of ,ptah
 and ,khnemu1  not because the writer   
thought these three gods were one1 but  
because  ,hapi as the great supplier of 
water to ,egypt became1 as it were1 a   
creative god like ,ptah and ,khnemu4    
,next we see that it is stated to be    
impossible to depict him in paintings1  
or even to imagine what his form  may   
be1 for he is unknown and his abode     
cannot be found1 and no place  can      
contain him4 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 
several pictures and  sculptures of     
,hapi have been preserved1 and we know  

that he is  generally depicted in the   
form of two gods2 one has upon his head 
a  papyrus plant1 and the other a lotus 
plant1 the former being the  ,nile-god  
of the ,south1 and the latter the       
,nile-god of the ,north4  ,elsewhere he 
is portrayed in the form of a large man 
having the breasts  of a woman4 ,it is  
quite clear1 then1 that the epithets    
which we have  quoted are applied to him
 merely as a form of ,god4 ,in another  
hymn1  which was a favourite in the     
,x,v,i,i,ith and ,x,i,xth dynasties1    
,hapi is  called ,one1 and is said to   
have created himself2 but as he is later
 on  in the text identified with ,ra the
 epithets which belong to the  ,sun-god 
are applied to him4 ,the late ,dr4 ,h4  
,brugsch collected ,footnote3  ,religion
 and ,mythologie1 pp4 #if-ii4 a number  
of the epithets which  are applied to   
the gods1 from texts of all periods2 and
 from these we  may see that the ideas  
and beliefs of the ,egyptians concerning
 ,god were  almost identical with those 

of the ,hebrews and ,muhammadans at     
later  periods4 ,when classified these  
epithets read thus3--      ,god is ,one 
and alone1 and none other existeth with 
,him2 ,god is the    ,one1 the ,one ,who
 hath made all things4      ,god is a   
spirit1 a hidden spirit1 the spirit of  
spirits1 the great    spirit of the     
,egyptians1 the divine spirit4      ,god
 is from the beginning1 and ,he hath    
been from the beginning2 ,he    hath    
existed from of old and was when nothing
 else had being4 ,he    existed when    
nothing else existed1 and what existeth 
,he created after    ,he had come into  
being4 ,he is the father of beginnings4 
,god is the eternal ,one1 ,he is eternal
 and infinite2 and endureth for    ever 
and aye2 ,he hath endured for countless 
ages1 and ,he shall endure    to all    
eternity4      ,god is the hidden       
,being1 and no man hath known ,his form4
 ,no man hath    been able to seek out  
,his likeness2 ,he is hidden1 from gods 
and men1    and ,he is a mystery unto   

,his creatures4      ,no man knoweth how
 to know ,him1 ,his name remaineth      
hidden2 ,his name    is a mystery unto  
,his children4 ,his names are           
innumerable1 they are    manifold and   
none knoweth their number4      ,god is 
truth1 and ,he liveth by truth1 and he  
feedeth thereon4 ,he is    the ,king of 
truth1 ,he resteth upon truth1 ,he      
fashioneth truth1 and ,he    executeth  
truth throughout all the world4         
,god is life1 and through ,him only man 
liveth1 ,he giveth life to man1    and  
,he breatheth the breath of life into   
his nostrils4      ,god is father and   
mother1 the father of fathers1 and the  
mother of    mothers4 ,he begetteth1 but
 was never begotten2 ,he produceth1 but 
was    never produced ,he begat ,himself
 and produced ,himself4 ,he createth1   
but    was never created2 ,he is the    
maker of ,his own form1 and the         
fashioner    of ,his own body4      ,god
 ,himself is existence ,he liveth in all
 things1 and liveth upon all    things4 

,he endureth without increase or        
diminution1 ,he multiplieth    ,himself 
millions of times1 and ,he possesseth   
multitudes of forms and    multitudes of
 members4      ,god hath made the       
universe1 and ,he hath created all that 
therein is3    ,he is the ,creator of   
what is in this world1 of what was1 of  
what is1    and of what shall be4 ,he is
 the ,creator of the world1 and it was  
,he    ,who fashioned it with ,his hands
 before there was any beginning2 and ,he
    stablished it with that which went  
forth from ,him4 ,he is the ,creator    
of the heavens and the earth2 the       
,creator of the heavens1 and the        
earth1 and the deep2 the ,creator of the
 heavens1 and the earth1 and    the     
deep1 and the waters1 and the mountains4
 ,god hath stretched out    the heavens 
and founded the earth4 ,what ,his heart 
conceived came to    pass straightway1  
and when ,he had spoken ,his word came  
to pass1 and it    shall endure for     
ever4      ,god is the father of the    

gods1 and the father of the father of   
all    deities2 ,he made ,his voice to  
sound1 and the deities came into being1 
and the gods sprang into existence after
 ,he had spoken with ,his mouth4    ,he 
formed mankind and fashioned the gods4  
,he is the great ,master1 the           
primeval ,potter ,who turned men and    
gods out of ,his hands1 and ,he         
formed men and gods upon a potter's     
table4      ,the heavens rest upon ,his 
head1 and the earth supporteth ,his     
feet2    heaven hideth ,his spirit1 the 
earth hideth ,his form1 and the         
underworld shutteth up the mystery of   
,him within it4 ,his body is like    the
 air1 heaven resteth upon ,his head1 and
 the new inundation of the    ,nile     
containeth ,his form4      ,god is      
merciful unto those who reverence ,him1 
and ,he heareth him that    calleth upon
 ,him4 ,he protecteth the weak against  
the strong1 and ,he    heareth the cry  
of him that is bound in fetters2 ,he    
judgeth between    the mighty and the   

weak1 ,god knoweth him that knoweth     
,him1 ,he    rewardeth him that serveth 
,him1 and ,he protecteth him that       
followeth    ,him4    ,we have now to   
consider the visible emblem1 and the    
type and symbol of  ,god1 namely the    
,sun-god ,ra1 who was worshipped in     
,egypt in  prehistoric times4 ,according
 to the writings of the ,egyptians1     
there was  a time when neither heaven   
nor earth existed1 and when nothing had 
being  except the boundless primeval    
,footnote3 ,see ,brugsch1 ,religion1 p4 
#aja4 water1 which was1 however1        
shrouded with thick darkness4 ,in this  
condition the primeval water remained   
for a considerable time1                
notwithstanding that it contained within
 it the germs of the things  which      
afterwards came into existence in this  
world1 and the world  itself4 ,at length
 the spirit of the primeval water felt  
the desire for  creative activity1 and  
having uttered the word1 the world      
sprang  straightway into being in the   

form which had already been depicted in 
the mind of the spirit before he spake  
the word which resulted in its          
creation4 ,the next act of creation1 was
 the formation of a germ1 or egg1  from 
which sprang ,ra1 the ,sun-god1 within  
whose shining form was  embodied the    
almighty power of the divine spirit4    
,such was the outline of creation as    
described by the late ,dr4 ,h4          
,brugsch1 and it is curious to see how  
closely his views coincide with a       
chapter in the ,papyrus of ,nesi ,amsu  
preserved in the ,british ,museum4      
,footnote3 ,no4 #aj1ahh4 ,see my        
transcript and translation of the whole 
papyrus in ,archaeologia vol4 #eb1      
,london1 #ahja4 ,in the third section   
of this papyrus we find a work which was
 written with the sole object of        
overthrowing ,apep1 the great enemy of  
,ra1 and in the composition  itself we  
find two versions of the chapter which  
describes the creation  of the earth and
 all things therein4 ,the god           

,neb-er-tcher is the  speaker1 and he   
says3--      ,i evolved the evolving of 
evolutions4 ,i evolved myself under the 
form    of the evolutions of the god    
,khepera1 which were evolved at the     
beginning of all time4 ,i evolved with  
the evolutions of the god    ,khepera2  
,i evolved by the evolution of          
evolutions--that is to say1 ,i          
developed myself from the primeval      
matter which ,i made1 ,i developed      
myself out of the primeval matter4 ,my  
name is ,ausares 7,osiris71 the    germ 
of primeval matter4 ,i have wrought my  
will wholly in this earth1    ,i have   
spread abroad and filled it1 ,i have    
strengthened it with my    hand4 ,i was 
alone1 for nothing had been brought     
forth2 ,i had not then    emitted from  
myself either ,shu or ,tefnut4 ,i       
uttered my own name1 as a    word of    
power1 from my own mouth1 and ,i        
straightway evolved myself4 ,i          
evolved myself under the form of the    
evolutions of the god ,khepera1    and  

,i developed myself out of the primeval 
matter which has evolved    multitudes  
of evolutions from the beginning of     
time4 ,nothing existed    on this earth 
then1 and ,i made all things4 ,there was
 none other who    worked with me at    
that time4 ,i performed all evolutions  
there by means    of that divine ,soul  
which ,i fashioned there1 and which had 
remained    inoperative in the watery   
abyss4 ,i found no place there whereon  
to    stand4 ,but ,i was strong in my   
heart1 and ,i made a foundation for     
myself1 and ,i made everything which was
 made4 ,i was alone4 ,i made a          
foundation for my heart 7or will71 and  
,i created multitudes of    things which
 evolved themselves like unto the       
evolutions of the god    ,khepera1 and  
their offspring came into being from the
 evolutions of    their births4 ,i      
emitted from myself the gods ,shu and   
,tefnut1 and from    being ,one ,i      
became ,three2 they ,illustration3 ,,the
 ,,creation4 ,the god ,nu    rising out 

of the primeval water and bearing in his
 hands the boat of    ,ra1 the ,sun-god1
 who is accompanied by a number of      
deities4 ,in the    upper portion of the
 scene is the region of the underworld  
which is    enclosed by the body of     
,osiris1 on whose head stands the       
goddess ,nut    with arms stretched out 
to receive the disk of the sun4 sprang  
from    me1 and came into existence in  
this earth4 444,shu and ,tefnut brought 
forth ,seb and ,nut1 and ,nut brought   
forth ,osiris1 ,horus-khent-an-maa1     
,sut1 ,isis1 and ,nephthya at one birth4
    ,the fact of the existence of two   
versions of this remarkable ,chapter    
proves that the composition is much     
older than the papyrus ,footnote3       
,about ,b4,c4 #cjj4 in which it is      
found1 and the variant readings which   
occur in each make it certain that the  
,egyptian scribes had difficulty  in    
understanding what they were writing4   
,it may be said that this  version of   
the cosmogony is incomplete because it  

does not account for  the origin of any 
of the gods except those who belong to  
the cycle of  ,osiris1 and this         
objection is a valid one2 but in this   
place we are only  concerned to shew    
that ,ra1 the ,sun-god1 was evolved from
 the primeval  abyss of water by the    
agency of the god ,khepera1 who brought 
this result  about by pronouncing his   
own name4 ,the great cosmic gods1 such  
as ,ptah  and ,khnemu1 of whom mention  
will be made later1 are the offspring of
  another set of religious views1 and   
the cosmogony in which these play  the  
leading parts is entirely different4 ,we
 must notice1 in passing1  that the god 
whose words we have quoted above        
declares that he evolved  himself under 
the form1 of ,khepera1 and that his name
 is ,osiris1 the  primeval matter of    
primeval matter1 and that1 as a result1 
,osiris is  identical with ,khepera in  
respect of his evolutions and new       
births4 ,the  word rendered evolutions  
is kheperu1 literally rollings2 and that

  rendered primeval matter is paut1 the 
original stuff out of which  everything 
was made4 ,in both versions we are told 
that men and women  came into being from
 the tears which fell from the ,eye of  
,khepera1  that is to say from the ,sun1
 which1 the god says1 ,i made take to up
 its  place in my face1 and afterwards  
it ruled the whole earth4    ,we have   
seen how ,ra has become the visible type
 and symbol of ,god1  and the creator of
 the world and of all that is therein2  
we may now  consider the position which 
he held with1 respect to the dead4 ,as  
far  back as the period of the ,i,vth   
dynasty1 about ,b4,c4 #cgjj1 he was     
regarded  as the great god of heaven1   
and the king of all the gods1 and divine
  beings1 and of the beatified dead who 
dwelt therein4 ,the position of the     
beatified in heaven is decided by ,ra1  
and of all the gods there  ,osiris only 
appears to have the power to claim      
protection for his  followers2 the      
offerings which the deceased would make 

to ,ra are  actually presented to him by
 ,osiris4 ,at one time the ,egyptian's  
greatest  hope seems to have been that  
he might not only become ,god1 the son  
of  ,god1 by adoption1 but that ,ra     
would become actually his father4 ,for  
in the text of ,pepi ,i1 ,footnote3 ,ed4
 ,maspero1 line #egj4 it is said3  ,pepi
 is the son of ,ra who loveth him2 and  
he goeth forth and raiseth  himself up  
to heaven4 ,ra hath begotten ,pepi1 and 
he goeth forth and  raiseth himself up  
to heaven4 ,ra hath conceived ,pepi1 and
 he goeth  forth and raiseth himself up 
to heaven4 ,ra hath given birth1 to     
,pepi1 and he goeth forth and raiseth   
himself up to heaven4  ,substantially   
these ideas remained the same from the  
earliest to the  latest times1 and ,ra  
maintained his position as the great    
head of the  companies1 notwithstanding 
the rise of ,amen into prominence1 and  
the  attempt to make ,aten the dominant 
god of ,egypt by the so-called ,disk    
worshippers4 ,the following good typical

 examples of ,hymns to ,ra are  taken   
from the oldest copies of the ,theban   
,recension of the ,book of the  ,dead4  
,i4 ,,from ,,the ,,papyrus ,,of ,,ani4  
,footnote3 ,see ,the ,chapters of       
,coming ,forth  by ,day1 p4 #c4         
,homage to thee1 ,o thou who hast come  
as ,khepera1 ,khepera the creator    of 
the gods4 ,thou risest and thou shinest1
 and thou makest light to be    in thy  
mother ,nut 7i4e41 the sky72 thou art   
crowned king of the    gods4 ,thy mother
 ,nut doeth an act of homage unto thee  
with both her    hands4 ,the laud of    
,manu 7i4e41 the land where the sun     
sets7    receiveth thee with            
satisfaction1 and the goddess ,maat     
embraceth    thee both1 at morn and at  
eve4 ,footnote3 i4e41 ,maat1 the goddess
    of law1 order1 regularity1 and the  
like1 maketh the sun to rise each    day
 in his appointed place and at his      
appointed time with absolute and        
unfailing regularity4 ,hail1 all ye gods
 of the ,temple of the ,soul1           

,footnote3 i4e41 the soul referred to   
above in the account of the    creation2
 see p4 #bd4 who weigh heaven and earth 
in the balance1 and    who provide      
divine food in abundance6 ,hail1        
,tatunen1 thou ,one1 thou    ,creator of
 mankind and ,maker of the substance of 
the gods of the south    and of the     
north1 of the west and of the east6 ,o  
come ye and acclaim    ,ra1 the lord of 
heaven and the ,creator of the gods1 and
 adore ye    him in his beautiful form  
as he cometh in the morning in his      
divine    bark4      ,o ,ra1 those who  
dwell in the heights and those who dwell
 in the    depths adore thee4 ,the god  
,thoth and the goddess ,maat have marked
    out for thee thy course for each and
 every day4 ,thine enemy the    ,serpent
 hath been given over to the fire1 the  
serpent-fiend ,sebau hath    fallen down
 headlong2 his arms have been bound in  
chains1 and thou    hast hacked off his 
legs2 and the sons of impotent revolt   
shall    nevermore rise up against thee4

 ,the ,temple of the ,aged ,one         
,footnote3    i4e41 ,ra of ,heliopolis4 
7i4e41 ,ra7 keepeth festival1 and    the
 voice of those who rejoice is in the   
mighty dwelling4 ,the gods    exult when
 they see thy rising1 ,o ,ra1 and when  
thy beams flood the    world with light4
 ,the ,majesty of the holy god goeth    
forth and    advanceth even unto the    
land of ,manu2 he maketh brilliant the  
earth at    his birth each day2 he      
journeyeth on to the place where he was 
yesterday4      ,,ii4 ,,from ,,the      
,,papyrus ,,of ,,hunefer4 ,footnote3    
,from the ,papyrus of ,hunefer  7,brit4 
,mus4 ,no4 #iija74      ,homage to thee1
 ,o thou who art ,ra when thou risest   
and ,temu when    thou settest4 ,thou   
risest1 thou risest1 thou shinest1 thou 
shinest1 ,o    thou who art crowned king
 of the gods4 ,thou art the lord of     
heaven1    thou art the lord of earth2  
thou art the creator of those who dwell 
in    the heights1 and of those who     
dwell in the depths4 ,thou art the ,one 

,god who came into being in the         
beginning of time4 ,thou didst create   
the earth1 thou didst fashion man1 thou 
didst make the watery abyss of    the   
sky1 thou didst form ,hapi 7i4e41 the   
,nile71 thou didst create    the great  
deep1 and thou dost give life unto all  
that therein is4 ,thou    hast knit     
together the mountains1 thou hast made  
mankind and the    beasts of the field  
to come into being1 thou hast made the  
heavens and    the earth4 ,worshipped be
 thou whom the goddess ,maat embraceth  
at morn    and at eve4 ,thou dost travel
 across the sky with thy heart swelling 
with joy2 the great deep of heaven is   
content thereat4 ,the    serpent-fiend  
,nak ,footnote3 ,a name of the ,serpent 
of darkness which    ,ra slew daily4    
hath fallen1 and his arms are cut off4  
,the ,sektet    ,footnote3 ,the boat in 
which ,ra sailed from noon to sunset4   
boat    receiveth fair winds1 and the   
heart of him that is in the shrine      
thereof rejoiceth4      ,thou art       

crowned ,prince of heaven1 and thou art 
the ,one dowered with    all sovereignty
 who appearest in the sky4 ,ra is he who
 is true of    voice4 ,footnote3 i4e41  
whatsoever ,ra commandeth taketh place  
straightway2 see the ,chapter on the    
,judgment of the ,dead1 p4 #aaj4        
,hail1 thou divine youth1 thou heir of  
everlastingness1 thou    self-begotten  
,one6 ,hail1 thou who didst give thyself
 birth6 ,hail1 ,one1    thou mighty     
being1 of myriad forms and aspects1 thou
 king of the    world1 prince of ,annu  
7,heliopolis71 lord of eternity1 and    
ruler of    everlastingness6 ,the       
company of the gods rejoice when thou   
risest and    dost sail across the sky1 
,o thou who art exalted in the ,sektet  
boat4      ,homage to thee1 ,o          
,amen-,ra1 ,footnote3 ,on the god ,amen1
 see the    chapter1 ,the ,gods of the  
,egyptians4 who dost rest upon ,maat2   
,footnote3 i4e41 thy existence1 and thy 
risings and settings are    ordered and 
defined by fixed1 unchanging1 and       

unalterable law4 thou    passest over   
heaven and every face seeth thee4 ,thou 
dost wax great as    thy ,majesty doth  
advance1 and thy rays are upon all      
faces4 ,thou art    unknown1 and no     
tongue can declare thy likeness2 thou   
thyself alone    canst do this4 ,thou   
art ,one444 ,men praise thee in thy     
name1 and they    swear by thee1 for    
thou art lord over them4 ,thou hearest  
with thine    ears1 and thou seest with 
thine eyes4 ,millions of years have gone
 over    the world4 ,i cannot tell the  
number of those through which thou hast 
passed4 ,thy heart hath decreed a day of
 happiness in thy name of               
',traveller4' ,thou dost pass over and  
dost travel through untold spaces       
requiring millions and hundreds of      
thousands of years to pass    over2 thou
 passest through them in peace1 and thou
 steerest thy way    across the watery  
abyss to the place which thou lovest2   
this thou    doest in one little moment 
of time1 and then thou dost sink down   

and    dost make an end of the hours4   
,,iii4 ,,from ,,the ,,papyrus ,,of      
,,ani4 ,footnote3 ,plate #bj4    ,the   
following beautiful composition1 part   
hymn and part prayer1 is of  exceptional
 interest4      ,hail1 thou ,disk1 thou 
lord of rays1 who risest on the horizon 
day by    day6 ,shine thou with thy     
beams of light upon the face of ,osiris 
,ani1    who is true of voice2 for he   
singeth hymns of praise unto thee at    
dawn1 and he maketh thee to set at      
eventide with words of adoration1       
,may the soul of ,ani come forth with   
thee into heaven1 may he go forth    in 
the ,matet boat1 may he come into port  
in the ,sektet boat1 and    may he      
cleave his path among the never-resting 
stars in the heavens4      ,osiris ,ani1
 being in peace and triumph1 adoreth his
 lord1 the lord of    eternity1 saying1 
',homage to thee1 ,o ,heru-,khuti       
7,harmachis71 who art    the god        
,khepera1 the self-created one2 when    
thou risest on the horizon    and       

sheddest thy beams of light upon the    
lands of the ,north and of the          
,south1 thou art beautiful1 yea         
beautiful1 and all the gods rejoice     
when they behold thee1 the king of      
heaven4 ,the goddess ,nebt-,unnut is    
stablished upon thy head2 and her uraei 
of the ,south and of the ,north    are  
upon thy brow2 she taketh up her place  
before thee4 ,the god4 ,thoth    is     
stablished in the bows of thy boat to   
destroy utterly all thy foes4    ,those 
who are in the ,tuat 7underworld7 come  
forth to meet thee1 and    they bow low 
in homage as they come towards thee1 to 
behold thy    beautiful form4 ,and ,i   
have come before thee that ,i may be    
with thee to    behold thy ,disk each   
day4 ,may ,i not be shut up in the tomb1
 may ,i    not be turned back1 may the  
limbs of my body be made new again when 
,i    view thy beauties1 even as are    
those of all thy favoured ones1         
because ,i am one of those who          
worshipped thee upon earth4 ,may ,i come

    unto the land of eternity1 may ,i   
come even unto the everlasting land1    
for behold1 ,o my lord1 this hast thou  
ordained for me4'      ',homage to thee1
 ,o thou who risest in thy horizon as   
,ra1 thou    restest upon ,maat1        
,footnote3 i4e41 unchanging and         
unalterable    law4 ,thou passest over  
the sky1 and every face watcheth thee   
and thy    course1 for thou hast been   
hidden from their gaze4 ,thou dost show 
thyself at dawn and at eventide day by  
day4 ,the ,sektet boat1 wherein1    is  
thy ,majesty1 goeth forth with might2   
thy beams are upon all    faces2 thy    
rays of red and yellow cannot be known1 
and thy bright    beams cannot be told4 
,the lands of the gods and the eastern  
lands of    ,punt ,footnote3 i4e41 the  
east and west coasts of the ,red ,sea1  
and    the north-east coast of ,africa4 
must be seen ere that which1 is         
hidden in thee may be measured4         
,footnote3 ,i am doubtful about the     
meaning of this passage4 ,alone and by  

thyself thou1 dost manifest    thyself  
when thou comest into being above ,nu4  
,may ,i advance1 even as    thou dost   
advance2 may ,i never cease to go       
forward1 even as thy    ,majesty ceaseth
 not to go forward1 even though it be   
for a moment2    for with strides dost  
thou in one brief moment pass over      
spaces which    man would need hundreds 
of thousand2 yea1 millions of years to  
pass    over2 this thou doest1 and then 
thou dost sink to rest4 ,thou puttest   
an end to the hours of the night1 and   
thou dost count them1 even thou2    thou
 endest them in thine own appointed     
season1 and the earth1    becometh      
light1 ,thou settest thyself before thy 
handiwork in the    likeness of ,ra2    
thou risest in the horizon4'            
,osiris2 the scribe ,ani1 declareth his 
praise of thee when thou    shinest1 and
 when thou risest at dawn he crieth in  
his joy at thy    birth1 saying3--      
',thou art crowned with the majesty of  
thy beauties2 thou mouldest thy    limbs

 as thou dost advance1 and thou bringest
 them forth without    birth-pangs in   
the form of ,ra1 as thou dost rise up in
 the    celestial height4 ,grant thou   
that ,i may come unto the heaven which  
is    everlasting1 and unto the mountain
 where dwell thy favoured ones4 ,may    
,i be joined unto those shining beings1 
holy and perfect1 who are in    the     
underworld2 and may ,i come forth with  
them to behold thy beauties    when thou
 shinest at eventide1 and goest to thy  
mother ,nut4 ,thou dost    place thyself
 in the west1 and my hands adore thee   
when thou settest    as a living being4 
,footnote3 i4e41 because when thou      
settest thou    dost not die4 ,behold1  
thou art the everlasting creator1 and   
thou art    adored as such when thou    
settest in the heavens4 ,i have given my
    heart to thee without wavering1 ,o  
thou who art mightier than the    gods4'
      ,a hymn of praise to thee1 ,o thou
 who risest like unto gold1 and who     
dost flood the world with light on the  

day of thy birth4 ,thy mother    giveth 
thee birth1 and straightway thou dost   
give light upon the path    of thy      
,disk1 ,o thou great ,light who shinest 
in the heavens4 ,thou    makest the     
generations of men to flourish through  
the ,nile-flood1 and    thou dost cause 
gladness to exist in all lands1 and in1 
all cities1    and in all temples4 ,thou
 art glorious by reason of thy          
splendours1 and    thou makest strong   
thy ,,ka 7i4e4 ,double7 with1 divine    
foods1 ,o thou    mighty one of         
victories1 thou ,power of ,powers1 who  
dost make strong    thy throne against  
evil fiends--thou who art glorious in   
,majesty in    the ,sektet boat1 and    
most mighty in the ,atet ,footnote3 ,the
 ,sun's    evening and morning boats    
respectively4 boat6 ,this selection may 
be    fittingly closed by a short hymn  
,footnote3 ,from the ,papyrus of ,nekht 
7,brit4 ,mus4 ,no4 #aj1dga74 which1     
though1 of a later date1 reproduces     
in a brief form all the essentials of   

the longer hymns of the ,x,v,i,i,ith    
dynasty 7about ,b4,c4 #agjj to #adjj74  
,homage to thee1 ,o thou glorious       
,being1 thou who art dowered with all   
sovereignty4 ,o ,temu-,harma-chis1      
,footnote3 ,the evening and morning     
sun respectively4 when thou risest in   
the horizon of heaven1 a cry of    joy  
cometh forth1 to thee from the mouth of 
all peoples1 ,o thou    beautiful       
,being1 thou dost renew thyself in thy  
season in the form of    the ,disk      
within thy mother ,hathor2 ,footnote3   
,like ,nut1 a goddess of    the sky1 but
 particularly of that portion of it in  
which the sun    rises4 therefore in    
every place every heart swelleth with   
joy at thy    rising for ever4 ,the     
regions of the ,north and ,south come to
 thee with    homage1 and send forth1   
acclamations at thy rising in the       
horizon of    heaven2 thou illuminest   
the two lands with rays of turquoise    
light4    ,hail1 ,ra1 thou who art      
,ra-,harmachis1 thou divine man-child1  

heir    of eternity1 self-begotten and  
self-born1 king of the earth1 prince of 
the underworld1 governor of the regions 
of ,aukert 7i4e4 the    underworld76    
,thou didst come forth1 from the water1 
thou hast sprung    from the god ,nu1   
who cherisheth thee and ordereth thy    
members4 ,hail1    god of life1 thou    
lord of love1 all men live when thou    
shinest2 thou    art crowned king of the
 gods4 ,the goddess ,nut doeth homage   
unto thee1    and the goddess ,maat     
embraceth thee at all times4 ,those who 
are in    thy following sing unto thee  
with joy and bow down their foreheads to
    the earth when they meet thee1 thou 
lord of heaven1 thou lord of    earth1  
thou king of ,right and ,truth1 thou    
lord of eternity1 thou    prince of     
everlastingness1 thou sovereign of all  
the gods1 thou god of    life1 thou     
creator of eternity1 thou maker of      
heaven1 wherein thou art    firmly      
established4 ,the company of the gods   
rejoice at thy rising1 the    earth is  

glad when it beholdeth thy rays2 the    
peoples that have been    long dead come
 forth with cries of joy to see thy     
beauties every day4    ,thou goest forth
 each day over heaven and earth1 and art
 made strong    each day by thy mother  
,nut4 ,thou passest through the heights 
of    heaven1 thy heart swelleth with   
joy2 the abyss of the sky is content    
thereat4 ,the ,serpent-fiend hath       
fallen1 his arms are hewn off1 and the  
knife hath cut asunder his joints1 ,ra  
liveth in ,maat the    beautiful4 ,the  
,sektet boat draweth on and cometh into 
port2 the ,south    and the ,north1 the 
,west and the ,east1 turn1 to praise    
thee1 ,o thou    primeval substance of  
the earth who didst come into being of  
thine own    accord1 ,isis and ,nephthys
 salute thee1 they sing unto thee songs 
of    joy at thy rising in the boat1    
they protect thee with their hands4 ,the
    souls of the ,east follow thee1 the 
souls of the ,west praise thee4 ,thou   
art the ruler of all the gods1 and thou 

hast joy of heart within thy    shrine2 
for the ,serpent-fiend ,nak hath been   
condemned to the fire1 and    thy heart 
shall be joyful for ever4    ,from the  
considerations set forth in the         
preceding pages1 and from the  extracts 
from religious texts of various periods1
 and from the hymns  quoted1 the reader 
may himself judge the views which the   
ancient  ,egyptian held concerning ,god 
,almighty and his visible type and      
symbol  ,ra1 the ,sun-god4              
,egyptologists differ in their          
interpretations of  certain passages1   
but agree as to general facts4 ,in      
dealing with the  facts it cannot be too
 clearly understood that the religious  
ideas of  the prehistoric ,egyptian were
 very different from those of the       
cultured  priest of ,memphis in the     
,i,ind dynasty1 or those of the         
worshippers of  ,temu or ,atum1 the god 
of the setting sun1 in the ,i,vth       
dynasty4 ,the  editors of religious     
texts of all periods have retained many 

grossly  superstitious and coarse       
beliefs1 which they knew well to be the 
products of the imaginations of their   
savage1 or semi-savage ancestors1  not  
because they themselves believed in     
them1 or thought that the laity  to whom
 they ministered would accept them1 but 
because of their  reverence for         
inherited traditions4 ,the followers of 
every great  religion in the world have 
never wholly shaken off all the         
superstitions  which they have in all   
generations inherited from their        
ancestors2 and  what is true of the     
peoples of the past is true1 in a       
degree1 of the  peoples of to-day4 ,in  
the ,east the older the ideas1 and      
beliefs1 and  traditions1 are1 the more 
sacred they become2 but this has not    
prevented  men there from developing    
high moral and spiritual conceptions and
  continuing to believe in them1 and    
among such must be counted the ,one1    
self-begotten1 and self-existent ,god   
whom the ,egyptians worshipped4         

,,chapter ,,ii4      ,,osiris ,,the     
,,god ,,of ,,the ,,resurrection4    ,the
 ,egyptians of every period in which    
they are known to us believed  that     
,osiris was of divine origin1 that he   
suffered death and mutilation  at the   
hands of the powers of evil1 that after 
a great struggle with  these powers he  
rose again1 that he became henceforth   
the king of the  underworld and judge of
 the dead1 and that because he had      
conquered  death the righteous also     
might conquer death2 and they raised    
,osiris to  such an exalted position in 
heaven that he became the equal and1 in 
certain cases1 the superior of ,ra1 the 
,sun-god1 and ascribed to him  the      
attributes which belong unto ,god4      
,however far back we go1 we find  that  
these views about ,osiris are assumed to
 be known to the reader of  religious   
texts and accepted by him1 and in the   
earliest funeral book  the position of  
,osiris in respect of the other gods is 
identical with  that which he is made to

 hold in the latest copies of the ,book 
of the  ,dead4 ,the first writers of the
 ancient hieroglyphic funeral texts and 
their later editors have assumed so     
completely that the history of  ,osiris 
was known unto all men1 that none of    
them1 as far as we know1  thought it    
necessary to write down a connected     
narrative of the life and  sufferings   
upon earth of this god1 or if they did1 
it has not come down  to us4 ,even in   
the ,vth dynasty we find ,osiris and the
 gods of his cycle1  or company1        
occupying a peculiar and special place  
in the compositions  written for the    
benefit of the dead1 and the stone and  
other monuments  which belong to still  
earlier periods mention ceremonies the  
performance  of which assumed the       
substantial accuracy of the history of  
,osiris as  made known to us by later   
writers4 ,but we have a connected       
history of  ,osiris which1 though not   
written in ,egyptian1 contains so much  
that is  of ,egyptian origin that we may

 be sure that its author drew his       
information from ,egyptian sources3 ,i  
refer to the work1 ,de ,iside et        
,osride1 of the ,greek writer1          
,plutarch1 who flourished about the     
middle  of the first century of our era4
 ,in it1 unfortunately1 ,plutarch       
identifies certain of the ,egyptian gods
 with the gods of the ,greeks1 and  he  
adds a number of statements which rest  
either upon his own  imagination1 or are
 the results of misinformation4 ,the    
translation  ,footnote3 ,plutarchi de   
,iside et ,osirids liber3 ,graece et    
,anglice4 ,by  ,s4 ,squire1 ,cambridge1 
#agdd4 by ,squire runs as follows3--    
,rhea1 ,footnote3 i4e41 ,nut4 say they1 
having accompanied ,saturn    ,footnote3
 i4e41 ,seb4 by stealth1 was discovered 
by the ,sun1    ,footnote3 i4e41 ,ra4   
who hereupon denounced a curse upon her1
    'that she should not he delivered in
 any month or year'--,mercury1          
however1 being likewise in love with the
 same goddess1 in recompense    of the  

favours which he had received from her1 
plays at tables with    the ,moon1 and  
wins from her the seventieth part of    
each of her    illuminations2 these     
several parts1 mating in the whole five 
days1 he    afterwards joined together1 
and added to the three hundred and      
sixty1    of which the year formerly    
consisted1 which days therefore are even
    yet called by the ,egyptians the    
,epact or superadded1 and observed by   
them as the birthdays of their gods4    
,for upon the first of them1 say        
they1 was ,,osiris born1 just at whose  
entrance into the world a voice    was  
heard1 saying1 ',the lord of all the    
earth is born4' ,there are some         
indeed who relate this circumstance in a
 different manner1 as that a    certain 
person1 named ,pamyles1 as he was       
fetching water from the    temple of    
,jupiter at ,thebes1 heard a voice      
commanding him to proclaim    aloud that
 'the good and great king ,osiris was   
then born'2 and that    for this reason 

,saturn committed the education of the  
child to him1    and that in memory of  
this event the ,pamylia were afterwards 
instituted1 a festival much resembling  
the ,phalliphoria or ,priapeia of    the
 ,greeks4 ,upon the second of these days
 was ,,aroueris ,footnote3    i4e41     
,hera-ur1 ,horus the ,elder4 born1 whom 
some call ,apollo1 and    others        
distinguish by the name of the elder    
,orus4 ,upon the third ,typho           
,footnote3 i4e41 ,set4 came into the    
world1 being born neither at    the     
proper time1 nor by the proper place1   
but forcing his way through    a wound  
which he had made in his mother's side4 
,,isis was born upon the    fourth of   
them in the marshes of ,egypt1 as       
,,nepthys was upon the last1    whom    
some call ,teleute and ,aphrodite1 and  
others ,nike--,now as to the    fathers 
of these children1 the two first of them
 are said to have been    begotten by   
the ,sun1 ,isis by ,mercury1 ,typho and 
,nepthys by ,saturn2 and    accordingly1

 the third of these superadded days1    
because it was looked    upon as the    
birthday of ,typho1 was regarded by the 
kings as    inauspicious1 and           
consequently they neither transacted any
 business on    it1 or even suffered    
themselves to take any refreshment until
 the    evening4 ,they further add1 that
 ,typho married ,nepthys2 and that ,isis
    and ,osiris1 having a mutual        
affection1 loved each other in their    
mother's womb before they were born1 and
 that from this commerce    sprang      
,aroueris1 whom the ,egyptians likewise 
call the elder ,orus1 and    the ,greeks
 ,apollo4      ,osiris1 being now become
 king of ,egypt1 applied himself towards
    civilizing his countrymen1 by       
turning them from their former indigent 
and barbarous course of life2 he        
moreover taught them how to cultivate   
and improve the fruits of the earth2 he 
gave them a body of laws to    regulate 
their conduct by1 and instructed them in
 that reverence and    worship which    

they were to pay to the gods4 ,with the 
same good    disposition he afterwards  
travelled over the rest of the world    
inducing the people everywhere to submit
 to his discipline2 not indeed          
compelling them by force of arms1 but   
persuading them to yield to the         
strength of his reasons1 which were     
conveyed to them in the most            
agreeable manner1 in hymns and songs1   
accompanied by instruments of    music3 
from which last circumstance the ,greeks
 conclude him to have    been the same  
with their ,dionysius or                
,bacchus--,during ,osiris' absence      
from his kingdom1 ,typho had no         
opportunity of making any innovations   
in the state1 ,isis being extremely     
vigilant in the government1 and         
always upon her guard4 ,after his       
return1 however1 having first           
persuaded seventy-two other persons to  
join with him in the    conspiracy1     
together with a certain queen of        
,ethiopia named ,aso1 who    chanced to 

be in ,egypt at that time1 he contrived 
a proper stratagem    to execute his    
base designs4 ,for having privily taken 
the measure of    ,osiris' body1 he     
caused a chest to be made exactly of the
 same size    with it1 as beautiful as  
may be1 and set off with all the        
ornaments of    art4 ,this chest he     
brought into his banqueting-room2 where1
 after it    had been much admired by   
all who were present1 ,typho1 as it were
 in    jest1 promised to give it to any 
one of them whose body upon trial it    
might be found to fit4 ,upon this the   
whole company one after another1    go  
into it2 but as it did not fit any of   
them1 last of all ,osiris lays          
himself down in it1 upon which the      
conspirators immediately ran            
together1 clapped the cover upon it1 and
 then fastened it down on the    outside
 with nails1 pouring likewise melted    
lead over it4 ,after this    they       
carried it away to the river side1 and  
conveyed it to the sea by    the        

,tanatic mouth of the ,nile2 which1 for 
this reason1 is still held    in the    
utmost abomination by the ,egyptians1   
and never named by them    but with     
proper marks of detestation4 ,these     
things1 say they1 were    thus executed 
upon the #agth ,footnote3 ,in the       
,egyptian calendar this    day was      
marked triply unlucky4 day of the month 
,athyr1 when the sun    was in ,scorpio1
 in the #bhth year of ,osiris' reign2   
though there are    others who tell us  
that he was no more than #bh years old  
at this time4      ,the first who knew  
the accident which had befallen their   
king were    the ,pans and ,satyrs who  
inhabited the country about ,chemmis    
7,panopolis72 and they immediately      
acquainting the people with the news    
gave the first occasion to the name     
,panic ,terrors1 which has ever    since
 been made use of to signify any sudden 
affright or amazement of    a multitude4
 ,as to ,isis1 as soon as the report    
reached her she    immediately cut off  

one of the locks of her hair1 ,footnote3
 ,the hair    cut off as a sign of      
mourning was usually laid in the tomb of
 the    dead4 and put on mourning       
apparel upon the very spot where she    
then    happened to be1 which           
accordingly from this accident has ever 
since    been called ,koptis1 or the    
city of mourning1 though some are of    
opinion that this word rather signifies 
deprivation4 ,after this she    wandered
 everywhere about the country full of   
disquietude and    perplexity in search1
 of the chest1 inquiring of every person
 she met    with1 even1 of some children
 whom she chanced to see1 whether they  
knew what was become of it4 ,now it     
happened that these children had    seen
 what ,typho's accomplices had done with
 the body1 and accordingly    acquainted
 her by what mouth of the ,nile it had  
been conveyed into the    sea--,for this
 reason therefore the ,egyptians look   
upon children as    endued with a kind  
of faculty of divining1 and in          

consequence of this    notion are very  
curious in observing the accidental     
prattle which they    have with one     
another whilst they are at play         
7especially if it be in    a sacred     
place71 forming omens and presages from 
it--,isis1 during this    interval1     
having been informed that ,osiris1      
deceived by her sister    ,nepthys who  
was in love with him1 had unwittingly   
united with her    instead of herself1  
as she concluded from the               
melilot-garland1    ,footnote3 i4e41 a  
wreath of clover4 which he had left with
 her1    made it her business likewise  
to search out the child1 the fruit of   
this unlawful commerce 7for her sister1 
dreading the anger of her    husband    
,typho1 had exposed it as soon as it was
 born71 and    accordingly1 after much  
pains and difficulty1 by means of some  
dogs    that conducted her to the place 
where it was1 she found it and bred it  
up2 so that in process of time it became
 her constant guard and    attendant1   

and from hence obtained the name of     
,anubis1 being thought    to watch and  
guard the gods1 as dogs do mankind4     
,at length she receives more particular 
news of the chest1 that it had    been  
carried by the waves of the sea to the  
coast of ,byblos1    ,footnote3 ,not the
 ,byblos of ,syria 7,jebl7 but the      
papyrus swamps of    the ,delta4 and    
there gently lodged in the branches of a
 bush of    ,tamarisk1 which1 in a short
 time1 had shot up into a large and     
beautiful tree1 growing round the chest 
and enclosing it on every    side1 so   
that it was not to be seen2 and farther1
 that the king of the    country1 amazed
 at its unusual size1 had cut the tree  
down1 and made    that part of the trunk
 wherein the chest was concealed1 a     
pillar to    support2 the roof of his   
house4 ,these things1 say they1 being   
made    known to ,isis in an            
extraordinary manner by the report of   
,demons1 sue    immediately went to     
,byblos2 where1 setting herself down by 

the side of    a fountain1 she refused  
to speak to anybody1 excepting only to  
the    queen's women who chanced to be  
there2 these indeed she saluted and     
caressed in the kindest manner possible1
 plaiting their hair for them1    and   
transmitting into them part of that     
wonderfully grateful odour    which     
issued from her own body4 ,this raised a
 great desire in the    queen their     
mistress to see the stranger who had    
this admirable    faculty of transfusing
 so fragrant a smell from herself into  
the hair    and skin of other people4   
,she therefore sent for her to court1   
and1    after a further acquaintance    
with her1 made her nurse to one of her  
sons4 ,now the name of the king who     
reigned at this time at ,byblos1 was    
,meloarthus1 as that of his queen was   
,astarte1 or1 according to others1      
,saosis1 though some call her ,nemanoun1
 which answers to the ,greek name       
,athenais4      ,isis fed the child by  
giving it her finger to suck instead of 

the    breast2 she likewise put him     
every night into the fire in order to   
consume his mortal part1 whilst         
transforming herself into a swallow1    
she hovered round the pillar and        
bemoaned her sad fate4 ,thus continued  
she to do for some time1 till the queen1
 who stood watching her1    observing   
the child to be all in a flame1 cryed   
out1 and thereby    deprived him of that
 immortality which would otherwise have 
been    conferred upon him4 ,the        
,goddess upon this1 discovering herself1
    requested that the pillar1 which    
supported the roof1 might be given      
her2 which she accordingly took down1   
and then easily cutting it open1        
after she had taken1 out what she       
wanted1 she wrapped up the remainder    
of the trunk in fine linnen1 and pouring
 perfumed oil upon it1    delivered it  
again into the hands of the king and    
queen 7which piece    of wood is to this
 day preserved in the temple of ,isis1  
and worshipped    by the people of      

,byblos74 ,when this was done1 she threw
 herself upon    the chest1 making at   
the same time such a loud and terrible  
lamentation over it1 as frightened the  
younger of the king's sons1 who    heard
 her1 out of his life4 ,but the elder of
 them she took with1 her    and set sail
 with the chest for ,egypt2 and it being
 now about morning1    the river        
,phaedrus sending forth a rough and     
sharp air1 she in her    anger dried up 
its current4      ,no sooner was she    
arrived at a desart place1 where she    
imagined    herself to be alone1 but she
 presently opened the chest1 and laying 
her face upon her dead husband's1       
embraced his corpse1 and wept           
bitterly2 but1 perceiving that the      
little boy had silently stolen    behind
 her1 and found out the occasion of her 
grief1 she turned    herself about on   
the sudden1 and in her anger gave him so
 fierce and    stern a look that he     
immediately died of the affright4       
,others indeed    say that his death did

 not happen in this manner1 but1 as was 
hinted    above1 that he fell into the  
sea1 and afterwards received the        
greatest    honours on account of the   
,goddess2 for that the ,maneros1        
,footnote3 ,a    son of the first       
,egyptian king1 who died in his early   
youth2 see    ,herodotus1 ii4 #gi4 whom 
the ,egyptians so frequently call upon  
in    their banquets1 is none other than
 this very boy4 ,this relation is       
again contradicted by such as tell us   
that the true name of the child    was  
,palaestinus1 or ,pelusius1 and that the
 city of this name was built    by the  
,goddess in memory of him2 adding       
farther1 that the ,maneros    above     
mentioned is thus honoured by the       
,egyptians at their feasts1    because  
he was the first who invented music4    
,there are others1 again1    who affirm 
that ,maneros is not the name of any    
particular person1 but    a mere        
customary form1 and complimental manner 
of greeting made use of    by the       

,egyptians one towards another at their 
more solemn feasts and    banquets1     
meaning no more by it1 than to wish1    
that what they were    then about might 
prove fortunate and happy to them1 for  
that this is    the true import of the  
word4 ,in like manner1 say they1 the    
human    skeleton1 which at these times 
of jollity is carried about in a box1   
and shewn to all the guests1 is not     
designed1 as some imagine1 to           
represent the particular misfortunes of 
,osiris1 but rather to remind    them of
 their mortality1 and thereby to excite 
them freely to make use    of and to    
enjoy the good things which are set     
before them1 seeing they    must quickly
 become such as they there saw2 and that
 this is the true    reason of          
introducing it at their banquets--but to
 proceed in the    narration4      ,isis
 intending a visit to her son ,orus1 who
 was brought up at ,butus1    deposited 
the chest in the meanwhile in a remote  
and unfrequented    place3 ,typho       

however1 as he was one night hunting by 
the light of the    moon1 accidentally  
met with it2 and knowing the body which 
was    enclosed in it1 tore it into     
several pieces1 fourteen1 in all1       
dispersing them up and down1 in         
different parts of the country--,upon   
being made acquainted with this event1  
,isis once more sets out in    search of
 the scattered fragments of her         
husband's body1 making use of    a boat 
made of the reed ,papyrus in order the  
more easily to pass thro'    the lower  
and fenny parts of the country--,for    
which1 reason1 say they1    the         
crocodile never touches any persons1 who
 sail in this sort of    vessels1 as    
either fearing the anger of the goddess1
 or else    respecting it on account of 
its having once carried her4 ,to this   
occasion therefore is it to be imputed1 
that there are so many    different     
sepulchres of ,osiris shewn1 in ,egypt2 
for we are told1 that    wherever ,isis 
met with any of the scattered limbs of  

her husband1 she    there buried it4    
,there are others however who contradict
 this    relation1 and tell us1 that    
this variety of ,sepulchres was owing   
rather to the policy of the queen1 who1 
instead of the real body1 as    was     
pretended1 presented these several      
cities with the image only of    her    
husband3 and that she did this1 not only
 to render the honours1    which would  
by this means be paid to his memory1    
more extensive1 but    likewise that she
 might hereby elude the malicious search
 of ,typho2    who1 if he got the better
 of ,orus in the war wherein they were  
going    to be engaged1 distracted by   
this multiplicity of ,sepulchres1 might 
despair of being able to find the true  
one--we are told moreover1 that         
notwithstanding all her search1 ,isis   
was never able to recover the    member 
of ,osiris1 which having been thrown    
into the ,nile immediately    upon its  
separation from the rest of the body1   
had been devoured by    the ,lepidotus1 

the ,phagrus1 and the ,oxyrynchus1 fish 
which of all    others1 for this reason1
 the ,egyptians have in more especial   
avoidance4 ,in order however to make    
some amends for the loss1 ,isis         
consecrated the ,phallus made in        
imitation of it1 and instituted a       
solemn festival to its memory1 which is 
even1 to this day observed by    the    
,egyptians4      ,after these things1   
,osiris returning from the other world1 
appeared    to his son ,orus1 encouraged
 him to the battle1 and at the same time
    instructed him in the exercise of   
arms4 ,he then asked him1 'what he      
thought was the moat glorious action a  
man could perform8' to which    ,orua   
replied1 'to revenge the injuries       
offered to his father and    mother4'   
,he then asked him1 'what animal he     
thought most serviceable    to a        
soldier8' and being answered 'a horse'2 
this raised the wonder of    ,osiris1 so
 that he farther questioned him1 'why he
 preferred a horse    before a lion8'   

because1 adds ,orus1 'tho' the lion be  
the more    serviceable creature to one 
who stands in need of help1 yet is the  
horse ,footnote3 ,the horse does not    
appear to have been known in ,egypt     
before the ,x,v,i,i,ith dynasty2 this   
portion of ,plutarch's version of the   
history of ,osiris must1 then1 be later 
than ,b4,c4 #aejj4 more useful in       
overtaking and cutting off a flying     
adversary4' ,these replies much         
rejoiced ,osiris1 as they showed him    
that his son was sufficiently           
prepared for his enemy--,we are moreover
 told1 that among the great    numbers  
who were continually deserting from     
,typho's party was his    concubine     
,thueris1 and that a serpent pursuing   
her as she was coming    over to ,orus1 
was slain by her soldiers--the memory of
 which action1    say they1 is still    
preserved in that cord which is thrown  
into the    midst of their assemblies1  
and then chopt into pieces--,afterwards 
it    came to a battle between1 them    

which lasted many days2 but victory at  
length inclined to ,orus1 ,typho himself
 being taken prisoner4 ,isis    however1
 to whose custody he was committed1 was 
so far from putting    him to death1    
that she even loosed his bonds and set  
him at liberty4    ,this action of his  
mother so extremely incensed ,orus1 that
 he laid    hands upon her1 and pulled  
off the ensign of royalty which she wore
 on    her head2 and instead thereof    
,hermes clapt on an helmet made in the  
shape of an oxe's head--,after this1    
,typho publicly accused ,orus of        
bastardy2 but by the assistance of      
,hermes 7,thoth7 his legitimacy was     
fully established by the judgment of the
 ,gods themselves--,after this2    there
 were two other battles fought between  
them1 in both of which    ,typho had the
 worst4 ,furthermore1 ,isis is said to  
have accompanied    with ,osiris after  
his death1 and in consequence hereof to 
have brought    forth ,harpocrates1 who 
came into the world before his time1 and

 lame    in his lower limbs4    ,when we
 examine this story by the light of the 
results of hieroglyphic  decipherment1  
we find that a large portion of it is   
substantiated by  ,egyptian texts3 e4g41
 ,osiris was the son of ,seb and ,nut2  
the ,epact is  known in the ,calendars  
as the five additional days of the year2
 the  five gods1 ,osiris1 ,horus1 ,set1 
,isis1 and ,nephthys1 were born on the  
days  mentioned by ,plutarch2 the #agth 
day of ,athyr 7,hathor7 is marked as    
triply unlucky in the ,calendars2 the   
wanderings and troubles of ,isis are    
described1 and lamentations which she is
 supposed to have uttered are  found in 
the texts2 lists of the shrines of      
,osiris are preserved in  several       
inscriptions2 the avenging of his father
 by ,horus is referred to  frequently in
 papyri and other documents2 the        
conflict between ,set and  ,horus is    
described fully in a papyrus in the     
,british ,museum 7,no4  #aj1ahd72 a hymn
 in the papyrus of ,hunefer relates all 

that ,thoth  performed for ,osiris2 and 
the begetting of ,horus by ,osiris after
 death  is mentioned in a hymn to       
,osiris dating from the ,x,v,i,i,ith    
dynasty in the  following passage3--    
,thy sister put forth her protecting    
power for thee1 she scattered    abroad 
those who were her enemies1 she drove   
away evil hap1 she    pronounced mighty 
words of power1 she made cunning her    
tongue1 and her    words failed not4    
,the glorious ,isis was perfect in      
command and in    speech1 and she       
avenged her brother4 ,she sought him    
without ceasing1    she wandered round  
and round the earth uttering cries of   
pain1 and she    rested 7or alighted7   
not until she had found him4 ,she       
overshadowed    him with her feathers1  
she made air 7or wind7 with her wings1  
and    she uttered cries at the burial  
of her brother4 ,she raised up the      
prostrate form of him whose heart was   
still1 she took from him of his         
essence1 she conceived and brought forth

 a child1 she suckled it in    secret1  
and none knew the place thereof2 and the
 arm of the child hath    waxed strong  
in the great house of ,seb4 ,the company
 of the gods    rejoice1 and are glad at
 the coming of ,osiris's son ,horus1 and
 firm of    heart and triumphant is the 
son of ,isis1 the heir of ,osiris4      
,footnote3 ,this remarkable hymn was    
first made known by ,chabas1 who        
published a translation of it1 with     
notes1 in ,revue ,archologique1         
,paris1 #aheg1 t4 xiv4 p4 #fe ff4       
,illustration3 #a4 ,isis suckling her   
child ,horus in the papyrus swamps4  #b4
 ,thoth giving the emblem of magical    
protection to ,isis4 #c4 ,amen-,ra      
presenting the symbol of life to ,isis4 
#d4 ,the goddess ,nekhebet  presenting  
years1 and life1 stability1 power1 and  
sovereignty to the son  of ,osiris4 #e4 
,the goddess ,sati presenting periods of
 years1 and life1  stability1 power1 and
 sovereignty to the son of ,osiris4     
,what form the details of the history of

 ,osiris took in the early  dynasties it
 is impossible to say1 and we know not  
whether ,osiris was  the god of the     
resurrection to the predynastic or      
prehistoric ,egyptians1  or whether that
 rle was attributed to him after ,mena  
began to rule in  ,egypt4 ,there is1    
however1 good reason for assuming that  
in the earliest  dynastic times he      
occupied the position of god and judge  
of those who  had risen from the dead by
 his help1 for already in the ,i,vth    
dynasty1  about ,b4,c4 #chjj1 king      
,mea-kau-,ra 7the ,mycerinus of the     
,greeks7 is  identified with him1 and on
 his coffin not only is he called       
,osiris1  ,king of the ,south and       
,north1 ,men-kau-,ra1 living for ever1  
but the  genealogy of ,osiris is        
attributed to him1 and he is declared to
 be born  of heaven1 offspring of ,nut1 
flesh and bone of ,seb4 ,it is evident  
that  the priests of ,heliopolis edited 
the religious texts copied and          
multiplied in the ,college to suit their

 own views1 but in the early  times when
 they began their work1 the worship of  
,osiris was so  widespread1 and the     
belief in him as the god of the         
resurrection so  deeply ingrained in the
 hearts of the ,egyptians1 that even in 
the  ,heliopolitan system of theology   
,osiris and his cycle1 or company of    
gods1 were made to hold a very prominent
 position4 ,he represented to men  the  
idea of a man who was both god and man1 
and he typified to the  ,egyptians in   
all ages the being who by reason of his 
sufferings and  death as a man could    
sympathize with them in their own       
sickness and  death4 ,the idea of his   
human personality also satisfied their  
cravings  and yearnings for intercourse 
with a being who1 though he was partly  
divine1 yet had much in common with     
themselves4 ,originally they looked     
upon ,osiris as a man who lived on the  
earth as they lived1 who ate and  drank1
 who suffered a cruel death1 who by the 
help of certain gods  triumphed over    

death1 and attained unto everlasting    
life4 ,but what  ,osiris did they could 
do1 and what the gods did for ,osiris   
they must  also do for them1 and as the 
gods brought about his resurrection so  
they  must bring about theirs1 and as   
they made him the ruler of the          
underworld so they must make them to    
enter his kingdom and to live there  as 
long as the god himself lived4 ,osiris1 
in some of his aspects1 was  identified 
with the ,nile1 and with ,ra1 and with  
several other gods  known to the        
,egyptians1 but it was in his aspect as 
god of the  resurrection and of eternal 
life that he appealed to men in the     
valley  of the ,nile2 and for thousands 
of years men and women died believing   
that1 inasmuch as all that was done for 
,osiris would be done for them          
symbolically1 they like him would rise  
again1 and inherit life  everlasting4   
,however far back we trace religious    
ideas in ,egypt1 we  never approach a   
time when it can be said that there did 

not exist a  belief in the              
,resurrection1 for everywhere it is     
assumed that ,osiris  rose from the     
dead2 sceptics must have existed1 and   
they probably asked  their priests what 
the ,corinthians asked ,saint ,paul1    
,how are the dead  raised up8 and with  
what body do they come8 ,but beyond     
doubt the belief  in the ,resurrection  
was accepted by the dominant classes in 
,egypt4 ,the  ceremonies which the      
,egyptians performed with the view of   
assisting the  deceased to pass the     
ordeal of the judgment1 and to overcome 
his enemies  in the next world1 will be 
described elsewhere1 as also will be the
 form  in which the dead were raised up2
 we therefore return to the theological 
history of ,osiris4    ,the centre and  
home of the worship of ,osiris in ,egypt
 under the early  dynasties was ,abydos1
 where the head of the god was said to  
be buried4  ,it spread north and south  
in the course of time1 and several large
  cities claimed to possess one or other

 of the limbs of his body4 ,the  various
 episodes in the life of the god were   
made the subject of solemn              
representations in the temple1 and      
little by little the performance of  the
 obligatory and non-obligatory services 
in connection with them  occupied1 in   
certain temples1 the greater part of the
 time of the  priests4 ,the original    
ideas concerning the god were forgotten 
and new  ones grew up2 from being the   
example of a man who had risen from the 
dead and had attained unto life         
everlasting1 he became the cause of  the
 resurrection of the dead2 and the power
 to bestow eternal life upon  mortals   
was transferred from the gods to him4   
,the alleged dismemberment  of ,osiris  
was forgotten in the fact that he dwelt 
in a perfect body in  the underworld1   
and that1 whether dismembered or not1 he
 had become  after his death the father 
of ,horus by ,isis4 ,as early as the    
,x,i,ith  dynasty1 about ,b4,c4 #bejj1  
the worship of this god had become      

almost  universal1 and a thousand years 
later ,osiris had become a sort of      
national god4 ,the attributes of the    
great cosmic gods were ascribed to  him1
 and he appeared to man not only as the 
god and judge of the dead1  but also as 
the creator of the world and of all     
things in it4 ,he who was  the son of   
,ra became the equal of his father1 and 
he took his place  side by side with him
 in heaven4    ,we have an interesting  
proof of the identification of ,osiris  
with ,ra  in ,chapter ,,xvii4 of the    
,book of the ,dead4 ,it will be         
remembered that  this ,chapter consists 
of a series of what might almost be     
called  articles of faith1 each of which
 is followed by one or more explanations
  which represent one or more quite     
different opinions2 the ,chapter also   
is accompanied by a series of           
,vignettes4 ,in line #aaj it is said1 ,i
 am  the soul which dwelleth in the two 
tchafi1 ,footnote3 i4e41 the  souls of  
,osiris and ,ra4 ,what is this then8 ,it

 is ,osiris when he  goeth into ,tattu  
7i4e41 ,busiris7 and findeth there the  
soul of ,ra2  there the one god         
embraceth the other1 and souls spring   
into being  within the two tchafi4 ,in  
the ,vignette which illustrates this    
passage  the souls of ,ra and ,osiris   
are seen in the forms of hawks standing 
on  a pylon1 and facing each other in   
,tattu2 the former has upon his head a  
disk1 and the latter1 who is            
human-headed1 the white crown4 ,it is a 
noticeable fact that even at his meeting
 with ,ra the soul of ,osiris  preserves
 the human face1 the sign of his kinship
 with man4    ,now ,osiris became not   
only the equal of ,ra1 but1 in many     
respects1 a  greater god than he4 ,it is
 said1 that from the nostrils of the    
head of  ,osiris1 which was buried at   
,abydos1 came forth the scarabaeus      
,footnote3  ,see von ,berginaun in ,aeg 
,zeitschrift1 #ahhj1 p4 #hh ff4 which   
was at  once the emblem and type of the 
god ,khepera1 who caused all things to  

come into being1 and of the             
resurrection4 ,in this manner ,osiris   
became  the source and origin of gods1  
men1 and things1 and ,illustration3 ,the
  soul of ,ra 7#a7 meeting the soul of  
,osiris 7#b7 in ,tattu4 ,the cat  7i4e41
 ,ra7 by the ,persea tree 7#c7 cutting  
off the head of the  serpent which      
typified night4 the manhood of the god  
was forgotten4 ,the  next step was to   
ascribe to him the attributes of ,god1  
and in the  ,x,v,i,i,ith and ,x,i,xth   
dynasties he seems to have disputed the 
sovereignty of  the three companies of  
gods1 that is to say of the trinity of  
trinities  of trinities1 ,footnote3     
,each company of the gods contained     
three  trinities or triads4 with        
,amen-,ra1 who by this time was usually 
called the king of the gods4 ,the ideas 
held concerning ,osiris at this  period 
will best be judged by the following    
extracts from contemporary  hymns3--    
,glory ,footnote3 ,see ,chapters of     
,coming ,forth by ,day 7translation71   

p4 #aa4 be to thee1 ,o ,osiris1         
,un-nefer1 the great god within ,abtu   
7,abydos71 king of eternity1 lord of    
everlastingness1 who passest    through 
millions of years in thy existence4 ,the
 eldest son of the womb    of ,nut1     
engendered by ,seb the ,ancestor of the 
gods1 lord of the    crowns of the      
,south and of the ,north1 lord of the   
lofty white crown2    as prince of gods 
and men he hath received the crook and  
the whip1 and    the dignity of his     
divine fathers4 ,let thy heart1 which   
dwelleth in    the mountain of ,ament1  
be content1 for thy son ,horus is       
stablished    upon thy throne4 ,thou art
 crowned lord of ,tattu 7,busiris7 and  
ruler in    ,abydos4      ,praise       
,footnote3 ,ibid41 p4 #cd4 be unto thee1
 ,o ,osiris1 lord of    eternity1       
,un-nefer1 ,heru-,khuti 7,harmachis7    
whose forms are manifold1    and whose  
attributes are great1 who art           
,ptah-,seker-,tem in ,annu              
7,heliopolis71 the lord of the hidden   

place1 and the creator of               
,het-ka-,ptah 7,memphis7 and of the gods
 therein1 the guide of the              
underworld1 whom the gods glorify when  
thou settest in ,nut4 ,isis    embraceth
 thee in peace1 and she driveth away the
 fiends from the    mouth of thy paths4 
,thou turnest thy face upon ,amentet1   
and thou    makest the earth to shine as
 with refined copper4 ,the dead rise up 
to    see thee1 they breathe the air and
 they look upon thy face when the       
disk riseth on its horizon2 their hearts
 are at peace1 inasmuch as    they      
behold thee1 ,o thou who art eternity   
and everlastingness4    ,in the latter  
extract ,osiris is identified with the  
great gods of  ,heliopolis and ,memphis1
 where shrines of the ,sun-god existed  
in almost  pre-dynastic times1 and      
finally is himself declared to be       
eternity and  everlastingness2 thus the 
ideas of resurrection and immortality   
are  united in the same divine being4   
,in the following ,litany the process of

  identification with the gods is       
continued3--      #a4 ,homage to thee1  
,o thou who art the starry deities in   
,annu1 and the    heavenly beings in    
,kher-aba2 ,footnote3 ,a district near  
,memphis4 thou    god ,unti1 ,footnote3 
,a god who walks before the boat of the 
god1 ,af1    holding a star in each     
hand4 who art more glorious than the    
gods who    are hidden in ,annu4 ,o     
grant thou unto me a path whereon ,i may
 pass in    peace1 for ,i am just and   
true2 ,i have not spoken lies wittingly1
 nor    have ,i done aught with deceit4 
#b4 ,homage to thee1 ,o ,an in ,antes1  
,harmachis2 thou stridest over    heaven
 with1 long strides1 ,o ,harmachis4 ,o  
grant thou unto me a path1    etc4      
,footnote3 ,this petition is only       
written once1 but it is intended    to  
be repeated after each of the nine      
sections of the ,litany4      #c4       
,homage to thee1 ,o soul of             
everlastingness1 thou ,soul who dwellest
    in ,tattu1 ,un-nefer1 son of ,nut2  

thou art lord of ,akert 7i4e41 the      
underworld74 ,o grant thou unto me a    
path1 etc4      #d4 ,homage to thee in  
thy dominion over ,tattu2 the ,ureret   
crown is    stablished upon thy head2   
thou art the ,one who maketh the        
strength    which protecteth himself1   
and thou dwellest in peace in ,tattu4 ,o
 grant    thou unto me a path1 etc4     
#e4 ,homage to thee1 ,o lord of the     
,acacia ,footnote3 ,this tree was in    
,heliopolis1 and the ,cat1 i4e41 the    
,sun1 sat near it4 7,see p4 #fc74       
tree1 the ,seker boat ,footnote3 ,the   
ceremony of setting the ,seker boat     
on its sledge was performed at dawn4 is 
set upon its sledge2 thou    turnest    
back the ,fiend1 the worker of ,evil1   
and thou causest the    ,utchat 7i4e41  
the ,eye of ,horus or ,ra71 to rest upon
 its seat4 ,o    grant thou unto me a   
path1 etc4      #f4 ,homage to thee1 ,o 
thou who art mighty in thine hour1 thou 
great    and mighty ,prince1 dweller in 
,an-rut-f1 ,footnote3 ,the place where  

nothing grows--the underworld4 lord of  
eternity and creator of                 
everlastingness1 thou art the lord of   
,suten-henen 7i4e41    ,heracleopolis   
,magna74 ,o grant1 etc4      #g4 ,homage
 to thee1 ,o thou who restest upon      
,right and ,truth1 thou art    lord of  
,abydos1 and thy limbs are joined unto  
,ta-tchesert 7i4e41 the    ,holy ,land1 
the underworld72 thou art he to whom    
fraud and guile are    hateful4 ,o      
grant1 etc4      #h4 ,homage to thee1 ,o
 thou who art within thy boat2 thou     
bringest    ,hapi 7i4e41 the ,nile7     
forth from his source2 the light shineth
    upon thy body1 and thou art the     
dweller in ,nekhen4 ,o grant1 etc4      
#i4 ,homage to thee1 ,o creator of the  
gods1 thou king of the ,south and    of 
the ,north1 ,o ,osiris1 victorious one1 
ruler of the world in thy    gracious   
seasons2 thou art the lord of the       
celestial world4 ,o grant1    etc4      
,and1 again3 ,ra setteth as ,osiris with
 all the diadems of the divine  spirits 

and of the gods of ,amentet4 ,he is the 
one divine form1 the  hidden one of the 
,tuat1 the holy ,soul at the head of    
,amentet1 ,un-nefer1  whose duration of 
life is for ever and ever4 ,footnote3   
,see ,chapters  of ,coming ,forth by    
,day1 p4 #ccd4 ,we have already referred
 to the help  which ,thoth gave to ,isis
 when he provided her with the words    
which  caused her dead husband to live  
again1 but the best summary of the good 
deeds which this god wrought for ,osiris
 is contained in a hymn in the  ,papyrus
 of ,hunefer1 ,footnote3 ,ibid41 p4     
#cdc4 where the deceased  is made to    
say3--      ,i have come unto thee1 ,o  
son of ,nut1 ,osiris1 ,prince of        
everlastingness2 ,i am1 in the following
 of the god ,thoth1 and ,i have         
rejoiced at everything which he hath    
done for thee4 ,he brought the    sweet 
air into thy nostrils1 and life and     
strength to thy beautiful    face2 and  
the north wind which cometh forth from  
,temu for thy    nostrils1 ,o lord of   

,ta-tchesert4 ,he made the god ,shu to  
shine upon    thy body2 he illumined thy
 path with rays of light2 he destroyed  
for    thee the faults and defects of   
thy members by the magical power of the 
words of his mouth2 he made ,set and    
,horus to be at peace for thy sake2     
he destroyed the storm-wind and the     
hurricane2 he made the two    combatants
 7i4e41 ,set and ,horus7 to be gracious 
unto thee and the    two lauds to be at 
peace before thee2 he did away the wrath
 which was    in their hearts1 and each 
became reconciled unto his brother      
7i4e41    thyself74      ,thy son ,horus
 is triumphant in the presence of the   
full assembly of    the gods1 the       
sovereignty over the world hath been    
given unto him1 and    his dominion     
extendeth unto the uttermost parts of   
the earth4 ,the    throne of the god    
,seb hath been adjudged unto him1       
together with the    rank which was     
created by the god ,temu1 and which hath
 been stablished    by decrees made in  

the ,chamber of ,archives1 and hath been
 inscribed    upon an iron tablet       
according to the command of thy father  
,ptah-,tanen    when he sat upon the    
great throne4 ,he hath set his brother  
upon that    which the god ,shu beareth 
up 7i4e41 the heavens71 to stretch out  
the    waters over the mountains1 and to
 make to spring up that which groweth   
upon the hills1 and the grain 787 which 
shooteth upon the earth1 and    he      
giveth increase by water and by land4   
,gods celestial and gods    terrestrial 
transfer themselves to the service of   
thy son ,horus1 and    they follow him  
into his hall where a decree is passed  
that he shall    be lord over them1 and 
they do his will straightway4      ,let 
thy heart rejoice1 ,o lord of the gods1 
let thy heart rejoice    greatly2 ,egypt
 and the ,red ,land are at peace1 and   
they serve humbly    under thy sovereign
 power4 ,the temples are stablished upon
 their own    lands1 cities and nomes   
possess securely the goods which they   

have in    their names1 and we will make
 unto thee the divine offerings which we
    are bound to make1 and offer        
sacrifices in thy name for ever4        
,acclamations are made in thy name1     
libations are poured out to thy ,,ka1   
and sepulchral meals are brought unto   
thee by the spirits who are in    thy   
following1 and water is sprinkled 444 on
 each side of the souls of    the dead  
in this land4 ,every plan for thee which
 hath been decreed by    the commands of
 ,ra from the beginning hath been       
perfected4 ,now    therefore1 ,o son of 
,nut1 thou art crowned as ,neb-er-tcher 
is crowned    at his rising4 ,thou      
livest1 thou art stablished1 thou       
renewest thy    youth1 and thou art true
 and perfect2 thy father ,ra maketh     
strong    thy members1 and the company  
of the gods make acclamations unto thee4
    ,the goddess ,isis is with thee and 
she never leaveth thee2 thou art    not 
overthrown by thine enemies4 ,the lords 
of all lands praise thy    beauties1    

even as they praise ,ra when he riseth  
at the beginning of    each day4 ,thou  
risest up like an exalted being upon thy
 standard1 thy    beauties lift up the  
face of man and make long his stride4   
,the    sovereignty of thy father ,seb  
hath1 been given unto thee1 and the     
goddess ,nut1 thy mother1 who gave birth
 to the gods1 brought thee    forth as  
the firstborn1 of five gods1 and created
 thy beauties and    fashioned thy      
members4 ,thou art established as king1 
the white crown    is upon thy head1 and
 thou hast grasped in thy hands the     
crook and    whip2 whilst thou wert in  
the womb1 and hadst not as yet come     
forth    therefrom upon the earth1 thou 
wert crowned lord of the two lands1 and 
the ',atef' crown of ,ra was upon thy   
brow4 ,the gods come unto thee    bowing
 low to the ground1 and they hold thee  
in fear2 they retreat and    depart     
when1 they see thee with the terror of  
,ra1 and the victory    of thy ,majesty 
is in their hearts4 ,life is with thee1 

and offerings of    meat and drink      
follow thee1 and that which is thy due  
is offered up    before thy face4    ,in
 one paragraph of another somewhat      
similar hymn ,footnote3 ,see  ,chapters 
of ,coming ,forth by ,day1 p4 #cdb4     
other aspects of ,osiris are  described1
 and after the words ,homage to thee1 ,o
 ,governor of those who  are in         
,amentet1 he is called the being who    
giveth birth unto men and  women a      
second time1 ,footnote3 ,the words are  
mes tememu em nem4  i4e41 who maketh    
mortals to be born again4 ,as the whole 
paragraph  refers to ,osiris renewing   
himself1 and to his making himself young
  like unto ,ra each and every day1     
there can be no doubt that the          
resurrection of the dead1 that is to    
say1 their birth into a new life1  is   
what the writer means by the second     
birth of men and women4 ,from this      
passage also we may see that ,osiris has
 become the equal of ,ra1 and  that he  
has passed from being the god of the    

dead to being the god of  the living4   
,moreover1 at the time when the above   
extracts were copied  ,osiris was not   
only assumed to have occupied the       
position which ,ra  formerly held1 but  
his son ,horus1 who was begotten after  
his death1 was1  by virtue of his       
victory over ,set1 admitted to be the   
heir and successor  of ,osiris4 ,and he 
not only succeeded to the rank and      
dignity of his  father ,osiris1 but in  
his aspect of avenger of his father1 he 
gradually acquired the peculiar position
 of intermediary and intercessor  on    
behalf of the children of men4 ,thus in 
the ,judgment ,scene he leads  the      
deceased into the presence of ,osiris   
and makes an appeal to his  father that 
the deceased may be allowed to enjoy the
 benefits enjoyed by  all those who are 
true of voice and justified in the      
judgment4 ,such an  appeal1 addressed to
 ,osiris in the presence of ,isis1 from 
the son born  under such remarkable     
circumstances was1 the ,egyptian        

thought1 certain  of acceptance2 and the
 offspring of a father1 after the death 
of whose  body he was begotten1 was     
naturally the best advocate for the     
deceased4    ,but although such exalted 
ideas of ,osiris and his position among 
the  gods obtained generally in ,egypt  
during the ,x,v,i,i,ith dynasty 7about  
,b4,c4  #afjj7 there is evidence that   
some believed that in spite of every    
precaution the body might decay1 and    
that it was necessary to make a  special
 appeal unto ,osiris if this dire result
 was to be avoided4 ,the  following     
remarkable prayer was first found       
inscribed upon a linen  swathing which  
had enveloped the mummy of ,thothmes    
,,iii41 but since that  time the text1  
written in hieroglyphics1 has been found
 inscribed upon  the ,papyrus of ,nu1   
,footnote3 ,brit4 ,mus41 ,no4 #aj1dgg1  
sheet #ah4 ,i have  published the text  
in my ,chapters of ,coming ,forth by    
,day1 pp4  #cih-djb4 and it is1 of      
course1 to be found also in the late    

papyrus  preserved at ,turin1 which the 
late ,dr4 ,lepsius published so far back
 as  #ahdb4 ,this text1 which is now    
generally known as ,chapter ,,cliv of   
the  ,book of the ,dead1 is entitled    
,the ,chapter of not letting the body   
perish4 ,the text begins3--      ,homage
 to thee1 ,o my divine father ,osiris6  
,i have come to thee that    thou mayest
 embalm1 yea embalm these my members1   
for ,i would not    perish and come to  
an end1 but would be even like unto my  
divine    father ,khepera1 the divine   
type of him that never saw corruption4  
,come1 then1 and make me to have the    
mastery over my breath1 ,o thou    lord 
of the winds1 who dost magnify those    
divine beings who are like    unto      
thyself4 ,stablish thou me1 then1 and   
strengthen me1 ,o lord of the    funeral
 chest4 ,grant thou that ,i may enter   
into the land of    everlastingness1    
even as it was granted unto thee1 and   
unto thy father    ,temu1 ,o thou whose 
body did not see corruption1 and who    

thyself never    sawest corruption4 ,i  
have never wrought that which thou      
hatest1 nay1 ,i    have uttered         
acclamations with those who have loved  
thy ,,ka4 ,let not my    body turn into 
worms1 but deliver me from them even as 
thou didst    deliver thyself4 ,i       
beseech thee1 let me not fall into      
rottenness as    thou dost let every    
god1 and every goddess1 and every       
animal1 and    every reptile to see     
corruption when the soul hath gone forth
 from    them after their death4 ,for   
when the soul departeth1 a man seeth    
corruption1 and the bones of his body   
rot and become wholly    loathsomeness1 
the members decay piecemeal1 the bones  
crumble into an    inert mass1 the flesh
 turneth into foetid liquid1 and he     
becometh a    brother unto the decay    
which cometh upon him4 ,and he turneth  
into a    host of worms1 and he becometh
 a mass of worms1 and an end is made of 
him1 and he perisheth in the sight of   
the god ,shu even as doth every    god1 

and every goddess1 and every feathered  
fowl1 and every fish1 and    every      
creeping thing1 and every reptile1 and  
every animal1 and every    thing        
whatsoever4 ,when the worms see me and  
know me1 let them fall    upon their    
bellies1 and let the fear of me terrify 
them2 and thus let    it be with every  
creature after my death1 whether it be  
animal1 or    bird1 or fish1 or worm1 or
 reptile4 ,and let life arise out of    
death4    ,let not decay caused by any  
reptile make an end of me1 and let not  
them come against me in their various   
forms4 ,do not thou give me over    unto
 that slaughterer who dwelleth in his   
torture-chamber 7871 who    killeth the 
members of the body and maketh them to  
rot1 who worketh    destruction upon    
many dead bodies1 whilst he himself     
remaineth hidden    and liveth by       
slaughter2 let me live and perform his  
message1 and let    me do that which is 
commanded by him4 ,gave me not over unto
 his    fingers1 and let him not gain1  

the mastery over me1 for ,i am under thy
    command1 ,o lord of the gods4       
,homage to thee2 ,o my divine father    
,osiris1 thou hast thy being with    thy
 members4 ,thou didst not decay1 thou   
didst not become worms1 thou    didst   
not diminish1 thou didst not become     
corruption1 thou didst not    putrefy1  
and thou didst not turn into worms4     
,the deceased then identifying himself  
with ,khepera1 the god who created      
,osiris and his company of gods1 says3--
      ,i am the god ,khepera1 and my    
members shall have an everlasting       
existence4 ,i shall not decay1 ,i shall 
not rot1 ,i shall not putrefy1 ,i       
shall not turn into worms1 and ,i shall 
not see corruption under the    eye of  
the god ,shu4 ,i shall have my being1 ,i
 shall have my being2 ,i    shall live1 
,i shall live2 ,i shall germinate1 ,i   
shall germinate1 ,i    shall germinate2 
,i shall wake up in peace4 ,i shall not 
putrefy2 my    bowels shall not perish2 
,i shall not suffer injury2 mine eye    

shall not    decay2 the form of my      
countenance shall not disappear2 mine   
ear shall    not become deaf2 my head   
shall not be separated from my neck2 my 
tongue shall not be carried away2 my    
hair shall not be cut off2 mine         
eyebrows shall not be shaved off1 and no
 baleful injury shall come    upon me4  
,my body shall be stablished1 and it    
shall neither fall into    ruin1 nor be 
destroyed on this earth4    ,judging    
from such passages as those given above 
we might think that  certain of the     
,egyptians expected a resurrection of   
the physical body1  and the mention of  
the various members of the body seems to
 make this  view certain4 ,but the body 
of which the incorruption and           
immortality are  so strongly declared is
 the ,s,a,,hu2 or spiritual body1 that  
sprang into  existence out of the       
physical body1 which had become         
transformed by  means of the prayers    
that had been recited and the ceremonies
 that had  been performed on the day of 

the funeral1 or on that wherein it was  
laid  in the tomb4 ,it is interesting to
 notice that no mention is made of meat 
or drink in the ,c,l,i,vth ,chapter1 and
 the only thing which the deceased      
refers to as necessary for his existence
 is air1 which he obtains  through1 the 
god ,temu1 the god who is always        
depicted in human form2 the  god is here
 mentioned in his aspect of the night   
,sun as opposed to ,ra  the day ,sun1   
and a comparison of the ,sun's daily    
death with the death of  the deceased is
 intended to be made4 ,the deposit of   
the head of the ,god-man  ,osiris at    
,abydos has already been mentioned1 and 
the belief that it  was preserved there 
was common throughout ,egypt4 ,but in   
the text quoted  above the deceased     
says1 ,my head shall not be separated   
from my neck1  which seems to indicate  
that he wished to keep his body whole1  
notwithstanding that ,osiris was        
almighty1 and could restore the limbs   
and reconstitute the body1 even as he   

had done for his own limbs and  body    
which had been hacked to pieces by ,set4
 ,chapter ,,xliii of the ,book  of the  
,dead ,footnote3 ,see ,the ,chapters of 
,coming ,forth by ,day1 p4  #ih4 also   
has an important reference to the head  
of ,osiris4 ,it is  entitled ,the       
,chapter of not letting the head of a   
man be cut off from  him in the         
underworld1 and must be of considerable 
antiquity4 ,in it the  deceased says3 ,i
 am the ,great ,one1 the son of the     
,great ,one2 ,i am ,fire1  and the son  
of the ,fire1 to whom was given his head
 after it had been  cut off4 ,the head  
of ,osiris was not taken away from him1 
let not the  head of the deceased be    
taken away from him4 ,i have knit myself
 together  7or reconstituted myself72 ,i
 have made myself whole and complete2 ,i
  have renewed my youth2 ,i am ,osiris1 
the lord of eternity4    ,from the above
 it would seem that1 according to one   
version of the  ,osiris story1 the head 
of ,osiris was not only cut off1 but    

that it was  passed through the fire    
also2 and if this version be very       
ancient1 as it  well may be and probably
 is1 it takes us back to prehistoric    
times in  ,egypt when the bodies of the 
dead were mutilated and burned4 ,prof4  
,wiedemann thinks ,footnote3 ,see ,j4 de
 ,morgan1 ,ethnographie  ,prhistorique1 
p4 #baj4 that the mutilation and        
breaking of the bodies  of the dead were
 the results of the belief that in order
 to make the ,,ka1  or double1 leave    
this earth1 the body to which it        
belonged must be  broken1 and he        
instances the fact that objects of every
 kind were broken  at the time when they
 were placed in the tombs4 ,he traces   
also a  transient custom in the         
prehistoric graves of ,egypt where the  
methods of  burying the body whole and  
broken into pieces seem to be mingled1  
for  though in some of them the body has
 been broken into pieces1 it is  evident
 that successful attempts have been made
 to reconstitute it by  laying the      

pieces as far as possible in their      
proper places4 ,and it may  be this     
custom which is referred to in various  
places in the ,book of the  ,dead1 when 
the deceased declares that he has       
collected his limbs and  made his body  
whole again1 and already in the ,vth    
dynasty ,king ,teta is  thus            
addressed--,rise up1 ,o thou ,teta6     
,thou hast received thy head1 thou  hast
 knitted together thy bones1 ,footnote3 
,recueil de ,travaux1 tom4  v4 p4 #dj   
7,i4 #bhg74 thou hast collected thy     
members4    ,the history of ,osiris1 the
 god of the resurrection1 has now been  
traced  from the earliest times to the  
end of the period of the rule of the    
priests of ,amen 7about ,b4,c4 #ijj71 by
 which time ,amen-,ra had been  thrust  
in among the gods of the underworld1 and
 prayers were made1 in  some cases1 to  
him instead of to ,osiris4 ,from this   
time onwards ,amen  maintained this     
exalted position1 and in the ,ptolemaic 
period1 in an  address to the deceased  

,kerasher we read4 ,thy face shineth    
before  ,ra1 thy soul liveth before     
,amen1 and thy body is renewed before   
,osiris4 ,and again it is said1 ,amen is
 nigh unto thee to make thee to  live   
again4444 ,amen cometh to thee having   
the breath of life1 and he  causeth thee
 to draw thy breath within thy funeral  
house4 ,but in spite  of this1 ,osiris  
kept and held the highest place in the  
minds of the  ,egyptians1 from first to 
last1 as the ,god-man1 the being who was
 both  divine and human2 and no foreign 
invasion1 and no religious or political 
disturbances1 and no influence which any
 outside peoples could bring to  bear   
upon them1 succeeded in making them     
regard the god as anything less  than   
the cause and symbol and type of the    
resurrection1 and of the life           
everlasting4 ,for about five thousand   
years men were mummified in  imitation  
of the mummied form of ,osiris2 and they
 went to their graves  believing that   
their bodies would vanquish the powers  

of death1 and the  grave1 and decay1    
because ,osiris had vanquished them2 and
 they had  certain hope of the          
resurrection in an immortal1 eternal1   
and spiritual  body1 because ,osiris had
 risen in a transformed spiritual body1 
and had  ascended into heaven1 where he 
had become the king and the judge of the
  dead1 and had attained unto           
everlasting life therein4    ,the chief 
reason for the persistence of the       
worship of ,osiris in ,egypt  was1      
probably1 the fact that it promised both
 resurrection and eternal  life to its  
followers4 ,even after the ,egyptians   
had embraced  ,christianity they        
continued to mummify their dead1 and for
 long after  they continued to mingle   
the attributes of their ,god and the    
gods with  those of ,god ,almighty and  
,christ4 ,the ,egyptians of their own   
will never  got away from the belief    
that the body must be mummified if      
eternal life  was to be assured to the  
dead1 but the ,christians1 though       

preaching the  same doctrine of the     
resurrection as the ,egyptians1 went a  
step further1  and insisted that there  
was no need to mummify the dead at all4 
,st4  ,anthony the ,great besought his  
followers not to embalm his body and    
keep  it in a house1 but to bury it and 
to tell no man where it had been        
buried1 lest those who loved him should 
come and draw it forth1 and  mummify it 
as they were wont to do to the bodies of
 those whom they  regarded as saints4   
,for long past1 he said1 ,i have        
entreated the  bishops and preachers to 
exhort the people not to continue to    
observe  this useless custom2 and       
concerning his own body1 he said1 ,at   
the  resurrection of the dead ,i shall  
receive it from the ,saviour            
incorruptible4 ,footnote3 ,see          
,rosweyde1 ,vitae ,patrum1 p4 #ei2 ,life
 of  ,st4 ,anthony1 by ,athanusius      
7,migne71 ,patrologiae1 ,scr4 ,graec1   
tom4 #bf1  col4 #igb4 ,the spread of    
this idea gave the art of mummifying its

  death-blow1 and though from innate    
conservatism1 and the love of having    
the actual bodies of their beloved dead 
near them1 the ,egyptians  continued for
 a time to preserve their dead as       
before1 yet little by  little the       
reasons for mummifying were forgotten1  
the knowledge of the  art died out1 the 
funeral ceremonies were curtailed1 the  
prayers became  a dead letter1 and the  
custom of making mummies became         
obsolete4 ,with  the death of the art   
died also the belief in and the worship 
of ,osiris1  who from being the god of  
the dead became a dead god1 and to the  
,christians of ,egypt1 at least1 his    
place was filled by ,christ1 the        
firstfruits of them that slept1 ,whose  
resurrection and power to grant  eternal
 life were at that time being preached  
throughout most of the  known world4 ,in
 ,osiris the ,christian ,egyptians found
 the prototype of  ,christ1 and in the  
pictures and statues of ,isis suckling  
her son ,horus1  they perceived the     

prototypes of the ,virgin ,mary and her 
,child4 ,never  did ,christianity find  
elsewhere in the world a people whose   
minds were  so thoroughly well prepared 
to receive its doctrines as the         
,egyptians4    ,this chapter may be     
fittingly ended by a few extracts from1 
the ,songs  of ,isis and ,nephthys1     
which were sung in the ,temple of       
,amen-,ra at  ,thebes by two priestesses
 who personified the two goddesses4     
,footnote  #a3 ,see my ,hieratic        
,papyrus of ,nesi-,amsu 7,archaeologia1 
vol4 ,,iii7      ,hail1 thou lord of the
 underworld1 thou ,bull of those who are
    therein1 thou ,image of             
,ra-,harmachis1 thou ,babe of beautiful 
appearance1 come thou to us in peace4   
,thou didst repel thy disasters1    thou
 didst drive away evil hap2 ,lord1 come 
to us in peace4 ,o ,un-nefer1    lord of
 food1 thou chief1 thou who art of      
terrible majesty1 thou ,god1            
president of the gods1 when thou dost   
inundate the land all things    are     

engendered4 ,thou art gentler than the  
gods4 ,the emanations of thy    body    
make the dead and the living to live1 ,o
 thou lord of food1 thou    prince of   
green herbs1 thou mighty lord1 thou     
staff of life1 thou    giver of         
offerings to the gods1 and of sepulchral
 meals to the blessed    dead4 ,thy soul
 flieth after ,ra1 thou shinest at dawn1
 thou settest    at twilight1 thou      
risest every day2 thou shalt rise on the
 left hand    of ,atmu for ever and     
ever4 ,thou art the glorious one1 the   
vicar of    ,ra2 the company of the gods
 cometh to thee invoking thy face1 the  
flame whereof reacheth unto thine       
enemies4 ,we rejoice when thou          
gatherest together thy bones1 and when  
thou hast made whole thy body    daily4 
,anubis cometh to thee1 and the two     
sisters 7i4e41 ,isis and    ,nephthys7  
come to thee4 ,they have obtained       
beautiful things for thee1    and they  
gather together thy limbs for thee1 and 
they seek to put    together the        

mutilated members of thy body4 ,wipe    
thou the impurities    which are on them
 upon our hair and come thou to us      
having no    recollection1 of that which
 hath caused thee sorrow4 ,come thou in 
thy    attribute of ',prince of the     
earth1' lay aside thy trepidation and be
    at peace with us1 ,o ,lord4 ,thou   
shalt be proclaimed heir of the world1  
and the ,one god1 and1 the fulfiller of 
the designs of the gods4 ,all    the    
gods invoke thee1 come therefore to thy 
temple and be not afraid4    ,o ,ra     
7i4e41 ,osiris71 thou art beloved of    
,isis and ,nephthys2 rest    thou in thy
 habitation forever4          ,,chapter 
,,iii4      ,,the ,,gods ,,of ,,the     
,,egyptians4    ,throughout this book we
 have had to refer frequently to the    
gods of  ,egypt2 it is now time to      
explain who and what they were4 ,we have
 already  shown how much the            
monotheistic side of the ,egyptian      
religion resembles  that of modern      
,christian nations1 and it will have    

come as a surprise to  some that a      
people1 possessing such exalted ideas of
 ,god as the  ,egyptians1 could ever    
have become the byword they did through 
their  alleged worship of a multitude of
 gods in various forms4 ,it is quite    
true that the ,egyptians paid honour to 
a number of gods1 a number so  large    
that the list of their mere names would 
fill a volume1 but it is  equally true  
that the educated classes in ,egypt at  
all times never  placed the gods on the 
same high level as ,god1 and they never 
imagined  that their views on this point
 could be mistaken4 ,in prehistoric     
times  every little village or town1    
every district and province1 and every  
great city1 had its own particular god2 
we may go a step farther1 and  say that 
every family of any wealth and position 
had its own god4 ,the  wealthy family   
selected some one to attend to its god1 
and to minister  unto his wants1 and the
 poor family contributed1 according to  
its means1  towards a common fund for   

providing a dwelling-house for the god1 
and  for vestments1 etc4 ,but the god   
was an integral part of the family1     
whether rich or poor1 and its destiny   
was practically locked up with  that of 
the family4 ,the overthrow of the family
 included the overthrow  of the god1 and
 seasons of prosperity resulted in      
abundant offerings1  new vestments2     
perhaps a new shrine1 and the like4 ,the
 god of the  village1 although he was a 
more important being1 might be led into 
captivity along with the people of the  
village1 but the victory of his         
followers in a raid or fight caused the 
honours paid to him to be  magnified and
 enhanced his renown4    ,the gods of   
provinces or of great cities were1 of   
course1 greater than  those of villages 
and private families1 and in the large  
houses  dedicated to them1 i4e41        
temples1 a considerable number of them1 
represented by statues1 would be found4 
,sometimes the attributes of one  god   
would be ascribed to another1 sometimes 

two or more gods would be  fused or     
united and form one1 sometimes gods were
 imported from remote  villages and     
towns and even from foreign countries1  
and occasionally a  community or town   
would repudiate its god or gods1 and    
adopt a brand new  set from some        
neighbouring district ,thus the number  
of the gods was  always changing1 and   
the relative position of individual gods
 was always  changing2 an obscure and   
almost unknown1 local god to-day might  
through a  victory in war become the    
chief god of a city1 and on the other   
hand1 a  god worshipped with abundant   
offerings and great ceremony one month  
might sink into insignificance and      
become to all intents and purposes a    
dead god the next4 ,but besides family  
and village gods there were  national   
gods1 and gods of rivers and mountains1 
and gods of earth and  sky1 all of which
 taken together made a formidable number
 of divine  beings whose good-will had  
to be secured1 and whose ill-will must  

be  appeased4 ,besides these1 a number  
of animals as being sacred to the gods  
were also considered to be divine1 and  
fear as well as love made the           
,egyptians add to their numerous classes
 of gods4    ,the gods of ,egypt whose  
names are known to us do not represent  
all those  that have been conceived by  
the ,egyptian imagination1 for with them
 as  with much else1 the law of the     
survival of the fittest holds good4 ,of 
the gods of the prehistoric man we know 
nothing1 but it is more than  probable  
that some of the gods who were          
worshipped in dynastic times  represent1
 in a modified form1 the deities of the 
savage1 or  semi-savage1 ,egyptian that 
held their influence on his mind the    
longest4  ,a typical example of such a  
god will suffice1 namely ,thoth1 whose  
original emblem was the dog-headed ape4 
,in very early times great  respect was 
paid to this animal on account of his   
sagacity1  intelligence1 and cunning2   
and the simple-minded ,egyptian1 when he

 heard  him chattering just before the  
sunrise and sunset1 assumed that he was 
in some way holding converse or was     
intimately connected with the sun4      
,this idea clung to his mind1 and we    
find in dynastic times1 in the  vignette
 representing the rising sun1 that the  
apes1 who are said to be  the           
transformed openers of the portals of   
heaven1 form a veritable  company of the
 gods1 and at the same time one of the  
most striking  features of the scene4   
,thus an idea which came into being in  
the most  remote times passed on from   
generation to generation until it became
  crystallized in the best copies of the
 ,book of the ,dead1 at a period  when  
,egypt was at its zenith of power and   
glory4 ,the peculiar species of  the    
dog-headed ape which is represented in  
statues and on papyri is  famous for its
 cunning1 and it was the words which it 
supplied to ,thoth1  who in turn        
transmitted them to ,osiris1 that       
enabled ,osiris to be true  of voice1 or

 triumphant1 over his enemies4 ,it is   
probably in this  capacity1 i4e41 as the
 friend of the dead1 that the dog-headed
 ape  appears seated upon the top of the
 standard of the ,balance in which the  
heart of the deceased is being weighed  
against the feather symbolic of  ,maat2 
for the commonest titles of the god are 
lord of divine books1  lord of divine   
words1 i4e41 the formulae which make the
 deceased to  be obeyed by friend and   
foe alike in the next world4 ,in later  
times1  when ,thoth came to be          
represented by the ibis bird1 his       
attributes were  multiplied1 and he     
became the god of letters1 science1     
mathematics1  etc42 at the creation he  
seems to have played a part not unlike  
that of  wisdom which is so beautifully 
described by the writer of ,proverbs    
7see ,chap4 ,,viii4 vv4 #bc-ca74        
,whenever and wherever the ,egyptians   
attempted to set up a system of gods    
they always found that the old local    
gods had to be taken into               

consideration1 and a place had to be    
found for them in the system4 ,this     
might be done by making them members of 
triads1 or of groups of nine  gods1 now 
commonly called enneads2 but in one form
 or other they had  to appear4 ,the     
researches made during the last few     
years have shown that  there must have  
been several large schools of           
theological thought in  ,egypt1 and of  
each of these the priests did their     
utmost to proclaim the  superiority of  
their gods4 ,in dynastic times there    
must have been great  colleges at       
,heliopolis1 ,memphis1 ,abydos1 and one 
or more places in the  ,delta1 not to   
mention the smaller schools of priests  
which1 probably  existed at places on   
both sides of the ,nile from ,memphis to
 the south4  ,of the theories and       
doctrines of all such schools and       
colleges1 those of  ,heliopolis have    
survived in the completest form1 and by 
careful  examination of the funeral     
texts which were inscribed on the       

monuments  of the kings of ,egypt of the
 ,vth and ,v,ith dynasties we can say   
what  views they held about many of the 
gods4 ,at the outset we see that the    
great god of ,heliopolis was ,temu or   
,atmu1 the setting sun1 and to him  the 
priests of that place ascribed the      
attributes which rightly belong  to ,ra1
 the ,sun-god of the day-time4 ,for some
 reason or other they  formulated the   
idea of a company of the gods1 nine in  
number1 which was  called the great     
company 7paut7 of the gods1 and at the  
head of this  company they placed the   
god ,temu4 ,in ,chapter ,,xvii of the   
,book of the  ,dead ,footnote3 ,see     
,chapters of ,coming ,forth by ,day1 p4 
#di4 we find  the following passage3--  
,i am the god ,temu in his rising2 ,i am
 the only ,one4 ,i came into being    in
 ,nu4 ,i am ,ra who rose in the         
beginning4    ,next comes the question1 
,but who is this8 ,and the answer is3   
,it is  ,ra when at the beginning he    
rose in the city of ,suten-henen        

7,heracleopolis ,magna7 crowned like a  
king in rising4 ,the pillars of the  god
 ,shu were not as yet created when he   
was upon the staircase of him  that     
dwelleth in ,khemennu 7,hermopolis      
,magna74 ,from these statements we      
learn that ,temu and ,ra were one and   
the same god1 and that he was the  first
 offspring of the god ,nu1 the primeval 
watery mass out of which all  the gods  
came into being4 ,the text continues3 ,i
 am the great god ,nu who  gave birth to
 himself1 and who made his names to come
 into being and to  form the company of 
the gods4 ,but who is this8 ,it is ,ra1 
the creator  of the names of his members
 which came into being in the form of   
the  gods who are in the train of ,ra4  
,and again3 ,i am he who is not  driven 
back among the gods4 ,but who is this8  
,it is ,tem1 the dweller in  his disk1  
or as others say1 it is ,ra in his      
rising in the eastern  horizon of       
heaven4 ,thus we learn further that ,nu 
was self-produced1 and  that the gods   

are simply the names of his limbs2 but  
then ,ra is ,nu1  and the gods who are  
in his train or following are merely    
personifications of the names of his own
 members4 ,he who cannot be  driven back
 among the gods is either ,temu or ,ra1 
and so we find that  ,nu1 ,temu1 and ,ra
 are one and the same god4 ,the priests 
of ,heliopolis  in setting ,temu at the 
head of their company of the gods thus  
gave  ,ra1 and ,nu also1 a place of high
 honour2 they cleverly succeeded in     
making their own local god chief of the 
company1 but at the same time  they     
provided the older gods with positions  
of importance4 ,in this way  worshippers
 of ,ra1 who had regarded their god as  
the oldest of the  gods1 would have     
little cause to complain of the         
introduction of ,temu  into the company 
of the gods1 and the local vanity of    
,heliopolis would  be gratified4    ,but
 besides the nine gods who were supposed
 to form the great company  of gods of  
the city of ,heliopolis1 there was a    

second group of nine gods  called the   
little company of the gods1 and yet a   
third group of nine  gods1 which formed 
the least company4 ,now although the    
paut or company  of nine gods might be  
expected to contain nine always1 this   
was not the  case1 and the number nine  
thus applied is sometimes misleading4   
,there  are several passages extant in  
texts in which the gods of a paut are   
enumerated1 but the total number is     
sometimes ten and sometimes eleven4     
,this fact is easily explained when we  
remember that the ,egyptians  deified   
the various forms or aspects of a god1  
or the various phases in  his life4     
,thus the setting sun1 called ,temu or  
,atmu1 and the rising sun1  called      
,khepera1 and the mid-day sun1 called   
,ra1 were three forms of  the same god2 
and if any one of these three forms was 
included in a  paut or company of nine  
gods1 the other two forms were also     
included  by implication1 even though   
the paut then contained eleven1 instead 

of  nine gods4 ,similarly1 the various  
forms of each god or goddess of the     
paut were understood to be included in  
it1 however large the total  number of  
gods might become4 ,we are not1         
therefore1 to imagine that the  three   
companies of the gods were limited in   
number to #i x #c1 or  twenty-seven1    
even though the symbol for god be given 
twenty-seven times  in the texts4    ,we
 have already alluded to the great      
number of gods who were known to  the   
,egyptians1 but it will be readily      
imagined that it was only those  who    
were thought to deal with man's destiny1
 here and hereafter1 who  obtained the  
worship and reverence of the people of  
,egypt4 ,these were1  comparatively1    
limited in number1 and in fact may be   
said to consist of  the members of the  
great company of the gods of            
,heliopolis1 that is to  say1 of the    
gods who belonged to the cycle of       
,osiris4 ,these may be  briefly         
described as follows3--      #a4 ,,temu 

or ,,atmu1 i4e41 the closer of the day1 
just as ,ptah was the    opener of the  
day4 ,in the story of the creation he   
declares that he    evolved himself     
under the form of the god ,khepera1 and 
in hymns he is    said to be the maker  
of the gods1 the creator of men1 etc41  
and he    usurped the position of ,ra   
among the gods of ,egypt4 ,his worship  
must have been already very ancient at  
the time of the kings of the    ,vth    
dynasty1 for his traditional form is    
that of a man at that time4      #b4    
,,shu was the firstborn son of ,temu4   
,according to one legend he    sprang   
direct from the god1 and according to   
another the goddess    ,hathor was his  
mother2 yet a third legend makes him the
 son of ,temu by    the goddess         
,iusaset4 ,he it was who made his way   
between the gods    ,seb and ,nut and   
raised up the latter to form the sky1   
and this belief    is commemorated by   
the figures of this god in which he is  
represented    as a god raising himself 

up from the earth with the sun's disk on
 his    shoulders4 ,as a power of nature
 he typified the light1 and1 standing   
on the top of a staircase at ,hermopolis
 ,magua1 ,footnote3 ,see above1    pp4  
#fi and #hi4 he raised up the sky and   
held it up during each day4    ,to      
assist him in this work he placed a     
pillar at each of the cardinal          
points1 and the supports of ,shu are    
thus the props of the sky4      #c4     
,,tefnut was the twin-sister of ,shu2 as
 a power of nature she    typified      
moisture or some aspect of the sun's    
heat1 but as a god of    the dead she   
seems to have been1 in some way1        
connected with the    supply of drink to
 the deceased4 ,her brother ,shu was the
 right eye of    ,temu1 and she was the 
left1 i4e41 ,shu represented an aspect  
of the    ,sun1 and ,tefnut of the      
,moon4 ,the gods ,temu1 ,shu1 and       
,tefnut thus    formed a trinity1 and in
 the story of the creation the god ,temu
 says1    after describing how ,shu and 

,tefnut proceeded from himself1 thus    
from    being one god ,i became three4  
#d4 ,,seb was the son of the god ,shu4  
,he is called the ,erpa1 i4e41    the   
hereditary chief of the gods1 and the   
father of the gods1    these being1 of  
course1 ,osiris1 ,isis1 ,set1 and       
,nephthys4 ,he was    originally the god
 of the earth1 but later he became a god
 of the dead    as representing the     
earth wherein the deceased was laid4    
,one legend    identifies him with the  
goose1 the bird which1 in later times   
was    sacred to him1 and he is often   
called the ,great ,cackler1 in allusion 
to the idea that he made the primeval   
egg from which the world came    into   
being4      #e4 ,,nut was the wife of   
,seb and the mother of ,osiris1 ,isis1  
,set1 and    ,nephthys4 ,originally she 
was the personification of the sky1 and 
represented the feminine principle which
 was active at the creation of    the   
universe4 ,according to an old view1    
,seb and ,nut existed in the    primeval

 watery abyss side by side with ,shu and
 ,tefnut2 and later ,seb    became the  
earth and ,nut the sky4 ,these deities  
were supposed to unite    every evening1
 and to remain embraced until the       
morning1 when the god    ,shu separated 
them1 and set the goddess of the sky    
upon his four    pillars until the      
evening4 ,nut was1 naturally1 regarded  
as the mother    of the gods and of all 
things living1 and she and her husband  
,seb were    considered to be the givers
 of food1 not only to the living but    
also    to the dead4 ,though different  
views were current in ,egypt as to the  
exact location of the heaven of the     
beatified dead1 yet all schools of      
thought in all periods assigned it to   
some region in the sky1 and the         
abundant allusions in the texts to the  
heavenly bodies--that is1 the    sun1   
moon1 and stars--which the deceased     
dwells with1 prove that the    final    
abode of the souls of the righteous was 
not upon earth4 ,the    goddess ,nut is 

sometimes represented as a female along 
whose body the    sun travels1 and      
sometimes as a cow2 the tree sacred to  
her was the    sycamore4      #f4       
,osiris was the son of ,seb and ,nut1   
the husband of ,isis and the    father  
of ,horus4 ,the history of this god is  
given elsewhere in this    book so fully
 that it is only necessary to refer     
briefly to him4 ,he    was held to be a 
man although of divine origin2 he lived 
and reigned    as a king on this earth2 
he was treacherously murdered by his    
brother    ,set1 and his body was cut up
 into fourteen pieces1 which were       
scattered about ,egypt2 after his death1
 ,isis1 by the use of magical           
formulae supplied to her by ,thoth1     
succeeded in raising him to life1    and
 he begot a son called ,horus2 when     
,horus was grown up1 he engaged    in   
combat with ,set1 and overcame him1 and 
thus avenged his father2    by means of 
magical formulae1 supplied to him by    
,thoth1 ,osiris    reconstituted and    

revivified his body1 and became the type
 of the    resurrection and the symbol  
of immortality2 he was also the hope1   
the    judge1 and the god of the dead1  
probably even in pre-dynastic times4    
,osiris was in one aspect a solar deity1
 and originally he seems to    have     
represented the sun after it had set2   
but he is also identified    with the   
moon4 ,in the ,x,v,i,i,ith dynasty1     
however1 he is already the    equal of  
,ra1 and later the attributes of ,god   
and of all the gods    were ascribed to 
him4      #g4 ,isis was the wife of     
,osiris and mother of ,horus2 as a      
nature    goddess she had a place in the
 boat of the sun at the creation1 when  
she probably typified the dawn4 ,by     
reason of her success in    revivifying 
her husband's body by means of the      
utterance of magical    formulae1 she is
 called the lady of enchantments4 ,her  
wanderings in    search of her husband's
 body1 and the sorrow which she endured 
in    bringing forth and rearing her    

child in the papyrus swamps of the      
,delta1 and the persecution which she   
suffered at the hands of her            
husband's enemies1 form the subject of  
many allusions in texts of all          
periods4 ,she has various aspects1 but  
the one which appealed most to    the   
imagination of the ,egyptians1 was that 
of divine mother2 in this    character  
thousands of statues represent her      
seated and suckling her    child ,horus 
whom she holds upon her knees4      #h4 
,set was the son of ,seb and ,nut1 and  
the husband of ,nephthys4 ,at a    very 
early period he was regarded as the     
brother and friend of ,horus    the     
,elder1 the ,aroueris of the ,greeks1   
and ,set represented the night    whilst
 ,horus represented the day4 ,each of   
these gods performed many    offices of 
a friendly nature for the dead1 and     
among others they set    up and held the
 ladder by which the deceased made his  
way from this    earth to heaven1 and   
helped him to ascend it4 ,but1 at a     

later period1    the views of the       
,egyptians concerning ,set changed1 and 
soon after the    reign of the kings    
called ,seti1 i4e41 those whose names   
were based    upon that of the god1 he  
became the personification of all evil1 
and    of all that is horrible and      
terrible in nature1 such as the desert  
in    its most desolate form1 the storm 
and the tempest1 etc4 ,set1 as a        
power of nature1 was always waging war  
with ,horus the ,elder1 i4e41    the    
night did battle with the day for       
supremacy2 both gods1 however1    sprang
 from the same source1 for the heads of 
both are1 in one scene1    made to      
belong to one body4 ,when ,horus1 the   
son of ,isis1 had grown up1    he did   
battle with ,set1 who had murdered      
,horus's father ,osiris1 and            
vanquished him2 in many texts these two 
originally distinct fights are          
confused1 and the two ,horus gods also4 
,the conquest of ,set by ,horus in      
the first conflict typified only the    

defeat of the night by the day1    but  
the defeat of ,set in the second seems  
to have been understood as    the       
victory of life over death1 and of good 
over evil4 ,the symbol of    ,set was an
 animal with a head something like that 
of a camel1 but it    has not yet been  
satisfactorily identified2 figures of   
the god are    uncommon1 for most of    
them were destroyed by the ,egyptians   
when they    changed their views about  
him4      #i4 ,,nephthys was the sister 
of ,isis and her companion in all her   
wanderings and troubles2 like her she   
had a place in the boat of the    ,sun  
at creation1 when she probably typified 
the twilight or very early    night4    
,she was1 according to one legend1 the  
mother of ,anubis by    ,osiris1 but in 
the texts his father is declared to be  
,ra4 ,in    funeral papyri1 stelae1     
etc41 she always accompanies ,isis in   
her    ministrations to the dead1 and as
 she assisted ,osiris and ,isis to      
defeat the wickedness of her own husband

 7,set71 so she helped the    deceased  
to overcome the powers of death and the 
grave4    ,here then we have the nine   
gods of the divine company of           
,heliopolis1 but  no mention is made of 
,horus1 the son of ,isis1 who played    
such an  important part in the history  
of his father ,osiris1 and nothing is   
said  about ,thoth2 both gods are1      
however1 included in the company in     
various  passages of the text1 and it   
may be that their omission from it is   
the  result of an error of the scribe4  
,we have already given the chief        
details of the history of the gods      
,horus and ,thoth1 and the principal    
gods of the other companies may now be  
briefly named4      ,,nu was the father 
of the gods1 and progenitor of the great
 company    of the gods2 he was the     
primeval watery mass out of which all   
things    came4      ,,ptah was one of  
the most active of the three great gods 
who carried    out the commands of      
,thoth1 who gave expression in words to 

the will of    the primeval1 creative   
,power2 he was self-created1 and was a  
form of    the ,sun-god ,ra as the      
,opener of the day4 ,from certain       
allusions    in the ,book of the ,dead  
he is known to have opened the mouth    
,footnote3 ,may the god ,ptah open my   
mouth2 may the god ,shu open my    mouth
 with his implement of iron wherewith he
 opened the mouth of the    gods 7,chap4
 ,,xxiii47 of the gods1 and it is in    
this capacity that he    became a god of
 the cycle of ,osiris4 ,his feminine    
counterpart was the    goddess ,,sekhet1
 and the third member of the triad of   
which he was the    chief was           
,,nefer-,,temu4      ,,ptah-,,seker is  
the dual god formed by fusing ,seker1   
the ,egyptian name    of the incarnation
 of the ,apis ,bull of ,memphis1 with   
,ptah4      ,,ptah-,,seker-,,ausar was a
 triune god who1 in brief1 symbolized   
life1    death1 and the resurrection4   
,,khnemu was one of the old cosmic gods 
who assisted ,ptah in carrying    out   

the commands of ,thoth1 who gave        
expression in words to the will of      
the primeval1 creative ,power1 he is    
described as the maker of things        
which are1 the creator of things which  
shall be1 the source of created         
things1 the father of fathers1 and the  
mother of mothers4 ,it was he    who1   
according to one legend1 fashioned man  
upon a potter's wheel4      ,,khepera   
was an old primeval god1 and the type of
 matter which contains    within itself 
the germ of life which is about to      
spring into a new    existence2 thus he 
represented the dead body from which the
 spiritual    body was about to rise4   
,he is depicted in the form of a man    
having a    beetle for a head1 and this 
insect became his emblem because it was 
supposed to be self-begotten and        
self-produced4 ,to the present day      
certain of the inhabitants of the ,sdn1 
pound the dried scarabaeus or    beetle 
and drink it in water1 believing that it
 will insure them a    numerous progeny4

 ,the name ,khepera means he who rolls1 
and when    the insect's habit of       
rolling along its ball filled with eggs 
is taken    into consideration1 the     
appropriateness of the name is apparent4
 ,as    the ball of eggs rolls along the
 germs mature and burst into life2 and  
as the sun rolls across the sky emitting
 light and heat and with them    life1  
so earthly things are produced and have 
their being by virtue    thereof4       
,r,a was probably the oldest of the gods
 worshipped in ,egypt1 and his    name  
belongs to such a remote period that its
 meaning is unknown4 ,he    was in all  
periods the visible emblem of ,god1 and 
was the god of this    earth to whom    
offerings and sacrifices were made      
daily2 time began    when ,ra appeared  
above the horizon at creation in the    
form of the    ,sun1 and the life of a  
man was compared to his daily course at 
a very    early date4 ,ra was supposed  
to sail over heaven in two boats1 the   
,a,,tet or ,m,a ,,tet boat in which he  

journeyed from sunrise until    noon1   
and the ,,sektet boat in which he       
journeyed from noon until    sunset4 ,at
 his rising he was attacked by ,apep1 a 
mighty dragon or    serpent1 the type of
 evil and darkness1 and with this       
monster he did    battle until the fiery
 darts which he discharged into the body
 of    ,apep scorched and burnt him up2 
the fiends that were in attendance      
upon this terrible foe were also        
destroyed by fire1 and their bodies     
were hacked in pieces4 ,a repetition of 
this story is given in the    legend of 
the fight between ,horus and ,set1 and  
in both forms it    represented         
originally the fight which was supposed 
to go on daily    between light and     
darkness4 ,later1 however1 when ,osiris 
had usurped    the position of ,ra1 and 
,horus represented a divine power who   
was    about to avenge the cruel murder 
of his father1 and the wrong which      
had been done to him1 the moral         
conceptions of right and wrong1 good    

and evil1 truth and falsehood were      
applied to light and darkness1 that     
is to say1 to ,horus and ,set4    ,as   
,ra was the father of the gods1 it was  
natural that every god  should represent
 some phase of him1 and that he should  
represent every  god4 ,a good           
illustration of this fact is afforded by
 a ,hymn to ,ra1 a  fine copy of which  
is found inscribed on the walls of the  
sloping  corridor in the tomb of ,seti  
,i41 about ,b4,c4 #acgj1 from which we  
quote  the following3--      #aa4       
,praise be unto thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou      
exalted ,power1 who dost enter    into  
the habitations of ,ament1 behold thy   
body is ,temu4      #ab4 ,praise be unto
 thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou exalted ,power1 who 
dost enter    into the hidden place of  
,anubis1 behold1 thy body is ,khepera4  
#ac4 ,praise be unto thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou 
exalted ,power1 whose duration    of    
life is greater than that of the hidden 
forms1 behold thy body is    ,shu4      
#ad4 ,praise be unto thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou 

exalted ,power1 4444 behold    thy body 
is ,tefnut4      #ae4 ,praise be unto   
thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou exalted ,power1 who  
bringest    forth1 green things in their
 season1 behold thy body is ,seb4       
#af4 ,praise be unto thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou 
exalted ,power1 thou mighty    being who
 dost judge1444 behold thy body is ,nut4
      #ag4 ,praise be unto thee1 ,o ,ra1
 thou exalted ,power1 the lord4444      
behold thy body is ,isis4      #ah4     
,praise be unto thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou      
exalted ,power1 whose head    giveth    
light to that which is in front of thee1
 behold thy body is    ,nephthys4       
#ai4 ,praise be unto thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou 
exalted ,power1 thou source of    the   
divine members1 thou ,one1 who bringest 
into being that which hath    been      
begotten1 behold thy body is ,horus4    
#bj4 ,praise be unto thee1 ,o ,ra1 thou 
exalted ,power1 who dost dwell    in and
 illumine the celestial deep1 behold thy
 body is ,nu4    ,footnote3 ,for the    
text see ,annales du ,muse ,guimet3 ,le 

,tombeau de    ,seti #a4 7ed4 ,lefbure71
 ,paris1 #ahhf1 pl4 v4    ,in the       
paragraphs which follow ,ra is          
identified with a large number  of gods 
and divine personages whose names are   
not of such common  occurrence in the   
texts as those given above1 and in one  
way or another  the attributes of all   
the gods are ascribed to him4 ,at the   
time when the  hymn was written it is   
clear that polytheism1 not pantheism as 
some  would have it1 was in the         
ascendant1 and notwithstanding the fact 
that  the ,theban god ,amen was         
gradually being forced to the headship  
of the  companies of the gods of ,egypt1
 we find everywhere the attempt being   
made to emphasize the view that every   
god1 whether foreign or native1  was an 
aspect or form of ,ra4    ,the god ,amen
 just referred to was originally a local
 god of ,thebes1  whose shrine was      
either founded or rebuilt as far back as
 the ,x,i,ith  dynasty1 about ,b4,c4    
#bejj4 ,this hidden god1 for such is the

 meaning of  the name ,amen1 was        
essentially a god of the south of       
,egypt1 but when the  ,theban kings     
vanquished their foes in the north1 and 
so became masters  of the whole country1
 ,amen became a god of the first        
importance1 and the  kings of the       
,x,v,i,i,ith1 ,x,i,xth1 and ,x,xth      
dynasties endowed his temples on a      
lavish scale4 ,the priests of the god   
called ,amen the king of the gods1  and 
they endeavoured to make all ,egypt     
accept him as such1 but in spite  of    
their power they saw that they could not
 bring this result about  unless they   
identified him with the oldest gods of  
the land4 ,they  declared that he       
represented the hidden and mysterious   
power which  created and sustains the   
universe1 and that the sun was the      
symbol of  this power2 they therefore   
added his name to that of ,ra1 and in   
this  form he gradually usurped the     
attributes and powers of ,nu1 ,khnemu1  
,ptah1  ,hapi1 and other great gods4 ,a 

revolt headed by ,amen-hetep1 or        
,amenophis ,,iv4 7about ,b4,c4 #aejj71  
took place against the supremacy of     
,amen in the middle of the ,x,v,i,i,ith 
dynasty1 but it was unsuccessful4 ,this 
king hated the god and his name so      
strongly that he changed his own name   
into that of ,khu-en-,aten1 i4e41 the   
glory of the solar ,disk1 and  ordered  
the name of ,amen to be obliterated1    
wherever possible1 on  temples and other
 great monuments2 and this was actually 
done in many  places4 ,it is impossible 
to say exactly what the religious views 
of the  king were1 but it is certain    
that he wished to substitute the cult of
  ,aten1 a form of the ,sun-god         
worshipped at ,annu 7i4e41 ,on or       
,heliopolis7 in very ancient times1 for 
that of ,amen4 ,aten means  literally   
the ,disk of the ,sun1 and though it is 
difficult to  understand at this        
distance of time in what the difference 
between the  worship of ,ra and the     
worship of ,ra in his ,disk consisted1  

we  may be certain that there must have 
been some subtle1 theological           
distinction between them4 ,but whatever 
the difference may have been1 it  was   
sufficient to make ,amenophis forsake   
the old capital ,thebes and  withdraw to
 a place ,footnote3 ,the site is marked 
by the ruins of ,tell  el-,amarna4some  
distance to the north of that city1     
where he carried on  the worship of his 
beloved god ,aten4 ,in the pictures of  
the ,aten worship  which have come down 
to us the god appears in the form of a  
disk from  which proceed a number of    
arms and hands that bestow life upon his
  worshippers4 ,after the death of      
,amenophis the cult of ,aten declined1  
and  ,amen resumed his sway over the    
minds of the ,egyptians4    ,want of    
space forbids the insertion here of a   
full list of the titles of  ,amen1 and a
 brief extract from the ,papyrus of the 
,princess ,nesi-,khensu  ,footnote3 ,for
 a hieroglyphic transcript of the       
hieratic text1 see  ,maspero1 ,mmoires1 

tom4 i41 p4 #eid ff4 must suffice to    
describe the  estimation in which the   
god was held about ,b4,c4 #ajjj4 ,in    
this ,amen is  addressed as the holy    
god1 the lord of all the gods1          
,amen-,ra1 the  lord of the thrones of  
the world1 the prince of ,apt 7i4e41    
,karnak71  the holy soul who came into  
being in the beginning1 the great god   
who  liveth by right and truth1 the     
first ennead who gave birth unto the    
other two enneads1 ,footnote3 i4e41 the 
great1 the little1 and the  least       
companies of the gods2 each company     
7paut7 contained nine gods4  the being  
in whom every god existeth1 the ,one of 
,one1 the creator of the  things which  
came into being when the earth took form
 in the beginning1  whose births are    
hidden1 whose forms are manifold1 and   
whose growth  cannot be known4 ,the holy
 ,form1 beloved and terrible and        
mighty4444 the  lord of space1 the      
mighty ,one of the form of ,khepera1 who
 came into  existence through ,khepera1 

the lord of the form of ,khepera2 when  
he came  into being nothing existed     
except himself4 ,he shone upon the earth
 from  primeval time1 he the ,disk1 the 
prince of light and radiance4444 ,when  
this holy god moulded himself1 the      
heavens and the earth were made by  his 
heart 7or mind74444 ,he is the ,disk of 
the ,moon1 the beauties  whereof pervade
 the heavens and the earth1 the untiring
 and beneficent  king whose will        
germinateth from rising to setting1 from
 whose divine  eyes men and women come  
forth1 and from whose mouth the gods do 
come1  and by whom food and meat and    
drink are made and provided1 and by     
whom the things which exist are created4
 ,he is the lord of time1 and he        
traverseth eternity2 he is the aged one 
who reneweth his youth4444 ,he is  the  
,being who cannot be known1 and he is   
more hidden than all the  gods4444 ,he  
giveth long life and multiplieth the    
years of those who are  favoured by him1
 he is the gracious protector of him    

whom he setteth in  his heart1 and he is
 the fashioner of eternity and          
everlastingness4 ,he  is the king of the
 ,north and of the ,south1 ,amen-,ra1   
king of the gods1  the lord of heaven1  
and of earth1 and of the waters and of  
the  mountains1 with whose coming into  
being the earth began its existence1    
the mighty one1 more princely than1 all 
the gods of the first company4    ,in   
the above extract1 it will be noticed   
that ,amen is called the ,one of  ,one1 
or the ,one ,one1 a title which has been
 explained as having no  reference      
whatever to the unity of ,god as        
understood in modern times3  but unless 
these words are intended to express the 
idea of unity1 what  is their meaning8  
,it is also said that he is without     
second1 and thus  there is no doubt     
whatever that when the ,egyptians       
declared their god to  be ,one1 and     
without a second1 they meant precisely  
what the ,hebrews and  ,arabs meant when
 they declared their ,god to be ,one4   

,footnote3 ,see  ,deut41 vi4 #d2 and    
,koran1 chapter cxii4 ,such a ,god was  
an entirely  different ,being from the  
personifications of the powers of nature
 and  the existences which1 for want of 
a better name1 have been called  gods4  
,but1 besides ,ra1 there existed in very
 early times a god called  ,,horus1     
whose symbol was the hawk1 which1 it    
seems1 was the first living  thing      
worshipped by the ,egyptians2 ,horus was
 the ,sun-god1 like ,ra1  and in later  
times was confounded with ,horus the son
 of ,isis4 ,the chief  forms of ,horus  
given in the texts are3 7#a7 ,,heru-,,ur
 7,aroueris71 7#b7  ,,heru-,,merti1 7#c7
 ,,heru-,,nub1 7#d7                     
,,heru-,,khent-,,khat1 7#e7             
,,heru-,,khent-,,an-,,maa1 7#f7         
,,heru-,,khuti1 7#g7                    
,,heru-,,sam-,,taui1 7#h7               
,,heru-,,hekennu1 7#i7 ,,heru-,,behutet4
  ,connected with one of the forms of   
,horus1 originally1 were the four gods  
of the cardinal points1 or the four1    

spirits of ,horus1 who supported  heaven
 at its four corners2 their names were  
,,hapi1 ,,tuamutee1 ,,amset1 and        
,,qebhsennuf1 and they represented the  
north1 east1 south1 and west            
respectively4 ,the intestines of the    
dead were embalmed and placed in  four  
jars1 each being under the protection1  
of one of these four gods4  ,other      
important gods of the dead are3 7#a7    
,,anubis1 the son of ,ra or  ,osiris1   
who presided over the abode of the dead1
 and with ,,ap-,,uat shared  the        
dominion of the funeral mountain2 the   
symbol of each of these gods  is a      
jackal4 7#b7 ,,hu and ,,sa1 the children
 of ,temu1 or ,ra1 who appear  in the   
boat of the sun at the creation1 and    
later in the ,judgment ,scene4  7#c7    
,the goddess ,,ma,a,t1 who was          
associated with ,thoth1 ,ptah1 and      
,khnemu  in the work of creation2 the   
name means straight1 hence what is      
right1  true1 truth1 real1 genuine1     
upright1 righteous1 just1 steadfast1    

unalterable1 and the like4 7#d7 ,the    
goddess ,,het-,,hert 7,hathor71 i4e41   
the house of ,horus1 which was that part
 of the sky where the sun rose  and set4
 ,the sycamore tree was sacred to her1  
and the deceased prays to  be fed by her
 with celestial food from out of it 7#e7
 ,the goddess  ,,meh-,,urt1 who         
represented that portion of the sky in  
which the sun takes  his daily course2  
here it was1 according to the view held 
at one period  at least1 that the       
judgment of the deceased was supposed to
 take place4  7#f7 ,,neith1 the mother  
of ,,sebek1 who was also a goddess of   
the eastern  portion of the sky4 7#g7   
,,sekhet and ,,bast1 who are represented
 with the  heads of a lion and a cat1   
and who were symbols of the destroying1 
scorching power of the sun1 and of the  
gentle heat thereof1  respectively4 7#h7
 ,,serq1 who was a form of ,isis4 7#i7  
,,ta-,,urt 7,thoueris71  who was the    
genetrix of the gods4 7#aj7 ,,uatchet1  
who was a form of  ,hather1 and who had 

dominion over the northern sky1 just as 
,,nekhebet was  mistress of the southern
 sky4 7#aa7 ,,neheb-,,ka1 who was a     
goddess who  possessed magical powers1  
and in some respects resembled ,isis in 
her  attributes4 7#ab7 ,,sebak1 who was 
a form of the ,sun-god1 and was in later
  times confounded with ,sebak1 or      
,sebek1 the friend of ,set4 7#ac7 ,,amsu
 7or  ,,min or ,,kuem71 who was the     
personification of the generative and   
reproductive powers of nature4 7#ad7    
,,beb or ,,baba1 who was the firstborn  
son of ,osiris4 7#ae7 ,hapi1 who was the
 god of the ,nile1 and with whom  most  
of the great gods were identified4      
,the names of the beings who at one time
 or another were called gods in  ,egypt 
are so numerous that a mere list of them
 would fill scores of  pages1 and in a  
work of this kind would be out of place4
 ,the reader is1  therefore1 referred to
 ,lanzone's ,mitologia ,egizia1 where a 
considerable number are enumerated and  
described4          ,,chapter ,,iv4     

,,the ,,judgment ,,of ,,the ,,dead4     
,the belief that the deeds done in the  
body would be subjected to an  analysis 
and scrutiny by the divine powers after 
the death of a man  belongs to the      
earliest period of ,egyptian            
civilization1 and this belief  remained 
substantially the same in all           
generations4 ,though we have no         
information as to the locality where the
 ,last ,judgment took place1 or  whether
 the ,egyptian soul passed into the     
judgment-hall immediately  after the    
death of the body1 or after the         
mummification was ended and  the body   
was deposited in the tomb1 it is quite  
certain that the belief  in the judgment
 was as deeply rooted in the ,egyptians 
as the belief in  immortality4 ,there   
seems to have been no idea of a general 
judgment when  all those who had lived  
in the world should receive their reward
 for the  deeds done in the body2 on the
 contrary1 all the evidence available   
goes  to show that each soul was dealt  

with individually1 and was either       
permitted to pass into the kingdom of   
,osiris and of the blessed1 or was      
destroyed straightway4 ,certain passages
 in the texts seem to suggest the  idea 
of the existence of a place for departed
 spirits wherein the souls  condemned in
 the judgment might dwell1 but it must  
be remembered that it  was the enemies  
of ,ra1 the ,sun-god1 that inhabited    
this region2 and  it is impossible to   
imagine that the divine powers who      
presided over the  judgment would permit
 the souls of the wicked to live after  
they had  been condemned and to become  
enemies of those who were pure and      
blessed4  ,on the other hand1 if we     
attach any importance to the ideas of   
the ,copts  upon this subject1 and      
consider that they represent ancient    
beliefs  which they derived from the    
,egyptians traditionally1 it must be    
admitted  that the ,egyptian underworld 
contained some region wherein the souls 
of  the wicked were punished for an     

indefinite period4 ,the ,coptic lives of
  saints and martyrs are full of        
allusions to the sufferings of the      
damned1 but whether the descriptions of 
these are due to imaginings of  the mind
 of the ,christian ,egyptian or to the  
bias of the scribe's  opinions cannot   
always be said4 ,when we consider that  
the ,coptic hell  was little more than a
 modified form of the ancient ,egyptian 
,amenti1 or  ,amentet1 it is difficult  
to believe that it was the name of the  
,egyptian  underworld only which was    
borrowed1 and that the ideas and beliefs
  concerning it which were held by the  
ancient ,egyptians were not at the  same
 time absorbed4 ,some ,christian writers
 are most minute in their               
classification of the wicked in hell1 as
 we may see from the following  extract 
from the life of ,pisentios1 ,footnote3 
,ed4 ,amlineau1 ,paris1  #ahhg1 p4 #add 
f4 ,bishop of ,keft1 in the ,v,i,ith    
century of our era4 ,the  holy man had  
taken refuge in a tomb wherein a number 

of mummies had been  piled up1 and when 
he had read the list of the names of the
 people who  had been buried there he   
gave it to his disciple to replace4     
,then he  addressed his disciple and    
admonished him to do the work of ,god   
with  diligence1 and warned him that    
every man must become even as were the  
mummies which lay before them4 ,and     
some1 said he1 whose sins have  been    
many are now in ,amenti1 others are in  
the outer darkness1 others  are in pits 
and ditches filled with fire1 and others
 are in the river of  fire3 upon these  
last no one hath bestowed rest4 ,and    
others1 likewise1  are in a place of    
rest1 by reason of their good works4    
,when the  disciple had departed1 the   
holy man began to talk to one of the    
mummies  who had been a native of the   
town of ,erment1 or ,armant1 and whose  
father  and mother had been called      
,agricolaos and ,eustathia4 ,he had been
 a  worshipper of ,poseidon1 and had    
never heard that ,christ had come into  

the world4 ,and1 said he woe1 woe is me 
because ,i was born into the  world4    
,why did not my mother's womb become my 
tomb8 ,when1 it became  necessary for me
 to die1 the ,kosmokratr angels were the
 first to come  round about me1 and they
 told me of all the sins which ,i had   
committed1  and they said unto me1 ',let
 him that can save thee from the        
torments  into which thou shalt be cast 
come hither4' ,and they had in their    
hands  iron knives1 and pointed goads   
which were like unto sharp spears1 and  
they drove them into my sides and       
gnashed upon me with their teeth4 ,when 
a little time afterwards my eyes were   
opened ,i saw death hovering about  in  
the air in its manifold forms1 and at   
that moment angels who were  without    
pity came and dragged my wretched soul  
from my body1 and having  tied it under 
the form of a black horse they led me   
away to ,amonti4 ,woe  be unto every    
sinner like unto myself who hath been   
born into the world6  ,o my master and  

father1 ,i was then delivered into the  
hands of a  multitude of tormentors who 
were without pity and who had each a    
different form4 ,oh1 what a number of   
wild beasts did ,i see in the way6  ,oh1
 what a number of powers were there that
 inflicted punishment upon  me6 ,and it 
came to pass that when ,i had been cast 
into the outer  darkness1 ,i saw a great
 ditch which was more than two hundred  
cubits  deep1 and it was filled with    
reptiles2 each reptile had seven heads1 
and  the body of each was like unto that
 of a scorpion4 ,in this place also     
lived the ,great ,worm1 the mere sight  
of which terrified him that looked      
thereat4 ,in his mouth he had teeth like
 unto iron stakes1 and one took  me and 
threw me to this ,worm which never      
ceased to eat2 then immediately  all the
 other beasts gathered together near    
him1 and when he had  filled his mouth  
with my flesh1 all the beasts who were  
round about me  filled theirs4 ,in      
answer to the question of the holy man  

as to whether  he had enjoyed any rest  
or period without suffering1 the mummy  
replied3  ,yea1 ,o my father1 pity is   
shown unto those who are in torment     
every  ,saturday and every ,sunday4 ,as 
soon as ,sunday is over we are cast into
  the torments which we deserve1 so that
 we may forget the years which we  have 
passed in the world2 and as soon as we  
have forgotten the grief of  this       
torment we are cast into another which  
is still more grievous4    ,now1 it is  
easy to see from the above description  
of the torments which  the wicked were  
supposed to suffer1 that the writer had 
in his mind some  of the pictures with  
which we are now familiar1 thanks to the
 excavation  of tombs which has gone on 
in ,egypt during the last few years2 and
 it is  also easy to see that he1 in    
common with many other ,coptic writers1 
misunderstood the purport of them4 ,the 
outer darkness1 i4e41 the  blackest     
place of all in the underworld1 the     
river of fire1 the pits of  fire1 the   

snake and the scorpion1 and such like   
things1 all have their  counterparts1 or
 rather originals1 in the scenes which  
accompany the  texts which describe the 
passage of the sun through the          
underworld  during the hours of the     
night4 ,having once misunderstood the   
general  meaning of such scenes1 it was 
easy to convert the foes of ,ra1 the    
,sun-god1 into the souls of the damned1 
and to look upon the burning up  of such
 foes--who were after all only certain  
powers of nature  personified--as the   
well-merited punishment of those who had
 done evil  upon the earth4 ,how far the
 ,copts reproduced unconsciously the    
views  which had been held by their     
ancestors for thousands of years cannot 
be  said1 but even after much allowance 
has been made for this possibility1     
there remains still to be explained a   
large number of beliefs and views  which
 seem to have been the peculiar product 
of the ,egyptian ,christian             
imagination4    ,it has been said above 

that the idea of the judgment of the    
dead is of  very great antiquity in     
,egypt2 indeed1 it is so old that it is 
useless  to try to ascertain the date of
 the period when it first grew up4 ,in  
the  earliest religious texts known to  
us1 there are indications that the      
,egyptians expected a judgment1 but they
 are not sufficiently definite to  argue
 from2 it is certainly doubtful if the  
judgment was thought to be  as thorough 
and as searching then as in the later   
period4 ,as far back as  the reign of   
,men-kau-,ra1 the ,mycerinus of the     
,greeks1 about ,b4,c4  #cfjj1 a         
religious text1 which afterwards formed 
chapter #cj;,b of the ,book  of the     
,dead1 was found inscribed on an iron   
slab2 in the handwriting of  the god    
,thoth1 by the royal son or prince      
,herutataf4 ,footnote3  ,see ,chapters  
of ,coming ,forth by ,day1 ,translation1
 p4 #hj4 ,the original  purpose of the  
composition of this text cannot be said1
 but there is  little doubt that it was 

intended1 to benefit the deceased in the
  judgment1 and1 if we translate its    
title literally1 it was intended to     
prevent his heart from falling away from
 him in the underworld4 ,in the  first  
part of it the deceased1 after adjuring 
his heart1 says1 ,may  naught stand up  
to oppose me in the judgment2 may there 
be no opposition  to me in the presence 
of the sovereign princes2 may there be  
no parting  of thee from me in the      
presence of him that keepeth the        
,balance6444 ,may  the officers of the  
court of ,osiris 7in ,egyptian ,shenit71
 who form the  conditions of the lives  
of men1 not cause my name to stink6 ,let
 the  judgment be satisfactory unto me1 
let the hearing be satisfactory unto    
me1 and let me have joy of heart at the 
weighing of words4 ,let not that  which 
is false be uttered against me before   
the ,great ,god1 the ,lord of  ,amentet4
    ,now1 although the papyrus upon1    
which this statement and prayer are     
found was written about two thousand    

years after ,men-kau-,ra reigned1  there
 is no doubt that they were copied from 
texts which were themselves  copied at a
 much earlier period1 and that the story
 of the finding of  the text inscribed  
upon an iron slab is contemporary with  
its actual  discovery by ,herutataf4 ,it
 is not necessary to inquire here       
whether the word find 7in ,egyptian qem7
 means a genuine discovery or  not1 but 
it is clear that those who had the      
papyrus copied saw no  absurdity or     
impropriety in ascribing the text to the
 period of  ,men-kau-,ra4 ,another text1
 which afterwards also became a chapter 
of  the ,book of the ,dead1 under the   
title ,chapter of not letting the heart 
of the deceased be driven away from him 
in the underworld1 was  inscribed on a  
coffin of the ,x,ith dynasty1 about     
,b4,c4 #bejj1 and in it we  have the    
following petition3 ,may naught stand up
 to oppose me in  judgment in the       
presence of the lords of the trial      
7literally1 'lords of  things'72 let it 

not be said of me and of that which ,i  
have done1 ',he  hath done deeds against
 that which is very right and true'2 may
 naught  be against me in the presence  
of the ,great ,god1 the ,lord of        
,amentet4  ,footnote3 ,chapters of      
,coming ,forth by ,day1 p4 #gh4 ,from   
these  passages we are right in assuming
 that before the end of the ,i,vth      
dynasty the idea of being weighed in the
 balance was already evolved2  that the 
religious schools of ,egypt had assigned
 to a god the duty of  watching the     
balance when cases were being tried2    
that this weighing in  the balance took 
place in the presence of the beings     
called ,shenit1  who were believed to   
control the acts and deeds of men2 that 
it was  thought that evidence           
unfavourable to the deceased might be   
produced by  his foes at the judgment2  
that the weighing took place in the     
presence  of the ,great ,god1 the ,lord 
of ,amentet2 and that the heart of the  
deceased might fail him either          

physically or morally4 ,the deceased    
addresses his heart1 calling it is      
mother1 and next identifies it with  his
 ka or double1 coupling the mention of  
the ka with the name of  the god        
,khnemu3 these facts are exceedingly    
important1 for they prove  that the     
deceased considered his heart to be the 
source of his life and  being1 and the  
mention of the god ,khnemu takes the    
date of the  composition back to a      
period coaeval with the beginnings of   
religious  thought in ,egypt4 ,it was   
the god ,khnemu who assisted ,thoth in  
performing  the commands of ,god at the 
creation1 and one very interesting      
sculpture  at ,philae shows ,khnemu in  
the act of fashioning man upon a        
potter's  wheel4 ,the deceased1 in      
mentioning ,khnemu's name1 seems to     
invoke his  aid in the judgment as      
fashioner of man and as the being who is
 in some  respects responsible for the  
manner of his life upon earth4    ,in   
,chapter #cj;,a there is no mention made

 of the guardian of the  balance1 and   
the deceased says1 ,may naught stand up 
to oppose me in  judgment in the        
presence of the lords of things6 ,the   
lords of things  may be either the lords
 of creation1 i4e41 the great cosmic    
gods1 or  the lords of the affairs of   
the hall of judgment1 i4e41 of the      
trial4 ,in this chapter the deceased    
addresses not ,khnemu1 but the gods  who
 dwell in the divine clouds1 and who are
 exalted by reason of their  sceptres1  
that is to say1 the four gods of the    
cardinal points1 called  ,mestha1 ,hapi 
,tuamutef1 and ,qebhsennuf1 who also    
presided over the  chief internal organs
 of the human body4 ,here1 again1 it    
seems as if the  deceased was anxious to
 make these gods in some way responsible
 for the  deeds done by him in his life1
 inasmuch as they presided1 over the    
organs that were the prime movers of his
 actions4 ,in any case1 he  considers   
them in1 the light of intercessors1 for 
he beseeches them to  speak fair words  

unto ,ra on his behalf1 and to make him 
to prosper  before the goddess ,nehebka4
 ,in this case1 the favour of ,ra1 the  
,sun-god1 the visible emblem of the     
almighty and eternal ,god1 is sought    
for1 and also that of the serpent       
goddess1 whose attributes are not yet   
accurately defined1 but who has much to 
do with the destinies of the  dead4 ,no 
mention whatever is made of the ,lord of
 ,amentet--,osiris4    ,before we pass  
to the consideration of the manner in   
which the judgment  is depicted upon the
 finest examples of the illustrated     
papyri1  reference must be made to an   
interesting vignette in the papyri of   
,nebseni ,footnote3 ,british ,museum1   
,no4 #iijj4 and ,amen-neb4 ,footnote #b3
  ,british ,museum1 ,no4 #jifd4 ,in both
 of these papyri we see a figure of  the
 deceased himself being weighed in the  
balance against his own heart  in the   
presence of the god ,osiris4 ,it seems  
probable that a belief was  current at  
one time in ancient ,egypt concerning   

the possibility of the  body being      
weighed against the heart1 with the view
 of finding out if  the former had      
obeyed the dictates of the latter2 be   
that as it may1  however1 it is quite   
certain that this remarkable variant of 
the  vignette of ,chapter #cj;,b had    
some special meaning1 and1 as it occurs 
in  two papyri which date from the      
,x,v,i,i,ith dynasty1 we are justified  
in  assuming that it represents a belief
 belonging to a much older period4  ,the
 judgment here depicted must1 in any    
case1 be different from that  which     
forms such a striking scene in the later
 illustrated papyri of the  ,x,v,i,i,ith
 and following dynasties4    ,we have   
now proved that the idea of the judgment
 of the dead was  accepted in religious 
writings as early as the ,i,vth dynasty1
 about ,b4,c4  #cfjj1 but we have to    
wait nearly two thousand years before we
 find it in  picture form4 ,certain     
scenes which are found in the ,book of  
the ,dead as  vignettes accompanying    

certain texts or chapters1 e4g41 the    
,fields of  ,hetep1 or the ,elysian     
,fields1 are exceedingly old1 and are   
found on  sarcophagi of the ,x,ith and  
,x,i,ith dynasties2 but the earliest    
picture  known of the ,judgment ,scene  
is not older than the ,x,v,i,i,ith      
dynasty4 ,in  the oldest ,theban papyri 
of the ,book of the ,dead no ,judgment  
,scene is  forthcoming1 and when we find
 it wanting in such authoritative       
documents  as the ,papyrus of ,nebseni  
and that of ,nu1 ,footnote3 ,british    
,museum1 ,no4  #aj1dgg4 we must take it 
for granted that there was some reason  
for its  omission4 ,in the great        
illustrated papyri1 in which1 the       
,judgment ,scene  is given in full1 it  
will be noticed that it comes at the    
beginning of  the work1 and that it is  
preceded by hymns and by a vignette4    
,thus1 in  the ,papyrus of ,ani1        
,footnote3 ,british ,museum1 ,no4       
#aj1dgj4 we have a  hymn to ,ra followed
 by a vignette representing the sunrise1

 and a  hymn to ,osiris2 and in the     
,papyrus of ,hunefer1 ,footnote #b3     
,british  ,museum1 ,no4 #iija4 though   
the hymns are different1 the arrangement
 is  the same4 ,we are justified1 then1 
in assuming that the hymns and the      
,judgment ,scene together formed an     
introductory section to the ,book of    
the ,dead1 and it is possible that it   
indicates the existence of the  belief1 
at least during the period of the       
greatest power of the priests  of ,amen1
 from ,b4,c4 #agjj to ,b4,c4 #hjj1 that 
the judgment of the dead for  the deeds 
done in the body preceded the admission 
of the dead into the  kingdom of        
,osiris4 ,as the hymns which accompany  
the ,judgment ,scene are  fine examples 
of a high class of devotional           
compositions1 a few  translations from  
some of them are here given4    ,,hymn  
,,to ,r,a4 ,footnote3 ,see ,the         
,chapters of ,coming ,forth by ,day1 p4 
#g4      ,homage to thee1 ,o thou who   
risest in ,nu1 ,footnote3 ,the sky      

personified4 and who at thy             
manifestation dost make the world bright
    with light2 the whole company of the
 gods sing hymns of praise unto    thee 
after thou hast come forth4 ,the divine 
,merti ,footnote3    ,literally1 the    
,two ,eyes1 i4e41 ,isis and ,nephthys4  
goddesses who    minister unto thee     
cherish thee as ,king of the ,north and 
,south1 thou    beautiful and beloved   
,man-child4 ,when1 thou risest men and  
women live4    ,the nations rejoice in  
thee1 and the ,souls of ,annu ,footnote3
 i4e41    ,ra1 ,shu and ,tefnut4        
7,heliopolis7 sing unto thee songs of   
joy4 ,the    ,souls of the city of ,pe1 
,footnote3 ,part of the city of ,buto   
7,per-,uatchit74 ,the souls of ,pe were 
,horus1 ,mestha1 ,hapi4 and the         
,souls of the city of ,nekhen ,footnote3
 i4e41 ,horus1 ,tuamutef1 and           
,qebhsennuf4 exalt thee1 the apes of    
dawn adore thee1 and all beasts    and  
cattle praise thee with one accord4 ,the
 goddess ,seba overthroweth    thine    

enemies1 therefore hast thou rejoicing  
in thy boat2 thy mariners    are content
 thereat4 ,thou hast attained unto the  
,atet boat1    ,footnote3 i4e41 the boat
 in which the sun travels until noon4   
and    thy heart swelleth with joy4 ,o  
lord of the gods1 when thou didst       
create them they shouted for joy4 ,the  
azure goddess ,nut doth compass    thee 
on every side1 and the god ,nu floodeth 
thee with his rays of    light4 ,o cast 
thou thy light upon me and let me see   
thy beauties1 and    when thou goest    
forth over the earth ,i will sing       
praises unto thy fair    face4 ,thou    
risest in heaven's horizon1 and thy disk
 is adored when it    resteth upon the  
mountain to give life unto the world4   
,thou risest1 thou risest1 and thou     
comest forth from the god ,nu4 ,thou    
dost renew thy youth1 and thou dost set 
thyself in the place where    thou wast 
yesterday4 ,o thou divine ,child1 who   
didst create thyself1 ,i    am not able 
to describe thee4 ,thou hast come with  

thy risings1 and    thou hast made      
heaven and earth resplendent with thy   
rays of pure    emerald light4 ,the land
 of ,punt ,footnote3 i4e41 the land on  
each    side of the ,red ,sea and       
,north-east ,africa4 is established to  
give    the perfumes which1 thou        
smellest with thy nostrils4 ,thou       
risest1 ,o    marvellous ,being1 in     
heaven1 and the two serpent-goddesses1  
,merti1 are    established upon thy     
brow4 ,thou art the giver of laws1 ,o   
thou lord of    the world and of all the
 inhabitants thereof2 all the gods adore
    thee4    ,,hymn ,,to ,,osiris       
,footnote3 ,see ,the ,chapters of       
,coming ,forth by ,day1 p4  #aa4        
,glory be to thee1 ,o ,osiris ,un-nefer1
 the great god within ,abydos1    king  
of eternity and lord of everlastingness1
 the god who passest    through millions
 of years in thy existence4 ,thou art   
the eldest son of    the womb of ,nut1  
thou wast engendered by ,seb1 the       
,ancestor of the    gods1 thou art the  

lord of the ,crowns of the ,north and of
 the ,south1    and of the lofty white  
crown4 ,as ,prince of the gods and of   
men thou    hast received the crook1 and
 the whip1 and the dignity of thy divine
    fathers4 ,let thy heart which is in 
the mountain of ,ament ,footnote3       
i4e41 the underworld4 be content1 for   
thy son ,horus is established    upon   
thy throne4 ,thou art crowned the lord  
of ,tattu 7,mendes7 and ruler    in     
,abtu 7,abydos74 ,through thee the world
 waxeth green in triumph    before the  
might of ,neb-er-tcher4 ,footnote3 ,a   
name of ,osiris4 ,thou    leadest in thy
 train that which is1 and that which is 
not yet1 in thy    name of              
',ta-her-sta-nef2' thou towest along the
 earth in thy name of    ',seker2' thou 
art exceedingly mighty and most terrible
 in thy name of    ',osiris2' thou      
endurest for ever and for ever in thy   
name of    ',un-nefer4'      ,homage to 
thee1 ,o thou ,king of kings1 ,lord of  
lords1 ,prince of    ,princes6 ,from the

 womb of ,nut thou hast ruled the world 
and the    underworld4 ,thy body is of  
bright and shining metal1 thy head is of
    azure blue1 and the brilliance of   
the turquoise encircleth thee4 ,o       
thou god ,an1 who hast had existence for
 millions of years1 who    pervadest all
 things with thy body1 who art beautiful
 in countenance    in the ,land of      
,holiness 7i4e41 the underworld71 grant 
thou to me    splendour in heaven1 might
 upon earth1 and triumph in the         
underworld4    ,grant thou that ,i may  
sail down to ,tattu like a living soul1 
and up to    ,abtu like the phoenix2 and
 grant that ,i may enter in and come    
forth    from the pylons of the lands of
 the underworld without let or          
hindrance4 ,may loaves of bread be given
 unto me in the house of    coolness1   
and offerings of food and drink in ,annu
 7,heliopolis71 and a    homestead for  
ever and for ever in the ,field of      
,reeds ,footnote3 ,a    division of the 
,fields of ,peace or ,elysian ,fields4  

with wheat and    barley therefor4      
,in the long and important hymn in the  
,papyrus of ,hunefer ,footnote3 ,see    
,the ,chapters of ,coming ,forth ,by    
,day1 pp4 #cdc-cdf4 occurs the          
following petition1 which is put into   
the mouth of the deceased3--      ,grant
 that ,i may follow in the train of thy 
,majesty even as ,i did    upon earth4  
,let my soul be called into the         
presence1 and let it be    found by the 
side of the lords of right and truth4 ,i
 have come into    the ,city of ,god1   
the region which existed in primeval    
time1 with my    soul1 and with my      
double1 and with my translucent form1 to
 dwell    in this land4 ,the ,god       
thereof is the lord of right and truth1 
he is    the lord of the tchefau food of
 the gods1 and he is most holy4 ,his    
land draweth unto itself every land2 the
 ,south cometh sailing down the    river
 thereto1 and the ,north1 steered       
thither by winds1 cometh daily    to    
make festival therein according to the  

command of the ,god thereof1    who is  
the ,lord of peace therein4 ,and doth he
 not say1 ',the happiness    thereof is 
a care unto me'8 ,the god who dwelleth  
therein worketh right    and truth2 unto
 him that doeth these things he giveth  
old age1 and to    him that followeth   
after them rank and honour1 until at    
length he    attaineth unto a happy     
funeral and burial in the ,holy ,land   
7i4e41    the underworld74    ,the      
deceased1 having recited these words of 
prayer and adoration to  ,ra1 the symbol
 of ,almighty ,god1 and to his son      
,osiris1 next cometh  forth into the    
,hall of ,maati1 that he may be         
separated from every sin  which he hath 
done1 and may behold the faces of the   
gods4 ,footnote3  ,this quotation is    
from the title of ,chapter ,,cxxv4 of   
the ,book of the  ,dead4 ,from the      
earliest times the ,maati were the two  
goddesses ,isis  and ,nephthys1 and they
 were so called because they represented
 the ideas  of straightness1 integrity1 

righteousness1 what is right1 the truth1
 and  such like2 the word ,maat         
originally meant a measuring reed or    
stick4  ,they were supposed either to   
sit in the ,hall of ,maat outside the   
shrine of ,osiris1 or to stand by the   
side of this god in the shrine2 an      
example of the former position will be  
seen in the ,papyrus of ,ani 7,plate    
#ca71 and of the latter in the ,papyrus 
of ,hunefer 7,plate #d74 ,the original  
idea of the ,hall of ,maat or ,maati was
 that it contained forty-two  gods2 a   
fact which we may see from the following
 passage in the  ,introduction to       
,chapter ,,cxxv4 of the ,book of the    
,dead4 ,the deceased says  to ,osiris3--
      ,homage to thee1 ,o thou great    
,god1 thou ,lord of the two ,maat       
goddesses6 ,i have come to thee1 ,o my  
,lord1 and ,i have made myself to       
come hither that ,i may behold thy      
beauties4 ,i know thee1 and ,i know     
thy name1 and ,i know the names of the  
two and forty gods who live with    thee

 in this ,hall of ,maati1 who live as   
watchers of sinners and who    feed upon
 their blood on that day when the       
characters 7or lives7 of    men are     
reckoned up 7or taken into account7 in  
the presence of the    god ,un-nefer4   
,verily1 ,god of the ,rekhti-,merti     
7i4e41 the twin    sisters of the two   
eyes71 the ,lord of the city of ,maati  
is thy    name4 ,verily ,i have come to 
thee1 and ,i have brought ,maat unto    
thee1 and ,i have destroyed wickedness4 
,the deceased then goes on to enumerate 
the sins or offences which he has  not  
committed2 and he concludes by saying3  
,i am pure2 ,i am pure2 ,i am  pure2 ,i 
am pure4 ,my purity is the purity of the
 great ,bennu which is in  the city of  
,suten-henen 7,heracleopolis71 for1     
behold41 ,i am the nostrils  of the ,god
 of breath1 who maketh all mankind to   
live on the day when the  ,eye of ,ra is
 full in ,annu 7,heliopolis7 at the end 
of the second month  of the season      
,,pert4 ,footnote3 i4e41 the last day of

 the sixth month  of the ,egyptian year1
 called by the ,copta ,mekhir4 ,i have  
seen the ,eye  of ,ra when it was full  
in ,annu2 ,footnote3 ,the allusion here 
seems to  be to the ,summer or ,winter  
,solstice4 therefore let not evil befall
 me  either in this land or in this     
,hall of ,maati1 because ,i1 even ,i1   
know  the names of the gods who are     
therein4    ,now as the gods who live in
 the ,hall of ,maat with ,osiris are two
 and  forty in number1 we should expect 
that two and forty sins or offences     
would be mentioned in the addresses     
which the deceased makes to them2  but  
this is not the case1 for the sins      
enumerated in the ,introduction  never  
reach this number4 ,in the great        
illustrated papyri of the ,x,v,i,i,ith  
and ,x,i,xth dynasties we find1 however1
 that notwithstanding the fact that  a  
large number of sins1 which the deceased
 declares he has not  committed1 are    
mentioned in the ,introduction1 the     
scribes and artists  added a series of  

negative statements1 forty-two in       
number1 which they  set out in a tabular
 form4 ,this1 clearly1 is an attempt to 
make the sins  mentioned equal in number
 to the gods of the ,hall of ,maat1 and 
it  would seem as if they preferred to  
compose an entirely new form of this    
section of the one hundred and          
twenty-fifth chapter to making any      
attempt to add to or alter the older    
section4 ,the artists1 then1  depicted a
 ,hall of ,maat1 the doors of which are 
wide open1 and the  cornice of which is 
formed of uraei and feathers1 symbolic  
of ,maat4  ,over the middle of the      
cornice is a seated deity with hands    
extended1  the right over the ,eye of   
,horus1 and the left over a pool4 ,at   
the end of  the ,hall are seated the    
goddesses of ,maat1 i4e41 ,isis and     
,nephthys1  the deceased adoring ,osiris
 who is seated on a throne1 a balance   
with  the heart of the deceased in one  
scale1 and the feather1 symbolic of     
,maat1 in the other1 and ,thoth painting

 a large feather4 ,in this ,hall  sit   
the forty-two gods1 and as the deceased 
passes by each1 the deceased  addresses 
him by his name and at the same time    
declares that he has not  committed a   
certain sin4 ,an examination of the     
different papyri shows  that the scribes
 often made mistakes in writing this    
list of gods and  list of sins1 and1 as 
the result1 the deceased is made to     
recite before  one god the confession   
which strictly belongs to another4      
,inasmuch1 as  the deceased always says 
after pronouncing the name of each god1 
,i have  not done such and such a sin1  
the whole group of addresses has been   
called the ,negative ,confession4 ,the  
fundamental ideas of religion and       
morality which underlie this ,confession
 are exceedingly old1 and we may  gather
 from it with tolerable clearness what  
the ancient ,egyptian  believed to      
constitute his duty towards ,god and    
towards his neighbour4    ,it is        
impossible to explain1 the fact that    

forty-two gods only are  addressed1 and 
equally so to say why this number was   
adopted4 ,some have  believed that the  
forty-two gods represented each a name  
of ,egypt1 and  much support is given to
 this view by the fact that most of the 
lists of  names make the number to be   
forty-two2 but then1 again1 the lists do
 not  agree4 ,the classical authors     
differ also1 for by some of these       
writers  the names are said to be       
thirty-six in number1 and by others     
forty-six  are enumerated4 ,these       
differences may1 however1 be easily     
explained1 for  the central             
administration may at any time have     
added to or taken from  the number of   
names for fiscal or other               
considerations1 and we shall  probably  
be correct in assuming that at the time 
the ,negative ,confession  was drawn up 
in the tabular form in which we meet it 
in the ,x,v,i,i,ith  dynasty the names  
were forty-two in number4 ,support is   
also lent to this  view by the fact that

 the earliest form of the ,confession1  
which forms  the ,introduction to       
,chapter ,,cxxv41 mentions less than    
forty sins4  ,incidentally we may notice
 that the forty-two gods are subservient
 to  ,osiris1 and that they only occupy 
a subordinate position in the ,hall of  
,judgment1 for it is the result of the  
weighing of the heart of the  deceased  
in the balance that decides his future4 
,before passing to the  description of  
the ,hall of ,judgment where the balance
 is set1 it is  necessary to give a     
rendering of the ,negative ,confession  
which1  presumably1 the deceased recites
 before his heart is weighed in the     
balance2 it is made from the ,papyrus of
 ,nu4 ,footnote3 ,british ,museum1  ,no4
 #aj1dgg4      #a4 ,hail ,usekh-nemtet  
7i4e41 ,long of strides71 who comest    
forth from    ,anuu 7,heliopolis71 ,i   
have not done iniquity4      #b4 ,hail  
,hept-seshet 7i4e41 ,embraced by flame71
 who comest forth    from ,kher-aba1    
,footnote3 ,a city near ,memphis4 ,i    

have not robbed    with violence4       
#c4 ,hail ,fenti 7i4e41 ,nose71 who     
comest forth from ,khemennu             
7,hermopolis71 ,i have not done violence
 to any man4      #d4 ,hail ,am-khaibitu
 7i4e41 ,eater of shades71 who comest   
forth    from the ,qereret 7i4e41 the   
cavern where the ,nile rises71 ,i have  
not    committed theft4      #e4 ,hail  
,neha-bra 7i4e41 ,stinking face71 who   
comest forth from    ,restau1 ,i have   
slain neither man nor woman4      #f4   
,hail ,rereti 7i4e41 ,double ,lion-god71
 who comest forth from    heaven1 ,i    
have not made light the bushel4      #g4
 ,hail ,maata-f-em-seshet 7i4e41 ,fiery 
eyes71 who comest forth from    ,sekhem 
7,letopolis71 ,i have not acted         
deceitfully4      #h4 ,hail ,neba 7i4e41
 ,flame71 who comest forth and          
retreatest1 ,i have    not purloined the
 things which belong unto ,god4      #i4
 ,hail ,set-qesu 7i4e41 ,crusher of     
bones71 who comest forth from           
,suten-henen 7,heracleopolis71 ,i have  

not uttered falsehood4      #aj4 ,hail  
,khemi 7i4e41 ,overthrower71 who comest 
forth from ,shetait    7i4e41 the hidden
 place71 ,i have not carried off goods  
by force4      #aa4 ,hail ,uatch-nesert 
7i4e41 ,vigorous of ,flame71 who comest 
forth    from ,het-ka-,ptah 7,memphis71 
,i have not uttered vile 7or evil7      
words4      #ab4 ,hail ,hra-f-ha-f      
7i4e41 ,he whose face is behind him71   
who comest    forth from the cavern and 
the deep1 ,i have not carried off food  
by    force4      #ac4 ,hail ,qerti     
7i4e41 the double ,nile source71 who    
comest forth    from the ,underworld1 ,i
 have not acted deceitfully4      #ad4  
,hail ,ta-ret 7i4e41 ,fiery-foot71 who  
comest forth out of the    darkness1 ,i 
have not eaten my heart 7i4e4 lost my   
temper and become    angry74      #ae4  
,hail ,hetch-abehu 7i4e41 ,shining      
teeth71 who comest forth from    ,ta-she
 7i4e41 the ,fayym71 ,i have invaded no 
man's land4      #af4 ,hail ,am-senef   
7i4e41 ,eater of blood71 who comest     

forth from    the house of the block1 ,i
 have not slaughtered animals which are 
the    possessions of ,god4      #ag4   
,hail ,am-besek 7i4e41 ,eater of        
entrails71 who comest forth    from     
,mabet1 ,i have not laid waste the lands
 which have been    ploughed4      #ah4 
,hail ,neb-,maat 7i4e41 ,lord of ,maat71
 who comest forth from    the city of   
the two ,maati1 ,i have not pried into  
matters to make    mischief4      #ai4  
,hail ,thenemi 7i4e41 ,retreater71 who  
comest forth from ,bast    7i4e41       
,bubastis71 ,i have not set my mouth in 
motion against any man4      #bj4 ,hail 
,anti1 who comest forth from ,annu      
7,heliopolis71 ,i have not    given way 
to wrath without due cause4      #ba4   
,hail ,tututef1 who comest forth from   
the home of ,ati1 ,i have not           
committed fornication1 and ,i have not  
committed sodomy4      #bb4 ,hail       
,uamemti1 who comest forth from the     
house of slaughter1 ,i    have not      
polluted myself4      #bc4 ,hail        

,maa-ant-f 7i4e41 ,seer of what is      
brought to him71 who    comest forth    
from the house of the god ,amsu1 ,i have
 not lain with the    wife of a man4    
#bd4 ,hail ,her-seru1 who comest forth  
from ,nehatu1 ,i have not made any      
man to be afraid4      #be4 ,hail       
,neb-,sekhem1 who comest forth from the 
,lake of ,kaui1 ,i have    not made my  
speech to burn with anger4 ,footnote3   
,literally1 ,i have    not been hot of  
mouth4      #bf4 ,hail ,seshet-kheru    
7i4e41 ,orderer of speech71 who comest  
forth    from ,urit1 ,i have not made   
myself deaf unto the words of right and 
truth4      #bg4 ,hail ,nekhen 7i4e41   
,babe71 who comest forth from the ,lake 
of    ,heqa t1 ,i have not made another 
person to weep4      #bh4 ,hail         
,kenemti1 who comest forth from         
,kenemet1 ,i have not uttered           
blasphemies4      #bi4 ,hail ,an-hetep-f
 7i4e41 ,bringer of his offering71 who  
comest    forth from ,sau1 ,i have not  
acted with violence4      #cj4 ,hail    

,ser-kheru 7i4e41 ,disposer of ,speech71
 who comest forth    from ,unsi1 ,i have
 not hastened my heart4 ,footnote3 i4e41
 acted    without due consideration4    
#ca4 ,hail ,neb-hrau 7i4e41 ,lord of    
,faces71 who comest forth from          
,netchefet1 ,i have not pierced 787 my  
skin 7871 and ,i have not taken         
vengeance on the god4      #cb4 ,hail   
,serekhi1 who comest forth from ,uthent1
 ,i have not multiplied    my speech    
beyond what should be said4      #cc4   
,hail ,neb-abui 7i4e41 ,lord of horns71 
who comest forth from    ,sauti1 ,i have
 not committed fraud1 and ,i have not   
looked upon evil4      #cd4 ,hail       
,nefer-,tem1 who comest forth from      
,ptah-het-ka 7,memphis71 ,i    have     
never uttered curses against the king4  
#ce4 ,hail ,tem-sep1 who comest forth   
from ,tattu1 ,i have not fouled         
running water4      #cf4 ,hail          
,ari-em-ab-f1 who comest forth from     
,tebti1 ,i have not exalted    my       
speech4      #cg4 ,hail ,ahi1 who comest

 forth from ,nu1 ,i have not uttered    
curses    against ,god4      #ch4 ,hail 
,uatch-rekhit who comest forth from his 
shrine 7871 ,i have    not behaved with 
insolence4      #ci4 ,hail              
,neheb-nefert1 who comest forth from his
 temple1 ,i have not    made            
distinctions4 ,footnote3 i4e41 ,i have  
not been guilty of    favouritism4      
#dj4 ,hail ,neheb-kau1 who comest forth 
from thy cavern1 ,i have not            
increased my wealth except by means of  
such things as are mine own             
possessions4      #da4 ,hail            
,tcheser-tep1 who comest forth from thy 
shrine1 ,i have not    uttered curses   
against that which belongeth to ,god and
 is with me4      #db4 ,hail ,an-a-f    
7i4e41 ,bringer of his arm71 who comest 
forth    from ,aukert1 ,i have not      
thought scorn of the god of the city4   
,a brief examination of this ,confession
 shows that the ,egyptian code of       
morality was very comprehensive1 and it 
would be very hard to find an  act1 the 

commission of which would be reckoned a 
sin when the  ,confession was put       
together1 which is not included under   
one or other  part of it4 ,the          
renderings of the words for certain sins
 are not always  definite or exact1     
because we do not know the precise idea 
which the  framer of this remarkable    
document had4 ,the deceased states that 
he has  neither cursed ,god1 nor thought
 scorn of the god of his city1 nor      
cursed  the king1 nor committed theft of
 any kind1 nor murder1 nor adultery1 nor
  sodomy1 nor crimes against the god of 
generation2 he has not been  imperious  
or haughty1 or violent1 or wrathful1 or 
hasty in deed1 or a  hypocrite1 or an   
accepter of persons1 or a blasphemer1 or
 crafty1 or  avaricious1 or fraudulent1 
or deaf to pious words1 or a party to   
evil  actions1 or proud1 or puffed up2  
he has terrified no man1 he has not     
cheated in the market-place1 and he has 
neither fouled the public  watercourse  
nor laid waste the tilled land of the   

community4 ,this is1 in  brief1 the     
confession which the deceased makes2 and
 the next act in the  ,judgment ,scene  
is weighing the heart of the deceased in
 the scales4 ,as  none of the oldest    
papyri of the ,book of the ,dead        
supplies us with a  representation of   
this scene1 we must have recourse to the
 best of the  illustrated papyri of the 
latter half of the ,x,v,i,i,ith and of  
the ,x,i,xth  dynasties4 ,the details of
 the ,judgment ,scene vary greatly in   
various  papyri1 but the essential parts
 of it are always preserved4 ,the       
following is the description of the     
judgment of ,ani1 as it appears in  his 
wonderful papyrus preserved in the      
,british ,museum4    ,in the underworld1
 and in that portion of it which is     
called the ,hall of  ,maati1 is set a   
balance wherein the heart of the        
deceased is to be  weighed4 ,the beam is
 suspended by a ring upon a projection  
from the  standard of the balance made  
in the form of the feather which is the 

symbol of ,maat1 or what is right and   
true4 ,the tongue of the balance  is    
fixed to the beam1 and when this is     
exactly level1 the tongue is as         
straight as the standard2 if either end 
of the beam inclines downwards  the     
tongue cannot remain in a perpendicular 
position4 ,it must be  distinctly       
understood that the heart which was     
weighed in the one scale  was not       
expected to make the weight which was in
 the other to kick the  beam1 for all   
that was asked or required of the       
deceased was that his  heart should     
balance exactly the symbol of the law4  
,the standard was  sometimes surmounted 
by a human head wearing the feather of  
,maat2  sometimes by the head of a      
jackal1 the animal sacred to ,anubis2   
and  sometimes by the head of an ibis1  
the bird sacred to ,thoth2 in the       
,papyrus of ,ani a dog-headed ape1 the  
associate of ,thoth1 sits on the top  of
 the standard4 ,in some papyri 7e4g41   
those of ,ani ,footnote3 ,about  ,b4,c4 

#aejj4 and ,hunefer ,footnote3 ,about   
,b4,c4 #acgj471 in addition to  ,osiris1
 the king of the underworld and judge of
 the dead1 the gods of  his cycle or    
company appear as witnesses of the      
judgment4 ,in the ,papyrus  of the      
priestess ,anhai ,footnote3 ,about      
,b4,c4 #ajjj4 in the ,british  ,museum  
the great and the little companies of   
the gods appear as  witnesses1 but the  
artist was so careless that instead of  
nine gods in  each group he painted six 
in one and five in the other4 ,in the   
,turin  papyrus ,footnote3 ,written in  
the ,ptolemaic period4 we see the whole 
of  the forty-two gods1 to whom the     
deceased recited the ,illustration3 ,the
  weighing of the heart of the scribe   
,ani in the ,balance in the presence  of
 the gods4 ,negative ,confession1 seated
 in the judgment-hall4 ,the  gods       
present at the weighing of ,ani's heart 
are--      #a4 ,r,a-,,harmachis1        
hawk-headed1 the ,sun-god of the dawn   
and of noon4      #b4 ,,temu1 the       

,sun-god of the evening1 the great god  
of ,heliopolis4 ,he    is depicted      
always in human form and with the face  
of a man1 a fact    which proves that he
 had at a very early period passed      
through all the    forms in which gods  
are represented1 and had arrived at that
 of a man4    ,he has upon his head the 
crowns of the ,south and ,north4        
#c4 ,,shu1 man-headed1 the son of ,ra   
and ,hathor1 the personification    of  
the sunlight4      #d4 ,,tefnut1        
lion-headed1 the twin-sister of ,shu1   
the personification of    moisture4     
#e4 ,,seb1 man-headed1 the son of ,shu1 
the personification of the earth4       
#f4 ,,nut1 woman-headed1 the female     
counterpart of the gods ,nu and ,seb2   
she was the personification of the      
primeval water1 and later of the    sky4
      #g4 ,,isis1 woman-headed1 the     
sister-wife of ,osiris1 and mother of   
,horus4      #h4 ,,nephthys1            
woman-headed1 the sister-wife of        
,osiris1 and mother of    ,anubis4      

#i4 ,,horus1 the great god1 hawk-headed1
 whose worship was probably the         
oldest in ,egypt4      #aj4 ,,hathor1   
woman-headed1 the personification of    
that portion of the    sky where the sun
 rose and set4      #aa4 ,,hu1          
man-headed1 and      #ab4 ,,sa1 also    
man-headed2 these gods are present in   
the boat of ,ra    in the scenes which  
depict the creation4    ,on one side of 
the balance kneels the god ,anubis1     
jackal-headed1 who  holds the weight of 
the tongue of the balance in his right  
hand1 and  behind him stands ,thoth1 the
 scribe of the gods1 ibis-headed1       
holding in  his hands a reed wherewith  
to write down the result of the         
weighing4  ,near him is seated the      
tri-formed beast ,am-mit1 the1 ,eater of
 the  ,dead1 who waits to devour the    
heart of ,ani should it be found to be  
light4 ,in the ,papyrus of ,neb-qet at  
,paris this beast is seen lying by  the 
side of a lake of fire1 at each corner  
of which is seated a  dog-headed ape2   

this lake is also seen in ,chapter      
,,cxxvi4 of the ,book of  the ,dead4    
,the gods who are seated before a table 
of offerings1 and  ,anubis1 and ,thoth1 
and ,am-mit1 are the beings who conduct 
the case1  so to speak1 against ,ani4   
,on the other side of the balance stand 
,ani and  his wife ,thuthu with their   
heads reverently bent2 they are depicted
 in  human form1 and wear garments and  
ornaments similar to those which they   
wore upon earth4 ,his soul1 in the form 
of a man-headed hawk standing  upon a   
pylon1 is present1 also a man-headed1   
rectangular object1  resting upon a     
pylon1 which has frequently been        
supposed to represent  the deceased in  
an embryonic state4 ,in the ,papyrus of 
,anhai two of these  objects appear1 one
 on each side of the balance2 they are  
described as  ,shai and ,renenet1 two   
words which are translated by ,destiny  
and  ,fortune respectively4 ,it is most 
probable1 as the reading of the name  of
 the object is ,meskhenet1 and as the   

deity ,meskhenet represents  sometimes  
both ,shai and ,renenet1 that the artist
 intended the object to  represent both 
deities1 even though we find the god    
,shai standing below  it close to the   
standard of the balance4 ,close by the  
soul stand two  goddesses called        
,meskhenet and ,renenet respectively2   
the former is1  probably1 one of the    
four goddesses who assisted at the      
resurrection of  ,osiris1 and the latter
 the personification of ,fortune1 which 
has already  been included under the    
,meskhenet object above1 the            
personification of  ,destiny4    ,it    
will be remembered that ,meskhenet      
accompanied ,isis1 ,nephthys1 ,heqet1   
and ,khnemu to the house of the lady    
,rut-,tettet1 who was about to bring    
forth three children4 ,when these       
deities arrived1 having changed their   
forms into those of women1 they found   
,ra-user standing there4 ,and  when they
 had made music for him1 he said to     
them1 ,mistresses1 there is  a woman in 

travail here2 and they replied1 ,let us 
see her1 for we know  how to deliver a  
woman4 ,ra-user then brought them into  
the house1  and the goddesses shut      
themselves in with the lady             
,rut-,tettet4 ,isis took  her place     
before her1 and ,nephthys behind her1   
whilst ,heqet hastened the  birth of the
 children2 as each child was born       
,meskhenet stepped up to  him and said1 
,a king who shall have dominion over the
 whole land1 and  the god ,khnemu       
bestowed health upon his limbs4         
,footnote3 ,see ,erman1  ,westcar       
,papyrus1 ,berlin1 #ahij1 hieroglyphic  
transcript1 plates #i and  #aj4 ,of     
these five gods1 ,isis1 ,nephthys1      
,meskhenet1 ,heqet1 and ,khnemu1  the   
first three are present at the judgment 
of ,ani2 ,khnemu is mentioned  in ,ani's
 address to his heart 7see below71 and  
only ,heqet is  unrepresented4    ,as   
the weighing of his heart is about to   
take place ,ani says1 ,my heart1  my    
mother6 ,my heart1 my mother6 ,my heart 

whereby ,i came into being6 ,may  naught
 stand up to oppose me in the judgment2 
may there be no opposition  to me in the
 presence of the sovereign princes2 may 
there be no parting  of thee from me in 
the presence of him that keepeth the    
,balance6 ,thou  art my ka1 the dweller 
in my body2 the god ,khnemu who knitteth
 and  strengtheneth my limbs4 ,mayest   
thou come forth into the place of       
happiness whither we go4 ,may the       
princes of the court of ,osiris1 who    
order the circumstances of the lives of 
men1 not cause my name to  stink4 ,some 
papyri add1 ,let it be satisfactory unto
 us1 and let the  listening be          
satisfactory unto us1 and let there be  
joy of heart unto us  at the weighing of
 words4 ,let not that which is false be 
uttered against  me before the great    
god1 the lord of ,amentet6 ,verily how  
great shalt  thou be when thou risest in
 triumph6    ,the tongue of the balance 
having been examined by ,anubis1 and the
 ape  having indicated to his associate 

,thoth that the beam is exactly         
straight1 and that the heart1 therefore1
 counterbalances the feather  symbolic  
of ,maat 7i4e41 right1 truth1 law1      
etc471 neither  outweighing nor         
underweighing it1 ,thoth writes down the
 result1 and then  makes the following  
address to the gods3--      ,hear ye    
this judgment4 ,the heart of ,osiris    
hath in very truth been    weighed1 and 
his soul hath stood as a witness for    
him2 it hath been    found true by trial
 in the ,great ,balance4 ,there hath not
 been found    any wickedness in him2 he
 hath not wasted the offerings in the   
temples2 he hath not done harm by his   
deeds2 and he spread abroad no    evil  
reports while he was upon earth4    ,in 
answer to this report the company of the
 gods1 who are styled the  great company
 of the gods1 reply1 ,that which cometh 
forth from thy  mouth1 ,o ,thoth1 who   
dwellest in ,khemennu 7,hermopolis71 is 
confirmed4  ,osiris1 the scribe ,ani1   
triumphant1 is holy and righteous4 ,he  

hath not  sinned1 neither hath he done  
evil against us4 ,the ,devourer ,am-mit 
shall not be allowed to prevail over    
him1 and meat-offerings and  entrance   
into the presence of the god ,osiris    
shall be granted unto him1  together    
with a homestead for ever in the ,field 
of ,peace1 as unto the  followers of    
,horus4 ,footnote3 ,these are a class of
 mythological  beings1 or demi-gods1 who
 already in the ,vth dynasty were       
supposed to  recite prayers on behalf of
 the deceased1 and to assist ,horus and 
,set in  performing funeral ceremonies4 
,see my ,papyrus of ,ani1 p4 cxxv4      
,here we notice at once that the        
deceased is identified with ,osiris1 the
  god and judge of the dead1 and that   
they have bestowed upon him the  god's  
own name2 the reason of this is as      
follows4 ,the friends of the  deceased  
performed for him all the ceremonies and
 rites which were  performed for ,osiris
 by ,isis and ,nephthys1 and it was     
assumed that1 as a  result1 the same    

things which took place in favour of    
,osiris would also  happen on behalf of 
the deceased1 and that in fact1 the     
deceased would  become the counterpart  
of ,osiris4 ,everywhere in the texts of 
the ,book of  the ,dead the deceased is 
identified with ,osiris1 from ,b4,c4    
#cdjj to the  ,roman period4 ,another   
point to notice is the application of   
the words  maa kheru to the deceased1 a 
term which ,i have1 for want of a       
better word1 rendered triumphant4 ,these
 words actually mean true of  voice or  
right of word1 and indicate that the    
person to whom they are  applied has    
acquired the power of using his voice in
 such a way that  when the invisible    
beings are addressed by him they will   
render unto him  all the service which  
he has obtained the right to demand4 ,it
 is well  known that in ancient times   
magicians and sorcerers were wont to    
address  spirits or demons in a peculiar
 tone of voice1 and that all magical    
formulae were recited in a similar      

manner2 the use of the wrong sound or   
tone of voice would result in the most  
disastrous consequences to the  speaker1
 and perhaps in death4 ,the deceased had
 to make his way through  a number of   
regions in the underworld1 and to pass  
through many series  of halls1 the doors
 of which were guarded by beings who    
were prepared1  unless properly         
addressed1 to be hostile to the         
new-comer2 he also had  need to take    
passage in a boat1 and to obtain the    
help of the gods and  of the powers of  
the various localities wherein he wanted
 to travel if  he wished to pass safely 
into the place where he would be4 ,the  
,book of  the ,dead provided him with   
all the texts and formulae which he     
would  have to recite to secure this    
result1 but unless the words contained  
in  them were pronounced in a proper    
manner1 and said in a proper tone of    
voice1 they would have no effect upon   
the powers of the underworld4 ,the  term
 maa kheru is applied but very rarely to

 the living1 but  commonly to the dead1 
and indeed the dead needed most the     
power which  these words indicated4 ,in 
the case of ,ani1 the gods1 having      
accepted the  favourable report of the  
result obtained by weighing ,ani's heart
 by  ,thoth1 style him maa kheru1 which 
is equivalent to conferring upon  him   
power to overcome all opposition1 of    
every kind1 which he may meet4          
,henceforth every door will open at his 
command1 every god will hasten to  obey 
immediately ,ani has uttered his name1  
and those whose duty it is to  provide  
celestial food for the beatified will do
 so for him when once  the order has    
been given4 ,before passing on to other 
matters it is  interesting to note that 
the term maa kheru is not applied to    
,ani  by himself in the ,judgment       
,scene1 nor by ,thoth1 the scribe of the
 gods1  nor by ,horus when he introduces
 him to ,osiris2 it is only the gods who
  can make a man maa kheru1 and thereby 
he also escapes from the  ,devourer4    

,the judgment ended1 ,horus1 the son of 
,isis1 who has assumed all the          
attributes of his father ,osiris1 takes 
,ani's left hand in his right and  leads
 him up to the shrine wherein the god   
,osiris is seated4 ,the god  wears the  
white crown with feathers1 and he holds 
in his hands a  sceptre1 a crook1 and   
whip1 or flail1 which typify sovereignty
 and  dominion4 ,his throne is a tomb1  
of which the bolted doors and the       
cornice of uraei may be seen painted on 
the side4 ,at the back of his  neck     
hangs the menat or symbol of joy and    
happiness2 on his right hand  stands    
,nephthys1 and on his left stands ,isis4
 ,before him1 standing on a  lotus      
flower1 are the four children of ,horus1
 ,mestha1 ,hapi1 ,tuamutef1  and        
,qebhsennuf1 who presided over and      
protected the intestines of the  dead2  
close by hangs the skin of a bull with  
which magical ideas seem to  have been  
associated4 ,the top of the shrine in   
which the god sits is  surmounted by    

uraei1 wearing disks on their heads1 and
 the cornice also  is similarly         
decorated4 ,in several papyri the god is
 seen standing up in  the shrine1       
sometimes with and sometimes without the
 goddesses ,isis and  ,nephthys4 ,in the
 ,papyrus of ,hunefer we find a most    
interesting variant  of this            
,illustration3 ,horus1 the son of ,isis1
 leading the scribe ,ani  into the      
presence of ,osiris1 the god and judge  
of the dead2 before the  shrine of the  
god ,am kneels in adoration and presents
 offerings4  portion of the scene1 for  
the throne of ,osiris rests upon1 or in1
 water4  ,this reminds us of the passage
 in the one hundred and twenty-sixth    
chapter of the ,book of the ,dead in    
which the god ,thoth says to the        
deceased1 ,who is he whose roof is of   
fire1 whose walls are living  uraei1 and
 the floor of whose house is a stream of
 running water8 ,who is  he1 ,i say8    
,the deceased answers1 ,it is ,osiris1  
and the god says1  ,come forward1 then2 

for verily thou shalt be mentioned to   
him4    ,when ,horus had led in ,ani he 
addressed ,osiris1 saying1 ,i have come 
unto  thee1 ,o ,un-nefer1 and ,i have   
brought the ,osiris ,ani unto thee4 ,his
 heart  hath been found righteous and it
 hath come forth from the balance2 it   
hath not sinned against any god or any  
goddess4 ,thoth hath weighed it         
according to the decree uttered unto him
 by the company of the gods2 and  it is 
very true and right4 ,grant unto him    
cakes and ale2 and let him  enter into  
thy presence2 and may he be like unto   
the followers of ,horus  for ever6      
,after this address ,ani1 kneeling by   
the side of tables of  offerings of     
fruit1 flowers1 etc41 which he has      
brought unto ,osiris1  says1 ,o ,lord of
 ,amentet1 ,i am in thy presence4 ,there
 is no sin in me1 ,i  have not lied     
wittingly1 nor have ,i done aught with a
 false heart4 ,grant  that ,i may be    
like unto those favoured ones who are   
round about thee1  and that ,i may be an

 ,osiris greatly favoured of the        
beautiful god and  beloved of the ,lord 
of the world1 ,i1 the royal scribe of   
,maat1 who  loveth him1 ,ani1 triumphant
 before ,osiris4 ,footnote3 ,or true of 
voice  in respect of ,osiris2 i4e41 ,ani
 makes his petition1 and ,osiris is to  
hear and answer because he has uttered  
the right words in the right  manner1   
and in the right tone of voice4 ,thus we
 come to the end of the  scene of the   
weighing of the heart4    ,the man who  
has passed safely through this ordeal   
has now to meet the  gods of the        
underworld1 and the ,book of the ,dead  
provides the words  which the heart     
which is righteous and sinless shall say
 unto them4  ,one of the fullest and    
most correct texts of the speech of the 
deceased  when he cometh forth true of  
voice from the ,hall of the ,maati      
goddesses is found in the ,papyrus of   
,nu2 in it the deceased says3--         
,homage to you1 ,o ye gods who dwell in 
the ,hall of the ,maati    goddesses1   

,i1 even ,i1 know you1 and ,i know your 
names4 ,let me not fall    under your   
knives of slaughter1 and bring ye not   
forward my wickedness    unto the god in
 whose train ye are2 and let not evil   
hap come upon1 me    by your means4 ,o  
declare ye me true of voice in the      
presence of    ,neb-er-teber1 because ,i
 have done that which is right and true 
in    ,ta-mera 7i4e41 ,egypt74 ,i have  
not cursed ,god1 therefore let not evil 
hap come upon me through the ,king who  
dwelleth in his day4      ,homage to    
you1 ,o ye gods1 who dwell in the ,hall 
of the ,maati    goddesses1 who are     
without evil in your bodies1 and who    
live upon    right and truth1 and who   
feed yourselves upon right and truth in 
the    presence of the god ,horus1 who  
dwelleth in his divine ,disk2 deliver ye
    me from the god ,baba ,footnote3    
,the first born son of ,osiris4 who     
feedeth upon the entrails of the mighty 
ones upon the day of the great          
reckoning1 ,o grant ye that ,i may come 

to you1 for ,i have not committed       
faults1 ,i have not sinned1 ,i have not 
done evil1 ,i have not borne    false   
witness2 therefore let nothing evil be  
done unto me4 ,i live    upon right and 
truth1 and ,i feed upon right and truth4
 ,i have    performed the commandments  
of men as well as the things whereat are
    gratified the gods2 ,i have made    
,god to be at peace with me by doing    
that which is his will4 ,i have given   
bread to the hungry man1 and    water to
 the thirsty man1 and apparel to the    
naked man1 and a boat to    the         
shipwrecked mariner4 ,i have made holy  
offerings to the gods1 and    sepulchral
 meals to the beatified dead4 ,be ye    
then my deliverers1 be    ye then my    
protectors1 and make ye not accusation  
against me in the    presence of        
,osiris4 ,i am clean of mouth and clean 
of hands2    therefore let it be said   
unto me by those who shall behold me1   
',come    in peace1 come in peace4' ,i  
have heard the mighty word which the    

spiritual bodies spake unto the ,cat    
,footnote3 i4e41 ,ra as the    slayer of
 the serpent of darkness1 the head of   
which be cuts off with    a knife4 7,see
 above1 p4 #fc74 ,the usual reading is  
which the ,ass spake    to the ,cat2 the
 ,ass being ,osiris and the cat ,ra4 in 
the house of    ,hapt-re4 ,i have       
testified in the presence of            
,hra-f-ha-f1 and he hath    given his   
decision4 ,i have seen the things over  
which the ,persea    tree spreadeth     
within ,re-stau4 ,i am he who hath      
offered up prayers to    the gods and   
who knoweth their persons4 ,i have come1
 and ,i have    advanced to make the    
declaration of right and truth1 and to  
set the    ,balance upon what supporteth
 it in the region of ,aukert4           
,hail1 thou who art exalted upon thy    
standard 7i4e41 ,osiris71 thou    lord  
of the ',atefu' crown whose name is     
proclaimed as ',lord of the    winds1'  
deliver thou me from thy divine         
messengers who cause dire    deeds to   

happen1 and who cause calamities to come
 into being1 and who    are without     
coverings for their faces1 for ,i have  
done that which is    right and true for
 the ,lord of right and truth4 ,i have  
purified myself    and my breast with   
libations1 and my hinder parts with the 
things    which make clean1 and my      
inward parts have been immersed in the  
,pool    of ,right and ,truth4 ,there is
 no single member of mine which lacketh 
right and truth4 ,i have been purified  
in the ,pool of the ,south1 and ,i      
have rested in the ,city of the ,north1 
which is in the ,field of the           
,grasshoppers1 wherein the divine       
sailors of ,ra bathe at the second      
hour of the night and at the third hour 
of the day2 and the hearts of    the    
gods are gratified after they have      
passed through it1 whether it    be by  
night1 or whether it be by day4 ,and ,i 
would that they should say    unto me1  
',come forward1' and ',who art thou8'   
and ',what is thy name8'    ,these are  

the words which1 ,i would have the gods 
say unto me4 ,then    would ,i reply    
',my name is ,he who is provided with   
flowers1 and    ,dweller in his olive   
tree4' ,then let them say unto me       
straightway1    ',pass on1' and ,i would
 pass on to the city to the north of the
 ,olive    tree1 ',what then wilt thou  
see there8' say they4 ,and ,i say' ,the 
,leg    and the ,thigh1' ',what wouldst 
thou say unto them8' say they4 ',let me 
see rejoicings in the land of the       
,fenkhu' ,i reply4 ',what will they     
give thee8 say they4 ',a fiery flame and
 a crystal tablet' ,i reply4    ',what  
wilt thou do therewith8' say they4      
',bury them by the furrow of    ,maaat  
as ,things for the night' ,i reply4     
',what wilt thou find    by the furrow  
of ,maaat8' say they4 ',a sceptre of    
flint    called ,giver of ,air' ,i      
reply4 ',what wilt thou do with the     
fiery    flame and the crystal tablet   
after thou hast buried them8' say they4 
',i will recite words over them1 in the 

furrow4 ,i will extinguish the    fire1 
and ,i will break the tablet1 and ,i    
will make a pool of water' ,i    reply4 
,then let the gods say unto me1 ',come  
and enter in through the    door of this
 ,hall of the ,maati goddesses1 for thou
 knowest us4'    ,after these remarkable
 prayers follows a dialogue between each
 part of  the ,hall of ,maati and the   
deceased1 which reads as follows3--     
,door bolts4 ,we will not let thee enter
 in through us unless thou              
tellest our names4      ,deceased4      
',tongue of the place of ,right and     
,truth' is your                 name4   
,right post4 ,i will not let thee enter 
in by me unless thou tellest            
my name4      ,deceased4 ',scale of the 
lifter up of right and truth' is thy    
name4      ,left post4 ,i will not let  
thee enter in by me unless thou tellest 
my name4      ,deceased4 ',scale of     
wine' is thy name4      ,threshold4 ,i  
will not let thee pass over me unless   
thou tellest my                  name4  

,deceased4 ',ox of the god ,seb' is thy 
name4      ,hasp4 ,i will not open unto 
thee unless thou tellest my name4       
,deceased4 ',leg-bone of his mother' is 
thy name4      ,socket-hole4 ,i will not
 open unto thee unless thou tellest my  
name4      ,deceased4 ',living ,eye of  
,sebek1 the lord of ,bakhau1' is thy    
name4      ,porter4 ,i will not open    
unto thee unless thou tellest my name4  
,deceased4 ',elbow of the god ,shu when 
he placeth himself to protect           
,osiris' is thy name4      ,side posts4 
,we will not let thee pass in by us1    
unless thou tellest                     
our names4      ,deceased4 ',children of
 the uraei-goddesses' is your name4     
,thou knowest us2 pass on1 therefore1 by
 us say these4      ,floor4 ,i will not 
let thee tread upon me1 because ,i am   
silent and ,i              am holy1 and 
because ,i do not know the names of thy 
feet              wherewith thou wouldst
 walk upon me2 therefore tell them to   
me4      ,deceased4 ',traveller of the  

god ,khas' is the name of my right foot1
                 and ',staff of the     
goddess ,hathor' is the name of my left 
foot4      ,thou knowest me2 pass on1   
therefore1 over me it saith4            
,doorkeeper4 ,i will not take in thy    
name unless thou tellest my             
name4      ,deceased4 ',discerner of    
hearts and searcher of the reins' is thy
                 name4      ,doorkeeper4
 ,who is the god that dwelleth in his   
hour8 ,utter his                   name4
      ,deceased4 ',maau-,taui' is his   
name4      ,doorkeeper4 ,and who is     
,maau-,taui8      ,deceased4 ,he is     
,thoth4      ,thoth4 ,come6 ,but why    
hast thou come8      ,deceased4 ,i have 
come and ,i press forward that my name  
may be                 mentioned4       
,thoth1 ,in what state art thou8        
,deceased4 ,i am purified from evil     
things1 and ,i am protected from        
the baleful deeds of those who live in  
their days2 and ,i                am not
 of them4      ,thoth4 ,now will ,i make

 mention of thy name to the god4 ,and   
who is              he whose roof is of 
fire1 whose walls are living uraei1 and 
the floor of whose house is a stream of 
water8 ,who is he1 ,i              say8 
,deceased4 ,it is ,osiris4      ,thoth4 
,come forward1 then2 verily1 mention of 
thy name shall be              made unto
 him4 ,thy cakes shall come from the    
,eye of ,ra2              and thine ale 
shall come from the ,eye of ,ra2 and thy
              sepulchral meals upon     
earth shall come from the ,eye of       
,ra4    ,with these words ,chapter      
,,cxxv comes to an end4 ,we have seen   
how the  deceased has passed through the
 ordeal of the judgment1 and how the    
scribes provided him with hymns and     
prayers1 and with the words of a        
confession with a view of facilitating  
his passage through the dread  ,hall of 
the ,maati goddesses4 ,unfortunately the
 answer which the god  ,osiris may be   
supposed to have made to his son ,horus 
in respect of the  deceased is not      

recorded1 but there is no doubt that the
 ,egyptian  assumed that it would be    
favourable to him1 and that permission  
would be  accorded him to enter into    
each and every portion of the           
underworld1 and  to partake of all the  
delights which the beatified enjoyed    
under the  rule of ,ra and ,osiris4     
,,chapter ,v4      ,,the ,,resurrection 
,,and ,,immortality4    ,in perusing the
 literature of the ancient ,egyptians   
one of the first  things which forces   
itself upon the mind of the reader is   
the frequency  of allusions to the      
future life or to things which appertain
 thereto4  ,the writers of the various  
religious and other works1 belonging to 
all  periods of ,egyptian history1 which
 have come down to us1 tacitly assume   
throughout that those who once have     
lived in this world have renewed  their 
life in that which is beyond the grave1 
and that they still live  and will live 
until time shall be no more4 ,the       
,egyptian belief in the  existence of   

,almighty ,god is old1 so old that we   
must seek for its  beginnings in        
pre-dynastic times2 but the belief in a 
future life is  very much older1 and its
 beginnings must be as old1 at least1 as
 the  oldest human remains which have   
been found in ,egypt4 ,to attempt to    
measure by years the remoteness of the  
period when these were committed  to the
 earth1 is futile1 for no date that     
could be given them is likely  to be    
even approximately correct1 and they may
 as well date from ,b4,c4  #ab1jjj as   
from ,b4,c4 #hjjj4 ,of one fact1        
however1 we may be quite certain2  that 
is to say1 that the oldest human remains
 that have been found in  ,egypt bear   
upon them traces of the use of bitumen1 
which proves that the  ,egyptians at the
 very beginning of their stay in the    
valley of the ,nile  made some attempt  
to preserve their dead by means of      
mummification4  ,footnote3 ,see ,j4 de  
,morgan1 ,ethnographie ,prhistorique1   
,paris1 #ahig1  p4 #ahi4 ,if they were1 

as many think1 invaders who had made    
their way  across ,arabia and the ,red  
,sea and the eastern desert of the      
,nile1 they  may have brought the idea  
and habit of preserving their dead with 
them1  or they may have adopted1 in a   
modified form1 some practice in use     
among  the aboriginal inhabitants whom  
they found on their arrival in ,egypt2  
in  either case the fact that they      
attempted to preserve their dead by the 
use of substances which would arrest    
decay is certain1 and in a degree  their
 attempt has succeeded4    ,the         
existence of the non-historic           
inhabitants of ,egypt has been revealed 
to us in recent years by means of a     
number of successful excavations  which 
have been made in ,upper ,egypt on both 
sides of the ,nile by several  ,european
 and native explorers1 and one of the   
most striking results has  been the     
discovery of three different kinds of   
burials1 which  undoubtedly belong to   
three different periods1 as we may see  

by  examining the various objects which 
have been found in the early graves  at 
,nakadah and other non-historic sites of
 the same age and type4 ,in  the oldest 
tombs we find the skeleton laid upon its
 left side1 with the  limbs bent3 the   
knees are on a level with the breast1   
and the hands are  placed in front of   
the face4 ,generally the head faces     
towards the south1  but no invariable   
rule seems to have been observed as to  
its  orientation4 ,before the body was  
laid in the ground it was either        
wrapped in gazelle skin or laid in loose
 grass2 the substance used for  the     
purposes of wrapping probably depended  
upon the social condition of  the       
deceased4 ,in burials of this class     
there are no traces of  mummification1  
or of burning1 or of stripping the flesh
 from the bones4  ,in the next oldest   
graves the bodies are found to have been
 wholly or  partly stripped of their    
flesh2 in the former case all the bones 
are  found cast indiscriminately is the 

grave1 in the latter the bones of the   
hands and the feet were laid together1  
while the rest of the skeleton is       
scattered about in wild confusion4      
,graves of this period are found to be  
oriented either north or south1 and the 
bodies in them usually have the  head   
separated from the body2 sometimes it is
 clear that the bodies have  been       
jointed so that they might occupy less  
space4 ,occasionally the  bodies are    
found lying upon their backs with their 
legs and arms folded  over them2 in this
 case they are covered over with clay   
casings4 ,in  certain graves it is clear
 that the body has been burnt4 ,now in  
all  classes of tombs belonging to the  
prehistoric period in ,egypt we find    
offerings in vases and vessels of       
various kinds1 a fact which proves      
beyond all doubt that the men who made  
these graves believed that their  dead  
friends and relatives would live again  
in some place1 of the  whereabouts of   
which they probably had very vague      

ideas1 in a life which  was1 presumably1
 not unlike that which they had lived   
upon earth4 ,the  flint tools1 knives1  
scrapers and the like indicate that they
 thought  they would hunt and slay their
 quarry when brought down1 and fight    
their  foes2 and the schist objects     
found in the graves1 which ,m4 de       
,morgan  identifies as amulets1 shows   
that even in those early days man       
believed  that he could protect himself 
against the powers of supernatural and  
invisible enemies by talismans4 ,the man
 who would hunt and fight in the  next  
world must live again2 and if he would  
live again it must be either  in his old
 body or in a new one2 if in the old    
body1 it must be  revivified4 ,but once 
having imagined a new life1 probably in 
a new body1  death a second time was    
not1 the prehistoric ,egyptian hoped1   
within the  bounds of possibility4      
,here1 then1 we have the origin of the  
grand ideas  of the ,,resurrection and  
,,immortality4    ,there is every reason

 for believing that the prehistoric     
,egyptian  expected to eat1 and to      
drink1 and to lead a life of pleasure in
 the  region where he imagined his      
heaven to be1 and there is little doubt 
that he thought the body in which he    
would live there would be not  unlike   
the body which he had while he was upon 
earth4 ,at this stage his  ideas of the 
supernatural and of the future life     
would be like those of  any man of the  
same race who stood on the same level in
 the scale of  civilization1 but in     
every way he was a great contrast to the
 ,egyptian  who lived1 let us say1 in   
the time of ,mena1 the first historical 
king of  ,egypt1 the date of whom for   
convenience' sake is placed at ,b4,c4   
#ddjj4  ,the interval between the time  
when the prehistoric ,egyptians made the
  graves described above and the reign  
of ,mena must have been very            
considerable1 and we may justly believe 
it to represent some thousands  of      
years2 but whatever its length1 we find 

that the time was not  sufficient to    
wipe out the early views which had been 
handed on from  generation to           
generation1 or even to modify some of   
the beliefs which we  now know to have  
existed in an almost unchanged state at 
the latest  period of ,egyptian history4
 ,in the texts which were edited by the 
priests of ,heliopolis we find          
references to a state or condition of   
things1 as far as social matters are    
concerned1 which could only exist  in a 
society of men who were half savages4   
,and we see from later works1  when     
extracts are made from the earlier texts
 which contain such  references1 that   
the passages in which objectionable     
allusions occur are  either omitted     
altogether or modified4 ,we know of a   
certainty that the  educated men of the 
,college of ,heliopolis cannot have     
indulged in the  excesses which the     
deceased kings for whom they prepared   
the funeral  texts are assumed to enjoy1
 and the mention of the nameless        

abomination  which the savage ,egyptian 
inflicted upon his vanquished foe can   
only  have been allowed to remain in    
them because of their own reverence for 
the written word4    ,in passing it must
 be mentioned that the religious ideas  
of the men who  were buried without     
mutilation of limbs1 or stripping of    
flesh from the  body1 or burning1 must  
have been different from those of the   
men who  practised such things on the   
dead4 ,the former are buried in the     
ante-natal position of a child1 and we  
may perhaps be justified in  seeing in  
this custom the symbol of a hope that as
 the child is born  from this position  
into the world1 so might the deceased be
 born into  the life in the world beyond
 the grave2 and the presence of amulets1
 the  object of which was to protect the
 body1 seems to indicate that they      
expected the actual body to rise again4 
,the latter1 by the mutilation of  the  
bodies and the burning of the dead1 seem
 to show that they had no  hope of      

living again in their natural bodies1   
and how far they had  approached to the 
conception of the resurrection of a     
spiritual body we  shall probably never 
know4 ,when we arrive at the ,i,vth     
dynasty we find  that1 so far from any  
practice of mutilation or burning of the
 body  being common1 every text assumes 
that the body is to be buried whole2    
this fact indicates a reversal of the   
custom of mutilation1 or burning1  which
 must have been in use1 however1 for a  
considerable time4 ,it is to  this      
reversal that we probably owe such      
passages as1 ,o flesh of ,pepi1  rot    
not1 decay not1 stink not2 ,pepi goeth  
forth with his flesh2 thy  bones shall  
not be destroyed1 and thy flesh shall   
not perish1  ,footnote3 ,see ,recueil de
 ,travaux1 tom4 v4 pp4 #ee1 #ahe 7lines 
#afj1  #cag1 #cec74 etc42 and they      
denote a return to the views and ways of
 the  earliest people known to us in    
,egypt4    ,in the interval which       
elapsed between the period of the       

prehistoric  burials and the ,i,vth     
dynasty1 the ,egyptian formulated       
certain theories  about the component   
parts of his own body1 and we must      
consider these  briefly before we can   
describe the form in which the dead were
 believed  to rise4 ,the physical body  
of a man was called ,,khat1 a word which
  indicates something in which decay is 
inherent2 it was this which was  buried 
in the tomb after mummification1 and its
 preservation from  destruction of every
 kind was the object of all amulets1    
magical  ceremonies1 prayers1 and       
formulae1 from the earliest to the      
latest  times4 ,the god ,osiris even    
possessed such a body1 and its various  
members were preserved as relics in     
several shrines in ,egypt4 ,attached  to
 the body in some remarkable way was the
 ,,ka1 or double1 of a man2 it  may be  
defined as an abstract individuality or 
personality which was  endowed with all 
his characteristic attributes1 and it   
possessed an  absolutely independent    

existence4 ,it was free to move from    
place to  place upon earth at will1 and 
it could enter heaven and hold converse 
with the gods4 ,the offerings made in1  
the tombs at all periods were  intended 
for the nourishment of the ,,ka1 and it 
was supposed to be able  to eat and     
drink and to enjoy the odour of incense4
 ,in the earliest  times a certain      
portion of the tomb was set apart for   
the use of the ,,ka1  and the religious 
organization of the period ordered that 
a class of  priests should perform      
ceremonies and recite prayers at stated 
seasons  for the benefit of the ,,ka in 
the ,,ka chapel2 these men were known as
 ,,ka  priests4 ,in the period when the 
pyramids were built it was firmly       
believed that the deceased1 in some     
form1 was able to be purified1 and  to  
sit down and to eat bread with it       
unceasingly and for ever2 and the  ,,ka 
who was not supplied with a sufficiency 
of food in the shape of  offerings of   
bread1 cakes1 flowers1 fruit1 wine1 ale1

 and the like1 was  in serious danger of
 starvation4    ,the soul was called    
,,ba1 and the ideas which the ,egyptians
 held  concerning it are somewhat       
difficult to reconcile2 the meaning of  
the  word seems to be something like    
sublime1 noble1 mighty4 ,the ,,ba  dwelt
 in the ,,ka1 and seems to have had the 
power of becoming corporeal  or         
incorporeal at will2 it had both        
substance and form1 and is  frequently  
depicted on the papyri and monuments as 
a human-headed hawk2  in nature and     
substance it is stated to be ethereal4  
,it had the power to  leave the tomb1   
and to pass up into heaven where it was 
believed to  enjoy an eternal existence 
in a state of glory2 it could1 however1 
and  did1 revisit the body in the tomb1 
and from certain texts it seems that  it
 could re-animate it and hold converse  
with it4 ,like the heart ,,ab it  was1  
in some respects1 the seat of life in   
man4 ,the souls of the blessed  dead    
dwelt in heaven with the gods1 and they 

partook of all the  celestial enjoyments
 for ever4    ,the spiritual            
intelligence1 or spirit1 of a man was   
called ,,khu1 and it  seems to have     
taken form as a shining1 luminous1      
intangible shape of the  body2 the      
,k,h,us formed a class of celestial     
beings who lived with the  gods1 but    
their functions are not clear4 ,the     
,,khu1 like the ,,ka1 could be          
imprisoned in the tomb1 and to obviate  
this catastrophe special formulae  were 
composed and duly recited4 ,besides the 
,,khu another very important  part of a 
man's entity went into heaven1 namely1  
his ,,sekhem4 ,the word  literally means
 to have the mastery over something1    
and1 as used in  the early texts1 that  
which enables one to have the mastery   
over  something2 i4e41 power4 ,the      
,,sekhem of a man was1 apparently1 his  
vital force or strength personified1 and
 the ,egyptians believed that it  could 
and did1 under certain conditions1      
follow him that possessed it  upon earth

 into heaven4 ,another part of a man was
 the ,,khaibit or  shadow1 which is     
frequently mentioned in connexion with  
the soul and1  in late times1 was always
 thought to be near it4 ,finally we may 
mention  the ,,ren1 or name of a man1 as
 one of his most important constituent  
parts4 ,the ,egyptians1 in common with  
all ,eastern nations1 attached the      
greatest importance to the preservation 
of the name1 and any person1 who        
effected the blotting out of a man's    
name was thought to have destroyed  him 
also4 ,like the ,,ka it was a portion1  
of a man's most special  identity1 and  
it is easy to see why so much importance
 grew to be  attached to it2 a nameless 
being could not be introduced to the    
gods1  and as no created thing exists   
without a name the man who had no name  
was in a worse position before the      
divine powers than the feeblest         
inanimate object4 ,to perpetuate the    
name of a father was a good son's  duty1
 and to keep the tombs of the dead in   

good repair so that all might  read the 
names of those who were buried in them  
was a most meritorious  act4 ,on the    
other hand1 if the deceased knew the    
names of divine beings1  whether friends
 or foes1 and could pronounce them1 he  
at once obtained  power over them1 and  
was able to make them perform his will4 
,we have seen that the entity of a man  
consisted of body1 double1 soul1  heart1
 spiritual intelligence or spirit1      
power1 shadow1 and name4 ,these  eight  
parts may be reduced to three by leaving
 out of consideration the  double1      
heart1 power1 shadow and name as        
representing beliefs which were         
produced by the ,egyptian as he was     
slowly ascending the scale of           
civilization1 and as being the peculiar 
product of his race2 we may then  say   
that a man consisted of body1 soul1 and 
spirit4 ,but did all three  rise1 and   
live in the world beyond the grave8 ,the
 ,egyptian texts answer  this question  
definitely2 the soul and the spirit of  

the righteous  passed from the body and 
lived with the beatified and the gods in
  heaven2 but the physical body did not 
rise again1 and it was believed  never  
to leave the tomb4 ,there were ignorant 
people in ,egypt who1 no  doubt1        
believed in the resurrection of the     
corruptible body1 and who  imagined that
 the new life would be1 after all1      
something very much like  a continuation
 of that which they were living in this 
world2 but the  ,egyptian who followed  
the teaching of his sacred writings knew
 that such  beliefs were not consistent 
with the views of their priests and of  
educated people in general4 ,already in 
the ,vth dynasty1 about ,b4,c4 #cdjj1   
it is stated definitely3--      ,the    
soul to heaven1 the body to earth2      
,footnote3 ,recueil de    ,travaux1 tom4
 iv4 p4 #ga 7l4 #ehb74 and three        
thousand years later the    ,egyptian   
writer declared the same thing1 but in  
different words1 when    he             
wrote3--,footnote3 ,horrack1            

,lamentations d' ,isis1 ,paris1 #ahff1  
p4 #f4 ,heaven hath thy soul1 and earth 
thy body4    ,the ,egyptian hoped1 among
 other things1 that he would sail over  
the sky  in the boat of ,ra1 but he knew
 well that he could not do this in his  
mortal body2 he believed firmly that he 
would live for millions of  years1 but  
with the experience of the human race   
before him he knew that  this also was  
impossible if the body in which he was  
to live was that in  which he had lived 
upon earth4 ,at first he thought that   
his physical  body might1 after the     
manner of the sun1 be renewed daily1 and
 that  his new life would resemble that 
of that emblem of the ,sun-god ,ra  with
 which he sought to identify himself4   
,later1 however1 his experience  taught 
him that the best mummified body was    
sometimes destroyed1 either  by damp1 or
 dry rot1 or decay in one form or       
another1 and that  mummification alone  
was not sufficient to ensure            
resurrection or the  attainment of the  

future life2 and1 in brief1 he          
discovered that by no  human means could
 that which is corruptible by nature be 
made to become  incorruptible1 for the  
very animals in which the gods          
themselves were  incarnate became sick  
and died in their appointed season4 ,it 
is hard to  say why the ,egyptians      
continued to mummify the dead since     
there is good  reason for knowing that  
they did not expect the physical body to
 rise  again4 ,it may be that they      
thought its preservation necessary for  
the  welfare of the ,,ka1 or double1 and
 for the development of a new body  from
 it2 also the continued custom may have 
been the result of intense              
conservatism4 ,but whatever the reason1 
the ,egyptian never ceased to take      
every possible precaution to preserve   
the dead body intact1 had he  sought for
 help in his trouble from another       
source4    ,it will be remembered that  
when ,isis found the dead body of her   
husband  ,osiris1 she at once set to    

work to protect it4 ,she drove away the 
foes1  and made the ill-luck which had  
come upon it to be of no effect4 ,in    
order to bring about this result she    
made strong her speech with all  the    
strength of her mouth1 she was perfect  
of tongue1 and she halted not  in her   
speech1 and she pronounced a series of  
words or formulae with  which ,thoth had
 provided her2 thus she succeeded in    
stirring up the  inactivity of the      
,still-heart and in accomplishing her   
desire in  respect of him4 ,her cries1  
prompted by love and grief1 would have  
had no  effect on the dead body unless  
they had been accompanied by the words  
of  ,thoth1 which she uttered with      
boldness 7,ichu71 and understanding     
7ager71 and without fault in            
pronunciation 7an-uh74 ,the ,egyptian of
  old kept this fact in his mind1 and   
determined to procure the  resurrection 
of his friends and relatives by the same
 means as ,isis  employed1 i4e41 the    
formulae of ,thoth2 with this object in 

view each  dead person1 was provided    
with a series of texts1 either written  
upon  his coffin1 or upon papyri and    
amulets1 which would have the same      
effect  as the words of ,thoth which    
were spoken by ,isis4 ,but the relatives
 of  the deceased had also a duty to    
perform in this matter1 and that was to 
provide for the recital of certain      
prayers1 and for the performance of a   
number of symbolical ceremonies over the
 dead body before ,it was laid to  rest 
finally in the tomb4 ,a sacrifice had to
 be offered up1 and the  deceased and   
his friends and relatives assisted at   
it1 and each ceremony  was accompanied  
by its proper prayers2 when all had been
 done and said  according to the        
ordinances of the priests1 the body was 
taken1 to its  place in the mummy       
chamber4 ,but the words of ,thoth and   
the prayers of  the priests caused the  
body to become changed into a ,s,a,,hu1 
or  incorruptible1 spiritual body1 which
 passed straightway out of the tomb  and

 made its way to heaven where it dwelt  
with the gods4 ,when1 in the  ,book of  
the ,dead the deceased says1 ,i exist1  
,i exist2 ,i live1 ,i live2 ,i          
germinate1 ,i germinate1 ,footnote3 ,see
 ,chap4 cliv4 and again1 ,i  germinate  
like the plants1 ,footnote3 ,see ,chap4 
lxxxviii4 #c4 the  deceased does not    
mean that his physical body is putting  
forth the  beginnings of another body   
like the old one1 but a spiritual body  
which  hath neither defect nor1 like    
,ra1 shall suffer diminution for ever4  
,into the ,s,a,,hu passed the soul which
 had lived in the body of a man  upon   
earth1 and it seems as if the new1      
incorruptible body formed the           
dwelling-place of the soul in heaven    
just as the physical body had been  its 
earthly abode4 ,the reasons why the     
,egyptians continued to mummify  their  
dead is thus apparent2 they did not do  
so believing that their  physical bodies
 would rise again1 but because they     
wished the spiritual  body to sprout or 

germinate from them1 and if possible--at
 least it  seems so--to be in the form  
of the physical body4 ,in this way did  
the  dead rise according to the         
,egyptians1 and in this body did they   
come4    ,from what has been said above1
 it will be seen that there is no reason
  for doubting the antiquity of the     
,egyptian belief in the resurrection of 
the dead and in immortality1 and the    
general evidence derived both from      
archaeological and religious            
considerations supports this view4 ,as  
old1  however1 as this belief in general
 is the specific belief in a spiritual  
body 7,s,a,h or ,s,a,,hu72 for we find  
it in texts of the ,vth dynasty         
incorporated with ideas which belong to 
the prehistoric ,egyptian in his  savage
 or semi-savage state4 ,one remarkable  
extract will prove this  point4 ,in the 
funeral chapters which are inscribed on 
the walls of the  chambers and passages 
inside the pyramid of ,king ,unas1 who  
flourished at  the end of the ,vth      

dynasty1 about ,b4,c4 #ccjj1 is a       
passage in which the  deceased king     
terrifies all the powers of heaven and  
earth because he  riseth as a soul      
7,,ba7 in the form of the god who liveth
 upon his  fathers and who maketh food  
of his mothers4 ,unas is the lord of    
wisdom  and his mother knoweth not his  
name4 ,he hath become mighty like unto  
the  god ,temu1 the father who gave him 
birth1 and after ,temu gave him birth   
he became stronger than his father4 ,the
 king is likened unto a ,bull1  and he  
feedeth upon every god1 whatever may be 
the form in which he  appeareth2 he hath
 weighed words with the god whose name  
is hidden1  and he devoureth men and    
liveth upon gods4 ,the dead king is then
 said to  set out to limit the gods in  
their meadows1 and when he has caught   
them  with nooses1 he causes them to be 
slain4 ,they are next cooked in blazing 
cauldrons1 the greatest for his morning 
meal1 the lesser for his evening  meal1 
and the least for his midnight meal2 the

 old gods and goddesses  serve as fuel  
for his cooking pots4 ,in this way1     
having swallowed the  magical powers and
 spirits of the gods1 he becomes the    
,great ,power of  ,powers among the     
gods1 and the greatest of the gods who  
appear in  visible forms4 ,whatever he  
hath found upon his path he hath        
consumed1  and his strength is greater  
than that of any spiritual body         
7,s,a,,hu7 in  the horizon2 he is the   
firstborn of all the firstborn1 and 444 
he hath  carried off the hearts of the  
gods4444 ,he hath eaten the wisdom of   
every  god1 and his period of existence 
is everlasting1 and his life shall be   
unto all eternity1 444 for the souls and
 the spirits of the gods are in  him4   
,we have1 it is clear1 in this passage  
an allusion to the custom of  savages of
 all nations and periods1 of eating     
portions of the bodies of  valiant foes 
whom they have vanquished in war in     
order to absorb their  virtues and      
strength2 the same habit has also       

obtained in some places in  respect of  
animals4 ,in the case of the gods the   
deceased is made to  covet their one    
peculiar attribute1 that is to say1     
everlasting life2  and when he has      
absorbed their souls and spirits he is  
declared to have  obtained all that     
makes him superior to every other       
spiritual body in  strength and in      
length of life4 ,the magical powers     
7heka7 which the  king is also said to  
have eaten1 are the words and formulae1 
the  utterance of which by him1 in      
whatever circumstances he may be placed1
  will cause every being1 friendly or   
unfriendly1 to do his will4 ,but  apart 
from any question of the slaughter of   
the gods the ,egyptians  declared of    
this same king1 ,behold1 thou hast not  
gone as one dead1 but  as one living1 to
 sit upon the throne of ,osiris4        
,footnote3 ,recuell de  ,travaux1 tom4  
v4 p4 #afg 7l4 #fe74 and in a papyrus   
written nearly two  thousand years later
 the deceased himself says1 ,my soul is 

,god1 my soul  is eternity1 ,footnote3  
,papyrus of ,ani1 ,plate #bh1 l4 #ae    
7,chapter  lxxxiv474 a clear proof that 
the ideas of the existence of ,god and  
of  eternity were identical4 ,yet one   
other example is worth quoting1 if only 
to show the care that the writers of    
religious texts took to impress the     
immortality of the soul upon their      
readers4 ,according to ,chapter ,,clxxv4
  of the ,book of the ,dead the deceased
 finds himself in a place where  there  
is neither water nor air1 and where it  
is depth unfathomable1 it  is black as  
the blackest night1 and men wander      
helplessly therein4 ,in it  a man may   
not live in quietness of heart1 nor may 
the longings of love  be satisfied      
therein4 ,but1 says the deceased to the 
god ,thoth1 let the  state of the       
spirits be given unto me instead of     
water1 and air1 and the  satisfying of  
the longings of love1 and let quietness 
of heart be given  unto me instead of   
cakes and ale4 ,the god ,temu hath      

decreed that ,i shall  see thy face1 and
 that ,i shall not suffer from the      
things which pained  thee2 may every god
 transmit unto thee ,o ,osiris his      
throne for  millions of years6 ,thy     
throne hath descended unto thy son      
,horus1 and the  god ,temu hath decreed 
that his course shall be among the holy 
princes4  ,verily he shall rule over thy
 throne1 and he shall be heir of the    
throne  of the ,dweller in the ,lake of 
the ,two ,fires4 ,verily it hath been   
decreed  that in me he shall see his    
likeness1 ,footnote3 i4e41 ,i shall be  
like  ,horus1 the son of ,osiris4 and   
that my face shall look upon the face of
  the lord ,tem4 ,after reciting these  
words1 the deceased asks ,thoth1 ,how   
long have ,i to live8 and the god       
replies1 ,it is decreed that thou  shalt
 live for millions of millions of years1
 a life of millions of  years4 ,to give 
emphasis and additional effect to his   
words the god is  made to speak         
tautologically so that the most         

unlettered man may not  miss their      
meaning4 ,a little later in the ,chapter
 the deceased says1 ,o  my father       
,osiris1 thou hast done for me that     
which thy father ,ra did  for thee4 ,so 
shall ,i abide on the earth lastingly1  
,i shall keep  possession of my seat2 my
 heir shall be strong2 my tomb and my   
friends  who are upon earth shall       
flourish2 my enemies shall be given over
 to  destruction and to the shackles of 
the goddess ,serq4 ,i am thy son1 and   
,ra is my father2 for me likewise thou  
shalt make life1 and strength1  and     
health6 ,it is interesting to note that 
the deceased first  identifies ,osiris  
with ,ra1 and then he identifies himself
 with  ,osiris2 thus he identifies      
himself with ,ra4    ,with the subjects 
of resurrection and immortality must be 
mentioned the  frequent references in   
the religious texts of all periods to   
the meat  and drink on which lived the  
beings who were believed to exist in the
  world beyond the grave4 ,in           

prehistoric days if was natural enough  
for  the dead man's friends to place    
food in his grave1 because they thought 
that he would require it on his journey 
to the next world2 this custom  also    
presupposed that the deceased would have
 a body like unto that  which he had    
left behind him in this world1 and that 
it would need food  and drink4 ,in the  
,vth dynasty the ,egyptians believed    
that the blessed  dead lived upon       
celestial food1 and that they suffered  
neither hunger  nor thirst2 they ate    
what the gods ate1 they drank what they 
drank1 they  were what they were1 and   
became in such matters as these the     
counterparts of the gods4 ,in another   
passage we read that they are           
apparelled in white linen1 that they    
wear white sandals1 and that they  go to
 the great lake which is in the midst of
 the ,field of ,peace whereon  the great
 gods sit1 and that the gods give them  
to eat of the food 7or  tree7 of life of
 which they themselves eat that they    

also may live4 ,it  is certain1 however1
 that other views than these were held  
concerning  the food of the dead1 for   
already in the ,vth dynasty the         
existence of a  region called           
,sekhet-,aaru1 or ,sekhet-,aanru had    
been formulated1 and to  this place the 
soul1 or at least some part1 of the     
pious ,egyptian hoped  to make its way4 
,where ,sekhet-,aaru was situated we    
have no means of  saying1 and the texts 
afford us no clue as to its whereabouts2
 some  scholars think that it lay away  
to the east of ,egypt1 but it is far    
more  likely to represent some district 
of the ,delta either in its northern or 
north-eastern portion4 ,fortunately we  
have a picture of it in the  ,papyrus of
 ,nebseni1 ,footnote3 ,brit4 ,mus41 ,no4
 #iijj2 this document  belongs to the   
,x,v,i,i,ith dynasty4 the oldest        
probably on papyrus1 and  from this we  
may see that ,sekhet-,aaru1 i4e41 the   
,field of ,reeds1  typified some very   
fertile region where farming operations 

could be  carried on with ease and      
success4 ,canals and watercourses       
abound1 and in  one section1 we are     
told1 the spirits of the blessed dwelt2 
the picture  probably represents a      
traditional ,paradise or ,elysian       
,fields1 and  the general               
characteristics of this happy land are  
those of a large1  well-kept1 and       
well-stocked homestead1 situated at no  
great distance  from the ,nile or one of
 its main branches4 ,in the ,papyrus of 
,nebseni the  divisions of the          
,sekhet-,auru contain the following3--  
,illustration3 ,the ,elysian ,fields of 
the ,egyptians according to the         
,papyrus of ,nebseni 7,x,v,i,i,ith      
dynasty74      #a4 ,nebseni1 the scribe 
and artist of the ,temple of ,ptah1 with
 his arms    hanging by his sides1      
entering the ,elysian ,fields4      #b4 
,nebseni making an offering of incense  
to the great company of the    gods4    
#c4 ,nebseni seated in a boat paddling2 
above the boat are three symbols    for 

city4      #d4 ,nebseni addressing a    
bearded mummied figure4      #e4 ,three 
,pools or ,lakes called ,urti1 ,hetep1  
and ,qetqet4      #f4 ,nebseni reaping  
in ,sekhet-hetepet4      #g4 ,nebseni   
grasping the ,bennu bird1 which is      
perched upon a stand2 in    front are   
three ,,kau and three ,,khu4      #h4   
,nebseni seated and smelling a flower2  
the text reads3 ,thousands of    all    
good and pure things to the ,,ka of     
,nebseni4      #i4 ,a table of          
offerings4      #aj4 ,four ,pools or    
,lakes called ,nebt-tani1 ,uakha1       
,kha7871 and ,hetep4      #aa4 ,nebseni 
ploughing with oxen by the side of a    
stream which is one    thousand measures
 in length1 and the width of which      
cannot be said2    in it there are      
neither fish nor worms4      #ab4       
,nebseni ploughing with oxen on an      
island the length of which is    the    
length of heaven4      #ac4 ,a division 
shaped like a bowl1 in which is         
inscribed3 ,the    birthplace787 of the 

god of the city ,qenqentet ,nebt4       
#ad4 ,an island whereon are four gods   
and a flight of steps2 the legend       
reads3 ,the great company of the gods   
who are in ,sekhet-hetep4      #ae4 ,the
 boat ,tchetetfet1 with eight oars1 four
 at the bows1 and four    at the stern1 
floating at the end of a canal2 in it is
 a flight of    steps4 ,the place where 
it lies is called the ,domain of ,neth4 
#af4 ,two ,pools1 the names of which are
 illegible4 ,the scene as given in      
the ,papyrus of ,ani ,footnote3 ,brit4  
,mus41 ,no4 #aj1dgj1 ,plate #ce gives   
some interesting variants and may be    
described thus3--        #a4 ,ani making
 an offering before a hare-headed god1 a
 snake-headed      god1 and a           
bull-headed god2 behind him stand his   
wife ,thuthu and      ,thoth holding his
 reed and palette4 ,ani paddling a boat4
 ,ani      addressing a hawk1 before    
which are a table of offerings1 a       
statue1      three ovals1 and the       
legend1 ,being at peace in the ,field1  

and      having air for the nostrils4   
#b4 ,ani reaping corn1 ,ani driving the 
oxen which tread out the corn2      ,ani
 addressing 7or adoring7 a ,bennu bird  
perched on a stand2 ,ani      seated    
holding the kherp sceptre2 a heap of red
 and a heap of      white corn2 three   
,,kau and three ,,khu1 which are perhaps
 to be read1      the food of the       
spirits2 and three ,pools4        #c4   
,ani ploughing a field near a stream    
which contains ,illustration3      ,the 
,elysian ,fields of the ,egyptians      
according to the ,papyrus of ,ani       
7,x,v,i,i,ith dynasty74 neither fish1   
nor serpents1 nor worms of any      kind
 whatsoever4        #d4 ,the birthplace 
of the god of the city2 an island on    
which is a      flight of steps2 a      
region called the place of the spirits  
who are      seven cubits high1 where   
the wheat is three cubits high1 and     
where      the ,s,a,,hu1 or spiritual   
bodies1 reap it2 the region ,ashet1 the 
god      who dwelleth therein being     

,un-nefer 7i4e41 a form of ,osiris72 a  
boat with eight oars lying at the end of
 a canal2 and a boat      floating on a 
canal4 ,the name of the first boat is   
,behutu-tcheser1      and that of the   
second ,tohefau4    ,so far we have seen
 that in heaven and in the world beyond 
the grave the  deceased has found only  
divine beings1 and the doubles1 and the 
souls1  and the spirits1 and the        
spiritual bodies of the blessed2 but no 
reference has been made to the          
possibility of the dead recognizing each
  other1 or being able to continue the  
friendships or relationships which  they
 had when upon earth4 ,in the           
,sekhet-,aaru the case is1 however1     
different1 for there we have reason to  
believe relationships were  recognized  
and rejoiced in4 ,thus in ,chapter      
,,lii4 of the ,book of the  ,dead1 which
 was composed with the idea of the      
deceased1 from lack of  proper food in  
the underworld1 being obliged to eat    
filth1 ,footnote3  ,this idea is a      

survival of prehistoric times1 when it  
was thought that  if the proper         
sepulchral meals were not deposited at  
regular intervals  where the ,,ka1 or   
double1 of the deceased could get at    
them it would be  obliged to wander     
about and pick up whatever it might find
 to eat upon  its road4 and with the    
object of preventing such an awful      
thing1 the  deceased says3 ,that which  
is an abomination unto me1 that which is
 an  abomination unto me1 let me not    
eat4 ,that which is an abomination unto 
me1 that which is an abomination unto   
me1 is filth2 let me not be  obliged to 
eat thereof in the place of the         
sepulchral cakes which are  offered unto
 the ,,kau 7i4e41 doubles74 ,let it not 
touch my body1 let  me not be obliged to
 hold it in my hands2 and let me not be 
compelled to  tread thereon in my       
sandals4    ,some being or beings1      
probably the gods1 then ask him1 ,what1 
now1 wilt  thou live upon in the        
presence of the gods8 ,and he replies1  

,let food  come to me from the place of 
food1 and let me live upon the seven    
loaves  of bread which shall be brought 
as food before ,horus1 and upon the     
bread  which is brought before ,thoth4  
,and when the gods shall say unto me1   
',what manner of food wouldst thou have 
given unto thee8' ,i will reply1  ',let 
me eat my food under the sycamore tree  
of my lady1 the goddess  ,hathor1 and   
let my times be among the divine beings 
who have alighted  thereon4 ,let me have
 the power to order my own fields in    
,tattu  7,busiris71 and my own growing  
crops in ,annu4 ,let me live upon bread 
made  of white grain1 and let my beer be
 made from red grain1 and may the       
persons of my father and mother be given
 unto me as guardians of my  door1 and  
for the ordering of my homestead4 ,let  
me be sound and strong1  and let me have
 much room wherein to move1 and let me  
be able to sit  wheresoever ,i please4  
,this ,chapter is most important as     
showing that the deceased wished to     

have his homestead and its fields       
situated in ,tattu1 that is to say1     
near the capital of the ,busirite or    
,i,xth nome of ,lower ,egypt1 a district
  not far from the city of ,semennd     
7i4e41 ,sebennytus7 and lying a  little 
to the south of the thirty-first        
parallel of latitude4 ,it was  here that
 the reconstitution of the dismembered  
body of ,osiris took  place1 and it was 
here that the solemn ceremony of setting
 up the  backbone of ,osiris was        
performed each year4 ,the original      
,sekhet-,aaru was  evidently placed     
here1 and we are therefore right in     
assuming that the  fertile fields of    
this part of the ,delta formed the      
prototype of the  ,elysian ,fields of   
the ,egyptian4 ,at the same time he also
 wished to reap  crops on the fields    
round about ,heliopolis1 the seat of the
 greatest and  most ancient shrine of   
the ,sun-god4 ,the white grain of which 
he would  have his bread made is the    
ordinary dhura1 and the red grain is the

  red species of the same plant1 which  
is not so common as the white4 ,as      
keepers of the door of his estate the   
deceased asks for the forms 7or         
persons7 of his father and his mother1  
and thus we see a desire on the  part of
 the ,egyptian to continue the family   
life which he began upon  earth2 it goes
 almost without saying that he would not
 ask this thing if  he thought there    
would be no prospect of knowing his     
parents in the next  world4 ,an         
interesting proof of this is afforded by
 the picture of the  ,sekhet-,aaru1 or  
,elysian ,fields1 which is given in the 
,papyrus of ,anhai1  ,footnote3 ,brit4  
,mus41 ,no4 #aj1dgb4 ,illustration3     
,anhai bowing before  her father and    
mother4 ,the ,elysian ,fields4 ,from the
 ,papyrus of ,anhai  7,x,x,i,ind        
dynasty74 a priestess of ,amen who lived
 probably about ,b4,c4  #ajjj4 ,here we 
see the deceased entering into the      
topmost section of the  district and    
addressing two divine persons2 above one

 of these are  written the words her    
mother1 followed by the name ,neferitu4 
,the form  which comes next is probably 
that of her father1 and thus we are sure
  that the ,egyptians believed they     
would meet their relatives in the next  
world and know and be known by them4    
,accompanying the picture of the        
,elysian ,fields is a long text which   
forms ,chapter ,,cx4 of the ,book of the
 ,dead4 ,as it supplies a great deal  of
 information concerning the views held  
in early times about that  region1 and  
throws so much light upon the           
semi-material life which the  pious     
,egyptians1 at one period of their      
history1 hoped to lead1 a  rendering of 
it is here given4 ,it is entitled1 ,the 
,chapters of  ,sekhet-,hetepet1 and the 
,chapters of ,coming ,forth by ,day2 of 
going into  and of coming forth from the
 underworld2 of coming to ,sekhet-,aaru2
 of  being in ,sekhet-,hetepet1 the     
mighty land1 the lady of winds2 of      
having  power there2 of becoming a      

spirit 7,,khu7 there2 of reaping there2 
of  eating there2 of drinking there2 of 
making love there2 and of doing         
everything even as a man doeth upon the 
earth4 ,the deceased says3--      ,set  
hath seized ,horus1 who looked with the 
two eyes ,footnote3    i4e41 the ,eye of
 ,ra and the ,eye of ,horus4 upon the   
building 787    round ,sekhet-hetep1 but
 ,i have released ,horus and taken him  
from    ,set1 and ,set hath opened the  
path of the two eyes which are in       
heaven4 ,set hath cast 787 his moisture 
to the winds upon the soul that    hath 
his day1 and that dwelleth in the city  
of ,mert1 and he hath    delivered the  
interior of the body of ,horus from the 
gods of ,akert4      ,behold me now1 for
 ,i make this mighty boat to travel over
 the ,lake of    ,hetep1 and ,i brought 
it away with might from the palace of   
,shu2 the    domain of his stars groweth
 young and reneweth the strength which  
it    had of old4 ,i have brought the   
boat into the lakes thereof1 so that ,i 

may come forth into the cities thereof1 
and ,i have sailed into their    divine 
city ,hetep4 ,and behold1 it is because 
,i1 even ,i1 am at peace    with his    
seasons1 and with his direction1 and    
with his territory1 and    with the     
company of the gods who are his         
firstborn4 ,he maketh ,horus    and ,set
 to be at peace with those who watch    
over the living ones whom    he hath    
created in fair form1 and he bringeth   
peace2 he maketh ,horus    and ,set to  
be at peace with those who watch over   
them4 ,he cutteth off    the hair from  
,horus and ,set1 he driveth away storm  
from the helpless1    and he keepeth    
away harm from the spirits 7,,khu74 ,let
 me have dominion    within that field1 
for ,i know it1 and ,i have sailed among
 its lakes so    that ,i might come into
 its cities4 ,my mouth is firm1         
,footnote3    i4e41 ,i know how to utter
 the words of power which ,i possess    
with    vigour4 and ,i am equipped to   
resist the spirits 7,,khu71 therefore   

they    shall not have dominion over me4
 ,let me be rewarded with thy fields1 ,o
    thou god ,hetep2 but that which is  
thy wish do1 ,o thou lord of the        
winds4 ,may ,i become a spirit therein1 
may ,i eat therein1 may ,i drink        
therein1 may ,i plough therein1 may ,i  
reap therein1 may ,i fight    therein1  
may ,i make love therein1 may my words  
be mighty therein2 may    ,i never be in
 a state of servitude therein2 but may  
,i be in authority    therein4 ,thou    
hast made strong the mouth 7or door7 and
 the throat    787 of ,hetep2 ,qetet-bu 
is his name4 ,he is stablished upon the 
pillars ,footnote3 i4e41 the four       
pillars1 one placed at each    cardinal 
point1 which support the sky4 of ,shu1  
and is linked unto the    pleasant      
things of ,ra4 ,he is the divider of    
years1 he is hidden of    mouth1 his    
mouth is silent1 that which he uttereth 
is secret1 he    fulfilleth eternity and
 hath possession of everlasting         
existence as    ,hetep1 the lord ,hetep4

      ,the god ,horus maketh himself to 
be strong like unto the ,hawk which is  
one thousand cubits in length1 and two  
thousand cubits in width in    life2 he 
hath equipments with him1 and he        
journeyeth on and cometh    where his   
heart's throne wisheth to be in the     
,pools of ,hetep and in    the cities   
thereof4 ,he was begotten in the        
birth-chamber of the god of    the city1
 offerings of the god of the city are   
made unto him1 he    performeth that    
which it is meet to do therein1 and     
causeth the union    thereof1 and doeth 
everything which appertaineth to the    
birth-chamber    of the divine city4    
,when he setteth in life1 like crystal1 
he    performeth everything therein1 and
 the things which he doeth are like     
unto the things which are done in the   
,lake of ,twofold ,fire1 wherein        
there is none that rejoiceth1 and       
wherein are all manner of evil          
things4 ,the god ,hetep goeth in1 and   
cometh out1 and goeth backwards    in   

that ,field which gathereth together all
 manner of things for the               
birth-chamber of the god of the city4   
,when he setteth in life1 like          
crystal1 he performeth all manner of    
things therein which are like    unto   
the things which are done in the ,lake  
of ,twofold ,fire1 wherein    there is  
none that rejoiceth1 and wherein are all
 manner of evil    things4      ,let me 
live with the god ,hetep1 clothed and   
not plundered by the    lords of the    
north1 and let the lord of divine things
 bring food unto    me4 ,let him make me
 to go forward1 and let me come out1 and
 let him    bring my power unto me      
there2 let me receive it1 and let my    
equipment    be from the god ,hetep4    
,let me gain the mastery over the great 
and    mighty word which is in my body  
in this place wherein ,i am1 for by     
means of it ,i will remember and ,i will
 forget4 ,let me go forward on my    way
 and let me plough4 ,i am at peace with 
the god of the city1 and ,i    know the 

waters1 and the cities1 and the nomes1  
and the lakes which    are in           
,sekhet-,hetep4 ,i exist therein1 ,i am 
strong therein1 ,i have    become a     
spirit 7,,khu7 therein1 ,i eat therein1 
,i sow seed therein1 ,i    reap the     
harvest therein1 ,i plough therein1 ,i  
make love therein1 and ,i    am at peace
 with the god ,hetep therein4 ,behold ,i
 scatter seed therein1    ,i sail about 
among its lakes1 and ,i advance to the  
cities thereof1 ,o    divine ,hetep4    
,behold1 my mouth is provided with my   
teeth which are    like horns2 grant me 
therefore an overflowing supply of the  
food    whereon1 the ',doubles' 7,,kau7 
and the ,spirits 7,,khu7 do live4 ,i    
have    passed the judgment which ,shu  
passeth upon him that knoweth him1      
therefore let me go forth to the cities 
of ,hetep1 and let me sail    about     
among its lakes1 and let me walk about  
in ,sekhet-,hetep4 ,behold    ,ra is in 
heaven1 and behold the god ,hetep is the
 twofold offering    thereof4 ,i have   

come forward to the land of ,hetep1 ,i  
have girded up    my loins and come     
forth so that the gifts which are about 
to be given    unto me may be given1 and
 ,i am glad1 and ,i have laid hold upon 
my    strength which the god ,hetep hath
 greatly increased for me4 ,o           
,unen-em-hetep1 ,footnote3 ,the name of 
the first large section of              
,sekhet-,aaru4 ,i have entered into     
thee1 and my soul followeth after    me1
 and my divine food is upon my hands4 ,o
 ,lady of the two lands1    ,footnote3  
,a lake in the second section of        
,sekhet-,aaru4 who    stablishest my    
word whereby ,i remember and forget1 let
 me live    uninjured1 and without any  
injury being done unto me4 ,o grant to  
me1    ,o do thou grant to me1 joy of   
heart2 make thou me to be at peace1 bind
    thou up my sinews and muscles1 and  
make me to receive the air4      ,o     
,unen-em-hetep1 ,o ,lady of the winds1  
,i have entered into thee1 and ,i       
have shewn ,footnote3 ,literally1       

opened4 my head therein4 ,ra            
sleepeth1 but ,i am awake1 and there is 
the goddess ,hast at the gate of        
heaven by night4 ,obstacles have been   
set before me1 but ,i have    gathered  
together what ,ra hath emitted4 ,i am in
 my city4      ,o ,nut-urt1 ,footnote3  
,the name of a lake in the first section
 of    ,sekhet-,aaru4 ,i have entered   
into thee and ,i have reckoned up my    
harvest1 and ,i go forward to ,uakh4    
,footnote3 ,the name of a lake in    the
 second section of ,sekhet-,aaru4 ,i am 
the ,bull enveloped in    turquoise1 the
 lord of the ,field of the ,bull1 the   
lord of the divine    speech of the     
goddess ,septet 7,sothis7 at her hours4 
,o ,uakh1 ,i have    entered into thee1 
,i have eaten my bread1 ,i have gotten  
the mastery    over choice pieces of the
 flesh of oxen and of feathered fowl1   
and the    birds of ,shu have been given
 unto me2 ,i follow after the gods1 and 
the    divine ',doubles' 7,,kau74       
,o ,tohefet1 ,footnote3 ,the name of a  

district in the third section of        
,sekhet-,aaru4 ,i have entered into     
thee1 ,i array myself in apparel1 and   
,i have guarded myself with the ,sa     
garment of ,ra2 now behold1 he    is in 
heaven1 and those who dwell therein     
follow him1 and ,i also    follow ,ra in
 heaven1 ,o ,unen-em-hetep1 lord of the 
two lands1 ,i have    entered into thee1
 and ,i have plunged into the lakes of  
,tohesert2    behold me now1 for all    
uncleanness hath departed from me4 ,the 
,great    ,god groweth therein1 and     
behold1 ,i have found food therein2 ,i  
have    snared feathered fowl and ,i    
feed upon1 the finest of them4      ,o  
,qenqentet1 ,footnote3 ,the name of a   
lake in the first section1 of           
,sekhet-,aaru4 ,i have entered into     
thee1 and ,i have seen1 the ,osiris     
my father1 and ,i have gazed upon my    
mother1 and ,i have made love4 ,i       
have captured the worms and serpents    
which are there and have    delivered   
myself4 ,i know the name of the god who 

is opposite to the    goddess ,tohesert1
 who hath straight hair and is provided 
with horns2    he reapeth1 but ,i both  
plough and reap4      ,o ,hast1         
,footnote3 ,the name of a lake in the   
third section of    ,sekhet-,aaru4 ,i   
have entered into thee1 and ,i have     
driven back those    who would come to  
the turquoise sky2 and ,i have followed 
the winds    of the company of the gods4
 ,the ,great ,god hath given my head    
unto me1    and he who hath bound on me 
my head is the ,mighty ,one with the    
eyes of    turquoise1 that is to say1   
,ari-en-ab-f 7i4e41 ,he who doeth as he 
pleaseth74      ,o ,usert1 ,footnote3   
,the name of a lake in the third section
 of    ,sekhet-,aaru4 ,i have come unto 
thee at the house where the divine food 
is brought unto me4      ,o ,smam1      
,footnote3 ,the name of a lake in the   
third section of    ,sekhet-,aaru4 ,i   
have come unto thee4 ,my heart watcheth1
 and ,i am    provided with the white   
crown4 ,i am led into celestial regions1

 and ,i    make the things of earth to  
flourish2 and there is joy of heart for 
the ,bull1 and for celestial beings1 and
 for the company of the gods4 ,i    am  
the god who is the ,bull1 the lord of   
the gods as he goeth forth    from the  
turquoise sky4      ,o divine nome of   
wheat and barley1 ,i have come unto     
thee1 ,i have come    forward to thee1  
and ,i have taken up that which         
followeth me1 namely1    the best of the
 libations of the company of the gods4  
,i have tied my    boat in the celestial
 lakes1 ,i have lifted up the post at   
which to    anchor1 ,i have recited the 
prescribed words with my voice1 and ,i  
have    ascribed praises unto the gods  
who dwell in ,sekhet-hetep4    ,other   
joys1 however1 than those described     
above1 await the man who has  passed    
satisfactorily through the judgment and 
has made his way into the  realm of the 
gods4 ,for1 in answer to a long petition
 in the ,papyrus of  ,ani1 which has    
been given above 7see p4 #cc f471 the   

god ,ra promises  to the deceased the   
following3 ,thou shalt come forth into  
heaven1 thou  shalt pass over the sky1  
thou shalt be joined unto the starry    
deities4  ,praises shall be offered unto
 thee in thy boat1 thou shalt be hymned 
in  the ,atet boat1 thou shalt behold   
,ra within his shrine1 thou shalt  set  
together with his ,disk day by day1 thou
 shalt see the ,,ant ,footnote  #a3 ,the
 name of a mythological fish which swam 
at the bow of the boat of  ,ra4 fish    
when it springeth into being in the     
waters of turquoise1  and thou shalt see
 the ,,abtu ,footnote3 ,the name of a   
mythological fish  which swam at the bow
 of the boat of ,ra4 fish in his hour4  
,it shall  come to pass that the ,evil  
,one shall fall when he layeth a snare  
to  destroy thee1 and the joints of his 
neck and of his back shall be hacked    
asunder4 ,ra saileth with a fair wind1  
and the ,sektet boat draweth  on and    
cometh into port4 ,the mariners of ,ra  
rejoice1 and the heart  of ,nebt-ankh   

7i4e41 ,isis7 is glad1 for the enemy of 
,ra hath  fallen to the ground4 ,thou   
shalt behold ,horus on the              
standing-place of  the pilot of the     
boat1 and ,thoth and ,maat shall stand  
one upon each  side of him4 ,all the    
gods shall rejoice when they behold ,ra 
coming  in peace to make the hearts of  
the shining ones to live1 and ,osiris   
,ani1  triumphant1 the scribe of the    
divine offspring of the lords of        
,thebes1  shall be along with them4     
,but1 not content with sailing in the   
boat of ,ra daily as one of many        
beatified beings1 the deceased hoped to 
transform each of his limbs into  a god1
 and when this was effected to become   
,ra himself4 ,thus in  ,chapter ,,xlii4 
of the ,book of the ,dead ,footnote3    
,see ,the ,chapters of  ,coming ,forth  
by ,day1 p4 #ic4 the deceased says--    
,my hair is the hair of ,nu4      ,my   
face is the face of the ,disk4      ,my 
eyes are the eyes of ,hathor4      ,my  
ears are the ears of ,ap-uat4      ,my  

nose is the nose of ,khenti-,khas4      
,my lips are the lips of ,anpu4      ,my
 teeth are the teeth of ,serqet4        
,my neck is the neck of the divine      
goddess ,isis4      ,my hands are the   
hands of ,ba-neb-,tattu4      ,my       
fore-arms are the fore-arms of ,neith1  
the ,lady of ,sas4      ,my backbone is 
the backbone of ,suti4      ,my phallus 
is the phallus of ,osiris4      ,my     
reins are the reins of the ,lords of    
,kher-aba4      ,my chest is the chest  
of the ,mighty one of terror4      ,my  
belly and back are the belly and back of
 ,sekhet4      ,my buttocks are the     
buttocks of the ,eye of ,horus4      ,my
 hips and legs are the hips and legs of 
,nut4      ,my feet are the feet of     
,ptah4      ,my fingers and my leg-bones
 are the fingers and leg-bones of the   
,living ,gods4 ,footnote3 ,the idea of  
the deification of the human    members 
was current already in the ,v,ith       
dynasty4 ,see ,recueil de    ,travaux1  
tom4 viii1 pp4 #hg1 #hh4    ,and        

immediately after this the deceased     
says3      ,there is no member of my    
body which is not the member of a god4  
,the    god ,thoth shieldeth my body    
altogether1 and ,i am ,ra day by day4   
,thus we see by what means the          
,egyptians believed that mortal man     
could  be raised from the dead1 and     
attain unto life everlasting4 ,the      
resurrection was the object with which  
every prayer was said and every         
ceremony performed1 and every text1 and 
every amulet1 and every formula1  of    
each and every period1 was intended to  
enable the mortal to put on  immortality
 and to live eternally in a transformed 
glorified body4 ,if  this fact be borne 
in mind many apparent difficulties will 
disappear  before the readers in this   
perusal of ,egyptian texts1 and the     
religion  of the ,egyptians will be seen
 to possess a consistence of aim and a  
steadiness of principle which1 to some1 
it at first appears to lack4            
,,the ,,end4    ,printed ,,ballantyne1  

,,hanson  ,co  ,edinburgh  ,london