“The gods that were aforetime rest in their pyramids, likewise the noble and the glorified, buried in their pyramids. What hath become of them? None cometh again from there that he may tell us of their state, that he may recount to us their lot, that he set out heart at rest until we also hasten away to the place whither they are gone.”
The last line of this passage states that the people will also hasten away to where the gods were. Here we see the belief of the commoners that they too were to live forever.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is basically a group of rules and prayers that the soul of the deceased was obliged to follow and do before a divine judge who would decide if the soul would live forever. In the Book of the Dead, there consists a series of negative confessions the soul of the deceased had to make. Basically, this book is a guideline to what to do to prepare for an everlasting afterlife; to ensure that your soul lives forever. By telling what has to be done after death, people can make sure they follow a certain set of rules so that they may pass judgment. The Book of the Dead has often been compared to the Ark of the Covenant where the Ten Commandments are kept. There is good reason to compare the two because both the Book of the Dead and the commandments share almost the same rules. 5 of the Ten Commandments delivered from Mount Sinai can be found in the Book of the Dead.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain?Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery?Thou shallot not bear false witness against they neighbor?Thou shalt not lie”
- Exodus 20: 7-16 (Ten Commandments)
” Not have I despised god?Not have I killed?Not have I fornicated?Not have I despoiled the thing of god?not have I defiled the wife of a man?Not have I cursed god?Not have I borne false witness.”
-Egyptian Book of the Dead
Here we see the influence of the Egyptian religion on other religions or the Jewish religion on the Egyptian religion. Either way is possible considering both cultures emerged at the relatively same time. The writing of the Book of the Dead shows that there may have been some religious unrest at the time period. People needed guidance on how to lead a good life so that they would have eternal life in the underworld.
The Maxims of Ptahhotep are actually instructions. In it, Ptahhotep gives instructions on aspects in life and what to do when you encounter them. He gives instructions from a god to a father who is to pass it to his son. These, maybe, rules in how to lead a good life. We know this through what he says near the beginning of his instructions.
“Thus says the majesty of this god:
Teach him what was uttered formerly,
Then he can set a good example for the Children of the Nobles.
Thus he says before his son:
Do not be arrogant about your knowledge.
And so forth. There are actually a lot of instructions that Ptahhotep teaches.
For example, in one passage, Ptahhotep states:
“If you encounter a disputant in action, a poor man, not at all your equal,
Do not oppress him due to his weakness. Give him room, he refutes himself.
Do not answer him and your heart will be content. Nor reveal yourself to one
Who is your enemy. It is a wretched thing to injure a poor man.”
Here are instructions on what to do if you meet someone who argues with you but does it poorly. Ptahhotep says not to oppress him, which in this sense means, don’t argue back so as to make him look bad. If you leave him be, he will understand his fault and refute. This is like what the Bible says or what Jesus says in the New Testament. “Turn the other cheek.” In this example, if he argues, let him continue arguing, don’t join in. If he oppresses you, let him continue until he is satisfied.
Another example of this is:
“If you get to be one among the guests at the dining table of one greater than you,
Accept what he gives; place it to your nose.
Look at what is before you. Do not shoot lots of glances at him.
It is an abomination to stir him up. Do not speak until he summons,
Speak when he addresses you.”
Here we see proper etiquette instructions at the dining table by Ptahhotep. Basic standards. Eat what is presented and don’t speak until you are spoken too. These are basic manners. An influence on oour culture today and that of others. WE today, at other tables other than our families, eat what is placed in front of us and don’t speak unless someone makes conversation first. During the age of persecution of the Protestants in England, this is what the Protestants believed and if you did otherwise, God would punish you.
The Maxims of Ptahhotep actually tell quite much about the atmosphere of the time it was written. In the beginning of these instructions, Ptahhotep says:
“Oh Sovereign, my Lord!
Old age has occurred and Age has arrived
Feebleness has come and weakness is renewed.
One sleeps in discomfort every day
The eyes are dim and the ears deaf
The Bones have been ill a long time
And Good has turned into Evil.”
What does this reflect about the atmosphere of the time period? It tells me that maybe during that time, the people were discontent with the way pharaohs were being raised or just the way children were being raised. In one part of the passage, Ptahhotep says that the ears are deaf. This might signify that the children don’t care and aren’t listening to the instructions of their parents and it is due to the fact that “Good has turned into evil.” Ptahhotep writes these instructions to maybe help parents who need to know what to teach their children.
Many things that Ptahhotep teaches are visible in other religions. The proper etiquette was in the Protestant religion, the turning of the cheek concept is found in the Bible, taught by Jesus.
Part 2: Different Faiths
The different faiths during the time of Ancient Egypt also reflected the atmosphere of the period in which they started. The faith of Amenhotep and the solar faith of Amon-Re and the cult of Osiris all reflect something about the mood of the kingdom.
Amenhotep was a pharaoh during the New Kingdom who dared to challenge Egypt’s religious traditions. He believed that the religious cults that worshiped animal gods were debasing the religion of the empire. Amenhotep tried everything in his power to convert Egyptian religion to monotheism though in a sense it already was. Amenhotep believed that the sun god, Aton, was the only true god in the universe. Therefore, he changed his name to Akhenaton. People were forbidden to worship Amon, the god of air, wind, and life itself. While he was busy composing a Hymn to Aton, outposts of his in other countries cried out for help. He ignored them.
Akhenaton trying to stop the debasement of the religion in the empire signifies either two things. First, it reflects that maybe the religion of Ancient Egypt was being debased. People began to make up gods or they began to form cults that killed excessively for their gods. In other words, a religious unrest.
Or it could reflect that the age of the Egyptian rule was coming to an end. The pharaohs were becoming eccentric and too overpowering.
Akhenaton’s Hymn to Aton was quite beautiful and was quite similar to the belief of how the world was created according to the Jews. The Hymn to Aton may have influenced later religions such as the catholic one. In the hymn, Aton sates how great Aton is and how all life came from him, quite similar to the Catholic belief that one God created all. He says that Aton created man, animals, water (Nile), night, and day, which is like the catholic belief that God created everything that we know of today.
Akhenaton trying to convert the Egyptian religion into monotheism influenced later on religions. The Romans used to believe in many gods, now their central belief is the one God that all Christians and Jews believe in. Trying to convert others has also been passed down to the Christians. Even today, we are trying to convert many to Christianity. When America was first settled, Christians tried to convert the Mongoloids (Indians) to Christianity.
During the Middle Kingdom, a new faith emerged that challenged the old faith of Amon-Re. This new faith turned into what is known as the Cult of Osiris. Osiris played a very important role in Ancient Egypt. Osiris was the king of the underworld and the judge of the dead.
The Egyptians believed in human spirit, which were said to consist of three things: akh, ba, and ka. Akh is the name given to the form that the dead existed in. This form was immortal and unchanging The ba, was the form released at death. Often, it is called the soul, which is incorrect. The Ka was the form considered to be the double of the being, both spiritually and physically. At one’s death, the ka and the ba traveled to join each other in the next world. Once this was done, the being would become an akh, and take the form of the dead that existed among the Gods.
Osiris as said before, was the judge of the dead who lived in the Hall of Judgement. After the dead had crossed from the living world to the dead, he was brought to the hall. There, two hearings took place. First, the dead had to proclaim that he/she was sin-free or pure. People could lie but the next part tested whether someone was pure or not. Their heart was weighed against the feather of truth. If the person were pure, the heart would weigh the same, if not, then the weights would not be equal. If deemed worthy, the deceased went before Osiris and was invited to roam freely with other gods. At this point, the deceased lived in eternal happiness. The Osiris cult changed Egyptian religion greatly. The cult created a sort of ethic in Egyptian life. An individual had to follow a moral code to have the promise of eternal life. The Promise was offered to every one. Soon, the cult of Osiris overshadowed the sun-god cult or the solar faith of Amon-Re, which soon faded out of existence.
This new cult reflected a new beginning during the Middle Kingdom. During the Middle Kingdom, commoners began to believe that they too, like a pharaoh could live an eternal life as presented by the cult of Osiris. The cult showed happiness and prosperity, which was true in the Middle Kingdom. This was because everyone wanted to have an eternal life. So, they all followed the moral code of Osiris.
Structure of Society
The structure of society in Ancient Egypt remained constant for almost 3,000 years. They had a society consisting of classes. One could think of this society as a pyramid. The Pharaoh at top, nobles second, then the artisans, peasants fourth, and the last, the slaves.
The Pharaohs were much more than political leaders to their people. The pharaohs were considered to be gods. They were responsible for the well being of the kingdom. It was the pharaoh that caused the sun to rise, the Nile to flow, and the crops to grow. All good things came from the pharaoh. The pharaohs were not always men, once, a woman came to throne. Yet, usually, the women were considered just the wives of the kings.
After the pharaoh came the nobles who served the pharaoh. They ranged from priests, to tax collectors. These nobles lead a luxurious but busy life. Most of the nobles had been born as wealthy Egyptians. Theirs was an inherited wealth. This was always the case, but it was usually.
After the nobles came the artisans who led fairly comfortable lives. They were responsible for the tools and jewelry and so forth of Egypt.
Peasants were the next class of people in society. These were those that worked hard in fields everyday whether you were a woman or a man. Peasants led a hard life but nonetheless, they seemed to enjoy it. Despite the fact that they didn’t own the land they worked on and most of the harvest was taken away, they found time and happiness to celebra