Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt

Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt

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Dramatic directions are sparse, but the fact they exist proves the importance of this-life ritual in Ancient Egyptian religion. Many representations are ritual high points frozen in space: The vast literature of Egypt provides us with a variety of ceremonial gestures adoration, respect, repose, devotion, supplication, rejoicing, triumph, healing, mourning, smiting, harpooning , priestly functions overseer, reciter, magician, libationer, seer, overseer of the tomb, oracle, physician, guardian, chanter, keeper of offerings, etc.

The Egyptian deposit is a vast storehouse of images, magical practices, spiritual intentions and wisdom teachings. It constitutes a broad cultural pattern stretching over three millenia , which has been a source of wisdom and inspiration for all Mediterranean spiritual traditions, in particular Judaism and Christianity Islam was influenced via Hermetism. Despite contemporary egyptology, a precise historical reconstruction of Ancient Egyptian rituals is impossible. The dramatic line is lost.

Even an educated reconstruction would contain many "blanks", crippling the dynamics of the ritual. Such information would only convey the basic ritual matrix of speech-acts and gestures , nothing more. Moreover, because of Egypt's multiplicity of approaches, no "standard" line is to be sought, for every temple made adaptations serving its tutelary deity.

Hence, a reconstruction of Egyptian ritual "as such" is unthinkable, for although there are overall patterns, there is no "theoretical" model. We may reconstruct Heliopolitan or Osirian ritual, but never Egyptian ritualism as a whole. Before contemporary egyptology could do its work, Ancient Egypt was the object of three major reconstructions: Ancient Egyptian religion, after having influenced the Greeks , was eventually Hellenized. The cults of Osiris and Isis, as well as Hermetism , evidence the survival of Hellenized forms of the native Egyptian ways.

But the Greeks intermixed their somber views of the hereafter with the extended Egyptian funerary rituals. Their extatic, "away from the body" mystery traditions was escapist. The role of Anubis as "guide of the dead" and initiator and Osiris as "king of the dead" was reinterpreted in terms of the Greek religious attitude. The Egyptian mysteries were seen as leading to another, better plane of existence, away from the limitations and boundaries of the material plane cf. Plato's analysis of the realm of becoming and the body as a "prison" or "tomb" in Plotinos' Enneads IV 8,3.

The Greeks longed for a contemplative life, devoid of material duties and suffering. Theory was more appreciated than practice. Hence, material life on Earth, feding the passions, had to be bridled and finally transcended. In this perspective, death heralded the final disconnection with the body, a state the Egyptians tried to avoid at all costs.

Their religious attitude was un -Greek and in no way theoretical or abstract.

Ancient Egyptian religion

In Egyptian religion, material life was spiritualized to make it eternal. Death was rebirth in the afterlife.

Indeed, the Egyptian view on their mysteries and secrets was Oriental. The Egyptians loved life and saw death as the gate to an even more richer life. After purification in the Duat, the final transformation of the soul takes place, initiating the spirit-state.

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The rituals guaranteed a two-way communication between the spirit-world and the material plane: In the spiritual economy of the funerary temples of the Old Kingdom, this return of the spirit to the tomb was crucial. Thanks to the funerary magic of the tomb, the deceased could make his family benefit from his or her invisible powers and liberty of movement, free of shadow and extremely fast.

In this way, magic could be accumulated and passed on to future generations In contemporary African tradition, the spirits are described in comparable terms. In the Graeco-Roman mind, nobody returned to Earth, the escape was final.

Death brought rupture and disconnection. When, for literary reasons or to close a play with a " deus ex machina ", a spectre of the dead or a deity appeared, then surely only vaguely and mostly to announce something bad or worse. The "morbid" interpretation of the Egyptian tradition is therefore largely Hellenocentric. In their "revealed" scriptures, these religions condemned Egyptian religion, although none of their protagonists were able to read Egyptian Moses is not of history but of memory. When Egypt turned Christian, the old religious structures were destroyed and most Egyptian deities transformed into demons cf.

The cult of Isis became the worship of Mary, and the resurrection of Osiris was transformed into the spirituality of the cosmic Christ, represented on Earth by the Pope the Christian Pharaoh. The old trinitarian concepts of Deity developed in Egypt, became the "Holy Trinity" It is remarkable to see how the canonized versions of these so-called "revealed" scriptures were written decades after their founders had died Moses, Jesus and Mohammed wrote nothing.

Religion and ritual in ancient Egypt

Moreover, although these traditions rejected the Egyptian view of the world, they nevertheless continued to cherish Egypt as the home of perennial wisdom, science, magic and mysteries, albeit allegorical and Pagan. This would continue to do its job despite Champollion cracking the code in and showing the hieroglyphs were not primarily allegorical but phonetical. Between the XIIIth century the end of the influential Templar movement with its "magical" tenets, the invention of the new Jewish qabalah by Moses ben de Leon - cf.

Egyptomania has a very narrow historical basis and introduces gigantic phantasies involving Atlantis and a stellar religion dated thousands of years before recorded history. To produce their formidable hotch-potch, they add qabalah and Christian Gnosticism to the mixture.

Even today, these dubious claims are reiterated Seleem , , p. Both the Hellenistic, Scriptoral and Renaissancist reconstructions are flawed and rejected.

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The work of appreciating Ancient Egypt has to be redone from scratch, which is precisely what egyptologists and other scientists have been doing for the last two centuries with an increasing amount of technical data becoming available in the last four decades. Among egyptologists, most if not all aspects of this jealously guarded historical reconstruction of Ancient Egypt may be approached in four ways: Key concepts of antiquarianism include the notion of historical progress and the ethnic interpretation of material culture.

The current market value of any piece is an important element, and a factor undermining true care for the artefacts a gold braclet may be saved, but the arm to which it is attached not The so-called "Kemetic reconstruction" after "kmt", the "back" fertile silt left behind by the receding Nile , if in accord with the basic ritual matrix unknown to Renaissancist Hermeticism and its following , can be more than just another literary fiction. This thematic reconstruction "fills in the blanks" of the basic ritual matrix in such a way as to be faithful to what is known of native Egyptian history.

It outlines an itinerary of physical, emotional, mental, soul-like and spirit-like growth and well-being based on Ancient Egyptian teachings and practices. At pages, this is a relatively short text on the religious practices of the ancient Egyptians. It is well written and clear, as well as lavishly illustrated with examples of all that Teeter is discussing. If one is interested in learning the basics of these religious practices, I can't think of a better book to pick up.

It covers the use and kinds of priests, what the world of the temple was like, Festivals, how one contacted the deities, death and funeral rites, and the uses of magic, along At pages, this is a relatively short text on the religious practices of the ancient Egyptians. It covers the use and kinds of priests, what the world of the temple was like, Festivals, how one contacted the deities, death and funeral rites, and the uses of magic, along with a brief discussion of the Amarna period.

The only down side is that it is quite pricey. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book. Nov 14, Kathleen O'Neal rated it really liked it. Overall a very good look at how Egyptian people lived their religion on a day to day basis. Interestingly, this author contradicted a lot of what Toby Wilkinson wrote in his history of Egypt that I read. I learned a lot of interesting things from this book - the way that ancient Egyptians spoke to the dead, the way that the religion was supported by a hierarchy of different ranks of priests, and the way that figures of enemies were created and then destroyed so as to curse them, for instance.

The best part of the book was probably near the beginning as this is where the author talks about the overall cosmic worldview of the ancient Egyptians. I would have liked to have seen more of this sort of touch throughout the work.

Overall, however, a great look at how ancient Egyptian religion was lived on a day to day basis. If you have a broad knowledge of the myths and legends of ancient Egypt, and just want to pick up a book explaining how religious life worked instead of more tales of the gods, this is the book for you. Teeter explains in a very clear and lucid way all you need to know about its functioning, from the ranks and roles of the priesthood, to the varied ways ordinary people could try to communicate with a deity, to the feasts and festivals that formed a crucial part of the calendar.

The text is very If you have a broad knowledge of the myths and legends of ancient Egypt, and just want to pick up a book explaining how religious life worked instead of more tales of the gods, this is the book for you.

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The text is very well-referenced throughout, professionally objective, but yet still written in an accessible way that everyone from the general audience up could read and be engaged by. All in all, an excellent resource. Mar 26, Philip rated it it was amazing Shelves: Very pleasant to read and offering many insights into an ancient culture, while offering accessibility even to readers entirely new to the field. A good starting point for interested readers.

A dry but very informative and quick read with loads of valuable insight into ancient Egyptian culture. Emily Teeter does a tremendous job here Great read if you want to get a feel for Ancient Egyptian religion. From the gods to temples, it was ane y read and enjoyable. Brittany rated it really liked it Aug 07, Paula rated it it was amazing Jul 26, Fender Love rated it it was amazing Feb 04, Christine rated it really liked it May 28, Mark Powell rated it it was amazing Jan 01, Astrid Tanebet rated it it was amazing Mar 25, Olivia rated it really liked it Dec 03, Trisha rated it it was amazing Apr 28, Angela rated it it was amazing Aug 31, Mathilda rated it liked it Oct 22, Cleverson Neves Pinto rated it really liked it May 08, Eruanna rated it really liked it May 08, David Mcdonald rated it really liked it Apr 22, Grimmthorny rated it it was ok Jan 26,

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