Secrets About The Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead
is a collection of religious documents and funerary texts that were used in ancient Egypt, to be a guide for the deceased on his journey to the other world, used from the beginning of the modern era of the ancient Egyptian state (about 1550 BC) to about 50 BC These spells were composed by many priests over about 1000 years.
It is considered to be the oldest book that we have learned, written not in the era of the construction of the Great Pyramid, a copy of which is still preserved in the British Museum. In it, there are calls to the gods, songs, and prayers, and then a description of what the souls of the dead meet in the other world from the reckoning and the subsequent punishment and reward. They built huge temples along with no less magnificent and luxurious tombs, where they believed in the resurrection and the return of the soul, which they painted in two close images ka or BA. They also made sure to put all the things of the deceased, including food, ornaments, and everything he loved in his life with him in his tomb, where the soul of the deceased could eat and drink from when it returned to the body, and before seeking the afterlife.
These spells serve as guiding instructions that enable the deceased to overcome the obstacles and dangers that will confront him during his journey to the afterlife, and also show him the means he uses to complete this journey successfully without suffering any harm.
At the same time, remind him of the names of the gods that he will encounter on this path, as forgetting the name of one of the gods will not be in his favor, especially since one of the recipients of his account in the afterlife will stand before a court of 40 gods.
In the era of the Middle Kingdom and the modern state, the texts of the Book of the Dead began to be written on papyrus and this book was placed next to the mummy inside the coffin. Every significant ancient Egyptian was eager to instruct the priests to prepare a book of the dead for him, in which he mentions his name, the name of his father, the name of his mother, and his job in the world. In preparation for the day of his death and preparing the ritual of transferring him to his grave.
An example of what is stated in the book
And the God Tut records the result of the scale. If the heart of the deceased is lighter than a feather, he is allowed to live in the afterlife. If the heart of the deceased is heavier than the "feather of truth" (Maat), then in this world doing evil deeds, then his heart is thrown and devoured by the mythical monster Amamot, who is waiting for death next to the balance, and this is his eternal end.
"Peace Be Upon You, O Great God, the God of truth. I have come to you, O my God, subject to the testimony of Your Majesty, I have come to you, O my God, with the truth, renouncing falsehood, I have not wronged anyone, I have not taken the path of the errant, I have not perjured an oath and lust has not led me astray, I have extended my eyes to someone's wife from my womb, I have not extended my hand to someone else's money, I have not been a liar, I have not disobeyed you, I have not sought to ensnare a slave at his master. I have not stolen bread from the temples, I have not committed immorality, I have not defiled anything sacred, I have not usurped forbidden money, I have not violated the sanctity of the dead, I have not sold wheat at an exorbitant price, I have not cheated anyone. I am immaculate, I am immaculate, I am immaculate. And as long as I am innocent of sin, make me, O God, one of the winners.
"(I did not deprive the cattle of their grass, I did not make traps for God's sparrows, I did not catch fish from their lakes, I did not block the water in season, I did not erect a dam or an obstacle to running water, I did not extinguish a raging fire.)"
Contents of the book
The Book of the Dead by the ancient Egyptians shows us the religious dogmas that occupied them all their lives. Not only was death an inseparable part of life for them, but people at that time had a different concept of death and the afterlife than we think today. The Book of the Dead included spells and instructions for the deceased, helping him to be resurrected and move to the afterlife, where he lives as he used to live on Earth, but without diseases, fatigue, or old age, but also be a companion of the gods in the afterlife, eating and drinking with them on some occasions.
The goal of the dead or dying was to reach eternal life in the other world, and this did not make sense to some people and peoples of those eras. The concept of living in the afterlife is that the deceased who did good in his life and was honest and honest, helping the poor, hungry, and thirsty, and helping widows and orphans, such a person was living according to what the gods wanted for him of "a life together, and a just system", a symbol of this ancient Egyptian system by the gods of truth and cosmic order.
Opinions about the book of the dead
Dr. Mustafa Mahmoud mentioned in one of the episodes of his science and Faith program ,the Pharaohs and their belief in one God and quoted one of the phrases that the ancient Egyptians wrote down in the book of the dead and they speak of God, namely "you are the first and there is nothing before you, and you are the other and there is nothing after you", and the one God says in the book of the dead "I created everything alone and there was no one next to me". Dr. Mustafa Mahmoud went on to explain examples from the Book of the Dead, which he believes have not been distorted and history must be reworked anew to prove that the ancient Egyptians believed in one God.
The book of the dead contains several chapters, describing and referring to the following:
Protection of the deceased from demons, evil spirits, snakes and others
Know the dead when resurrected, the way to the afterlife
Help him to cross the sea of fire, the difficulties that threaten him
They allow him to oscillate between the earthly world and the other world
Help him to live in the afterlife
Help him to get water, food, receive gifts and sacrifices, give it to the other world
It helps him to know the places in the afterlife, remember the names of the gods and important names (such as the name of the door of the afterlife), * and helps him to know the doors, their names, spells to open them, pass through them, reach the gods and introduce himself to them.
Although there are some differences between our beliefs in the present about the afterlife, there are similarities between our beliefs and those of the ancient Egyptian. The ancient Egyptians believed in the resurrection and appearing before a judicial body composed of 42 judges, before which the dead man confesses to them that he did not steal, no one was assassinated, he did not lie, why, why, and all the bad things that he did not do in his life in the world.
I didn't hurt a human being
I did not force any of my relatives to do bad.
And I didn't advocate bad work over good work،
And I didn't walk with the abuser
(About the German from the book: Negatives Sündenbekenntnis I, aus: Kapitel 124, 3)
Inside were funerary texts of various kinds, both magico-religious formulas and stories, with the help of which the deceased could overcome the countless trials that he would face on the long and winding path that led him to the presence of Osiris. The texts, therefore, would have helped him both to reach the god of death without any special problems, and to prepare the so-called testimony of his earthly life, the trial of which belonged to Osiris.
The Book of the Dead has taken various forms over time. Initially, indeed, formulas and stories were engraved on the walls of the tomb, only to be engraved directly on the sarcophagus. Over time and until the eighteenth dynasty (1543-1292 BC), the book of the dead changed its form again: the funeral texts were transferred to papyrus, then closed in a sarcophagus along with the deceased and all those objects that could be useful in his last journey.
These magical formulas placed in tombs, according to beliefs, protected and helped the deceased in the underworld, and they include hymns to the god Amun Re, the god of the sun. We can see descriptions of spells on the passages and walls of tombs, on the wrappers of mummies and even inside the golden mask of King Tutankhamun.
The Book of the Dead first appeared in the New Kingdom, but its text evolved from a long history of magical funeral writing. The most ancient of them, the Pyramid Texts, were accessible only to the Egyptians. Then they evolved to Coffin Texts - a modified version of the Pyramid Texts - which were written on coffins and included in the tombs of non-royal persons, such as rich Egyptians and representatives of the elite.
As for the history of the writing of the Book of the Dead, the Pharaohs wrote down the Book of the Dead during the era of the construction of the Great Pyramid, and a copy of it is still preserved in the British Museum. It contains invocations to the gods, hymns, and prayers. Then there is a description of the reckoning that the souls of the dead encounter in the afterlife and the punishment and reward that befalls them.
The Pharaohs built huge temples in addition to tombs that were no less magnificent and luxurious, as they believed in resurrection and the return of the soul, which they depicted in two close images, "Ka" or "Ba." They were also keen to place all the things related to the deceased, including food, jewelry, and everything he loved in his life, with him in his tomb, where the soul of the deceased could eat and drink from it when it returned to the body, and before seeking the afterlife.
The ancient Egyptians knew religious literature since the dawn of history, and their holy books varied, most of which were about death and the afterlife. Their books usually contained a group of religious texts that expressed the Egyptians' perception of the life of the dead in the afterlife, and included a group of spells that were recited when preparing the body for burial.
Perhaps the ancient Pharaohs amazed the world with the diversity of these texts, and their abundance of ancient religious spells and literature, which remained an icon no less important than the remaining monuments from the Pharaonic eras, such as temples, royal tombs, and obelisks. Among these books' most significant works are:
Book of the Dead
Pyramid texts
The Book of Two Paths
The Guide's Book
Spell No. 125 is one of the most famous texts of the Book of the Dead. Even those unfamiliar with the book, and those unfamiliar with Egyptian mythology, know about the spell without realizing it. It is the incantation describing the trial of the deceased's heart in the Hall of Justice by the god Osiris, and is one of the most famous known images from ancient Egypt, although the god with his scale is not actually described in the text. Given the importance of the deceased passing the test of his heart weight in order to pass into bliss, knowing what to say and how to act in the presence of Osiris, Thoth, Anubis and the forty-two judges was the most important information with which the deceased could reach the afterlife.
After death, Anubis guides the deceased to the Hall of Justice (also known as the Hall of Two Truths), where the deceased will make the Confession of Absolution (also known as the Declaration of Innocence). This Confession of Absolution was a list of forty-two sins that the individual could honestly deny never to commit. Once made, Osiris, Thoth, Anubis, and the Forty-Two Judges consulted.
If the confession was accepted, the deceased's heart was weighed in a balance against the white feather of Maat, the feather of truth. If the deceased's heart was lighter than the feather of Maat, their soul passed to Heaven; if it was heavier than the feather, the heart was thrown to the ground, where it was devoured by the divine monster Ammut, and its owner's soul ceased to exist.
Spell 125 begins with an introduction to the reader (i.e., the soul of the deceased): "What to say upon arrival at the Hall of Justice"
