The Egyptian Religion Essay Research Paper The — страница 2

him came air, from the air, the earth, from the earth, the Nile and from the Nile Egypt, which is how Egypt got the nickname ?the gift of the Nile?. Therefore the characteristics of the Egyptian faith are very strict. The Egyptians performed many rituals that characterize their religion. First, when a person died, their body was mummified, the ?mumifier’ was performing a ritual. Second, the Egyptians would practice reading the Book of the Dead so that they would be ready to recite it during the Judgment of the Dead. Also, the Egyptians also had hymns, here is an example of one to the sun god, Re: How beautiful it is when thou arisest on the horizon and lightenest the Two Lands with thy rays (Casson 80). In the morning the Pharaoh and would rise, praying to Ra. and in temples

the people would sing also: Hail to thee, Ra, Lord of Truth whose shrine is hidden, Lord of gods; the creator in his boat: at whose command the gods were made: Atum, maker of men: supporting their words, giving them life. Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise: at whose pleasure the Nile overflows: Lord of mercy most loving: at whose coming men live: opener of every eye: proceeding from the firmament: causer of pleasure and light: at whose goodness the gods rejoice (Evans ). These are the Rituals that make up the Egyptian Religion. The Egyptian Moral code is made up of the Book of the Dead, a book that is a list of 42 ?Negative confessions’, hymns and also prayers. The Book of the Dead has forty-two negative sins, here are some of the major ones: 1. I have not acted sinfully

toward men 13. I have not inflicted pain. . . . 16. I have not committed murder 27. I have not added weights to the scales 46. I have not spoke treasonably about the king (marlowe.wimsey.com) The Egyptian moral code also acted as their code of law since it religion/government was so intertwined, and almost one. In conclusion, the Egyptian moral code is very strict and is make up of ?negative confessions’. The Egyptians were polytheistic, although for a short period of time were monotheistic. Some of their major gods were: Isis; wife of Osiris, Re; sun god of Heliopolis, Anibis, jackal god of mummification, Osiris; god of earth, and Thoth; god of wisdom. Furthermore, the Pharaoh of the time decided what gods their were, and at one time Akhenaton banned all gods and created Aton:

It originally represented the light and heat of the sun. His name appeared frequently in texts, and used in expressions, the most common was [ All that Aten encompasses ]