spacedOut

I was watching a documentary on Egypt a little while ago, and was amazed at the "similarities" between ancient Egyptian temple practices (e.g. high priests, holy of holies, once-a-year vists) and the early Hebrew rituals recorded in the Old Testament.

Being brought up fundamentalist Christian, I assumed that the OT concept of god living in the temple was unique to the Isrealites. Any suggestions of where to learn more about the Egyptian practices and how they might have been "borrowed" by the tribes recorded in the OT???

Many thanks!

Strawberry

Well, according to the Bible at least, Israelite tribes were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. Look at what's happened to the African-American population in the U.S. that started out enslaved there about 400 to 500 years ago--the community as a whole still has some very distinctively African cultural traits, but it's also picked up some European ones too, including religous ones. If that kind of prolonged (forced) culture contact can change a culture's religious structure that much in modern times, I bet the Israelites could have picked up Egyptian religious characteristics way back then too.

Kosh

You'll probably be equally surprised to find something very similar to the 10 commandments contained in the Egyptian Book of the Dead (the first set of 10 commandments, not the second ones).

Gregg

The heretical pharoah Ahken-aten was a monotheist. Some believe that his religion was the source of Hebrew monotheism.

Gregg

Marduk

"You'll probably be equally surprised to find something very similar to the 10 commandments contained in the Egyptian Book of the Dead"

Yep, the 24 confessions to Osiris, they include both moral and civil behavior circa 2500 BCE or earlier.

The Egyptians also practiced circumscission long before the Hebrews and they annoited their Kings with oil made from crocodile fat called messa (think Mesiah)

Moses and Miriam, amoung many other Levite names are Egyptian.


Kosh, are you a Vorlon ambassador by any chance?

Asha'man

We are all Kosh.

JEST2ASK

I had heard about the names Moses / Miriam but never before about the practice of circumscission outside of the Hebrew culture, (in ancient times).

Could you please follow-up on that? General reference what other cultures (When / Where) and if possible intent ( for a special class of people - priest / royality etc). Yes I am a bit Lazy, but I have no shame in using whatever resources present themselves. SOOOOOOO Please

Marduk

"Could you please follow-up on that? General reference what other cultures (When / Where) and if possible intent "

There are pictues of the circumscission ritual painted on walls in ancient Egypt. Speculation suggests it had to do with the way a snake sheds its skin, the snake was a symbol of wisdm in Egypt and many other cultures. Some African tribes also do this ritual but I don't know which ones, why or if they did it before or after the Egyptians.

Curious side note, some Sumerian stories about the creation of humanity by their gods tell of how these gods had trouble creating humans that were not defective in some way, when they got a working model they noticed the extra skin on the mans penis (foreskin that the male gods didn't have) I guess they figured they would quit while they were ahead and not try and fix such a minor flaw) "a screw 'em, if they don't like it they can always snip it off"

maybe it was an attempt by humans to make themselves look like their makers.

bagong

The Negative Confession is chapter 62 of the Book of Coming Forth By Day (the Egyptian Book of the Dead). Although the Confessions certainly display an awareness of ethical principles, I don't think they are entirely comparable to the 10 Commandments. The Book of the Dead is essentially a collection of magical spells meant to protect the soul of the deceased on its dangerous journey to the Afterlife, and the Confessions should be seen in that context.

Temples of Ancient Egypt, edited by Byron E. Shafer, is an excellent scholarly guide to Egyptian temple design and ritual. I would also treat any information about Egyptian religion on the internet with skepticism. Ancient Egypt seems to attract a lot of new age-neo-pagans more interested in their own idealised picture of Egyptian (or Kemetian, as they would say) "spirituality" than in history.

Kosh

There is no chance, only opportunities.