The Book of the DeadBudge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
Religion
The Book of the Dead
Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
Book of the dead; Death; Egypt -- Religion; Future life
In the second part of Chapter CXXV Osiris is seen seated at one
end of the Hall of Maati accompanied by the two goddesses of Law
and Truth, and the Forty-Two gods who are there to assist him. Each
of the Forty-Two gods represents one of the nomes of Egypt and has a
symbolic name. When the deceased had repeated the magical names of the
doors of the Hall, he entered it and saw these gods arranged in two
rows, twenty-one on each side of the Hall. At the end, near Osiris,
were the Great Scales, under the charge of Anpu (Anubis), and the
monster Amemit, the Eater of the Dead, i.e., of the hearts of the
wicked who were condemned in the Judgment of Osiris. The deceased
advanced along the Hall and, addressing each of the Forty-Two gods
by his name, declared that he had not committed a certain sin, thus:
"O Usekh-nemmit, comer forth from Anu, I have not committed sin.
"O Fenti, comer forth from Khemenu, I have not robbed.
"O Neha-hau, comer forth from Re-stau, I have not killed men.
"O Neba, comer forth in retreating, I have not plundered the property
of God.
"O Set-qesu, comer forth from Hensu, I have not lied.
"O Uammti, comer forth from Khebt, I have not defiled any man's wife.
"O Maa-anuf, comer forth from Per-Menu, I have not defiled myself.
"O Tem-Sep, comer forth from Tetu, I have not cursed the king.
"O Nefer-Tem, comer forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have not acted
deceitfully; I have not committed wickedness.
"O Nekhen, comer forth from Heqat, I have not turned a deaf ear to
the words of the Law (or Truth)."
The names of most of the Forty-Two gods are not ancient, but
were invented by the priests probably about the same time as the
names in the Book of Him that is in the Tuat and the Book of Gates,
i.e., between the XIIth and the XVIIIth dynasties. Their artificial
character is shown by their meanings. Thus Usekh-nemmit means "He
of the long strides"; Fenti means "He of the Nose"; Neha-hau means
"Stinking-members"; Set-qesu means "Breaker of bones," etc. The
early Egyptologists called the second part of the CXXVth Chapter the
"Negative Confession," and it is generally known by this somewhat
inexact title to this day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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