(1) From old Egypt have come the fundamental esoteric and occult teachings which have so strongly influenced the philosophies of all races, nations and peoples, for several thousand years. Egypt, the home of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, was the birthplace of the Hidden Wisdom and Mystic Teachings. From her Secret Doctrine all nations have borrowed. India, Persia, Chaldea, Medea, China, Japan, Assyria, ancient Greece and Rome, and other ancient countries partook liberally at the feast of knowledge which the Hierophants and Masters of the Land of Isis so freely provided for those who came prepared to partake of the great store of Mystic and Occult Lore which the masterminds of that ancient land had gathered together.

(1) We shall, therefore, deliver to you the peculiar dogmas of the Assyrians; and also clearly develop to you our own opinions; collecting some things from the infinite writings of the ancients, but others from those particulars which were comprehended by the ancients in one treatise, and pertain to the whole knowledge of divine natures. If also you should propose any philosophic inquiry, we shall discuss it for you, according to the ancient pillars of Hermes, which Plato and Pythagoras knew before, and from thence constituted their philosophy. But such things as exhibit foreign inquiries, or which are contradictory and contentious, we shall assist mildly and aptly, or we shall demonstrate their absurdity. Such, likewise, as proceed conformably to common conceptions, we shall endeavour to discuss in a way perfectly known and clear. And things, indeed, which require the experience of divine operations to an accurate knowledge of them, we shall explain, as far as this is possible to be effected by words alone; but such as are full of intellectual theory, we shall develop with a view to the purification of the soul.

(669) 1961 To say: A prince ascends --- a great burnt-offering on the interior of the horizon; 1961 he has seen the preparation of the feast, and the preparation of the fire-pan, 1961 at the birth of the gods, on the five epagomenal days, who are before thee, 1961 "Great-his-breast," thou who art before the Bstw.w. 1962 -------------------------------------------1962a + 1 (N. X 755) ----------- N. of his mother; Twt, 1962a + 2 (N. 755). he who was born, a double, in the nest ---- Thot 1962 in the interior of the field of the tamarisk, at the source of the gods, 1963 for N. is my brother, proceeding from the thigh, 1963 who separated the two brothers, put apart the two fighters, who split your heads, O gods. 1964 -------- of --------------------- 1964b (N. 756) ---------- her fillet, N., 1964c (N. 756). as Nwrw, who is great among you, O gods, you who come to him, O gods; 1964 as Isis said to Nun: 1965 "I have given birth to him for thee; I have deposited him for thee; 1 have certainly spit him out for thee." 1965 He has no feet; he has no arms, 1965 and how shall he be assembled? 1966 Then let this copper be brought ------ the nw-boat --- with it. 1966b (N. 756). [Come ye] with him, nourished, with him in your arms, say they, the gods. 1966c (N. 756). Behold, he is born. 1966 Behold, he is assembled; behold he exists. 1967. Wherewith shall we break that which appertains to his egg, say they, the gods. 1968 Let then Seker of pdw come, 1968 that he may mould (smelt) his bones, that he may construct his skeleton 1968 ---------- 1968 It is he who shall break the e[gg], and [loose] the copper, 1969a (N. 758). so that the two followers of the gods, with sharp teeth and long claws, may bring the god forth by his hands. 1969 Behold, N. exists; behold, N. is assembled; 1969 behold N. has broken (his) egg. 1970 Wherewith shall N. be caused to fly? 1970b (N. 758-759). Then let there be brought to thee ------ nw-boat, built by Mw-n, 1970 that thou mayest fly therewith, that thou mayest fly therewith, 1970d (N. 759). the south-wind for thy foster-mother, the north-wind for thy nurse. 1971. N. flies; N. alights on the two wings (lit. feathers) of his father, Geb. 51. THE DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND SPIRITUALIZATION OF THE KING,

(8) This chapter is often found not only in papyri but upon coffins, in accordance with the rubric at the end. The earliest copy is on the coffin of Queen Mentuhotep. A very fine copy is on the alabaster sarcophagus of Seti I, and our museums are rich in funereal monuments inscribed with this ancient text. A very similar text is found at the end of chapter 99

(2) And there are those who fashion ears and eyes of costly material, and consecrate them, dedicating them in the temples to the gods - by this plainly indicating that God sees and hears all things. Besides, the lion is with them the symbol of strength and prowess, as the ox clearly is of the earth itself, and husbandry and food, and the horse of fortitude and confidence; while, on the other hand, the sphinx, of strength combined with intelligence - as it had a body entirely that of a lion, and the face of a man. Similarly to these, to indicate intelligence, and memory, and power, and art, a man is sculptured in the temples. And in what is called among them the Komasiae of the gods, they carry about golden images - two dogs, one hawk, and one ibis; and the four figures of the images they call four letters. For the dogs are symbols of the two hemispheres, which, as it were, go round and keep watch; the hawk, of the sun, for it is fiery and destructive (so they attribute pestilential diseases to the sun); the ibis, of the moon, likening the shady parts to that which is dark in plumage, and the luminous to the light. And some will have it that by the dogs are meant the tropics, which guard and watch the sun's passage to the south and north. The hawk signifies the equinoctial line, which is high and parched with heat, as the ibis the ecliptic. For the ibis seems, above other animals, to have furnished to the Egyptians the first rudiments of the invention of number and measure, as the oblique line did of circles.

(7) It is likewise said, that these men expelled lamentations and tears, and every thing else of this kind. They also abstained from entreaty, from supplication, and from all such illiberal adulation, as being effeminate and abject. To the same conception likewise the peculiarity of their manners must be referred, and that all of them perpetually preserved among their arcana, the most principal dogmas in which their discipline was chiefly contained, keeping them with the greatest silence from being divulged to strangers, committing them unwritten to the memory, and transmitting them orally to their successors, as if they were the mysteries of the Gods. Hence it happened, that nothing of their philosophy worth mentioning, was made public, and that though for a long time it had been taught and learnt, it was alone known within their walls. But to those out of their walls, and as I may say, to the profane, if they happened to be present, these men spoke obscurely to each other through symbols, of which the celebrated precepts that are now in circulation retain a vestige; such as, Dig not fire with a sword , and other symbols of the like kind, which, taken literally, resemble the tales of old women; but when unfolded, impart a certain admirable and venerable benefit to those that receive them.

(1) Before handling the point proposed, we must, by way of preface, add to the close of the fifth book what is wanting. For since we have shown that the symbolical style was ancient, and was employed not only by our prophets, but also by the majority of the ancient Greeks, and by not a few of the rest of the Gentile Barbarians, it was requisite to proceed to the mysteries of the initiated. I postpone the elucidation of these till we advance to the confutation of what is said by the Greeks on first principles; for we shall show that the mysteries belong to the same branch of speculation. And having proved that the declaration of Hellenic thought is illuminated all round by the truth, bestowed on us in the Scriptures, taking it according to the sense, we have proved, not to say what is invidious, that the theft of the truth passed to them.

(17) This Chapter and the following are found in one papyrus only, Paris, III, 93, a document more remarkable for the beauty of its vignettes than for the correctness of the text

(1) And now they are convicted not only of borrowing doctrines from the Barbarians, but also of relating as prodigies of Hellenic mythology the marvels found in our records, wrought through divine power from above, by those who led holy lives, while devoting attention to us. And we shall ask at them whether those things which they relate are true or false. But they will not say that they are false; for they will not with their will condemn themselves of the very great silliness of composing falsehoods, but of necessity admit them to be true.

(535) 1280 To say by Isis and Nephthys: 1280 The .t-bird comes, the kite comes; they are Isis and Nephthys. 1280 They are come in search of their brother Osiris; 1280 (They are come) in search of their brother N. 1281 Thou who art (here), thou who art (there), weep for thy brother; Isis, weep for thy brother; Nephthys, weep for thy brother. 1281 Isis sits, her hands upon her head; 1282 Nephthys has indeed seized the tip of (her) two breasts because of her brother, N.; 1282 Anubis being on his belly; Osiris being wounded; Anubis being before the fist (?). 1283 Thy putrefaction, N., is not; thy sweat, N., is not; 12 83 thy outflowing, N., is not; thy dust, N., is not. 1284 .ti son of .ti (is) at Mnii, coming as Mn.ti, 1284 to divide in three these your four days and your eight nights. 1285 The stars follow thy beloved b.wt, 1285 who is chief of thy nm (attendants); thou art chief of those who are chief of the nm.w (attendants); thou hast made nm the nm.w. 1285 Loose Horus from his bonds, that he may punish the Followers of Set; 1286 that he may seize them; that he may remove their heads; that he may take off their legs. 1286 Cut thou them up, take thou out their hearts; 1286 drink thou of their blood; 1287 count their hearts, in this thy name of "Anubis counter of hearts." 1287 Thy two eyes have been given to thee as thy two uraeusserpents, 1287 for thou art like Wepwawet on his standard, Anubis who presides in s-ntr. 1288 O N., the houses of the great who are in Heliopolis make thee "first"; 1288 the spirits and even the imperishable stars fear thee. 1288 The dead fall on their face before thee; the blessed dead(?) care for thee. 1289 "Eldest (son), 'Im is for N.," say the Souls of Heliopolis, 1289 who furnish thee with life and satisfaction. 1289 He lives with the living as Seker lives with the living; 1289 he lives with the living as N. lives with the living. 1290 O N., come, live thy life there, in thy name, in thy time, 1290 in these years, which are to be peaceful, according to (?) thy wish.

(1) should not have been placed among those of the Book of the Dead, it belongs to another book similar to the , the book engraved on the walls of the royal tombs. It describes gods and genii of the bounds in the Tuat who confer certain blessings on the deceased; such as this: “those who lift up their faces towards the sky at the prow of the boat of Rā, grant that Osiris N. may see Rā when he rises.” A vignette gives the appearance of the god or genius spoken of. Every one of them is followed by this sentence: “for the libation of a vase has been made on earth by Osiris N. who is (now) the lord of abundance, and goes round the garden of Hotepit.”

An Arab loaded his camel with two sacks, filling one with wheat and the second with sand, in order to balance the first. As he was proceeding on his way he met a certain tradition-monger, who questioned him about the contents of his sacks. On learning that one contained nothing but sand, he pointed out that the object might be attained much better by putting half the wheat in one sack and half in the other. On hearing this, the Arab was so struck by his sagacity that he conceived a great respect for him, and mounted him on his camel. Then he said, "As you possess such great wisdom. I presume that you are a king or a Vazir, or at least a very rich and powerful noble." The theologian, replied, "On the contrary. I am a very poor man; all the riches my learning has brought me are weariness and headaches, and I know not where to look for a loaf of bread." The Arab said, "In that case get, off my camel and go your way, and suffer me to go mine, for I see your learning brings ill luck." The moral of the story is the worthlessness of mere human knowledge, and its inferiority to the divine knowledge proceeding from inspiration. This thesis is further illustrated by an account of the mighty works which were done by the saint Ibrahim bin Adham, through the divine knowledge that God had given him. Ibrahim was originally prince of Balkh, but renounced his kingdom and became a saint. One day he was sitting by the shore mending his cloak, when one of his former subjects passed by and marvelled to see him engaged in such a, mean occupation. The saint at once, by inspired knowledge, read his thoughts, and thus corrected his false impressions. He took the needle with which he was mending, his cloak and cast it into the sea. Then with a loud voice he cried out, "O needle rise again from the midst of the sea and come back again into my hands." Without a moment's delay thousands of fishes rose to the surface of the sea, each bearing in its mouth a golden needle, and cried out, "O Shaikh, take these needles of God!" Ibrahim then turned to the noble, saying, "Is not the kingdom of the heart better than the contemptible earthly kingdom I formerly possessed? What you have just seen is a very trifling sign of my spiritual power as it were, a mere leaf plucked to show the beauty of a garden. You have now caught the scent of this garden, and it ought to attract your soul to the garden itself, for you must know that scents have great influence, e.g., the scent of Joseph's coat, which restored Jacob's sight, and the scents which were loved by the Prophet."

(4) The oldest papyrus containing this chapter is that of Ani, and the translation is based upon it. But the text differs both from those written on the very ancient coffins of Heru and Set-Bastit, copied by M. Maspero, [34] and from the later texts

(1) The doubts also that follow in the next place require for their solution the assistance of the same divinely-wise Muse. But I am desirous, previous to this, to unfold to you the peculiarity of the theology of the Egyptians. For they, imitating the nature of the universe, and the fabricative energy of the Gods, exhibit certain images through symbols of mystic, occult, and invisible intellections; just as nature, after a certain manner, expresses invisible reasons [or productive powers] through visible forms. But the fabricative energy of the Gods delineates the truth of forms, through visible images. Hence the Egyptians, perceiving that all superior natures rejoice in the similitude to them of inferior beings, and thus wishing to fill the latter with good, through the greatest possible imitation of the former, very properly exhibit a mode of theologizing adapted to the mystic doctrine concealed in the symbols.

(676) 2007 To say: Thy water belongs to thee, thine abundance belongs to thee, thine efflux belongs to thee, 2007 which issues from Osiris. 2008 Collect thy bones; arrange thy limbs; 2008 shake off thy dust; untie thy bandages. 2009 The tomb is open for thee; the double doors of the coffin are undone for thee; 2009 the double doors of heaven are open for thee. 2009 "Hail," says Isis; "(come) in peace," says Nephthys, 2009 when they see their brother at the feast of Atum. 2010 These thy libations, Osiris, are in Busiris, in Grg.w-b(.f ); 2010 thy soul is in thy body; thy might is behind thee; remain chief of (or, master of) thy powers. 2011 Raise thyself up, N., 2011 travel over the southern regions; travel over the northern regions; 2011 be thou powerful over the powers that are in thee. 2011 Thy spirits, the jackals, are given thee which Horus of Hierakonpolis has given to thee. 2012 Raise thyself up, N., be seated on thy firm (or, copper) throne. 2012 Anubis, who is chief of the divine pavillion (s-ntr), has commanded 2012 thy purification with thy eight nm.t-jars and (thy) eight `b.tjars, which come from the s-ntr. 2013 Thou art a god who supports the sky, who beautifies the earth. 2013 The mnt.t-woman laments for thee; the great min.t mourns for thee; 2014 arms agitate for thee; feet tremble for thee, 2014 when thou ascendest as a star, as the morning star. 2014 He comes to thee, his father; he comes to thee, Geb; 2015 take his hand, let him sit upon the great seat; 2015 let him unite with the two mt-lakes of b.w; 2015 purify his mouth with natron on the lap of Mnti-'irti; 2015 purify his nails, upper and lower. 2016 Let one do for him what thou didst do for his brother, Osiris, . on the day of counting the bones, 2016 of making firm the sandals, of ferrying over the lake Rd-wr. 2017 To thee come the wise and the understanding; 2017 thou art called to the southern 'itr.t-palace; 2017 to thee come (the gods of) the full northern 'itr.t-palace, with a salutation. 54. TEXTS OF MISCELLANEOUS CONTENTS,

(3) After the interruption due to Chapters 153 and 154, we revert to the series inaugurated by 151, the description of the chamber in which the mummy is deposited, and of the funeral equipment of the deceased, his amulets and ornaments. The papyrus III, 93 (Pb), of the Louvre, throws several of these Chapters into one, with the title: the description of the hidden things of the Tuat , and the vignette (Pl. LV) represents three figures of Chapter 151: the statuette, the torch or flame, and the Anubis; besides two Tat of different substances, one of them for the wall, and one to be put on the neck of the deceased, and a buckle

(1) We shall find another testimony in confirmation, in the fact that the best of the philosophers, having appropriated their most excellent dogmas from us, boast, as it were, of certain of the tenets which pertain to each sect being culled from other Barbarians, chiefly from the Egyptians - both other tenets, and that especially of the transmigration of the soul. For the Egyptians pursue a philosophy of their own. This is principally shown by their sacred ceremonial.

(68) The seventeenth chapter is one of the most remarkable in the whole collection, and it has been preserved from times previous to the XIIth dynasty. The very earliest monuments which have preserved it have handed it down accompanied with scholia and other commentaries interpolated into the text. Some of the monuments enable us to some extent to divide the original text from the additions, in consequence of the latter being written in red. But there is really only one text where the additions are suppressed, and which therefore offers the most ancient form, as far as we know it, of the chapter. This is the copy on the wall of the tomb of Horhotep. The sarcophagus itself of Horhotep contains a copy of the text along with the additions. The chapter must already at the time have been of the most venerable antiquity. Besides these two copies of the chapter we have those from the sarcophagi of Hora and Sit-Bastit (published, like those of Horhotep, by M. Maspero [24] ), two from the sarcophagi of Mentuhotep, and one from that of Sebek-āa (the three latter published by Lepsius in his Aelteste Texte ). The British Museum has Sir Gardner Wilkinson’s copy of the texts inscribed on the coffin of Queen Mentuhotep of the XIth dynasty, and also a fragment (6636 a) of the coffin of a prince named Hornefru. Here then we have an abundance of witnesses of the best period. They unfortunately do not agree. The progress of corruption had no doubt begun long before, and the variants are not simply differences of orthography but positively different readings. The differences however are chiefly in the scholia. Even when the explanations of the text are identical, the form differs. The latest recensions have retained the form ; the ancient added the feminine . What is that? But some of the ancient texts give the equivalent words , and Horhotep does without them altogether. These words were evidently additions not merely to the text but to the scholia

(4) Next in order advances the sacred Scribe, with wings on his head, and in his hand a book and rule, in which were writing ink and the reed, with which they write. And he must be acquainted with what are called hieroglyphics, and know about cosmography and geography, the position of the sun and moon, and about the five planets; also the description of Egypt, and the chart of the Nile; and the description of the equipment of the priests and of the places consecrated to them, and about the measures and the things in use in the sacred rites. Then the Stole-keeper follows those previously mentioned, with the cubit of justice and the cup for libations. He is acquainted with all points called Paedeutic (relating to training) and Moschophatic (sacrificial). There are also ten books which relate to the honour paid by them to their gods, and containing the Egyptian worship; as that relating to sacrifices, first-fruits, hymns, prayers, processions, festivals, and the like. And behind all walks the Prophet, with the water-vase carried openly in his arms; who is followed by those who carry the issue of loaves.

(69) The text of the chapter grew more and more obscure to readers, and the explanations hitherto given were so unsatisfactory as to call for others. The texts of the manuscripts of the new empire furnish a good deal of fresh matter, much of which is extremely ancient, though the proof of this is unfortunately lost through the disastrous condition of literature in the period preceding the XVIIIth dynasty. The XVIIIth dynasty and its immediate successors inherited but did not invent the new form of the Book of the Dead, with its succession of vignettes, which however differing in detail bear the stamp of a common traditional teaching. The manuscripts of a later period bear witness, with reference to this as well as to other chapters, to a recension of an authoritative kind. The text becomes more certain though perhaps not either more true or more intelligible, and the notes and explanations have here reached their fullest extent