For a long time, the ancient Egyptians have been defined as a culture obsessed with death, because they are related to tombs and mummies described in popular media, and of course, the tomb of Tutankhamun discovered by the famous howard carter in 1922. The dark-green mummy image of Anubis or Osiris, the god of jackals, also encourages this connection in the public imagination.
However, in fact, Egyptians love life, and their concern for death and the afterlife seems to be just an expression of this. There is no evidence that the ancient Egyptians longed for death or expected to die in any way-in fact, it is very clear that the contrary-their elaborate funeral ceremonies and magnificent tombs were not death, but an important aspect of celebrating the continuation of life at another level of eternal existence. However, in order to achieve this ideal world, one needs to live a moral life recognized by Osiris, the judge of the deceased, and the 42 judges who presided over the truth hall with him in the afterlife.
A later era/time
Egyptians believe that their land is the best land in the world, which was created by the gods and given to them as a gift. They are so attached to their homes, families and communities that soldiers in the army are assured that their bodies will return from the battlefield, because they feel that if they die in a foreign country, they will have a more difficult life-or may not have a chance at all-to gain eternal life in the afterlife.
This afterlife, called reed land (or Aaru in ancient Egyptian), perfectly reflects a person's life on the earth. Scholar Rosalie David described the land that Egyptians waited for after their death:
The kingdom of Osiris in the underworld is considered to be a place with lush vegetation, spring, abundant crops and no pain and suffering. Sometimes called "reed field", it is considered as a "mirror image" of cultivated land in Egypt. Both the rich and the poor have a piece of land on which they can grow crops. The position of this kingdom is fixed below the western horizon or on a group of islands in the west. ( 160)
In order to reach this land, people who died recently need to hold proper funerals according to their social status and all the accompanying ceremonies. Funerals must be strictly observed to protect the body. People believe that the soul needs food in the afterlife.
Once the body is ready and properly buried, the journey of the soul begins forever. The burial words in the tomb will let the soul know who he is, what happened and what to do next. Among them, the earliest is the pyramid text (about 2400-2300 BC), and then it evolved into the coffin text (about 2 134-2040 BC) and completely developed into Egypt's Book of the Dead (about 1550- 1070 BC) during the new kingdom period. An important aspect of the trial is the meeting with an entity called 42 judges.
42 judges
42 judges are the gods of the afterlife in Egypt. They presided over the Hall of Truth, where the great God Osiris judged the dead. The soul of the deceased was asked to admit what he had done before his death, to balance the scales of justice with Ma'at's white clothes, and to balance the goddess with truth and harmony. If the dead's heart is lighter than feathers, they can enter the reeds and get eternal life; If the heart is found to be heavier than a feather, it will be thrown on the floor, where it will be eaten by the monster Amemait (also known as Ammut, half lion, half hippo and half crocodile), and then this person's soul will cease to exist. The greatest fear of ancient Egyptians was non-existence, not a painful afterlife.
Egypt's Book of the Dead provides the most comprehensive picture of 42 judges.
Although Osiris was the chief judge of the deceased, forty-two judges sat with him to decide whether the soul was worth continuing to exist. They represent 42 provinces in Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, and each judge is responsible for considering specific aspects of the conscience of the deceased. There are nine judges:
La-in his other form, the highest sun god of ATEM.
Shu-God of Air and Peace
Tefnut-Goddess of Moisture
Gaby-God of the Earth
Nut-goddess of the sky
Isis-goddess of life, fertility and magic.
Neifer Tis-sister of Isis, the god of death.
Horus-the god of the sun and the sky.
Hassall-Goddess of Love, Fertility and Happiness.
Among other judges, they are portrayed as awesome and terrible beings, and their names include bone breaker, visceral devourer, double lion, smelly face and shadow devourer (Bunson, 93). However, the appearance of 42 judges is not all terrible, but it is terrible for those souls who face condemnation rather than reward for living a happy life. The soul is expected to recite negative confessions (also known as the declaration of innocence) to defend its own life, so it is considered worthy of being passed on to reeds.
Negative confession
Recite the confession and prove your virtue with your heart. There is no set of poems called "negative confession"-every poem in the funeral text is tailored for the individual. Soldiers don't recite the same confessions as businessmen or scribes. One of the most famous is Ani papyrus, which is the text of Egypt's book of the dead, consisting of 65438 BC+0250 BC. Every confession is directed at different gods, and each god has a different name (region) for Egypt:
1. long live, Usekh-nemmt, get out of Anu, I didn't commit a crime.
2. Hooray, Hept-khet, from Kher-aha, I didn't rob with violence.
3. Long live Fendi of Hermenu, I didn't steal anything.
4. Hello, Eminem Kebite of Karna. I have never killed anyone or a woman.
Long live Neha-her, get out of Rasta, I didn't steal food.
6. Long live, Lu Lu badminton falling from the sky. I didn't steal the offering.
7. Long live, coming out of Suat, I didn't steal God's property.
8. Long live Neba, come and go, I'm not lying.
9. Come on, I didn't bring any food.
10. Hooray, Utu-nesert of Het-ka-Ptah, I didn't say curse.
1 1. Hello, Keltie of amante, I didn't commit adultery.
12. Hooray, Graaf Half, come out of your cave. I didn't make anyone cry.
13. Hooray, buster, I've never eaten a heart.
14. Long live Ta-Reliu, come out at night, I didn't attack anyone.
15. Hooray, come out of the execution room, I'm not a liar.
16. Hooray, Unem-besek from Mabit, I didn't steal farmland.
17. Long live Neb-Mart from Marty. I'm not an eavesdropper.
18. Long live Tenemius of Buster, I didn't slander anyone.
19. Hello, Certi Wu from Anu, I am not angry for no reason.
20. Hi, Artie from Tu Tu, I didn't seduce any man's wife.
2 1. Long live Uamenti who came out of Khebt's room. I don't have a wife who corrupts other men.
22. Hooray, Maa-antuf on the menu, I didn't pollute myself.
23. Hooray, Her-uru from Nejatu, I have never threatened anyone.
24. Hooray, Hermè s, come to Cowie Island. I didn't break the law.
25. Hooray, Shet-kheru, I won't be angry when I get out of Urrit.
26. Hail, Nekneu, coming out of heckert, I didn't close my ears and listen to the truth.
27. Hooray, Kenetti, from Kemet, I didn't blaspheme.
28. Hello, I am not a violent person.
29. Long live Sera-kheru of Unaset, I didn't start a conflict.
30. Hooray, Neb-Ho-Ru of Nechevet. I didn't rush it.
3 1. Hello, Sekhriu, from Uten, I didn't pry into other people's affairs.
32. Long live Neb-abui of Sauti. I didn't add anything when I spoke.
33. Long live Nefer-Tem from Het-ka-Ptah. I have not wronged anyone. I did nothing wrong.
34. Long live, Tem-Sepu from Tutu, I didn't practice witchcraft on the king.
35. Hail, Ali -em-ab-f From Bout, I never stopped my neighbor's water flow.
36. Hello, Ashi of Nujiang, I never raised my voice.
37. long live, Uatch-rekhit of Sau, I didn't curse god.
38. Long live Nisibka, come out of your cave. I'm not being arrogant.
39. Long live Neheb-nefert, come out of your cave, I didn't steal God's bread.
40. Long live, come out of the shrine. I didn't take the khenfu cake from the soul of the deceased.
4 1. Long live Anfu, from Marty. I didn't take the children's bread, and I didn't despise the gods in my city.
42. long live Hetch-abhu, from Ta-she, I didn't kill the cow that belongs to god.
This basic form of confession is similar to others, including the words "I didn't steal". I didn't kill anyone. I have never stolen God's property. I'm not lying. I didn't mislead anyone. I didn't cause panic. I didn't starve anyone. (Benson, 187). The phrase "I didn't learn what I didn't have" often appears, and sometimes it is translated as "I didn't learn what I didn't have". It refers to believing in lies, or more accurately, believing in false truths that go against God's will. These things may be true for a person, but they are not.
For example, a man who just lost his wife can mourn his death and have the right to enjoy the sad time, but if he curses the gods because of his wife's death and stops contributing to the community because of pain, it will be considered wrong. He could have "learned what he didn't have" because he believed that he had reason to persist in his sadness, instead of thanking his wife for the time she spent with him and many other gifts that the gods gave him every day. Denying repentance gives the soul a chance to prove that it understands this and live according to God's will, not according to its own understanding.
conclusion
Egypt's book of the dead provides the most comprehensive 42 judges, as well as spells and spells, denying repentance. According to the scholar Salima Ekram:
Like the early funeral texts, the book of death is used to provide, protect and guide the dead to the afterlife, mainly located in the reed field of idealized Egypt. Chapter 125 is an innovation and perhaps one of the most important incantations, because it seems to reflect the change of morality. This chapter is accompanied by a small illustration showing the dead in front of Osiris and 42 judges, each of whom represents different aspects of Matt. Part of the ceremony is to say the name of each judge correctly and give a negative confession. (43)
Once the soul of the deceased has made a negative confession and weighed the heart on the scales, 42 judges will meet with Osiris presided over by Thoth, the god of wisdom, and make a final judgment. If the soul is considered valuable, then according to some records, it will be guided out of the hall to Lily Lake, where it will meet a creature called Hraf-haf (meaning the person behind him). A ferryman with a bad temper and rude remarks, the deceased must find a way to be friendly and kind to him before he can be rowed to the shore of reed fields and live forever.
Through the temple of truth, and finally through the kindness to unfriendly Graaf Huff, the soul will finally find peace and enjoy eternity in happiness. Reed perfectly reflects the world that one enjoys in earthly life, up to the trees and flowers planted, his home and those who have passed away. What an ancient Egyptian needs to do is to obtain this eternal happiness. After living a life worthy of recognition by Osiris and 42 judges, he comes to the hall of truth with a heart lighter than feathers.