Secrets About The Book of the Dead | Ancient Egyptian Funerary Text

The Book of the Dead 

is a collection of religious documents and funerary texts that were used in ancient Egypt, to be a guide for the deceased on his journey to the other world, used from the beginning of the modern era of the ancient Egyptian state (about 1550 BC) to about 50 BC These spells were composed by many priests over about 1000 years.

It is considered to be the oldest book that we have learned, written not in the era of the construction of the Great Pyramid, a copy of which is still preserved in the British Museum. In it, there are calls to the gods, songs, and prayers, and then a description of what the souls of the dead meet in the other world from the reckoning and the subsequent punishment and reward. They built huge temples along with no less magnificent and luxurious tombs, where they believed in the resurrection and the return of the soul, which they painted in two close images ka or BA. They also made sure to put all the things of the deceased, including food, ornaments, and everything he loved in his life with him in his tomb, where the soul of the deceased could eat and drink from when it returned to the body, and before seeking the afterlife.

These spells serve as guiding instructions that enable the deceased to overcome the obstacles and dangers that will confront him during his journey to the afterlife, and also show him the means he uses to complete this journey successfully without suffering any harm.

At the same time, remind him of the names of the gods that he will encounter on this path, as forgetting the name of one of the gods will not be in his favor, especially since one of the recipients of his account in the afterlife will stand before a court of 40 gods.

In the era of the Middle Kingdom and the modern state, the texts of the Book of the Dead began to be written on papyrus and this book was placed next to the mummy inside the coffin. Every significant ancient Egyptian was eager to instruct the priests to prepare a book of the dead for him, in which he mentions his name, the name of his father, the name of his mother, and his job in the world. In preparation for the day of his death and preparing the ritual of transferring him to his grave.

An example of what is stated in the book

And the God Tut records the result of the scale. If the heart of the deceased is lighter than a feather, he is allowed to live in the afterlife. If the heart of the deceased is heavier than the "feather of truth" (Maat), then in this world doing evil deeds, then his heart is thrown and devoured by the mythical monster Amamot, who is waiting for death next to the balance, and this is his eternal end.

"Peace Be Upon You, O Great God, the God of truth. I have come to you, O my God, subject to the testimony of Your Majesty, I have come to you, O my God, with the truth, renouncing falsehood, I have not wronged anyone, I have not taken the path of the errant, I have not perjured an oath and lust has not led me astray, I have extended my eyes to someone's wife from my womb, I have not extended my hand to someone else's money, I have not been a liar, I have not disobeyed you, I have not sought to ensnare a slave at his master. I have not stolen bread from the temples, I have not committed immorality, I have not defiled anything sacred, I have not usurped forbidden money, I have not violated the sanctity of the dead, I have not sold wheat at an exorbitant price, I have not cheated anyone. I am immaculate, I am immaculate, I am immaculate. And as long as I am innocent of sin, make me, O God, one of the winners.

"(I did not deprive the cattle of their grass, I did not make traps for God's sparrows, I did not catch fish from their lakes, I did not block the water in season, I did not erect a dam or an obstacle to running water, I did not extinguish a raging fire.)"

Contents of the book

The Book of the Dead by the ancient Egyptians shows us the religious dogmas that occupied them all their lives. Not only was death an inseparable part of life for them, but people at that time had a different concept of death and the afterlife than we think today. The Book of the Dead included spells and instructions for the deceased, helping him to be resurrected and move to the afterlife, where he lives as he used to live on Earth, but without diseases, fatigue, or old age, but also be a companion of the gods in the afterlife, eating and drinking with them on some occasions.

The goal of the dead or dying was to reach eternal life in the other world, and this did not make sense to some people and peoples of those eras. The concept of living in the afterlife is that the deceased who did good in his life and was honest and honest, helping the poor, hungry, and thirsty, and helping widows and orphans, such a person was living according to what the gods wanted for him of "a life together, and a just system", a symbol of this ancient Egyptian system by the gods of truth and cosmic order.

Opinions about the book of the dead

 Dr. Mustafa Mahmoud mentioned in one of the episodes of his science and Faith program ,the Pharaohs and their belief in one God and quoted one of the phrases that the ancient Egyptians wrote down in the book of the dead and they speak of God, namely "you are the first and there is nothing before you, and you are the other and there is nothing after you", and the one God says in the book of the dead "I created everything alone and there was no one next to me". Dr. Mustafa Mahmoud went on to explain examples from the Book of the Dead, which he believes have not been distorted and history must be reworked anew to prove that the ancient Egyptians believed in one God.

The book of the dead contains several chapters, describing and referring to the following:

Protection of the deceased from demons, evil spirits, snakes and others
Know the dead when resurrected, the way to the afterlife
Help him to cross the sea of fire, the difficulties that threaten him
They allow him to oscillate between the earthly world and the other world
Help him to live in the afterlife
Help him to get water, food, receive gifts and sacrifices, give it to the other world
It helps him to know the places in the afterlife, remember the names of the gods and important names (such as the name of the door of the afterlife), * and helps him to know the doors, their names, spells to open them, pass through them, reach the gods and introduce himself to them.
Although there are some differences between our beliefs in the present about the afterlife, there are similarities between our beliefs and those of the ancient Egyptian. The ancient Egyptians believed in the resurrection and appearing before a judicial body composed of 42 judges, before which the dead man confesses to them that he did not steal, no one was assassinated, he did not lie, why, why, and all the bad things that he did not do in his life in the world.

I didn't hurt a human being 
I did not force any of my relatives to do bad.
And I didn't advocate bad work over good work،
And I didn't walk with the abuser
(About the German from the book: Negatives Sündenbekenntnis I, aus: Kapitel 124, 3)