3 The Book of the Dead
(Egypt, ca. 16th Century BCE)
The Book of the Dead is a collection of spells and prayers that the Egyptians believed contributed to well-being in the afterlife. The book has often been found in Egyptian tombs. This excerpt is a prayer meant to prepare the deceased for the judgment of the gods. This chant gives us a glimpse of Egyptian ethics and religious beliefs. Maat is the Egyptian concept or order, balance, truth, morality, and justice.
In truth I have come to thee, and I have brought Maat (right and truth) to thee,
And I have destroyed wickedness for thee.
I have not done evil to mankind.
I have not oppressed the members of my family.
I have not wrought evil in the place of right and truth.
I have had no knowledge of worthless men. I have not wrought evil.
I have not made to be the first [consideration] of each day that excessive labour should be performed for me.
I have not brought forward my name for [exaltation] to honours.
I have not ill-treated servants.
I have not thought scorn of God.
I have not defrauded the oppressed one of his property.
I have not done that which is an abomination unto the gods.
I have not caused harm to be done to the servant by his chief.
I have not caused pain.
I have made no man to suffer hunger.
I have made no one to weep.
I have done no murder.
I have not given the order for murder to be done for me.
I have not inflicted pain upon mankind.
I have not defrauded the temples of their oblations [things offered to the gods].
I have not stolen the cakes of the gods.
I have not carried off the cakes offered to the khus [souls of the deceased].
I have not committed fornication.
I have not polluted myself in the holy places of the god of my city.
I have not diminished from the bushel.
I have not encroached upon the fields of others.
I have not added to the weights of the scales [to cheat the seller].
I have not mis-read the pointer of the scales [to cheat the buyer].
I have not carried away the milk from the mouths of children.
I have not driven away the cattle which were upon their pastures.
I have not snared the feathered fowl of the preserves of the gods.
I have not caught fish [with bait made of] fish of their kind.
I have not turned back the water at the time when it should flow.
I have not cut a cutting in a canal of running water.
I have not extinguished a fire (or light) when it should burn.
I have not violated the times I [of offering] the chosen meat-offerings.
I have not driven off the cattle from the property of the gods.
I have not repulsed God in his manifestations.
Questions for Discussion
How do the ethical concerns of ancient Egyptians resemble our own and how are they different? What do the last nine chants reveal about immediate concerns of Egyptian society?
