, 1880-08-01
EGYPT.

visited with severe penalty.
EGYPT.
Antiquity Of It's Literature and Its Re-
ltgion.
Prof Max Muller long ago spoke Of the
Rig Veda as belonging in certain parts to the
earliest stages of human thought; but, I'M
less we throw back to a vast distance Of time
the origin of Vedic literature, the literature
Of Egypt must take its place as beyond COM
parison the most ancient In the world The
exodus of the Israelites cannot, says N. Re-
nouf, In his 4'Hibbert Lectures" be with any
probability brought lower down than the
fourteenth century before the Christian era,
while the Great Pyramid cannot be more re-
cent than 5000 B. 9. The maxinls Of Ptahho-
tep belong to the age Of the Pyramids, and
therefore have all antiquity exceeding by
from fifteen to twenty centuries the highest
1t is, therefore, as II. Cllabas has called it,
the most ancient book Of the world; but 1t
appeals, nevertheless, z: to tile. authority
OF those who were then ancienls, and
IT. emfo5esS morality Wis rests on
assPGns:ss and pfsscrssr Of all tnss % whose enty IS
declared to be absolute. This belief is set
forth III hymns addressed, through y long
series Of ages, to what we may, II we please,
call multitude, Of gods. Osiris, Horus,
Thotil, Anon, and many more, are each wOr-
SHIPPED in language which to all appearance
is purely Iaonotheistic. 4 hymn preserved
in two manuscripts in the British Museum
speaks Ut 1.-THE bringer OF food, the creator
Of all good things and says that lie Is not
double crown. He is not beheld; he hath
neither 1Linistrant nor offerings; lie is not
adored in sanctuaries; his abode Is not
kEoWn; no shrine (ot hls) IS found WITH
painted figures There Is no building that
heaven; he doth not manifest his forms.
Vain are all representations" Yet this
hymn is addressed to the Nile, who is identl-
fed with Ia, Anon, Ptati, anu .otEer
gods. LII another Anon Ia is invoked
existences, the support Of all things, the
one Ill ms works." 1t goes On TO speak, OF
him as 1.-The maker OF men, listening to the
poor who is in distress, gentle OF heart when
one cries to him LORD OF wisdom:
loving, at whose coming .men. live, opener Of
every eye, maker Of ali that is lying
awake while all me1 sleep to seek out the
good Of his creatures, sa]utation to thee be-
thon abiaess In us nortGn IT. to thee
lurd of law . !. the one alone without a
second, King alone, single among the gods,
of many names, unknown in their number"
This last phrase must be taken, as the ex-
planation Of the fact that, while the one be-
ing is thus spoken Of rs - the same yesttr~
day. to-day, and Tomorrow" the several
deities to whom the hymns speaking Of this
one god are addressed sutfer from hunger,
thirst, disease, and sorlShv, and. all require
protection. They may De reckoned up al
most by nyriads; but the task Of number.
salu that aiMostany one may pc substituted
for or identified with another. The goddess
uatllor Is identified not only with Isis, but
With. Sechet at Memphis, Seitt at Sais,
SaGsls at Hsilopviis Hello ana a1. many more: e:
Theoes, are merely aspects OF the sull-god
Ra." This may be called henothelsla, or
the form Of thought which regarus sue
cession Ut dGltles Ill turn as each the one
supreme, all-psftece goo, to tae &c, exclusion , =,
strfctness OF speech this term applies olll "
when the ,worshiper addresses himself to
the one GOD anu taInef o1 an men oy one
particular name what are we 70 say "hen
number OF ueltles arG e. asseftea 20 pe 9Me
dra, thou art Vislinu; Thou art varnna,
when thou art born; thou art Aitra, when
thou art klndle0; thou art ATyamanii. ald
not only this, but Agni is also Prajapatl,
4Rsse ana be noet fpf e1 t
comprehensive, and the instinct which
prompts the use of them is strictly mono.
theistic, There is, of course, the danger that
this polyonomy may run OIL into panthe-
istic philosophy or issue in course polythe-
ism. In Egypt both these results followed,
and they were hastened perhaps by the myth
illogical nature Of the deltles or powers
which represented the action OF the one I'M
seen God in its lnultiforln aspects. The old
opinion that the Egyptians, although they
had many gods. had no mythology, is, Mr.
Renouf asserts, altogether al erroneous
one; it confuses the notion of myth with that
OF NEUROLOGICAL tale or legend; and while
the Egyptians really had IN abundance
of legendary tales, their myths are simply
they were everywhere else, mere phrases
which might consist only of one or two
words, A few such phrases furnish the
framework for all the legends OF Ndlpus,
1lerakles, or Beilerophon; and Mr. Renouf
is brought by all examination Of Egyptian
myths to precisely those conclusions which.
have been reached by comparative nyt!lolo-
ne Aryan races. As s9on "a IS ie nnaare niua 1 q
~ 10 33n.lc - 70 ia covc 1T onca ovYio;nnI
~ IN ~ ~ r,n i 49, f,o t3ar;,,ni fro.n
LIS DA III ~ L,e SuA A'as oe oe11feV nun