New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-06
THE BOOK OF THE DEAD.
ITS RELATION TO RELIGIOUS IDEAS
OUTSIDE OF EGYPT.

ISM etc by charles H. s Davis. NJ. D., Phi D.
With Ninety nine Plates Reproduced IN vac
smile from the Turin Papyrus and the Louvre
Papyrus Pp. V. 1885, Xxx, lxXix' IT, r. fu'ns"i
Though the author of this work does not claim
the honor Of original investigation that belongs
10 Naville or Pierret. he has performed task
that reflects credit on American scholarship.
He has turned Pierret's French translation into
manageable, though not always elegant, Eng
lish. with here and there correction when
shows careful independent study OF the Egyp-
tian texts Whether not the book VIII appear
TO the general reader the translator hopes
remains to be seen. But il is a great advance
on the version made by DR.. Birch many years
ago. and II is far more accessible than the 'rans-
Iation made by DR.. lie Page Renoul III ''e
Transactions of the Society or Blphcal Arciac
ology." 1t is probable. however that 10 man
now living will thoroughly Satisfactory
solution of the puzzle which old Egypt gave
10 the world in l65 chapters, more OF less Vi
fragmentary descriptions yelled mythoioeicai Vi
legendary illusions. detached ORGANIZATIONS anu
apostrophes, self-confessions, seh-iauoa'ions'
moral precepts and popular sayings Inc u'''
culties OF texts must be consldereu' "a "''''
,,,,,r,,c text can be read In the same way as
Greek inscription. But in the rehgious Ie'oi Us
Il il not enough to read the writing. The de-
o,horod limos furnish words indeed. but not the
come cted sense of the words The real NEAR
ING was forgotten thousands Of years ago under
s,ranoo formulate illusions to unknown mythl-
ca, occurrences and to symbols which explain
nothing but themselves require TO be explained
Who for example. ii has been asked couio
divine what is meant by the dating OF d
Hathor procession on a calendar or Dehderah
with the words when enters the protectress
of her lord" If 1t did not happen to De known
tina, "protectress Of her lord was sesquipeua'a''
c,rcumlocution for third hour OF the oay
Who unaided could discover that the eye winch
causes the serpent to vomit what IL mas ue
youred is the rising sun, or that the QUIZ vi
An" is the night SUM- Texts that might be
deemed at first glance wholly unsophistcated
ora sound on closer inspection to swarm with
these obscure expressions. Thus the compre-
bension Of an Egyptian religious document is
much more difficult than that or similar "orhs
from the hands Of almost any other race. There
is practically no explanatory literature An
cxception must be made here. however. of GER
lain versions of the Book of the Dead. especial
" in the seventeenth chapter. where explana-
tory additions in separate strata can be founo
everything the original text But these additions
ora almost always made with the design OF
specializing the sense Of the original for those
who are already familiar with its traditional
meaning 1t Is accidental and exceptional wheh
they contribute to make the text any clearer
to ordinary persons. In fact, as Dr DAVIS
points out the text is simpler than the COM
mentary The latter aegorzes each phrase Oh
the original theme into obscurity. mus III
primitive text the dead person was Represented
as saying: II am the morning; know the gaze
mere boast, supposed 10 aHect 'he pow
likely TO obstruct his movements in the world OF
the dead But to this the commentator added'
THE morning is Osiris; the gate OF the sun l.
the day on which strangled the derders Oh
the Universal Lord when his son Horus has oeen
formed. or the day is the victory OF his arms
Here plainly more than one commentator mas
been at work and one may see in the gloss
without much effort of the Imagination an anu
sion to a quarrel of sects when the worship OF
Osiris was not as general as 1t afterward became.
Dr. Davis remarks that the work contains reier-
ences to rival systems maintained by the priestly
and learned classes. In later times the scriDes
for fear of emitting matter of sacred importance,
instead of selecting the version which appeared
TO them the best. incorporated all the various
road.nps" Nor do the illusions 20 the myths
clear I'D the confusion IN any appreciate de-
gree There are innumerable NEUROLOGICAL repre-
sentations on the walls of temples and sepui-
chres: hut they cannot be understood because
the ACCOMMODATING inscriptions hardly ever reler
IN them and never give any information about
them Separate NEUROLOGICAL illusions are 1ouho
hut they are almost meaningless. even wheh
they relate TO a subject already KNOWN. vi '"e
myths and legends. which must nave oeeh III
Vulnerable, to judge from extant references only
a few-for example. the one relating 10 the oe-
structon Of the human race ana the one oesciip-
inc the wars OF Horus and Ra in the mytho-
,oo,cal chsnters OF the Book Of the Dead-have
hecn nreserved in a complete form. As to several
y, tbese legends. the comparatively late remarks
~, the Greeks remain the best sources OF kno"i-
edge Any attempt 10 systematic ana i''si-
pret by logical method these ancient ,e"'S
would probably result. as has been saio more
than once not in an ancient Egyptian phiosoP"!'
but in a modern scheme OF thought na'iVe OH!
n tho mind Of some individual investigator. But
TO those who are always talking OF the houoh-
lass conservatism Of Egypt 1t must come with
shock to learn that for ages upon ages the teach-
ing ~ the Book OF the Dead underwent constant
changes ut is merely the skeleton Of the vast
and intricate system" says DR.. Davis. the
,ramework upon which the modern additions have
accumulated, that can. with any show OF PROB
ability no cited as the tradition Of the first set
tiers. and the belief Of old Egypt
Auonp ALL the books to which humanity has
.ccorded at bne time or another the epithet
.Ynsp,red." this bible Of Egypt has the high
est rank on the score of antiquity. DR.. DAVIS
no,nts out that not single Hebrew manuscript
of the old Testament can probably be iouhd
which Is a thousand years old. while the Oldest
Sanscrit manuscripts are comparatively mod
ern. having been written only few centuries
ago. But there are Egyptian papyl contain
lrg parts Of the Book Of the Dead which are at
least four thousand years old. But these DO not
measure the antiquity Of parts of the book VI
course passages in the book itself. appended TO
certain chapters which give them miraculous
origin. are to be thrown out on their own EVIL
dence. Such is the note appended to the famous
sixty-fourth chapter. where 1t Is said that the
rate (chapter) Was found In the city OF Hermop-