The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-02

should prove to DO the true one. All, therefor.
were retained. regardless OF the logical ~
barrassmcnt inevitably brought abou, \.
such n course. Tho fusion o. thcse ~
liefs must have takcn place at a very c.,,o
period, and It's history cannot now be- ,r,cos
Even in tho times OF the pyramid builds,
IL had already been accomplished, and thcre -,
be lit;lo profit in specializing as to how IL can.
about until better evidence for the seltlcmcr,.,
tho question is forthcoming. To Dr, VIA.
mann. ono thing is clear; the oslrian doc,r,n.
was that which obtained tho largest folloyIr.
for II put all other theories into tho backprounS
While little or nothing Is stated In detail No !,
tho fate of tho other immortal parts ofa man.
being. and we are only told that, at death. ,b,,
left the body and were dispersed, but were r.
united into the osiris after the Last Judcmen,,
with tho fate of tho osiris himself, on tho o,ho,
hand, the texts deal at wcarisomc length, TbI,
is because tho Egyptian hope OF eternal life wa,
bound up In the god Osiris, and, the,a
fore, preference was given to that concop.
ton OF the soul which had such affinity to Oslri,
as to DO called by his name. Specially devoted IA
the osiris is tho so-callcd Book OF the Dead
tho most important and widely diffusod OF MI
Egyptian religious writings. 1t is a collection
of prayers and formulas, to be spoken by him In
traversing the regions OF the under world. ana
II assured to him victory over evil demons and
protection from good ones. The oldest COPIES M
the work date from the Middle Kingdom. Thes.
however, arc rare. Commoner use was mads
of 1t in the New Kingdom, which began alta,
the expulsion of the Hyksos or shepherd king,
and in later times a copy OF Mt least some portion
Of the book was placed with every mummy
of the better class. For the poor a few
OF the more important extracts had IA
suffice. In the course of centuries tho material
for selection increased; the Oldest of the tran,
scripts are comparatively short, but, as time
went on, they grew longer and longer. 1t is not
known at what period the work originated. Tho
pyramids contain comparatively few pas.
sagcs that were utilized later in the compost
ton Of tho Book OF the Dead. As they presup
pose. however, a knowledge Of all the main in
cidcnts in tho osirian legend, and also allude In
detail to the doctrine of immortality based upon
1t. these texts presumably represent mora
especially tho forms Of belief prevailing a,
Memphis, and not the osirian doctrine as taught
even then at Hcliopolis and Abydos.
Passing over the description OF the arduous
and dangerous journeyings Of the osirian soul,
on its way to the place Of judgment, we simply
note that by help Of the formulas OF the Book
OF the Dead, these souls succeeded in overcom.
ms 80 NtS ~ oPA Atot Al oil HI
good ones TO show favor, in opening all doors,
and. eventually, In reaching the Hall OF the Two
Truths, i. e.. Truth and Justice. Here, upon.
chair. beneath a canopy. sat Osiris. the good
being, the lord Of life. the great god. the lordo Of
Abydos, the king Of eternity" In his hand no
held n royal sceptre and a fail. and his crown
was upon his head. Before Osiris "a,
the forty-two judges Of the dead. each sum.
moned from a different city of Egypt. each
to pronounce sentence upon the deceased
with regard to some particular sin. Tbs
osirian soul was received by the god.
dess or goddesses of truth. He proceeded TO
speak in his own justification. declaring that he
had not committed any one of the ~fortytwo
sins, and the truth of his words was tested by
Weighing his heart in the scales against the
symbol OF truth. II the dead was found to 10
righteous, he received back his heart, the rest OF
the immortal parts of his soul were reunited in
him., and he was again built up into tho man
who had walked the earth, but who now entered
upon new and eternal life. What befell, &C.
cording to the osirian doctrine. il judgment
went against the deceased. is uncertain. Pre-
%sumably. for such an one. there was no TO
editication. and the osirian soul died a second
death, followed by its complete humiliation.
There seems, however, to have been no general
agreement among the jewellers in the valley q
the Nile as to the ultimate lot Of the wicked.