The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-06-13
STRANGE BELIEFS OF OLD EGYPT
Influence of Magic and Ancient Ideas
Concerning Heaven and He'll.


Concerning Heaven and He'll.
No nation in the world devoted so
much attention to the subject of the
future life as the ancient Egyptians,
and yet, strangely enough. with SO
little effect upon their daily life in
this world. 1t had, however, no NOR
bid effect upon him. for. unlike any
other nation of antiquity, the Egyptian
had fully convinced himself that his
life was but the ante-chamber to "a
life of eternity and everlastingness.'
Egypt was essentially the land OF
magic, and fully justified the Talmudic
saying that when magic was created
out of ten parts, nine were assigned
to Egypt" 1t is in magic that we
find the whole key to the Egyptian
idea of heaven and hell.
The greatest work on the future state
was that known as the Book Of
the Dead"-a marvellous compendium
of magic, religion and folklore. Its
beginning is lost in the dark regions
of the prehistoric age, for there is now
no doubt that it had taken definite
literary form long before the fourth
dynasty, B. G. 3700, and was old by
the time of the sixth, some centuries
later.
The Egyptians ideas of future life
were the outcome of his magical belief
that verything material or immaterial
had it's immortal double. The land it.
self, the Nile, the chief religious cities,
the king and the people, all had their
doubles in the next world. Out Of
this grew the idea of a life in the
future earth, in the Fields Of Peace.
There can be no doubt that this region
of the blessed was regarded by the
early Egyptians, and, indeed, for
long time by the common people, not
as a celestial region, but as situated
in the fertile and well-watered regions
of the Nile delta in the northwest of
Egypt where the blessed ever breathed
the cool north wind.
Here he lived an ideal form Of his
life upon earth. He plowed his
fields and grew the grain which sup
piled him with "bread that grew not
stale and beer that never became
sour" Here was situated the dupli-
cate of his early town or village, and
heaven would, indeed, be home to
him.
The belief in ancestor worship. no
doubt, was an important element in
the religion of the Egyptians-but
would the deceased meet and be recog-
nized by those who had preceded him?
On this point DR.. Bulge described
how the deceased meets and is recog-
nized by all who are near and dear to
him.
AS he truly remarks, it is an exact
picture of the return of long-absent
wanderer to his native village, such
as may be seen any day in the Nile
valley. 1t explains, also, the reason
why q feature of the family and social
rectitude of the dead. Thus the eS.
preston: II was one reverent to my
father, favored Of my mother, devoted
to my brothers and sisters and united
in heart with the people of my town."
The underworld was region of fire,
lakes Of fire, rivers of fire, and the
damned were treated as captives,
bound, beheaded, and each day brought
forth to life to undergo fresh torture.
Space will not permit US to deal with
this subject here, but in these terrible
pictures we have no doubt, the source
from which the early Christian writer's
drew their vivid descriptions of the
torture of the wicked.-London Globe.