Propylaeum

In Ancient Egypt, numerous cult practices are attested – from various encounters with gods, demons, and death in rituals to processions, oracles, and magical spells. These cult practices also appear in literature from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2137 B.C.) to the Roman Empire (c. 3rd century A.D.) – in Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, and Demotic. In this book all passages of the ca. 200 narrative, instructional, and discursive literary works that mention such cult practices are analyzed in their entirety for the first time. Using a dual methodology from religious studies and literary studies, the setting and content of the sources are addressed in detail.

In Ancient Egypt, numerous cult practices are attested – from various encounters with gods, demons, and death in rituals to processions, oracles, and magical spells. These cult practices also appear in literature from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2137 B.C.) to the Roman Empire (c. 3rd century A.D.) – in Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, and Demotic. In this book all passages of the ca. 200 narrative, instructional, and discursive literary works that mention such cult practices are analyzed in their entirety for the first time. In this volume, the following aspects are discussed: the representation of the divine; notions of divine justice and sacred jurisdiction; conceptions of destiny and future prospects; self-reflection on cult practices, including doubts and untold and secret knowledge. The book concludes with cross-cultural research perspectives with other literatures of the ancient world.