Egypt, Trunk of the Tree, Vol. 1: The Contexts [Hardcover]

Simson Najovits (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Writing in an easy to read narrative literary style while respecting the norms of Egyptological scholarship, the author examines the contradictory opinions of major Egyptologists (and the major loonies), and brings us closer to Egypt's core meaning and influence. Along the way, he illuminates the enchanting, imaginative beauty of the Egyptian saga. Ancient Egypt built a society on a remarkable mixture of the new, the useful and the beautiful, while retaining primitive magic, obscurantism, and the infantile but extraordinarily poetic. Egypt was also one of the most optimistic nations ever founded, inventing optimistic answers to many of man's fundamental questions. Volume I surveys the religious underpinnings of the society, including the founding of the first nation - and the first nation to proclaim its sacred nature. Divine kingship, the holy city and capital city were invented here.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Not since Siegfried Morenz's Egyptian Religion (1973) has such a systematic effort on the topic been attempted. An independent scholar with a background in journalism, Najovits has based his book on careful reading and thorough analyses, using all the best scholarship and translations of Egyptian sources, with broader results than Claude Traunecker in the Gods of Egypt (CH, Apr '02). Beginning with the transition out of Neolithic "agro-sedentary society" along the Nile with its need to give expression in writing, architecture, and art, Najovits identifies and compares those religious concepts for which the peculiar, nearly isolated Egyptian landscape with its totemic elements allowed the development of profound metaphors of meaning. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. --CHOICE February 2004

… Najovits provides a remarkably evenhanded introductory survey of Egypt.... Najovits contends that scholarly focus on ancient Greece and Rome and on Christianity and Judaism has tended to obscure Egyptian contributions to the development of culture. Egyptian religion was highly original, he says: "Never before had such an elaborate religion and such an all-inclusive mythology been invented." As to its lasting contributions, the Egyptians, he says, invented the belief that the body could be preserved and stay alive after death. They were also, he claims, the first monotheistic culture, although monotheism waxed and waned under various pharaohs. They developed a belief in a savior god, Osiris, whose resurrection led to a belief in the afterlife. Najovits even concludes that the holy family of Osiris, Isis and Horus offers the mythological foundations upon which later cultures constructed their own foundational holy families (e.g., Jesus, Mary and Joseph). Egypt also provided examples of early jurisprudence and political systems, primarily in its extensive legal codes and its focus on kingship. On balance, Najovits offers a detailed and original historical survey of Egypt as a cradle of civilization. --Publishers Weekly: July 21, 2003

A French specialist in systems of religious belief recounts his exploration of the Egyptian patrimony society from 3100 BC to AD 395. The first volume looks at the matrix from which the Egyptian religion, political system, and contexts emerged. The second will trace how Egyptians developed distinctive features to address their own concerns. --(c)2003 Book News, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Simson Najovits is a former Editor-in-Chief of Radio France International in Paris, where he wrote and broadcast on lifestyles, politics and religion. His essays, articles, stories an poems have been published in the United States and Canada. He is a winner of Canada Arts Council and Quebec Arts Council awards. Educated at Concordia University, he is a specialist of systems of religious beliefs. In this, his first American book, he shares the inexhaustible pleasure of exploring the Egyptian patrimony and capturing the glow of ancient Egyptian society. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 316 pages
• Publisher: Algora Publishing (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875862225
• ISBN-13: 978-0875862224
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,258,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New light on an ancient subject., September 26, 2003

By 

leonard pitt (berkeley, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Egypt, Trunk of the Tree, Vol. 1: The Contexts (Paperback)

I found Mr. Najovits's book extremely interesting. His knowledge in this field is thorough and his analysis penetrating. His conclusions are disarmingly simple. If it is true that knowledge is the understanding of relationships, and conversely that understanding is the knowledge of relationships,
Mr. Najovits stands out on both counts. He draws connections I had not seen before and gives me a deeper understanding of this most important history.
I look forward to volume two.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Extremely Informative for Scholars & Laymen, December 26, 2004

By 

Stanley C. Sargent "Stanley C. Sargent" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Egypt, Trunk of the Tree, Vol. 1: The Contexts (Paperback)

This is one of the finest books I've read to date on the evolution and foundations of religious thinking in ancient Egypt. It is a "must read" for anyone who seriously wishes to comprehend the mind and motivations of the ancient Egyptian. The text is detailed but never cumbersome, and often extremely insightful. Najovits pulls no punches; he states the facts that other authors ignore and provides enlightening insight into the meaning behind and implications of those facts.

A special plus for the non-scholar is the fact that Najovits does not simply use the traditonal Greek names that have become so familiar to Westerners due to their nearly ubiquitous contemporary usage. He provides the correct ancient Egyptian names of royal figures as well as the ancient names (when known) of the locations being discussed. The ancient names/words are transliterations rather than as confusingly cryptic combinations of letters from the English alphabet interspersed with symbols that indicate or estimate the sounds of missing vowels or non-Western vocables. I commend Mr. Nojavits highly for using this highly informative yet easily fathomable technique.

Once I'd read the last pages of this first volume, I felt compelled to plunge into the second volume. Although I have so far read only 100 pages of the second volume, I find it as fascinating and well-written and thought-provoking as the first volume.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Mysteries Clarified, February 16, 2004

By 

G. Wood (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Egypt, Trunk of the Tree, Vol. 1: The Contexts (Paperback)

This comment is offered from the perspective of a "general public" reader. Having experienced much frustration over the years trying to acquire some knowledge about ancient Egypt, I have found an excellent source that provides an understanding of the complicated systems of gods and totems in "Egypt, Trunk of the Tree", Vol. 1.

Simson R. Najovits provides a comprehensive picture of the gods and their functions, and crystallizes their complex interrelationships that existed over time. In addition, the changing attributes assigned to various gods in different areas of the country and throughout the ages are presented in clear, relevant contexts. This enables the reader to grasp the complexity and meaning of an ancient religion.

The book also provides an understanding of the changing nature of ancient Egyptian religion, including shifts toward mnonotheism.

If an interest in ancient Egypt is initiated through Museum Tours, interest in the history of religion, T.V. History Channels, etc., then this book is a must to provide a clear and comprehensive understanding!