Customer Reviews

Egyptian Religion: Siegried Morenz

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This book on ancient Egyptian religion is certainly not for the newcomers. It is dense, full of textual references and words in Hebrew and Greek - which are not translated at all - and Egyptian texts in specialized transliteration, all of which will become a hard burden for the unnoticed reader. A comparison between the original German edition and this English version is annoying: the latter being many times quite free regarding the former, as to even change the spirit of some passages. For the learned in the field, it is, even with all these hamperings, a good-researched and scholarly text which provides many thought-provoking questions never proffered before in a (supposedly) "general interpretation" of the religious creeds of ancient Egypt. An indispensable tool for the researchers in this field, not doubt at all.

For the ancient Egyptian their civilisation and their religion were one and the same. To this end they developed over time a complex cosmological structure of the interactions of man and the gods, with the emphasis being on creation and the afterlife. An additional feature which sets this book apart from the numerous others in its field are the comparative and interactive analyses with the religions of Ethiopia, Greece and Syria. Available both in its English translation and the German original, it is a superb reference which ably demonstrates that religion was the fundamental basis of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation. It is highly recommended for all academics, scholars and laypeople.

This is not your typical book on Egyptian religion. The author takes concepts of Egyptian religion (such as what came first, Egyptian ritual or myth) and tries to prove the author's point (at times very poorly). Other topics include: How man related to God? Consciousness of sin (yes sin)? How the Egyptians viewed fate? Etc., etc.

There are two reasons why I did not like this book. The first one is due to the author's constant reference to Judaism and Christianity. I would have preferred more information on Egyptian religion than Judaism or Christianity. The second reason why I did not like this book, is constant display of Greek and Hebrew? phrases. The author (or translator) does not explain what these phrases mean or if they are from the original text he is reading from. These phrases are so consistent they become annoying.

The book was useless to me and very bare, I can understand why it wasn't returnable to the seller.