Customer Reviews

The Gods of the Egyptians, Volume 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Please take all antique writings with a grain of salt. I believe that one needs to view and interpret this book within the cultural milieu of 1900. I am not defending the ethnocentrism of that time or the occasional downright bigotry in this book. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Like it or not, all of Budge's works on Egyptology are vital historical records and treatises. He is the one turn of the century egyptologist who approaches the subject from a magical and mystical perspective. If you are looking for the most up-to-date information on Ancient Egypt, this book is not for you. But if you are looking for some books that capture the Magick of Egypt that influenced Hermetic traditions such as the Golden Dawn and A^A^, I think that this book along with its companion volume, as well as Egyptian Magic and The Egyptian Religion (both by Budge and available on Amazon), are four essential source documents.

Published more than 100 years ago, it still appears to carry authority. Very detailed account of Egyptian deities. Needs concentrated reading; of interest to people with more than a passing interest in the topic. New edition. A second volume follows this.

I disagree that Budge did not mention that Christianity came from Egyptian religion. He did mention, in one of the first chapters that both Judaism, Christianity and Islam all are rooted in traditional Egyptian religious practice. I found that statement highly enlightening. And although he does pay tribuite to the classical Western view that ancient Egyptians were "half savage," he does clarify that he disagrees with that statement. In Budge's opinion, the Egyptians are clearly complex in their religious beliefs depending on where they lived and no broad statements of condemnation can be made about what little we understand of them. I do think he holds a high opinion of the ancient Egyptians, and although I cannot read hieroglyphics I trust that what he writes is to the best of his knowledge (at the time) correct.

i have to keep reminding myself that this racist book was written over a century ago. i keep reading about the "half-savage" egyptians. the creators of civilization as savages can only be that old of a theory. it's pretty well accepted noww that they were brilliant, but at the time of the writting, they kept trying to give the credit for the achievements to the influence of aryans. there are several references to the religion of the egyptians as being "ridiculous" and hard for us to understand their pecularities.i can't believe that this kind of language was once acceptable for scholarly people to use as a legitimate method of describing a culture. describing the egyptians as "primative half-savages" because they came out of africa astonished me.
this was a good read once you get past the racism (if you can), but i can only give it 4 stars because of it. there is full trasliteration of the hieroglyphs, but very often the footnotes are in german, french, or equally untranslated hieroglyphs. i have to remember that this was writen for the scholar and not the lay reader. another reason for only 4 stars.

Wallis Budges' Book, "The Gods of The Egyptians" was Interesting at BEST and full of insulting and incorrect terminology and opinions about the Ancient Egyptians at WORST!! The book delved into the belief structure of the religion of the Egyptians but he referred to the Egyptians as "savages" many times then made statements that "...their ideas about the world beyond the grave and God and gods were of a savage, childish and inconsistent character". He also made the statement that "..it is difficult to see how the eminent Egyptologist could attempt to compare the conceptions of God formed by a half-civilized African people with those of such cultured nations as the Greeks and Romans". ANY educated man that has studied Egypt knows that the Egyptians TAUGHT the Greeks everything they THOUGHT they knew who came into Egypt ignorant and obsessed with homosexuality I.E.- Socrates, Pythagora credited w/(Pythagorems Theorom) which he learned in Egypt and the Romans were the same way. The Romans INVADED Egypt.. raping the country of her knowledge and culture.. which is how the Romans got THEIR knowledge I.E.- The Library of Alexandria. It is well known that Egypt was considered the "Learning Center Of The World" and had even developed the FIRST writing systems and were mathematical, medicinal and philosophical geniuses. YET... Wallis Budge would have his readers believe that they were SAVAGES and their religion wasn't really even worth bothering with.. yet he neglects to mention that it is the SAME religion upon which Christianity was based. So I would say to read Mr. Budges books (but especially this one), with a reserved and cautious mind. I have quite a few of his books, and they all maintain that same opinionated and incorrect view of the Egyptians and their culture. Therefore if you take his writings literally and as pure fact.. you might miss the GREATNESS that existed in an ancient people and their culture.