Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice [Hardcover]

Byron E. Shafer (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 217 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr (July 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801425506
• ISBN-13: 978-0801425509
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,925,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good resource; some parts better than others, February 18, 2003

By 

Nom de Guerre "miraxterrick" (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice (Paperback)

Prof. Shafer of Fordham University put this book together in order to fill the need for an English-language survey of ancient Egyptian religion. The result is a relatively short introduction to the subject from three points of view, each addressed by a different author. John Baines writes about the gods, Leonard Lesko about myths, and David Sliverman about religious practice. The idea and organization of the book is commendable; however, I felt that stronger editing could have made the three portions of the book more cohesive and compatible in quality.

There was too much overlap between Baines' and Lesko's sections, and Lesko's chapter seemed to be aimed at a more specialized audience than were the other chapters. I felt that Baines dwelled too much on political history and took the focus off the topic at hand. His article would have benefitted from further subdivision; as it was, the overly long sections lacked clear direction. Baines handles concepts of divinity quite well, but I think he could have provided a better overview of the Egyptian pantheon. On the whole I would give his article a tentative 4 stars.

Lesko's rather short chapter also placed too much focus on political history, and this was doubly frustrating since he didn't say anything different from Baines. His discussion of myths seemed to lack organization and was befuddling for the newcomer to the field. The chapter mostly consists of lengthy and inadequately explained or connected quotations from Egyptian texts. These texts are interesting sounding but cryptic, and Lesko does not provide enough of an overview for one to understand either what they are saying or why he is quoting them. His article has two chief sections: one on cosmogonies, which is very long and opaque, and a much shorter and somewhat clearer section on cosmology. Overall, this article deserves a tentative 3 stars from a newcomer; someone with more specialized knowledge might find it more useful, but I am not sure.

Silverman's chapter was by far the most accessible and informative. Frequent divisions in the text underscored its points while providing strong organization and direction. Silverman's explanations started from basic concepts and worked up to address difficulties in modern methods of study in his field. His chapter came across as an interesting and informative social history of Egypt with particular emphasis on the origins of its structure and morality, both of which derive from religion. This article was engaging and clear, and earns an enthusiastic 5 stars from me.

On the whole, then, some parts of this book were more readable and useful than others. However, it seems to be the most scholarly and trustworthy introduction to the topic. I would not recommend it as pleasure reading, but if you need to know something about the subject it is a good resource.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clarifies Much, November 17, 2002

By 

Shepen "ladysekhmet9" (Iowa, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice (Paperback)

This book is extremely useful for understanding the complex, multifaceted world of the ancient Egyptian Gods. One cannot simply list gods and myths and have them make sense; this book provides three Egyptologists' views on how the Egyptians saw the gods and the universe, how that view evolved in 3000 years, and how they were worshipped throughout that time. There are numerous illustrations, photos, and footnotes. The authors discuss theories about the Armarna period and the divine status of the Pharoah that cannot be found in other books on Ancient Egypt. This is a great book to read if you want to understand the religion as a whole and get the essence of what it was like.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unique and informative, August 24, 2000

By 

Francesca Jourdan (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice (Paperback)

Four specialists - Shafer, Baines, Lesko and Silverman - took the difficult task of explaining the Ancient Egyptians' relation with religion. Through their art, their architecture and their literature, the Ancient Egyptians have left answers to all of their existential questions. Culture is religion; religion is culture : every aspect of life was influenced by the deep beliefs of the people. This is a very informative book recommended for all students of Egyptology.