The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West [Hardcover]

Erik Hornung (Author), David Lorton (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author of four previous Cornell University Press volumes on Egyptology, Hornung (emeritus, Univ. of Basel) here focuses on "Egyptosophy." This concept is defined as "the study of an imaginary Egypt viewed as the profound source of all esoteric lore. This Egypt is a timeless idea bearing only a loose relationship to the historical reality." Hornung traces the influences of this imaginary Egypt on Western culture from the classical world, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, to the present day. He argues that the god Thoth and various Egyptian sages known to the ancient Greeks coalesced into the legendary Hermes Trismegistus, the creator of the art of writing and civilization. Hornung views these mystical and magical "Egyptian" elements as a basis for Gnosticism as well as other secret and metaphysical societies, among them the Rosicrucians, the Freemasons, and the Theosophists. The text presumes extensive knowledge of Western philosophy, art history, and religion; references are made to "the Madonna Platytera" and the "Gnostic Pistis Sophia," for example, without any footnotes or explanations. Recommended for academic libraries and specialized collections. (Illustrations and index not seen.) Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801438470
• ISBN-13: 978-0801438479
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,367,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Information, but Esoteric and Difficult to Follow, June 28, 2007

By 

Gina-Marie Hammer "Game Development Goddess" (Palm Coast, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West (Hardcover)

"The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West" is on the reccomended reading list for several Egyptian clubs/Egyptological societies. It's a discussion of the various properties of Egyptian mythology, religion and lore; from its effect on art in the ancient world, through its effect on modern-day spirituality. It's an historical look at the various pieces of Egyptian life, and how those pieces have been carried forward to the present time.

I found this book to be very difficult to read, and am still slogging through the material. (And I mean slogging!) It's tough to follow, although the material is separated into chapter according to subsection - art, pottery, spirituality, etc. You have a sense of what the chapter is supposed to be about, but the author tends to be all-over-the-place discussing the topic. He might start with a linear progression based on a timeline, then go off on a comparison of this topic with another similar topic in the book, then come back to the timeline and continue. This rambling style can be very confusing when there is so much information presented.

Because of the back-and-forth nature of this style, I find it difficult to winnow out important information like historical facts; and to follow the trends as they're presented. I find myself making lists in order to follow the flow of information more accurately. This makes for a tedious and boring read. (I've actually read school textbooks that weren't this bad. At least I could follow the information and easily organize it into notes, no matter how bored I was.)

While it's a tough book to follow, I still recommend it, as the material is copious and it's the only book which really examines this particular subject. Just be prepared to spend some quality time with this book, if you purchase it.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good on Egyptology; Suffers in Religious Studies, November 7, 2011

By 

Justine Ariel (PORTLAND, OR, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West (Hardcover)

Hornung's book is great when it comes to assessing the significance of Egyptian themes and concepts on subsequent cultures and histories. I found it difficult to read because, while Hornung is a great Egyptologist, he is not a scholar of early Christianity, which includes gnosticism. He is not, therefore, qualified to make some of the judgments that he does about the impact Egyptian thought had on the "gnostic" movements, so to speak, because of the generally negative approach he takes from Hans Jonas towards these early Christian communities. This puts the entire book into a somewhat skewed perspective and reminds us that Egyptology is truly a field within itself.