SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

worth making, this book falls short of accomplishing this task. The author of this book does not grasp the complexity of Egyptian religion. Instead of adding new insights into this

fascinating topic she perpetuates misconceptions and contributes to the many misunderstandings that surround ancient Egypt and its people’s religious beliefs.

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter 22 Quirke, Stephen Ancient Egyptian Religion . New York: Dover Publications Inc. 1997. P. 181. “Paradoxically the Egyptian cross, most frequent of all Christian motifs, often takes the shape of an old sign of life, implanting the old world at the heart of the new.” This is just one simple example of the influence ancient Egypt had upon Christianity. Many more can be found. End Notes: 1 Allen, James P. Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2000. P. 410. Allen states “the only books on Egyptian language or texts that can be found in most bookstores are reprints of works by E.A.W. Budge, which were not too reliable when they first appeared and are now woefully outdated.” Although this is in reference to books on how to read hieroglyphs, it is just as applicable to Budge’s other works, including his books on religion. 2 Bargeman, Lisa Ann The Egyptian Origin of Christianity. p. 15 3 Sauneron, Serge and David Lorton (translator) The Priests of Ancient Egypt London: Cornell University Press. 2000. P. 76. 4 Ibid. Pp. 35-36. 5 Ibid. Pp. 92-96. 6 Shafer, Byron E. (ed.) Temples of Ancient Egypt. Ithica, New York: Cornell University Press. 1997. Pp. 25-26. 7 Bargeman, Lisa Ann The Egyptian Origins of Christianity Pp. 15 8 Ibid Pp. 55 9 Helck W., E. Otto and W. Westendorf Lexicon der Aegyptologie. Band IV Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. 1982. P. 627. 10 Redford, Donald (ed) The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt Vol. 1 Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2001. P. 291. 11 Helck W., E. Otto and W. Westendorf Lexicon der Aegyptologie Band IV Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. 1982. P. 627. 12 Ibid. P. 627. 13 Ibid. P. 630. 14 Ibid P. 630 15 Bargeman, Lisa Ann The Egyptian Origins of Christianity. Pp. 63-64. “In fact, when his body (Akhenaten) was discovered, it was believed to be that of his mother, Queen Tiye…” 16 Reeves, Nicholas Akhenaten: Egypt’s False Prophet . New York: Thames & Hudson. 2001. Pp. 80-84. Reeves argues that the mummy found in KV55 is indeed that of Akhenaten. He bases his argument on many factors including the desecration of the sarcophagus in which the mummy was found. But, in the absence of any material definitively stating that this body does belong to Akhenaten (for example a piece of linen with Akhenaten’s cartouche on it) found on or near the body, complete identification will never be possible. 17 Redford, Donald (ed) The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. vol 1. P. 50 “The royal tomb (of Akhenaten) provides unequivocal evidence for the thoroughness with which Akhenaten’s monuments were attacked, making it highly unlikely that his mummy survived.” 18 Bargeman, Lisa Ann The Egyptian Origins of Christianity. P. 62. 19 Ibid Pp. 64 20 Robbins, Gay The Art of Ancient Egypt Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1997. P. 150. “the new image was probably designed to make a religious statement. Many of the proportions give a feminine appearance to the figure…Since the king was the manifestation of the Aten o earth and the Aten as creator was androgynous, the king may have intended that his image should incorporate both male and female elements. In addition the Aten brought abundance and prosperity to the land, concepts associated with Hapy, the Nile inundation, traditionally shown as a fat fecundity figure. Texts identify Akhenaten with Hapy, and his corpulence may be meant to display this aspect of the king.” 21 Bargeman, Lisa Ann The Egyptian Origins of Christianity . Pp. 92.

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