The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 57 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge
Chapter 6 (part 13)
222) 8.
Ibid.
, t.
viii., p.
88 (l.
565 ff.).
9.
Ibid.
, t.
iii., p.
214 (l.
268).] {p.
lxxiii} Further, this identification of the deceased with the God of Heaven places him in the position of supreme ruler.
For example, we have the prayer that Unas "may rule the nine gods and complete the company of the nine gods,"[1] and Pepi I., in his progress through heaven, comes upon the double company of the gods, who stretch out their hands, entreating him to come and sit down among them.[2] Identification with Horus.
Again, the deceased is changed into Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis.
It is said of Pepi I., "Behold it is not Pepi who entreateth to see thee in the form in which thou art ###, O Osiris, who entreateth to see thee in the form in which thou art, O Osiris; but it is thy son who entreateth to see thee in the form in which thou art, O Osiris, it is Horus who entreateth to see thee in the form in which thou art";[3] and Horus does not place Pepi at the head of the dead, but among the divine gods.[4] Elsewhere we are told that Horus has taken his Eye and given it to Pepi, and that the odour of Pepi's body is the odour of the Eye of Horus.[5] Throughout the pyramid texts the Osiris of the deceased is the son of Tmu, or Tmu-Ra, Shu, Tefnut, Seb, and Nut, the brother of Isis, Nephthys, Set, and Thoth, and the father of Horus;[6] his hands, arms, belly, back, hips and thighs, and legs are the god Tmu, and his face is Anubis.[7] He is the brother of the moon,[8] he is the child of the star Sothis,[9] he revolves in heaven like Orion and Sothis,[10] and he rises in his place like a star.[11] The gods, male and [1.
Recueil de Travaux , t.
iii., p.
217 (l.
283).
2.
Ibid.
, ###.
t.
vii., p.
150 (l.
263).
3.
Ibid.
, t.
vii., p.
155 (l.
315 f.) 4.
###.
t.
v., p.
194 (p.
190).
5 Ibid.
, t.
vii., p.
169 (1.
457).
6 Ibid.
, t.
iii., pp.
209-211.
7 Ibid.
, p.
201 (l.
207).
8.
###.
Ibid.
, t.
v., p.
198 (l.
203).
9.
Ibid.
, t.
iv., p.
44 (l.
391).
10.
Ibid.
, t.
iii., p.
205 (l.
221).
10.
Ibid.
, t.
iv., p.
44 (l.
391).] {p.
lxxiv} female, pay homage to him,[1] every being in heaven adores him; and in one interesting passage it is said of Pepi I.
that "when he hath come forth into heaven he will find Ra standing face to face before him, and, having seated himself upon the shoulders of Ra, Ra will not let him put himself down again upon the ground; for he knoweth that Pepi is more shining than the shining ones, more perfect than the perfect, and more stable than the stable ones .
.
.
.
.
Themes
◆Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
The gods are depicted as active agents who stretch out hands and entreat the deceased.
[auto] The passage explicitly discusses texts like the Book of the Dead and Pyramid Texts that guide the deceased through heaven and into the company of gods.
The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.
[auto] The text explicitly details the deceased becoming a god (Osiris, Horus) and ruling among the divine company, paralleling the doctrine of transformation into a partaker of the divine nature.