← Home
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 118 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 13 (part 5)

18.) As a separate composition, this Chapter is found in only two other papyri of the XVIIIth dynasty.[1] Chapter IX. "The Chapter of coming forth by day, having passed through the tomb." (See pp. 120, 321, and pl. 18.) The vignette in the papyrus of Ani is similar to that which stands at the head of Chapters VIII. and IX. in other papyri of this period. Chapter X. [See Chapter XLVIII., pp. 123, 321, and pl. 18.] Chapter XV. 1. "A hymn of praise to Ra when he riseth in the eastern sky." (See pp. 1, 236, and pl. I.) This version is found in no other papyrus. Chapter XV. 2. "A hymn of praise to Osiris Unnefer, the great god in Abydos,"[2] etc. (See pp. 8, 253, and pl. 2.) Chapter XV. 3. "A hymn of praise to Ra when he riseth in the eastern sky, and when he setteth in the [land of] life." (See pp. 123, 322, and pl. 18-21.) The Litany to Osiris (pl. 19) and the hymn to Ra (pll. 24, 25) which follow are variants of the XVth Chapter, similar to those published by M. Naville.[3] Chapter XVI A . consists of a vignette only. (See p. 252, and pl. 2.) Strictly speaking, it should form the vignette of the XVth Chapter, or of that part of it which refers to the rising sun. Like many other ancient papyri, the papyrus of Ani has no vignette referring to the sunset. Chapter XVII. "Here begin the praises and glorifyings of coming out from and of going into the glorious Neter-khert in the beautiful Amenta, of coming forth by day in all the transformations which please him, of playing at draughts, and of sitting in the Sekh hall, and of coming forth as a living soul." (See pp. 27, 280, and Pll. 7-10.) This is one of the oldest and most important of all the Chapters in the Book of the Dead, and it contains the most complete statements concerning the Egyptian cosmogony as formulated by the college of priests of Heliopolis. The scribe seems to have accidentally omitted a large section. Chapter XVIII. This Chapter has no title. [1. I.e. , in British Museum papyrus, No. 9964, and in a papyrus in Rome; see Naville, Einleitung, p. 118. 2. This hymn may form no part of the XVth chapter, and may have been inserted after the hymn to Ra on account of Ani's official connection with the ecclesiastical endowments of Abydos.] {p. cxlviii} List of Chapters. The papyrus of Ani contains two copies of this Chapter. In the first the gods of the localities are grouped separately, and it is preceded by a very rare introduction, in which the An-mut-f and Sa-mer-f priests introduce Ani to the gods, whom he addresses in two speeches. (See p. 71, 301, and pll. 12-14.) In the second the text is not divided into distinct sections, and the gods are not grouped. (See p. 330, and pll. 23-24.) Chapter XXII., "The Chapter of giving a mouth to Osiris Ani, the scribe It and teller of the holy offerings of all the gods." (See pp. 25, 274, and pl.
Themes
Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

Multiple chapters are identified as 'hymns of praise' and 'praises and glorifyings' addressed to deities like Ra and Osiris.

All passages →
Theurgypraxis

Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.

Chapter XXII describes the ritual act of 'giving a mouth to Osiris Ani,' engaging divine power through consecrated actions to restore function.

All passages →
Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

[auto] The text mentions hymns to Ra 'when he riseth in the eastern sky,' associating the divine with solar light and illumination.

All passages →
Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The passage explicitly describes chapters from the Book of the Dead designed for 'coming forth by day, having passed through the tomb,' which is the core function of funerary navigation texts.

All passages →
Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

[auto] The description of hymns of praise to Ra and Osiris portrays the deities as active, responsive entities worthy of worship.

All passages →
Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

[auto] The text references a chapter concerning the soul's passage through the tomb and coming forth by day, indicating a guided journey through afterlife realms.

All passages →
Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

[auto] The passage lists specific hymns of praise to named deities such as Ra and Osiris Unnefer, highlighting the liturgical use of divine names.

All passages →