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The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 136 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 16 (part 3)

The palettes of the Egyptian scribe were rectangular, and were made of wood, stone, basalt, ivory (see Nos. 5512a, 5513, 5525a, and 12,779, etc., in the British Museum). They measure from 10 to 17 inches in length, and from 2 to 3 inches in width. They usually contain two round cavities to hold red and black ink, and a groove to hold the reed-pens. The inscriptions on them, which usually have reference to Thoth, are cut, or written in ink, or inlaid in colour; the name of the owner of the palette is generally added. The colours with which the Egyptians wrote were made of vegetable substances, coloured earths, and preparations of copper. 4 She is also called "Devourer of Amenta" (i.e., the underworld), and Shai (see Lanzone, Dizionario , p. 129). In the British Museum papyrus No. 9901 she is described as hat en emsuh; pehu-s em tebt her-ab-set em ma "the fore-part of a crocodile; her hind-quarters are those of a hippopotamus; her middle part [is that] of a lion." {footnote p. 258} The Devourer usually stands near the balance instead of behind Thoth; but there is one papyrus quoted by Naville, (Todtenbuch, Bd. I., Bl. 136) in which she is shown crouching beside the lake of fire in the infernal regions. ] Text: [Chapter XXX B .] Osiris, the scribe Ani, saith:[1] "My heart my mother, my heart my mother, my heart my coming into being! May there be nothing to resist me at [my] judgment; may there be no opposition to me from the Tchatcha ;[2] may there be no parting of thee from me in the presence of him who keepeth the scales! Thou art my ka within my body [which] knitteth[3] and strengtheneth my limbs. Mayest thou come forth to the place of happiness to which[4] I am advancing. "May the Shenit [5] not cause my name to stink, and may no lies be spoken against me in the presence of the god![6] Good is it for thee to hear."[7] . . . . . . . Thoth, the righteous judge of the great company of the gods who are in the presence of the god Osiris, saith: "Hear ye this judgment. The heart of Osiris hath in very truth been weighed, and his soul hath stood as a witness for him; it hath been found true by trial in the Great Balance. There hath not been found any wickedness in him; he hath not wasted the offerings in the temples; he hath not done harm by his deeds; and he uttered no evil reports while he was upon earth." The great company of the gods reply to Thoth dwelling in Khemennu: "That which cometh forth from thy mouth hath been ordained. Osiris, the scribe [1. Ani's speech forms the text of Chapter XXX B . as numbered by M. Naville ( Todtenbuch , Bd. I., Bl. 43). 2. The four gods of the cardinal points, Mestha, Hapi, Tuamautef, and Qebhsennuf (see Naville, Todtenbuch Einleitung , p. 164). Some copies read, "Thou art my ka within my body, the god Khnemu ( i.e.
Themes
◆Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

Divine beings are described with human actions (speaking, weighing) and forms, alongside hybrid animal characteristics.

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◆Prayerpraxis

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

Ani's speech to his heart and the gods constitutes a liturgical prayer for protection and favorable judgment.

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◆Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

The passage describes the soul's passage through the underworld (Amenta) and its interaction with divine judges like Thoth.

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◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The deceased seeks to advance to a 'place of happiness,' implying a return to a divine state or realm.

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◆Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

The text mentions a 'lake of fire in the infernal regions' as part of the underworld landscape.

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◆Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

The judgment relies on the deceased maintaining moral purity, such as not wasting offerings or doing harm.

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◆Self Examinationpraxis

Daily review of thought and action as spiritual practice.

Ani addresses his own heart to ensure it will not testify against him, reflecting an internal review of conscience and loyalty.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The text speaks of advancing to a place of happiness, implying an upward movement in the afterlife hierarchy.

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◆Theosis Deificationsoteriology

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.

The deceased is addressed as 'Osiris, the scribe Ani,' indicating a transformation or identification with the god.

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◆Tripartite Soulanthropology

Division of the human being into three principles: spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche), and body/matter (hyle or soma).

The text distinguishes between the heart, the ka (spirit within the body), and the soul as distinct components of the human being.

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◇Eschatological Judgmentsoteriology

Final, collective cosmic judgment as an event in which the wicked are sentenced and the cosmos restored; distinct from psychopomp_journey (individual passage at death) and emphasising verdict where Zoroastrian frashokereti emphasises restoration.

[auto] The text explicitly details the judgment of Ani's heart by Thoth and the company of gods, determining his fate based on moral conduct.

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◇Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The passage explicitly references the Book of the Dead, the underworld (Amenta), and the balance, which are central elements of Egyptian afterlife navigation rituals.

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◇Maat Cosmic Ordercosmology

The Egyptian principle of truth, balance, and right order underlying both the cosmos and human conduct; the parallel to Zoroastrian asha and Greek dike.

[auto] The passage centers on the Weighing of the Heart ceremony, which is the primary ritual enactment of Maat (truth and balance) in Egyptian theology.

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