The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 145 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 18 (part 4)

, "the son who loveth him"; whereupon the Kher-heb says: "O Sem, let the Se-mer-f come into the tomb in order that he may see the god." The Sem priest holding him by the arm then leads forward the Se-mer-f , who addresses the deceased: "I have come, I have brought [1.

See Schiaparelli, Il Libro dei Funerali degli Antichi Egiziani ; Maspero, Le Rituel du Sacrifice Funéraire (in Revue de L'Histoire des Religions , 1887, p.

159 ff.).

2.

###.

For a complete list of these instruments, see Schiaparelli, Il Libro dei Funerali degli Antichi Egiziani , p.109.] unto thee thy son who loveth thee; he shall open for thee thy mouth and thine eyes." (Fig.

8).

A tomb-official, Am-as , then takes up his position behind the deceased, and the Se-mer-f and the Kher-heb stand in front; the Kher-heb repeating four times: "The Se-mer-f openeth the mouth and the two eyes of the deceased, first with a needle of iron, then with a rod of smu metal"; the Am-as addressing the deceased: "Behold the Se-mer-f "; and the Kher-heb saying, in the name of the Se-mer-f : "I have pressed for thee thy mouth, even as thy father pressed it in the name of Seker.

Hail, Horus hath pressed thy mouth for thee, he hath opened thine eyes for thee; Horus hath opened thy mouth for thee, he hath opened for thee thine eyes; they are firmly stablished.

Thy mouth was closed; I have ordered thy mouth and thy teeth for thee in their true order.

Thou hast [again] opened thy mouth; Horus hath opened thy mouth.

I have stablished thy mouth firmly.

Horus hath opened for thee thy mouth, Horus hath opened for thee thy two eyes." The Kher-heb then speaks on behalf of the Sem priest: "Thy mouth was closed up.

I have ordered aright for thee thy mouth and thy teeth.

Thy mouth is firmly stablished.

Thy mouth was tightly closed.

His mouth is firmly stablished, and [his] two eyes are firmly stablished." The Sem priest next presents to the deceased (Fig.

9) a cone-shaped offering, and at the same time the Kher-heb says: "Open the mouth and the two eyes, open the mouth and the two eyes.

Thou hadst tightly closed thy mouth, thou hast [again] opened thy two eyes." Then the Kher-heb says, on behalf of the Smer (Fig.

10) priest who stands behind the deceased: "One cometh unto thee for thy purification." Next the Se-mer-f comes forward with four boxes (Fig.

11) in his hands, and the Kher-heb says: "O se-mer-f , take the four boxes of purification, press the mouth and the two eyes, and open the mouth and the two eyes with each of them four times, and say, 'Thy mouth and thy two eyes are firmly stablished, and they are restored aright,' and say also, 'I have firmly pressed thy mouth, I have opened thy mouth, I have opened thy two eyes by means of the four boxes of purification."' The Sem priest then approaches [1.

### t'ettef .

2.

A large collection of such offerings is exhibited in the Third Egyptian Room.] the deceased (Fig.

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Themes

Anthropomorphismtheology

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

[auto] Divine beings like Horus are described performing human physical actions such as pressing the mouth of the deceased.

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Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The passage is an excerpt from the Book of the Dead describing a specific ritual (Opening of the Mouth) designed to enable the deceased to function in the afterlife.

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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, present agents who intervene in the ritual to restore the deceased's faculties.

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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.

The ritual aims to restore 'true order' and firmly establish the deceased's faculties, reflecting the Egyptian principle of Maat.

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Prayerpraxis

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

The Kher-heb and Sem priest recite liturgical formulas and addresses to the deceased and gods throughout the ceremony.

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Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

The ritual facilitates the deceased's ability to see the god and function in the tomb, aiding their passage into the afterlife realm.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

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

The text explicitly mentions 'four boxes of purification' and the act of purification as a central component of the ritual.

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Sacred Namestheology

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

[auto] Divine names such as Horus and Seker are invoked with ontological power to effect the ritual actions upon the deceased.

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