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The Egyptian Heaven and Hell · 59 of 96 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 13 (part 2)

The hidden gods who march in front of the boat are few in number, and the names of many of them are unfamiliar; some of them are connected with Osiris, and all of them are under the control of ANPU, or ANUBIS, and perform some act which helps the boat along. Among them may be specially noted Thoth and Horus, above whose outstretched hands is the Eye which is here identified with SEKRI (vol. i., p. 75). As AFU-RA journeys on his way there are on his right three serpents, a scorpion, a uraeus serpent, a three-headed serpent with wings and human legs, a few of the gods of the HOUR, a serpent with two necks and heads proceeding from one body, and a tail which terminates in another head (vol. i., pp. 67, 71, 75, 79). On his left are a few more gods and goddesses, the serpents HETCH-NAU, AMEN, HEKENT, and the terrible three-headed serpent MENMENUT, the face of which illumines the chamber in which KHEPERA is born daily (vol. i., p. 134 p. 79). Over the back of the last-named serpent are fourteen heads, which, as M. Maspero has well shown, re resent the gods of the first fourteen days of the month, and they are being carried by the serpent to fill the EYE which THOTH and HORUS are bringing through RE-STAU. The beings to the right and left of AFU-RA are ancient gods of the kingdom of SEKER, and each guards some door or corridor in it which leads to the hidden chamber of SEKER himself.
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Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

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

[auto] The deity is described with human-like attributes such as an eye containing fire and consuming bread and beer.

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Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

Seker is described by negation, as his form is neither seen nor perceived.

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Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] The text depicts a conflict between the ordered forces of Ra/Temu and the chaotic monster serpent Apep.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The text states that Seker's form is neither seen nor perceived and the god passes without seeing him.

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Divine Lighttheology

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

[auto] The dwellers explicitly entreat the god to 'Send forth thy light upon us' and acknowledge he has 'fire in thine eye'.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The passage notes that it was 'arranged' for the god to pass through specific means to overcome difficulties.

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Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The passage describes specific afterlife geography (Lake of Boiling Water) and the solar boat journey central to Egyptian death texts.

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Living Godtheology

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

[auto] Afu-Ra responds to entreaties from the dwellers and actively decrees their sustenance and destroys enemies.

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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 orderly progression through Hours and Divisions implies the underlying Egyptian principle of cosmic order.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The structure relies on specific numbers such as the Fourth Division and three registers.

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Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

[auto] The narrative involves the boat of Afu-Ra navigating through realms where obstacles like Apep must be overcome.

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Sacred Namestheology

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

[auto] The destruction of the serpent is achieved through the 'utterance of the word of power' by Temu.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

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

Describes a staged journey through divisions and hours proceeding towards the House of Osiris.

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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.

Special ritual means are arranged to enable passage through divine realms and overcome obstacles.

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Related passages · 4 parallels
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XXI
“I think, therefore, that all who are lovers of the contemplation of theurgic truth will acknowledge this, that the piety which pertains to divine natures ought not to be exercised towards them partially or imperfectly. Hence, since prior to…”
Shared concept: Theurgy — 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. (derived)
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“According to another order, however, he arranges the God Emeph prior to, and as the leader of, the celestial Gods. And he says that this God is an intellect, itself intellectually perceiving itself, and converting intellections to itself. B…”
Shared concept: Maat Cosmic Order — The Egyptian principle of truth, balance, and right order underlying both the cosmos and human conduct; the parallel to Zoroastrian asha and Greek dike. (derived)
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“Their ultimate nature, which they possess in their own original being, is beyond Mind and beyond all Being and Knowledge. 203 203 Even the Differentiations finally lead us up into the Undifferenced Godhead Where they transcend themselves.…”
Shared concept: Divine Hiddenness — The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father. (derived)
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“Section 5 5. Still more unreasonably: There are men, bound to human bodies and subject to desire, grief, anger, who think so generously of their own faculty that they declare themselves in contact with the Intelligible World, but deny that…”
Shared concept: Divine Providence — Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity. (derived)