Understanding the Book of the Dead (Reklaw Education Lecture Series 6)

Understanding the Book of the Dead



The Ancient Egyptians had a practice of burying the dead with a papyrus roll called ‘Coming Forth By Day’. This roll, better known as The Book of the Dead, was a text of the utmost importance.



It addressed the biggest questions of human existence and the afterlife.



What happens to your soul after death?



The Book of the Dead contains the oldest documented body of human ideas on this question. However, later religions have copied the Egyptian ideas and claimed them as their own.



It is for this reason that unscrupulous Christian ministers, dealing with topics they barely understand, have misled their flock into believing that the end of the world is coming soon.



In this text, Robin Walker explains the following:



1. Egyptian ideas and concepts of life and death

2. How the Egyptians used the Book of the Dead

3. The prehistory of the Book of the Dead

4. The Mysteries of Amenta

5. Judgement in the Hall of the Two Ma’ats