ESSAY 2a
Knowledge and Immortality
Source Link Thoth in the Book of the Dead
QUESTION: Using specific art references (artworks) and passages from Genesis and the story in the Bible of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and specifically their choice to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; what similarities do you see, pertaining to immortality and knowledge that is also found in Egyptian art?
PART ONE:
SUMMARY: What I experienced in my attempt to answer this Topic Question was how vast the information on Ancient Egypt belief of the afterlife is. It was hard to organize the information, as well as my thoughts, to better make a connection between knowledge and immortality.
REASON: The reason this question was asked was to see if there is a connection between knowledge and immortality, and how the connection of these concepts are similar between the story of Adam and Eve, and Egyptian art.
PURPOSE: The purpose this question was asked was so that we can understand how ideas keep repeating themselves in history – many religions have recurring themes, such as, knowledge, immortality and an afterlife – and that everything has an origin, and it is in human nature to try to seek the answer[s].
DIRECTION: I looked mostly at Renaissance paintings depicting the story of Adam and Eve, including artwork of scenes which shares a similarity between Christianity and Egypt, concerning the afterlife. I also read more in depth of the rituals they made in preparation for the afterlife and how to use all this information correctly.
IMPRESSION: I already had a grasp of the reason behind Adam and Eve’s decision to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I also knew about the Egyptians belief in an afterlife, some of the process of the mummification and some of its gods. I learned more in depth about the rituals preformed for the afterlife and how they would write letters to recently deceased relatives.
PART TWO:
Source Link Jan Brueghel the Elder. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 1615. Oil on copper. Royal Collection, UK
“…God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam and Eve knew that God had commanded them to not eat of the fruit of this tree. When asked by the serpent if God had intended for Adam and Eve to “‘…not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1) She answers by saying that they could eat from any tree in Eden with the exception of the tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and that if they ate from that tree they would perish. (Genesis 3:2-3) However the serpent answers saying, “…‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” (Genesis 3:4-5)
The story of Adam and Eve is very telling about human nature, and its need to know. Humans feel the need to seek knowledge and understand everything that is around them. Knowledge and Immortality are interconnected, not only in this story but also in the Ancient Egyptian culture.
Ancient Egyptians believed in “…the rebirth after death…[and that it] was…a temporary interruption, and…eternal life could be ensured by…[the] preservation of the physical form…” (www.cryslink.com/egyptafterlife.html) Egyptians believed that “when the body died, parts of its soul…ka (body double) and the ba (personality) would go to the kingdom of the Dead” (www.cryslink.com/egyptafterlife.html). They “…developed mummification techniques to ensure that the ka, or life force, could live on in the body in the afterlife” (Art History, Portable 3rd Edition, M. Stokstad, p.55). However, for the person to live on eternally, they had to be free from sin and pass a last judgement that consisted of two tests (Text, 3rd Edition, p. 78).
Source Link The Book of the Dead of Nes-Ptah (Ptolemaic, about 50 BC?) The papyrus is only preserved in fragments; the provenance is not known
The deceased was buried with a copy of the Book of the Dead (Text 3rd Edition, p.55). They believed that this book would help the dead pass the tests (Text, 3rd Edition, p.79). The book portrayed the Egyptians beliefs about death and the afterlife and contained spells that “…[gave] the deceased mystical knowledge in the afterlife, or [the ability]… to identify with the gods…The concept of magic (heka) was also intimately linked with the spoken and written word…Egyptians believed that knowing the name of something gave power over it;…the book of the Dead equips its owners with the mystical names of many of the entities he would encounter in the afterlife, giving him power of them” (www.cryslink.com/egyptafterlife.html).
There is a correlation between the story of Adam and Eve and the Egyptians’ belief. In the story of Adam and Eve, we can see they believed that by eating the fruit they would not perish but be like God – that is to say, immortal and all-knowing. The Egyptians also had similar beliefs. They believed that the ka would live on eternally, and that when they entered the afterlife they would gain knowledge and power. These similarities, or recurring themes, are due to the fact that humans need to feel secure. We can learn about the past, but we don’t know what the future may hold, and as humans we fear the unknown. By creating these beliefs we have the hope or reassurance that we will not cease to exist.
