DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4858#0037
The future
state
Attitude
toward es-
chatological
problems
THE NECROPOLIS OF THEBES
As the man is entire and perfect, so all spheres of existence are
open to him that are open to the gods themselves. But above all,
the sweet privilege of life in the old haunts is free to him "as when
he was on earth." This mode of existence may not be defined, but
neither is it restricted. It is true that at times the existence of the
dead may seem from the evidence both of the texts and of the actual
provision for the dead to be a dull and dark survival in the coffin
underground. Other indications may point to an existence limited to
the tomb-chapel or to the necropolis. The assurance that "nothing is
destroyed of that which he did on earth'! and the hope "that my
memory may abide on earth but my soul live with the Lord of Eter-
nity' may induce the suspicion that the share of the dead in earthly
interests is merely a matter of clear retrospect or of undying influ-
ences bequeathed during life. But the picture of a return to the
pleasant places on earth is too definite to admit of any such refine-
ments. Amenemhab, owner of Tomb 85, for instance, is depicted
going out into the sunlight "amusing himself.....in his garden,
cooling himself under his trees, working in the open air among his
flowers, drinking pleasant draughts from his ponds, smelling the lotus
blooms, culling the buds." He visits the haunts of men, takes pride
in his well-planned tomb, and when he is tired he goes back to rest in
the burial chamber in the presence of the kindly god. So, too,
Amenemhet (of Tomb 82) hopes to revisit his earthly home, enjoy the
music and dancing in it, and be a protection to his descendants there
for ever and ever. This mundane picture, however, is not deemed in-
compatible with a tenuous existence maintained within a statue by the
offerings laid at its feet, an ethereal course as a star among the stars,
or an adventurous career as a follower of the sun through a hostile
underworld. The essential thing is that no pleasures or powers are
thought to be unreasonable for the blessed dead and no sphere of being
barred to them.
Two uncomfortable thoughts the Egyptian put away from him.
What was the fate of those who failed to acquire the favor of the
10
state
Attitude
toward es-
chatological
problems
THE NECROPOLIS OF THEBES
As the man is entire and perfect, so all spheres of existence are
open to him that are open to the gods themselves. But above all,
the sweet privilege of life in the old haunts is free to him "as when
he was on earth." This mode of existence may not be defined, but
neither is it restricted. It is true that at times the existence of the
dead may seem from the evidence both of the texts and of the actual
provision for the dead to be a dull and dark survival in the coffin
underground. Other indications may point to an existence limited to
the tomb-chapel or to the necropolis. The assurance that "nothing is
destroyed of that which he did on earth'! and the hope "that my
memory may abide on earth but my soul live with the Lord of Eter-
nity' may induce the suspicion that the share of the dead in earthly
interests is merely a matter of clear retrospect or of undying influ-
ences bequeathed during life. But the picture of a return to the
pleasant places on earth is too definite to admit of any such refine-
ments. Amenemhab, owner of Tomb 85, for instance, is depicted
going out into the sunlight "amusing himself.....in his garden,
cooling himself under his trees, working in the open air among his
flowers, drinking pleasant draughts from his ponds, smelling the lotus
blooms, culling the buds." He visits the haunts of men, takes pride
in his well-planned tomb, and when he is tired he goes back to rest in
the burial chamber in the presence of the kindly god. So, too,
Amenemhet (of Tomb 82) hopes to revisit his earthly home, enjoy the
music and dancing in it, and be a protection to his descendants there
for ever and ever. This mundane picture, however, is not deemed in-
compatible with a tenuous existence maintained within a statue by the
offerings laid at its feet, an ethereal course as a star among the stars,
or an adventurous career as a follower of the sun through a hostile
underworld. The essential thing is that no pleasures or powers are
thought to be unreasonable for the blessed dead and no sphere of being
barred to them.
Two uncomfortable thoughts the Egyptian put away from him.
What was the fate of those who failed to acquire the favor of the
10