I 



Ancient Egyptian Religion. 7 



the Ba continued to live, but separated from each other. The Ba, 

 after the death of the body, went to the judgment hall of Osiris 

 in Amenta, there to be judged according to the deeds done in the 

 body, whether good or evil. The justified soul was admitted into 

 the presence of Osiris, and made daily progress in the celestial 

 life. The Ba was generally represented as a hawk with a human 

 head. The hawk was the emblem of Horus, as if the seat of the 

 soul was in the head, which was furnished with a hawk's wings to 

 enable it to fly from earth to be with Horus, who, before intro- 

 ducing it to his father, Osiris, subjected it to the purgatorial fire, 

 through which it had to pass to purge it from any earthly dross 

 that might still cling to it. The Ka, meaning- double, was repre- 

 sented by two human arms elevated at right angles at the elbows 

 to indicate that the spiritual body was the exact counterpart of 

 the natural or material body, just as one arm is like another, only 

 it could not be seen. It was not furnished with wings so that it 

 could not leave the earth, but continued to live where it was dis- 

 embodied, and more particularly in the tomb, where it could rest 

 in the mummy or in the portrait statues placed for it in the ante- 

 chamber of the tomb ; and it was for this purpose that the 

 Egyptians were in the habit of embalming the bodies of their 

 dead. The Ka continued to have hunger and thirst, and was 

 supposed to live on the spiritual essence of the offerings brought to 

 it. There is some indication of the future union of the Ba or spirit 

 to the Ka or spiritual body. But the ancient Egyptians did not 

 believe in the resurrection of the Sahoo or material body. The 

 Mummy was simply a non- vital resting place for the double or 

 spiritual body, and was never quickened again. With regard to 

 the future state, the Egyptian priests taught that there were two 

 grades of punishment for the condemned Ba. The more guilty 

 were condemned to torture and devouring fire until they 

 succumbed, and were ultimately annihilated. The less guilty 

 were allowed a second probation, and sent back to the earth by 

 transmigration int(j the form of some unclean animal. The 

 justified soul was assimilated to Osiris, dwelt in his presence, and 

 obeyed his commands. It had to take part in the daily celestial 

 work, and to be continually attaining more knowledge and wisdom, 

 to help it in its progress through the mansions of the blessed. 



The sum of the observations contained in the paper is that in 

 the ancient Egyptian religioii, especially in its earlier stages. 



