March 24, 1882.] 



KNOW^LEDGE 



449 



But here our difficulties begin. Astronomy no longer 

 lends its aid when we ask why the builder of the Great 

 Pyramid wanted to have an astronomical observatory as 

 well as a tomb. To begin with, I suppose Egyptologists 

 are quite clear that a main purpose of each pyramid was 

 that it should serve for a tomb. And I suppose, further, 

 that this being so, it was essential that each pyi-aniid, in- 

 cluding that one which we have been regarding hitherto 

 only in its astronomical aspect, should be as nearly as 

 possible completed before the death of its future occupant. 

 Tliere may be, for aught I know, some reason to believe 

 tliat in the days of the pyramids an Egyptian king might 

 lie able in some way to assure liimself of the bonajides of 

 his successors, and that they would continue the work 

 which he had begun and more than half completed. But 

 it is very difficult to imagine that this really was the 

 case. Human nature must in those days have resembled 

 1 letty closely human nature in our own time ; and it 

 stoms as unlikely that a kiug could trust in his 

 MKcissors so far as to believe they would e.xpend 

 V.u-j,!- >ums of money and a great amount of labour, in 

 CI .uipkting a work in which they had no direct or actual 

 interest, as that, supposing he trusted them to this degree, 

 their conduct after his death would have justified his 

 confidence. Thus, when we find that the Great Pyramid 

 was actually completed in the most careful and perfect 

 manner, we have very strong reason for believing it to 

 have been all but completed during the lifetime of the 

 king, its builder — if it was indeed intended for his tomb. 

 1 must confess that the exclusively tombic theory of the 

 (Ireat Pyramid (at least) had always seemed to me utterly 

 incredible, even before I advanced what seems to me the 

 only reasonable interpretation of its erection. One may 

 admit that the singular taste of the Egjptian kings for 

 monstrous tombs was carried to a preposterous extent, 

 but not to an extent quite so preposterous as the 



■ xclusively tombic theory would require. Of course, 



iif'n we see that the details of the gi-eat edifice 

 licate unmistakably an astronomical object, which 



■ ■as regarded as of such importance as to justify 

 the extremest care, our opinion is strengthened that the 

 ' yramid was not solely meant for a tomb. For this would 



ing in another absurdity, scarcely less than that in\olved 

 the exclusively tombic theory of structures so vast, if 



■ en they were non-astronomical, — this, namely, that the 

 liryptian kings thought the celestial bodies and their 

 movements so especially related to thftn, tliat their long 

 liome must be astronomically posited ^^^th a degree of care 

 lar surpassing that which has ever* been given to an astro- 



■luical observatory. Common sense compels us to believe 

 at whether the Great Pyramid was meant for a tomb or 

 t, its astronomical character was given to it for some 

 ipose relating to the liv-ing king who had it built. (I 

 Hjpose Egyptologists are absolutely certain that the Great 



I 'yramid ivas built by one king, and, therefore, within a 



f' \v decades of years.) 



Now, it is not reasonable to suppose King Cheops' 

 i-pose was simply scientific. We may fairly take it for 



- mtcd that the king who expended such vast sums and 



■ rificed so many lives to build for himself a tomb, was 

 t a man taking a disinterested interest in science, or 



•->en ready to help the priests of his day to regulate 

 religious ceremonials by astronomical observations con- 

 ducted with reference only to general religious relations. 

 To put the matter plaiiily, the builder of the Great 



Even in our own time, thoagh we pret greater accuracy in our 

 observations than Cheops obtained in his pyramid, we have not to 

 give anything like the same degree of care to the work. 



Pyramid must have thought of himself first ; next, of his 

 dynasty ; then, perhaps, of the priesthood (though always 

 with reference to the bearing of religious ceremonies on the 

 welfare of himself and his dynasty) ; lastly, of his people, 

 as part of his wealth and power. For abstract science he 

 cared not, we may be well assured, a single jot I do not 

 wish to suggest that Cheops was wickedly selfish. I have 

 no doubt he was thoroughly persuaded that he was carry- 

 ing out the purpose of his existence in expending much 

 treasure and many lives on his own well-being (both before 

 and after death). But there can be no doubt this xcas the 

 real object of his expcnditvire of time, and wealth, and 

 human life on the great structure which bears his name. 



Now, our thoughts arc at once turned by these con- 

 siderations to that one sole line along which astronomy 

 ever has been followed with the hope of material profit ; 

 and we are led to remember that if there is one idea which 

 has more strongly taken possession of the human race than 

 any other, or one which more than any other is associated 

 with the astronomy of ancient Egypt, it is the idea that 

 the stars in their courses rule the fate of men and nations. 

 When we remember that even now, when science has 

 shown the utter incorrectness of the ideas that underlie 

 the ancient system of astrology, this system has its 

 infiuence over millions. Even now the terms belonging to 

 the system remain part of our language. Our very religion 

 has all its times and seasons regulated in ways derived 

 from the astrological sj-stem of old Egypt. Our Sunday- 

 is the old Chaldwan and Egj'ptian quarter-month rest day, 

 and the Jewish Sabbath is this tiuarter-month rest day 

 associated with the belief in the malefic iniluence of the 

 planet (Saturn), which formerly ruled the last day of the 

 week (still called Saturday or Saturn's-day). The morning 

 and evening sacrifices of the Jews and their new moon festi- 

 vals were manifestly astronomical in origin — in other words 

 astrological (for astronomy was nothing except as astrology 

 to the old Chakla>ans and Egyptians). The Feast of the 

 Passover, however later associated with other events, was 

 derived from the old astrological observance of the passage 

 of the sun (the Passing over of the Sun-God) across the 

 equator, ascendingly ; while the Feast of Tabernacles was in 

 like manner ruled by the passage of the sun over the 

 equator descendingly. Our calendar rules for Easter and 

 other festivals would never, we may be well assured, 

 have been made to depend on the moon, but for their 

 original derivation from astronomical (that is astrological) 

 ceremonial.* 



When we remember that the astronomy of the time of 

 Cheops was essentially astrology, and astrology a most 

 important part of religion, we begin to see how the erec- 

 tion of the mighty mass of masonry for astronomical 

 purposes nia\' be explained, — or, rather, we see how, being 

 certainly astronomical, it must be explained. Inasmuch as 

 it is an astronomical building, erected in a time when 

 astronomy was astrology, it was erected for astrological 

 purposes. It was in this sense a sort of temple, erected, 

 indeed, for the peculiar benefit of one man or of a single 

 dynasty ; but as he was a king in a time when being a 

 king meant a great deal, what benefited him he doubtless 

 regarded as a benefit also to his people : in whatever sense 



* The Jewish people, when they left Egypt after their long 

 sojourn there, had doubtless become thoroughly accustomed to 

 the religious observances of the Egyptians (at any rate there is not 

 the slightest reference even to the Sabbath before the sojourn in 

 Egypt), and were disposed not only to retain these observances, 

 but to associate with them the Egyptian superstitions. Wo know 

 this, in fact, from the Bible record. Moses could not — no man ever 

 could — turn a nation from observances once become part of their 

 vcr)' life, but he could, and did, deprive them of their superstitions 

 character. 



