Animal Worship 61 



latter superstructure has so overlaid the former that 

 the foundation is buried well-nigh out of sight. The 

 basic idea of Egypt's religion seems to have been the 

 mystery of life and death. We see this in its rich 

 symbolism; in its worship of all bodily organization, 

 whether manifested in human, animal, or plant life; in 

 its doctrine of future existence. Transmigration of 

 souls, that most curious and most ancient of all beliefs, 

 was with them, not as in Buddhism and Brahmanism, 

 a retribution, but a condition of progress — thus 

 dimly foreshadowing our modern idea of a constant 

 upward evolution. According to Herodotus, 1 the 

 human soul had to pass through animals of all classes 

 before it once again entered the human body. This 

 circuit occupied 3000 years. It did not begin, how- 

 ever, until the body had decayed; hence if embalming 

 could postpone decay for 1000 years, so much would 

 be eliminated from the journey through animal life. 

 From this idea, as well as from that of the sacred ness 

 of all bodily organization, arose probably the religious 

 duty of preparing their tombs as dwellings for the 

 dead for such prolonged periods of time. 



Animal Worship 



The Egyptians also worshiped animals. " All ani- 

 mals, wild and tame," says Herodotus, 2 " were ac- 

 counted sacred ; so that if any one killed these animals 

 wilfully, he was put to death." Wilkinson, however, 



1 Herodotus, II. 123. Clarke's Ten Great Religions, p. 226, note. 



2 Ibid. Book II. § 65. Ibid. p. 227. 



