Chapter CXLY.

5 A division of the Sekhet-Hetepu or ‘Elysian Fields,” for which see Chapter CX.
moe
21
(Lt Pe UDG iV EON I
THE Judgment Scene, of which a description is here given, forms a very important section of the Book of the Dead as contained in papyri of the XVIIIth, XITXth, and following Dynasties. It follows the two or more hymns with which a large papyrus opens, and seems to occupy a suitable place, and to form a fitting introduction to the selections of the chapters of Coming Forth by Day which follow it. These chapters refer to and deal with the events which took place in the life of the deceased, who has succeeded in entering the realm of Osiris, the god of the dead, but they, of necessity, were absolutely useless to any one who had not passed the judgment and been permitted by this god to enter his dominions. Those who were condemned in the judgment were devoured straightway by the Hater of the Dead, and ceased to exist. The Judgment Scene, as given in the large papyri, seems to have been developed from the vignette which illustrates one of the Chapters of the Heart (XXXz.), in which special reference is made to the weighing of the heart, or from one which, properly speaking, belonged to the CXX Vth Chapter. Where and when the judgment took place is unknown, but the original idea seems to have been
22 THE JUDGMENT
that the broad heavens, or a certain portion of them, formed the Judgment Hall, and that the judgment took place in the presence of the three Companies of the gods; as fhe head of the funereal Company Osiris occupied a very prominent position, and he eventually became the sole judge of the dead. The judgment of each individual seems to have taken place soon after death, and annihilation or everlasting life and bliss to have been decreed at once for the souls of the dead; there are no sufficient grounds for assuming that the ligyptians believed either in a general resurrection, or in protracted punishment. How far they thought that the prayers of the living for the dead were efficacious in arresting or modifying the decree of doom cannot be said, but very considerable importance was attached by them to funeral prayers and ceremonies in all ages, and there is no doubt that they were the outcome of the firm belief that they would result in the salvation and well-being of the souls of the dead.
The Scene of the Weighing of the Heart of the Dead.
[From the Papyrus of Ani (Brit. Mus. No. 10,470, plates 3 and 4). ]
Vignette: The scribe Ani and his wife Thuthu enter the Hall of Double Maat, wherein the heart, symbolic of the con- science, is to be weighed in the balance against the feather, emblematical of Right and Truth. In the upper register are the gods who sit in judgment, whose names are “ Harmachis, the great god in his boat, Temu, Shu, Tefnut the lady of heaven,
THE JUDGMENT.
Isis.
Seb. Tefnut. Shu. Temu. Harmachis.
Nut.
Nephthys.
Huand Sa. Hathor. Horus.
| FEPEMI MEE hI
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Thoth. The ‘‘ Hater of the Dead.”
of Maat.
Anubis, The feather
The heart. Luck.
Meskhenet. Ani’s
Renenet.
Ani and his wife Thuthu.
THE JUDGMENT 25
Seb, Nut the lady of heaven, Isis, Nephthys, Horus the great god, Hathor the lady of Amenta, Hu and Sa.” On the standard of the scales sits the dog-headed ape, the companion of Thoth, the scribe of the gods; and the god Anubis, jackal-headed, tests the tongue of the balance. On the left of the balance, facing Anubis are:—(1) Ani’s “Luck”; (2) the Meskhen or “cubit with human head,’ thought by some to be connected with the place of birth; (8) the goddesses Meskhenet and Renenet who presided over the birth, birth-place, and early education of children; and (4) the soul of Ani in the form of a human-headed bird standing on a pylon. On the right of the balance, behind Anubis, stands Thoth, the scribe of the gods, who holds in his hands his reed-pen and palette with which to record the result of the trial. Behind Thoth stands the monster called either Amam, the “Devourer,” or Am-mit, the “Eater of the Dead.”
Text: Osiris, the scribe Ani, saith :—
“My! heart my mother, my heart my mother, my “heart my coming into being. May there be nothing “to resist me at [my] judgment; may there be no “opposition to me from the T'chatcha;* may there be “no parting of thee from me in the presence of him “that keepeth the scales. Thou art my Ka (7.e., double) “within my body [which] knitteth together and “strengtheneth my limbs. Mayest thou come forth “to the place of happiness to which I am advancing. “May the Shenit* not cause my name to stink, “and may no lies be spoken against me in the
1 This speech of Ani is actually Chapter XXXz. (q.v.), but the last line has been omitted by the scribe for want of room.
2 T.e., the ‘*‘ Heads” or “Chiefs.” The Tchatcha of Osiris were
Mestha, api, Tuamautef and Qebhsennuf,. 3 T.e., divine officials.
26 THE JUDGMENT
“presence of the god. Good, good is it for thee to Se DORI. tay en
Thoth, the judge of Right and Truth of the great company of the gods who are in the presence of Osiris, saith :—‘‘ Hear ye this judgment. The heart of “Osiris hath in very truth been weighed, and his soul “hath stood as a witness for him; it hath been found “true by trial in the Great Balance. There hath not “been found any wickedness in him; he hath not “wasted the offerings in the temples; he hath not ‘done harm by his deeds; and he hath uttered no evil “yeports while he was upon earth.”
The great company of the gods reply to Thoth who dwelleth in Khemennu (Hermopolis) :—‘‘That which “cometh forth from thy mouth shall be declared true. “Osiris, the scribe Ani victorious, is holy and righteous. ‘“ He hath not sinned, neither hath he done evil against “us. It shall not be allowed to the devourer Amemet “to prevail over him. Meat-offerings and entrance ‘into the presence of the god Osiris shall be granted “unto him, together with a homestead for ever in ‘“Sekhet-hetepu,! as unto the followers of Horus.”
Vignette: The scribe Ani is led by Horus, the son of Isis, into the presence of Osiris who is enthroned within a shrine in the form of a funeral chest. Osiris has upon his head the Atef crown, and he holds in his hands the crook, the seceptre and the whip, emblematic of authority, dominion, and sovereignty ; from his neck hangs the mendt. His title here is “ Osiris, the
1 See Chapter CX.
THE JUDGMENT.
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Osiris in his shrine, with Isis, Ne and the!four children of Hor
Ani kneeling in adoration before Osiris
THE DECEASED IS LED IN BEFORE OSIRIS 29
lord of everlastingness.” Behind him stand Nephthys, his sister, on his right hand and Isis, his sister and wife, on his left. Before him, standing on a lotus flower, are the gods of the cardinal points or, as they are sometimes called, “the Children of Horus” and “Children of Osiris.” The first, Mestha, has the head of a man; the second, Hapi, the head of an ape; the third, Tuamautef, the head of a jackal; and the fourth, Qebhsennuf, the head of a hawk. Near the lotus hangs the skin of an animal. The side of the throne of Osiris is painted to resemble that of a funeral chest. The roof of the ' shrine is supported on pillars with lotus capitals, and is sur- mounted by a figure of Horus-Sept or Horus-Seker, and by rows of uraei. The pedestal on which the shrine rests is in the form of the hieroglyphic which is emblematic of Madt or “Right and Truth.” Before the shrine is a table of offerings by which, on a reed mat, kneels Ani with his right hand raised in adoration ; in the left hand he holds the Kherp sceptre. He wears on his head a whitened wig and the so-called “ cone,” the signification of which is unknown.
Text: (1) Saith Horus the son of Isis: “I have “come to thee, O Un-nefer, and I have brought unto “thee the Osiris Ani. His heart is [found] righteous, (2) and it hath come forth from the balance; it hath “not sinned against any god or any goddess, Thoth “hath weighed it according to the decree pronounced “(3) unto him by the company of the gods; and it is “most true and righteous. Grant that cakes and ale “may be given unto him, and let him appear in the “presence of the god Osiris; (4) and Jet him be like “unto the followers of Horus for ever and for ever.”
(1) And Osiris Ani (2) saith : “Behold, I am in thy “presence, O lord of (3) Amentet. There is no sin in “my (4) body. Ihave not spoken that which is not
30 VARIANT DETAILS OF THE JUDGMENT SCENE
“true (5) knowingly, nor have I done aught with a “false heart. Grant thou that I may be like unto “those favoured ones who are in thy following, (6) and “that I may be an Osiris greatly favoured of the “Deautiful god, and beloved of the lord of the world. ‘“{I] who am, indeed, a royal scribe who loveth thee, ‘Ani, victorious before the god Osiris.”
The details of the Judgment Scene vary considerably in the papyri of different periods, and it seems as if every scribe or artist felt himself free to follow out his own ideas of its treatment. First, as regards the Great Balance. The beam is always exactly horizontal, a fact which proves that the Egyptian was only asked to make his heart or conscience to just counterbalance, and not outweigh the feather of Maat. The pillar of the Balance is at times (see pp. 23 and 32) surmounted by the ape of Thoth, at others by the head of Maat (see p- 81), at others by the head of Anubis (see p. 31), and at others by the head of Thoth himself. The feather of Maat, i, which is in one pan of the scales, is often exchanged for the figure of the goddess herself (see p. 32). The actual weighing of the heart is performed sometimes by Anubis (see pp. 31, 32), and sometimes by Maat (see p. 31); usually the deceased enters the Hall of Judgment alone or accompanied by his wife, but sometimes he is led in by Anubis, and sometimes by a dog-headed god who carries a knife in his left hand. The Eater of the Dead sometimes sits,
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32
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The Weighing of the Heart. (From the Papyrus of Qenna,)
‘ , >. 2 7 Y/ pez Se Guile
fae laseele.
The Weighing of the Heart (from the Papyrus of Anhai),
THE VIGNETTE OF THE JUDGMENT SCENE 33
and sometimes stands by the side of the pillar of the Balance; in the Papyrus of Hu-nefer (see p. 31) a description of her appears above her head, thus :— “Am-mit, her forepart [is that of] crocodiles, her hind- “part [is that of a] hippopotamus, and her middle [is “that of a] lion.” In details the Judgment Scene as given in the Papyrus of Ani is very full (see p. 23), and very few papyri contain the “ Luck” and the nursing goddesses Meskhenet and Renenet in human form. The arrangement of one part of the Scene in the Papyrus of Anhai (see p. 82) is most unusual. In the upper register we have the Great and Little Companies of the gods arranged facing each other; the former contains five gods and the latter six. Now a pawt, or Company of gods, rarely contained less than nine gods, though often more. Hach Company is seated before a meagre table of offerings. Below these gods are two human-headed objects which are called respectively Shai and Renenet ; each has the head of a woman, but one, Shai, should have.had that of a man, and a beard. It is noteworthy that the Kater of the Dead is not seated by Anubis, and that the god Anubis grasps one of the cords by which the pan of the Balance that contains the heart is suspended, as if to steady the beam. The text above the head of Anubis is unusual (see also the Scene from the Papyrus of Ani, p. 25), and contains an exhortation addressed to the ape of Thoth seated on the top of the pillar, that this god will give his careful attention to the correct weighing of the heart of the VOL. I. D
34 THE VIGNETTE OF THE JUDGMENT SCENE
deceased in the Balance. The text above the Hater of the Dead is a prayer by the deceased, who entreats the god, saying, “ Set my heart upon the throne of right in the presence of the Great God.” The result of the weighing of the heart is always noted by Thoth, who records it upon his palette. The deceased is sometimes led into the presence of Osiris by Horus, the son of Isis, and sometimes by Anubis. In papyri wherein the the vignettes are not very elaborate, Osiris stands or sits in his shrine alone, but in fully illustrated papyri he is accompanied by Isis and Nephthys, and by the four children of Horus, who stand on a lotus flower (see pp. 27, 35). The stem of this flower springs from out of the waters of a lake, whereon the throne of Osiris is placed (see the following illustration from the Papyrus of Hu-nefer); this lake was fed by the celestial Nile, or by one of its branches, and was the source whence the beatified, as well as the gods, drank. This scene is of considerable interest from the point of view of comparative -mythology, for many Semitic writers held the opinion that the throne of the deity was placed, or rested upon, a stream of water, or a river. Even in the Book of Revelation we have a reference to a “pure river of water, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God” (see chapter xxii. 1).
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39