Osiris and the Egyptian resurrection ( volume one)
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| Osiris and the Egyptian resurrection |
Sir Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge’s Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection (1911) is one of his most famous works, exploring the mythology of Osiris and the central role resurrection played in ancient Egyptian religion. Budge, who was Keeper of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities at the British Museum, devoted this two‑volume study to tracing how Osiris became the archetype of rebirth and eternal life in Egyptian thought.
📖 Key Themes in Budge’s Work
Osiris Myth: Budge details Osiris’s murder by his brother Set, his restoration by Isis, and his role as judge of the dead.
Resurrection Belief: He argues that Osiris symbolized the hope of eternal life, influencing Egyptian funerary practices and texts.
Funerary Texts: The Book of the Dead and pyramid texts are analyzed as evidence of Osiris’s importance in guiding souls.
Comparative Religion: Budge often compared Egyptian resurrection beliefs to Christian ideas, though modern scholars critique his methods.
Historical Context: Written in 1911, the book reflects early 20th‑century Egyptology, mixing philology, mythological analysis, and Victorian religious comparisons.
Contents of Osiris and the Egyptian resurrection
Volume I
- Chapter I: The history of Osiris as told by classical writers
- Chapter II: The name and iconography of Osiris
- Chapter III: The mutilation and dismemberment of Osiris, his reconstitution and resurrection, his entrance into heaven, and his state of being there
- Chapter IV: The heaven of Osiris under the dynasty, with translations from the pyramid texts
- Chapter V: Osiris and cannibalism
- Chapter VI: Osiris and human sacrifice and funeral murders
- Chapter VII: Osiris and dancing
- Chapter VIII: Osiris and sacrifice and offering, the propitiation of good and evil spirits by offerings, amulets, etc.
- Chapter IX: Osiris the ancestral spirit and God
- Chapter X: Osiris as judge of the dead
- Chapter XI: The African belief in God and the doctrine of last things
- Chapter XII: Osiris as a moon-god
- Chapter XIII: Osiris as a bull-god