The Egyptian Origin of ChristianityThe Egyptian Origin of ChristianityView color versions of photos in book
The Egyptian Origin of Christianity focuses on the ceremonial parallels between the modern Roman Catholic Church and ancient Egyptian ceremony. While all forms of Christianity display strong parallels to the rituals of ancient Egypt, perhaps the strongest examples can be seen in Roman Catholicism.
Ancient travelers dispersed from North Africa, carrying with them their traditions and customs. The importance of the Egyptian sway can no longer be denied. It has prompted great thinkers like Siegfried Morenz, Director of the University of Liepzig Institute of Egyptology, to remark that "the influence of the Egyptian religion on posterity is mainly felt through Christianity and its antecedents. Egypt's contribution to the Old Testament is actually a product of that country's relationship with Syria; its contribution to the New Testament, indeed, even to early Christian theology, must be seen as a special instance of that general influence exerted by Egypt upon the Hellenistic world."
It is that influence which is explored in The Egyptian Origin of Christianity in order that the true nature of religion as a whole may be elucidated.
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Endorsements |
"Lisa Ann Bargeman's The Egyptian Origin of Christianity offers an informative, iconoclastic analytical survey of those non-Biblical contributions to the concepts and ecumenical development of Christianity drawn from the Egyptian religious myths and rituals of antiquity. The juxtaposing of texts from the Bible and from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the comparison of similarities between the story of Osiris and the story of Jesus, the observations of cosmology, physical symbolism, and tradition are all revealed in startling and unexpected ways that will give serious students of both Egyptian and Christian metaphysics a great deal of food for thought and reflection. Lisa Bargeman adheres to a very high standard of scholarship both in her presentation and in her interpretative commentary. The Egyptian Origin of Christianity is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to Metaphysical Studies." Midwest Book Review
"I must admit that your ideas are very interesting, more fascinating [than I had anticipated]. I have read it with great interest. You illustrate your ideas [with] the Egyptian texts. [The Egyptian Origin of Christianity] can fill the scientific hole in this problem." Fr. Roman Szmurlo, Ph.D., Professor of Ancient Theology and Coptic Language, Warsaw University
"The author has done an excellent job in putting the book together, given the lack of readily available sources. This is a good contribution to scholarship.... I recommend this book to anyone interested in religion, African studies, and in humanities in general." Harrison Ola. Akingbade, Ph.D.
"Ms. Bargeman meticulously and definitely demonstrates that the Egyptian influence on modern theology can be easily discerned in Christian practices, and that Christianity as a whole is greatly indebted to its Egyptian antecedents. This book should be a welcomed addition to the TO DO list of all (not yet satisfied) avid readers of the now famous The Da Vinci Code....
"[The Egyptian Origin of Christianity] is intended for all those who question the origin of Christian symbols, rituals, and ceremonies. This book clearly demonstrates the similarities between Egyptian religion and Christianity in general and the modern Roman Catholic Church in particular." Denis and Claudette Goulet, Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities (Canadian chapter)
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Table of Contents |
List of Pharaohs
Foreword
Introduction
Ceremonial Parallels
Trinities
Sacred Language
Figuration
Animism
The Egyptian Mystery System
Maat
Netri
Conscience and the Gates of Saint Peter
The Jesus/Osiris Connection
The Mary/Isis Connection
Tiamat
Akhenaten
Amenhotep III and "Smenkhare"
Nefertiti
Zennanza
Feminine Pharaohship
Uncommon Matriarchs
Genesis
The Great Flood
Ancient Roots: Contemporary Thoughts
The Seven Sacraments
General Practices
Angels
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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Excerpt |
Ceremonial Parallels
Imagine, if you will, opening the doors to a shrine and blessing yourself with holy water as you enter. You prepare to sit and pray, for God can provide solace from all earthly problems. Once you have confided in statues (imbued with the spirit of the living God) and sung the hymn, others join you in the chant with relics and devotional items. Litanies are read. A priest gives the sermon, makes the Sign of the Peace, and prepares the celebrants for communion. The morning hymn in an Egyptian church was: Awake graciously, which meant in peace; thou awakest graciously, so let us awaken graciously in peace.
These are Egyptian rites, and it is tradition rather than coincidence that have made them so. Astoundingly, these rituals have been flawlessly perpetuated for five thousand years; but even more astounding is the fact that this miracle has gone for the most part unrecognized.
Papal custom rejects change. Modern governments have been open to more amendments than papal law through time (after 451 c.e.), but rigidity has its benefits, for it has successfully preserved such theological solemnity from before the third and fourth centuries b.c.e. to the present.
Nowhere can this be better demonstrated than in the Eucharistic service of the Catholic Mass. "The priest opens the shrine containing the image, prostrates himself before it, cleanses and perfumes it with incense, adorns and embellishes it, places crowns upon it, anoints it and beautifies it with cosmetic. Finally he wipes away his prints." This sounds like the Roman Catholic tabernacle rather than an ancient Egyptian rite, and indeed, these customs can be compared to the daily cleansing of the monstrance and cup, as well as that of daily elaborate adornment....