Lecture Egyptian Sun-God Worship Part 2

Hymns to Rā

The above paragraphs contain a statement of the facts concerning the worships of Rā and Osiris which appear to be fairly deducible from the extant religious literature of the Egyptians, but it is time to let the hymns to these gods declare the attributes which were assigned to them during the most flourishing period of Egyptian history. More hymns were addressed to these two than to any other gods, a fact which proves that they were considered to be the chief means of salvation for the Egyptians.

The following hymns are taken from the Papyri of Hunefer, and Ani, and Nekht:—

“Homage to thee, O thou who art Rā when thou risest, and Temu when thou settest. Thou risest, thou risest, thou shinest, thou shinest, thou who art crowned king of the gods.

Thou art the lord of heaven, thou art the lord of earth; thou art the creator of those who dwell in the heights and of those who dwell in the depths.

Thou art the God One who didst come into being in the beginning of time. Thou didst create the earth, thou didst fashion man, thou didst make the watery abyss of the sky, thou didst form Ḥāpi (the Nile), thou didst create the watery abyss, and thou dost give life unto all that therein is.

Thou hast knit together the mountains, thou hast made mankind and the beasts of the field to come into being, thou hast made the heavens and the earth. Worshipped be thou whom Maāt embraceth at morn and at eve.

Thou dost travel across the sky with heart swelling with joy; the Lake of Testes becometh contented thereat. The serpent-fiend Nȧk hath fallen, and his two arms are cut off.

The Sektet boat receiveth fair winds, and the heart of him that is in the shrine thereof rejoiceth. Thou art crowned prince of heaven, and thou art the One dowered [with all attributes] who comest forth from the sky. Rā is he whose word when uttered must come to pass.

O thou divine Youth, thou heir of everlastingness, thou self-begotten one, thou who didst give thyself birth! O thou One, thou mighty [one] of myriad forms and aspects, King of the world, Prince of Ȧnnu (Heliopolis), lord of eternity and ruler of everlastingness, the company of the gods rejoice when thou risest and when thou sailest across the sky, O thou who art exalted in the Sektet boat.”

(From the Papyrus of Hunefer, sheet 1.)

“Hail, thou Disk, thou lord of rays, who risest on the horizon day by day! Homage to thee, O Ḥeru-khuti, who art the god Kheperȧ the self-created; when thou risest on the horizon and sheddest thy beams of light upon the lands of the North and of the South, thou art beautiful, yea beautiful, and all the gods rejoice when they behold thee, the King of heaven.

The goddess Nebt-unnut is stablished upon thy head ; and her uraei of the South and of the North are upon thy brow ; she taketh up her place before thee. The god Thoth is stablished in the bows of thy boat to destroy utterly all thy foes.

Those who are in the Ṭuat come forth to meet thee, and they bow in homage as they come towards thee to behold thy beautiful form. And I have come before thee that I may be with thee to behold thy Disk every day.

May I not be shut up in [the tomb], may I not be turned back, may the members of my body be made new when I view thy beauties, even as [are those of] all thy favoured ones, because I am one of those who worshipped thee upon earth.

May I come in unto the land of eternity, may I come even unto the everlasting land, for behold, O my lord, this hast thou ordained for me.

Homage to thee, O thou who risest in the horizon as Rā, thou restest upon law unchangeable and unalterable. Thou passest over the sky, and every face watcheth thee and thy course, for thou hast been hidden from their gaze.

Thou dost show thyself at dawn and at eventide day by day. The Sektet boat, wherein is thy Majesty, goeth forth with light; thy beams are upon all faces ; the [number] of thy red and yellow rays cannot be known, nor can thy bright beams be told.

The lands of the gods, and the lands of Punt must be seen, ere that which is hidden [in thee] may be measured. Alone and by thyself thou dost manifest thyself when thou comest into being above Nu.

May I advance, even as thou dost advance ; may I never cease to go forward as thou never ceasest to go forward, even though it be for a moment; for with strides thou dost in one little moment pass over the spaces which would need millions and millions of years [for men to pass over; this] thou doest and then thou dost sink to rest.

Thou puttest an end to the hours of the night, and thou dost count them, even thou; thou endest them in thine own appointed season, and the earth becometh light. Thou settest thyself therefore before thy handiwork in the likeness of Rā [when] thou risest on the horizon.

Thou art crowned with the majesty of thy beauties ; thou mouldest thy limbs as thou dost advance, and thou bringest them forth without birth-pangs in the form of Rā, as thou dost rise up into the upper air.

Grant thou that I may come unto the heaven which is everlasting, and into the mountain where dwell thy favoured ones. May I be joined unto those shining beings, holy and perfect, who are in the Underworld ; and may I come forth with them to behold thy beauties when thou shinest at eventide and goest to thy mother Nu.

Thou dost place thyself in the west, and my two hands are [raised] in adoration of thee when thou settest as a living being. Behold, thou art the maker of eternity, and thou art adored when thou settest in the heavens. I have given my heart unto thee without wavering, O thou who art mightier than the gods.

A hymn of praise to thee, O thou who risest like unto gold, and who dost flood the world with light on the day of thy birth. Thy mother giveth thee birth, and thou dost give light unto the course of the Disk.

O thou great Light, who shinest in the heavens, thou dost strengthen the generations of men with the Nile-flood, and thou dost cause gladness in all lands, and in all cities, and in all temples. Thou art glorious by reason of thy splendours, and thou makest strong thy Double with divine foods.

O thou mighty one of victories, thou who art the Power of Powers, who dost make strong thy throne against evil fiends ; who art glorious in majesty in the Sektet boat, and who art exceedingly mighty in the Ātet boat, make thou me glorious through words which when spoken must take effect in the Underworld; and grant thou that in the nether world I may be without evil.

I pray thee to put my faults behind thee ; grant thou that I may be one of thy loyal servants who are with the shining ones ; may I be joined unto the souls which are in Ta-tchesertet, and may I journey into the Sekhet-Ȧaru by a prosperous and happy decree.”

(From the Papyrus of Ani, sheet 20 f.)

“Homage to thee, O thou glorious being, thou who art dowered with all attributes, O Tem-Ḥeru-khuti, when thou risest in the horizon of heaven, a cry of joy cometh forth to thee from the mouth of all peoples.

O thou beautiful being, thou dost renew thyself in thy season in the form of the Disk within thy mother Hathor ; therefore in every place every heart swelleth with joy at thy rising for ever. The regions of the North and South come to thee with homage, and send forth acclamations at thy rising in the horizon of heaven; thou illuminest the two  lands with rays of turquoise light.

O Rā, thou who art Ḥeru-khuti, the divine man-child, the heir of eternity, self-begotten and self-born, king of earth, prince of the Ṭuat, governor of the regions of ȧuḳert; thou comest forth from the water, thou hast sprung from the god Nu, who cherisheth thee and ordereth thy members.

O thou god of life, thou lord of love, all men live when thou shinest; thou art crowned king of the gods. The goddess Nut doeth homage unto thee, and Maāt embraceth thee at all times.

Those who are in thy following sing unto thee with joy and bow down their foreheads to the earth when they meet thee, thou lord of heaven, thou lord of earth, thou king of Right and Truth, thou lord of eternity, thou prince of ever-lastingness, thou sovereign of all the gods, thou god of life, thou creator of eternity, thou maker of heaven wherein thou art firmly established.

The company of the gods rejoice at thy rising, the earth is glad when it beholdeth thy rays ; the peoples that have been long dead come forth with cries of joy to see thy beauties every day. Thou goest forth each day over heaven and earth and art made strong each day by thy mother Nut.

Thou passest through the heights of heaven, thy heart swelleth with joy; and the Lake of Testes is content thereat. The Serpent-fiend hath fallen, his arms are hewn off, the knife hath cut asunder his joints. Rā liveth by Maāt the beautiful.

The Sektet boat draweth on and cometh into port; the South and the North, the West and the East turn to praise thee, O thou primeval substance of the earth who didst come into being of thine own accord. Isis and Nephthys salute thee, they sing unto thee songs of joy at thy rising in the boat, they protect thee with their hands. The souls of the East follow thee, the souls of the West praise thee.

Thou art the ruler of all the gods, and thou hast joy of heart within thy shrine, for the serpent fiend Nȧk hath been condemned to the fire, and thy heart shall be joyful for ever.”

(From the Papyrus of Neicht, sheet 21.)

Book of the Dead - Hymn to Ra

The Praises of Ra

Even more instructive, however, than these are the Seventy-five Praises of Rā which are found inscribed on the walls of royal tombs of the XIXth and XXth Dynasties at Thebes. In these we find enumerated a large number of most remarkable epithets and attributes, some idea of the meaning of which will be gathered from the following rendering:—

1. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, lord of the hidden circles [of the Ṭuat], bringer of forms, thou restest in secret places and makes thy creations in the form of the god Ṭamṭ (, i.e., the universal god).
2. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, thou creative force (), who spreadest out thy wings, who restest in the Ṭuaṭ, who makest the created things which come forth from his divine limbs.
3. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, Ta-thenen, begetter of his gods. Thou art he who protecteth what is in him, and thou makest thy creations as Governer of thy Circle.
4. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, looker on the earth, and brightener of Ȧmenti. Thou art he whose forms () are his own creations, and thou makest thy creations in thy Great Disk.
5. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the Word-soul, that resteth on his high place. Thou art he who protecteth thy hidden spirits (), and they have form in thee.
6. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, mighty one, bold of face, the knitter together of his body. Thou art he who gathereth together thy gods when thou goest into thy hidden Circle.
7. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem. Thou dost call to thine Eye, and dost speak to thy head, and dost give breath to the souls in their places, and they receive it and have their forms in him.
8. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, destroyer of thy enemies ; thou art he who doth decree destruction for the dead ().
9. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the sender forth of light into his Circle ; thou art he who maketh the darkness to be in his Circle and thou coverest those who are therein.”
10. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the illuminer of bodies in the horizons ; thou art he who entereth into his Circle.
11. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, support () of the Circles of Ȧment; thou art indeed the body of Temu ().
12. “Praise be to thee, O Ra, exalted Sekhem, the hidden support of Ȧnpu (); thou art indeed the body of Kheperȧ ().
13. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, whose duration of life is greater than that of her whose forms are hidden ; thou art indeed the bodies of Shu ().
14. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the guide (s ebi) of Rā to his members ; thou art indeed the bodies of Tefnut ().
15. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou dost make to be abundant the things which are of Rā in their seasons, and thou art indeed Seb ().
16. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the mighty one who doth keep count of the things which are in him; thou art indeed the bodies of Nut.
17. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the lord who advancest; thou art indeed Isis ().
18. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, whose head shineth more than the things which are in front of him ; thou art indeed the bodies of Nephthys () .
19. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, united is he in members, One, who gathereth together all seed ; thou art indeed the bodies of Horus () .
20. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, thou shining one who dost send forth light upon the waters of heaven ; thou art indeed the bodies of Nu () .
21. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the avenger of Nu who cometh forth from what is in him ; thou art indeed the bodies of the god Remi () .
22. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art the two Uraei who bear their two feathers [on their heads]; thou art indeed the bodies of the god Ḥuaaiti ().
23. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou goest in and comest out and thou comest oat and goest in to thy hidden Circle, and thou art indeed the bodies of Āaṭu ()
24. “Praise be to thee, O Ra, exalted Sekhem, the Soul who departeth at his appointed time ; thou art indeed the bodies of Nethert ().
25. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, who standeth up, the Soul One, who avengeth his children; thou art indeed the bodies of Netuti ().
26. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou raisest thy head and thou makest bold thy brow, thou ram, mightiest of created things.
27. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the light of Shu at the head of Ȧḳert () ; thou art indeed the bodies of Ȧment ().
28. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, the soul that seeth, the governor of Ȧment; thou art indeed the bodies of the double Circle ().
29. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the Soul that mourneth, and the god that crieth (); thou art indeed the bodies of Ȧakebi ().
30. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou makest thy hand to pass and praisest thine Eye, and thou art indeed the bodies of the god of hidden limbs ().
31. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art the Soul exalted in the double hidden place (); thou art indeed Khenti-Ȧmenti ().
32. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, of manifold creations in the holy house ; thou art indeed the bodies of the god Kheprer ().
33. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou placest thine enemies in their strong fetters, and thou art indeed the bodies of Mati ().
34. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou givest forth light in the hidden place, and thou art the bodies of the god of generation ().
35. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the vivifìer of bodies ; thou makest throats to inhale breath, and thou art indeed the bodies of the god Ṭebati ().
36. “Praise be to thee, O Ra, exalted Sekhem ; thou assemblest “bodies in the Ṭuaṭ, and they gain the form of life, thou destroyest foul humours, and thou art indeed the bodies of the god Serqi ().
37. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, Hidden-face (), Seshem-Nethert (); thou art indeed the bodies of Shai ().
38. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, lord of might; thou embracest the Ṭuat and thou art indeed the bodies of Sekhen-Ba ().
39. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou hidest thy body in that which is within thee, and thou art indeed the bodies of Ȧmen-khat ().
40. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, more strong of heart than those who are in his following ; thou sendest fire in the house of destruction, and thou art indeed the bodies of the Fire-god Rekḥi ().
41. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou sendest forth destruction, and thou makest beings to come into existence in thy creations in the Ṭuat, and thou art the bodies of Ṭuati ().
42. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, Bua-ṭep (), governor of his Eye ; thou sendest forth light into the hidden place, and thou art indeed the body of Shepi ()·
43. “Praise be to thee, O Ra, exalted Sekhem, Ṭemṭ-ḥātu, stablisher of Ȧmta () ; thou art indeed the bodies of Ṭemṭ-ḥātu ().
44. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, creator of hidden things, generator of bodies ; thou art indeed the bodies of the god Seshetai ().
45. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou providest those who are in the Ṭuat with what they need in the hidden Circles, and thou art indeed Āper-ta ().
46. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thy limbs rejoice when they see thy body, O Uash-Ba (), when thou enterest thy body, and thou art indeed the bodies of Ḥāi().
47. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, aged one of the pupil () of the Utchat, Bai (); thou makest full thy splendour, and thou art indeed the bodies of Thenti ().
48. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou makest straight ways in the Ṭuat, and openest up roads in the hidden place, and thou art indeed the bodies of Maā-uat ()·
49. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art the Soul who movest onwards, and thou hastenest thy steps, and thou art indeed the bodies of Ȧkhpȧ ().
50. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou sendest forth thy stars and thou illuminest the darkness in the Circles of those whose forms are hidden, and thou art indeed the god Ḥetchiu ().
51. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the maker of the Circles, thou makest bodies to come into being by thine own creative vigour. Thou, O Rā, hast created the things which exist, and the things which do not exist, the dead (), and the gods, and the spirits; thou art indeed the body that maketh Khati () to come into being.
52. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the doubly hidden and secret god (), and the souls go where thou leadest them, and those who follow thee thou makest to enter in ; thou art indeed the bodies of Ȧmeni ().
53. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art Uben-Ȧn () of Ȧment, and the light of the lock of hair on thee. . . . ; thou art indeed the bodies of the god Uben.
54. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the Aged One of forms who dost go about through the Ṭuat, to whom the souls in their Circles ascribe praises ; and thou art indeed the bodies of Then-ȧru ().
55. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; when thou dost unite thyself to the Beautiful Ament, the gods of the Ṭuat rejoice at the sight of thee ; thou art indeed the bodies of Ȧāi ().
56. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the Great Cat, the avenger of the gods, and the judge of words, and the president of the sovereign chiefs (or, assessors), and the governor of the holy Circle ; thou art indeed the bodies of the Great Cat ().
57. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; when thou fillest thine eye, and speakest to the pupil thereof, the divine dead bodies shed tears; thou art indeed the bodies of Meṭu-khut-f ().
58. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art the Soul on high and thy bodies are hidden ; thou sendest forth the light, and thou lookest upon thy hidden things (or, places) ; thou art indeed the bodies of Ḥer-ba ().
59. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, exalted of Soul; thou destroyest thine enemies, thou sendest fire on the wicked, and thou art the bodies of Qa-Ba ()
60. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, Ȧuaiu (), who hidest in purity ; thou hast gained the mastery over the souls of the gods, and thou art indeed the bodies of Ȧuai.
61. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, Oldest one () Great one, Governor of the Ṭuat, Creating one (); thou didst create the two Setchet () and thou art indeed the bodies of the two Setchet gods ().
62. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem, Mighty One of journeyings ; thou orderest thy steps by Maāt, thou art the Soul that doeth good to the body, thou art Senk-ḥrȧ (, i.e., Face of Light), and thou art indeed the bodies of Senk-ḥrȧ.
63. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou dost protect (or, avenge) thy body, and thou dost hold the balance [among] the gods as the hidden Amȧ (), [and] as Ȧm-ta (), and thou art indeed the bodies of the double god Amȧ-Ȧmta ().
64. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the lord of the fetters of thine enemies, the One, the Prince of the Apes (), and thou art indeed the bodies of Ȧntetu ().
65. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou sendest forth flames into thy furnaces (), and thou cuttest off the heads of those who are to be destroyed (), and thou art indeed the bodies of the two gods Ketuit ().
66. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art the god of generation (), thou destroyest [thy] offspring, thou art One, thou stablishest the two lands by [thy] spirit (), and thou art indeed the bodies of the god Ta-Thenen ().
67. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou stablishest the gods who watch the hours () on their standards, and who are invisible and secret, and thou art indeed the bodies of the Watcher gods ().
68. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the double Tchent god () of heaven, and the gate of the Ṭuat, and the god Besi () [with] his spiritual bodies (PLAATJE), and thou art the bodies of Besi. ()
69. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the Apes ()....., and thou art the true creative Power of [thy] divine attributes (), and thou art indeed the bodies of the Ape-god in the Ṭuat.
70. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou makest new the earth, and thou openest a way for that which is therein, thou that art the Soul which giveth names unto his limbs, and thou art indeed the bodies of Sma-ta ().
71. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art Neḥi () who burnest up thine enemies, the Fire-god Setcheti (), who burneth up fetters, and thou art indeed the bodies of Neḥi ().
72. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art the god of motion (), the god of light (), who travelleth, thou makest the darkness to come into being after thy light, and thou art indeed the bodies of Shemti.
73. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art the lord of souls who art in the house of thy obelisk (), thou art the chief of the gods who are supreme in their districts (), and thou art indeed the god Neb-baiu (, i.e., Lord of souls).
74. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem; thou art the double Sphinx-god, the Double obelisk-god (), the Great God who lifteth up his two Eyes, and thou art indeed the bodies of the double Sphinx god Ḥuiti ().
75. “Praise be to thee, O Rā, exalted Sekhem ; thou art the lord of light and declarest the things which are hidden, and thou art the Soul that speaketh with the gods who are in their “Circles, and thou art indeed the bodies of Neb-Senku (, i.e., the Lord of light).”

An impartial examination of the above translation will show the reader the lofty conceptions which were associated by the Egyptians with Rā the Sun-god, and there is not room for any reasonable doubt that they ascribed to the god, whose symbol was the sun, all the attributes which modern nations are wont to regard as the properties peculiar to God Almighty.

He was One, and the maker of “gods” and men ; he was the creator of heaven, earth, and the underworld ; he was self-begotten, self-created, and self-produced ; he had existed for ever and would exist to all eternity ; he was the source of all life and light; and he was the personification of right and truth, and goodness, and the destroyer of darkness, night, wickedness, and evil. There is scarcely an attribute of importance ascribed to our God for which there is no equivalent in the hymns and texts which relate to Rā and describe his greatness and power, for he was not only the god of the living but also the god of the dead, and the god of everything unborn.

His relations with Osiris, who was part god and part man, and was the cause and type of immortality for man, were at once those of a god, a father, and an equal, and when we consider that Osiris was a king who reigned over Egypt, and that every king was an incarnation of Rā, it is easy to understand how he came to have the power to rise from the dead, and to act as the judge of the dead on behalf of his father Rā.