...Final Paper Even in Death we Worship: Death Rituals, Rites and Burial Traditions Introduction to Christian Worship Professor Angela Hibbard March 11, 2015 Sandra James Even in Death we Worship: Death Rituals, Rites and Burial Traditions Across the human Diaspora there have been many experiences that not only impact the individual but the community in which they hold membership. This includes being present with families for the joy and sorrows of their lives and the transitional rites of passages found along the way. This circle of life at times includes transitional events such as birth, marriage and death. And while in religious circles they are considered to be occasional services; they do have secular counterparts...
Words: 4878 - Pages: 20
...Ancient Egyptians/Religious Aspect Your Name Class Name Professor’s Name Date Assignment is Due Ancient Egyptians/Religious Aspect Ancient Egypt was a primeval civilization of eastern North Africa, concerted down the lower reaches of the Nile River presently referred to as the modern country of Egypt. The civilization banded together around 3150 BC with the political amalgamation of both Upper and Lower Egypt under the 1st pharaoh, and it greatly developed over the subsequent three millennia. Its history transpired in a succession of stable kingdoms separated by phases of relative volatility identified as Intermediate Periods. Ancient Egypt reached its pinnacle at some point in the New Kingdom, subsequent to which it entered an epoch of dawdling decline. Egypt was later conquered by a sequence of foreign authorities in this late period, and the pharaohs’ rule officially fizzled out around 31 BC at the period when the early Roman Empire subjugated Egypt and made it a province Consequently, Ancient Egyptian religion covers the assorted religious beliefs and rituals that were been practiced in ancient Egypt for a period of over 3,000 years, commencing from the pre-dynastic age until the espousal of Christianity during the early centuries AD. Originally, these beliefs concentrated on the adulation of multiple divinities who symbolized diverse forces of nature, power, and thought patterns articulated by the means of intricate and assorted prototypes....
Words: 3404 - Pages: 14
...which prove it. Although Egyptian temples were destroyed, manuscripts were burned and the statues of Gods were broken, Egyptian religion is still alive and the Gods rise repeatedly but in different forms. Regeneration There were a lot of solemn rites in Egypt due to death and resurrection of Osiris, for example: funerary ceremony where the main symbol of deceased was grain, planted in wet ground in clay jar .The appearance of plant meant revival with Osiris`s protection. The underground world in Egyptian culture was pledge of plants` regeneration through fat land containing moisture, it meant that those people whose bodies were buried into the ground, had an opportunity to regenerate, although in another form. The idea of dying and revival God was an essential discovery. Many nations took over the concept. Most historians are sure that The Bible stories about Christ`s life, death and resurrection are renewed version of Egyptian myth. Osiris, among all Gods, was more familiar and understandable for the nation: as a man and God, virtuous and suffered without any guilt and then awarded with eternity, in one time. U.Budge said:” The main reason why the Osiris cult existed was promise of timeless life for his followers.” Even after acceptance of Christianity Egyptians continued to mummify deceased people and combine attributes of their God and “Gods” with Jesus Crist`s ceremonies for a long time. They perceive Jesus as a prototype of Osiris, so Egyptians’` were the most prepared...
Words: 1479 - Pages: 6
...The Ancient Egyptians view of the underworld was very unique and different, especially when compared to the beliefs of modern day religions. The myth “The Death of Osiris” played a major role in their faith in a continued existence after death, their complex funeral rites, and their desire for immortality. This influenced their everyday life and was a prominent role in their myth, religion and culture. The Osiris myth is arguably one of the most well known Egyptian myths to this day. This myth revolves primarily on the death and rebirth Osiris. It shows his transcendence from the primeval king of Egypt to the king of the dead, Osiris. The myth of Osiris is the most influential myth in Ancient Egyptian times due to the significance of Osiris’...
Words: 1915 - Pages: 8
...Herculaneum, as well as most other Roman provinces, were polytheist in faith, and appeared to have an abundance of cults dedicated to foreign deities, as well as temples and shrines dedicated to past emperors. Furthermore, they believed in smaller gods which guarded the household, and had deities covering every aspect of life, but it was the patron gods of the towns that had impressive temples dedicated to them. Moreover, reminders of death in the form of paintings and skulls found everywhere urged the people to live life to the full, and there was a belief that if conclamatio – a rite and ritual of burial, was not done correctly, the dead would live on as malevolent entities. As both cities were polytheist in faith, Pompeii and Herculaneum had an abundance of cults and shrines dedicated to a few foreign deities. Commonly referred to as ‘mystery cults’, the uncovered evidence of the worship of Egyptian goddess Isis, and Greek god Dionysus, suggests that they were not as secretive as their name claims, and that they held a significance to their followers, who at first consisted of mostly women, slaves, and freedmen, but later achieved an important role in the society as nobles joined, and the cults prospered. Moreover, Mauiri, in 1939, made a find that widened the circle of foreign Gods worshipped in Pompeii. In the house of the Four Styles, he discovered an ivory statuette of Lakshimi, the Hindu Goddess of beauty, wealth, and fertility, whose...
Words: 1701 - Pages: 7
...Mummification Mummification started back around 2600 B.C., during the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the body was the house for the soul. And that even after death, the spirit could only live if the body was preserved forever. If the body was lost, so was the spirit. “In Egyptian religion, the spirit was made up of three parts: the ka, the ba, and the akh. The ka remained in the burial tomb, using the offerings and objects placed within it. The ba was considered the soul of the person, and it was free to fly outside of the confines of the tomb. And it was the akh that traveled to the Underworld for judgment, and to gain entrance into the Afterlife” (Writer873.) mummification most likely started when bodies were buried in the sand on the outside of the villages. The heat and sand would draw the moisture from the bodies thus naturally preserving them. It was only after ancient Egyptians started building tombs did they have to find a way of preserving the bodies themselves. In the beginning only pharos and high priests were allowed to be mummified. It was believed that the Pharaoh would go into the heavens and join his father, the sun god. His family and high ranking officers could also attain...
Words: 1981 - Pages: 8
...Core Assessment Project Corinna Sullwold |Religion Name |Cult of Pharaoh - Ancient |Mayan/Aztec - Ancient | |Origins of the religion: |Between 10000 and 7000 BCE a group of ancient Egyptians settled in the Nile Valley. |Mayan religion was founded c.250AD which is the rise of the Mayan civilization | |It's Founder, dates, Key Figures, Historical |7000 – 3000 BCD the people became organized into separate villages. After 3000 BCE |(http://www.religionfacts.com/mayan-religion) | |Development, Cosmogony (creation stories), |hieroglyphics were developed after the independent villages become united under one |Aztec formed between the 12th and 15th centuries AD. | |Myths |kingdom. They were then ruled by one imperial Pharaoh. |(http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-timeline.html) | | | |Religion for both cultures was a central part of their daily lives. They prayed and | |HOW THE RELIGION STARTED … ...
Words: 5398 - Pages: 22
...Like most Egyptian tombs Djehuty’s served the main purpose of artistically displaying the outstanding life of he who was mummified within. Too many archeologists however, this specific tomb serves an even greater more special purpose. Something that separates the Tomb of Djehuty from the other tombs of Egypt are the rare hieroglyphs or “the famous scene” depicting a huge monolithic statue being transported from the quarries. It’s described as made of alabaster and thirteen cubits high (6.5 yards). Which to scholars provides evidence of simple but effective methods of transportation in the world of Ancient Egypt. This tomb illustrates a sort of rite of passage for the Egyptians of power, displaying an instruction manual of just how they performed these rights with such great pieces of stone made into even greater sculptures. An in-depth description of the hieroglyph; in front of the statue is...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...What does the tomb of tutankhamen and its contents show about the Egyptian concern for the afterlife? Tutakhamen's tomb, and the artifacts inside are an indication of the concern the Ancient Egyptians held for the after-life of their king. In 26th Nov. 1922, the English archaeologist Howard Carter opened the virtually intact tomb of a largely unknown pharaoh: Tutankhamen. This was the first, and to date the finest royal tomb found virtually intact in the history of Egyptology. It took almost a decade of meticulous and painstaking work to empty the tomb of Tutankhamen. Around 3500 individual items were recovered. When the Burial Chamber of Tutankhamen was officially opened, on 17 February 1923, the Antechamber had been emptied. It had taken near fifty days to empty the Antechamber; the time required to dismantle and restore the contents of the Burial Chamber including the gilded wooden and the sarcophagus was to be greater, and the work was not completed until November 1930, eight years after the original discovery. One must examine both the tomb itself, and its contents, to see the connection between the tombs and burial rituals and the doctrine of eternal life. The royal tombs were not merely homes in the hereafter for the kings, as are the private tombs of commoners and nobility. Instead the tombs are cosmological vehicles of rebirth and deification as much as houses of eternity. As the king is supposed to become Osiris in a far more intimate way than commoners, he is equipped...
Words: 3225 - Pages: 13
...Many of the great works of ancient Egypt depicts regular and detailed depictions of human beings and the nature. Moreover, due to the highly religious nature of ancient Egyptian civilization, Egyptian artists have depicted gods, goddesses, and Pharaohs. The function was to describe their divine nature. Ancient Egyptian art is characterized by the idea of order. Symbolism and the use of simple geometry played an important role in establishing sense of order. Nonetheless, many Egyptian arts were not meant to be seen and were hidden from the commoners. For instance, the magnificent treasures of Tutankhamun were not to be seen by people. The first dwellers of the Nile Valley started making engraved drawings on the steep high faces of rocks, in the early eighth millennium BC .They were believed to be a manner of recording data. The depiction of the essential day today activities of their lives, like wild games, hunting scenes, river boating and domesticating animals were among the drawings. The art of the Predynastic period has endured in the form of carved stone , ivory grave goods, pottery vessels, which were placed near the dead body in burial cavities. Figures of living beings dedicated in fulfillment of a vow, were often female statuettes made of pottery and ivory. They may have related to early fertility followers of religious beliefs, as they amplified sexual features. Some of the painted scenes on pottery vessels show the prehistoric rock-carvings and styles and preoccupations...
Words: 1365 - Pages: 6
...in the U.S. Funeral Industry: A PESTEL Analysis The funeral industry, one of the oldest and among the most stable of industries regardless of economic trends, is facing one of the biggest challenges of its existence, and the threat is coming from an unlikely source – their own customers. People’s attitudes towards funerals have been changing and as a result, the number of traditional funerals has been declining. Funeral customs and services are as old as civilization itself. Throughout the history of mankind, every culture and civilization studied has attended to the proper care and disposition of their dead by way of three common things: some type of funeral rites, rituals and ceremonies, a sacred resting place and memorialization (Whittaker, 2005). Researchers have discovered Neanderthal burial grounds dating back to 60,000 BC along with animal antlers and flower remnants placed on the corpse indicating a form of ritual and gifts of remembrance. Primitive man lived in fear and reacted to life events and most natural phenomenon, such as weather, and attributed these acts to that of a higher being. Live and death events were thought to be the acts of spirits. These spirits were frightening as they could not be seen or sensed....
Words: 2287 - Pages: 10
...excavated temples and tombs lie secrets that will challenge current ideas about ancient Egypt. Discoveries—from the enormous burial tomb called KV5 to the sacred temples of Karnak—show how ancient Egyptians lived, worked, worshipped, and honored their dead. To provide a deeper understanding of Egypt’s past, head archaeologist Dr. Kent Weeks, along with other Egyptologists, leads viewers into ancient temples and tombs—including the resting place of Pharaoh Ramesses II’s lost children—some recorded on film for the first time. Epic in scope, Egypt Beyond the Pyramids demonstrates that as archaeologists uncover more about the past, their discoveries yield more questions than answers. Curriculum Links Egypt Beyond the Pyramids is appropriate for middle and high school classes in world history, ancient history, and art history. National History Standards Egypt Beyond the Pyramids fulfills the following National Standards for History: Historical Thinking 1 (Chronological Thinking), 2 (Historical Comprehension), 3 (Historical Analysis and Interpretation), 4 (Historical Research Capabilities), World History, Era 2. EGYPT BEYOND THE PYRAMIDS THE HISTORY CHANNEL CLASSROOM PRESENTS EGYPT HOUR 1: MANSIONS OF THE SPIRITS Egypt Beyond the Pyramids: Mansions of the Spirits takes the viewer on an exploration of the magnificent temple of Karnak, home to the Egyptian god Amun; the wonderfully preserved temple of Seti I, dedicated to the cult of Osiris; and the colossal mortuary temples of...
Words: 4214 - Pages: 17
...Week One Overview Why Study the Humanities? As students you are in various degree programs, what does the study of humanities hold for you? Are you really expected to care about any of this? What possible use could it be to you as you move through the various phases of your life and progress in your career? The textbook, The Creative Impulse. Sporre, D.J. 2002, defines the humanities as “those aspects of culture that look into the human spirit.” Study of the humanities traditionally includes the arts, literature, philosophy and history, and within history, the advent of technology and early scientific thought. These subjects contribute to our understanding of what it means to think, to feel, to be motivated to take action and to be human. That still sounds a little distant, doesn’t it? It’s not clear at all what any of this has to do with life as we experience it today. Consider this suggestion; that learning about these people with the strange names who lived in strange places so long ago, will open your eyes to the world around you in ways you never imagined. It will prompt you to think in new ways and to see connections between things you never knew were connected. If a genius is someone who sees connections between things that others do not, it will spark the genius within you. Some would argue that studying the Humanities in today’s cutthroat job market is a luxury we cannot afford to provide to students. The argument follows the lines of practicality...
Words: 1426 - Pages: 6
...is often decorated with a painting that reflects the life of the time. Images of birds and animals common to the Nile. Copper was used in small quantities for beads and simple tools, but most things were chipped from stone. Cosmetics made of stone were used for grinding eye paint. Small sculptures and pictures were either carved from ivory and bone or modeled in clay. Old Kingdom Sculpture From the early figures of clay, bone, and ivory in the Predynastic period, Egyptian sculpture developed quickly. By the time of Zoser large statues of the rulers were made as resting places for their spirits. Egyptian sculpture is best described by the terms cubic and frontal. The block of stone was first made rectangular; the design of the figure was then drawn on the front and the two sides. The resulting statue was meant to be seen mainly from the front. Since it was meant to be a timeless image meant to show the essence of the person sculpted, there was no need for it to be sculpted in the side. The Egyptian artist was not interested in showing movement. Standing figures are not shown as if they were walking but rather at rest. From the beginning of the dynastic period human anatomy was understood but given a definite form....
Words: 1694 - Pages: 7
...position of these so-called priest-kings was relatively unstable. If the god(s) didn't provide for welfare of the citizens, the people often held the king responsible, and deposed him. Ancient Mesopotamia was a region that contained several city-states, much like Italy during the Italian Renaissance period. Mesopotamia at this time did not have a centralized government but, instead, had many smaller regions with their own separate governments. The early kings ruled over only their own city-states. Lacking a centralized government and leader, the ancient region was prone to internal fighting among the kings for land and resources. The Mesopotamians believed their kings and queens were descended from the City of Gods, but, unlike the ancient Egyptians, they never believed their kings were real gods. Most kings named themselves “king of the universe” or “great king”. Another common name was “shepherd”, as kings had to look after their people. Sumerians: Gilgamesh (c. 2650 BC) - Gilgamesh was the 5th king of the Sumerian city of Uruk. He became known as a demigod with superhuman strength in later legends and tales such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. Akkadian Empire: Sargon the Great (reigned 2334 - 2279 BC) - or Sargon of Akkad, founded the world's 1st empire, the Akkadian Empire. He conquered many of the Sumerian city-states and united them under 1 rule. Naram-Sin (reigned 2254 - 2218 BC) - The Akkadian Empire reached its peak under his kingship. He was the first Mesopotamian ruler to...
Words: 2206 - Pages: 9
