Page:The Religion of Ancient Egypt.djvu/260

especially as pu generally comes at the end of a sentence. Now if we look at the passages of the Book of the Dead where these words occur, we shall see at once that they do not contain any mysterious doctrine about the Divine nature. In one of these passages^[1] the deceased says, "It is I who know the ways of Nu." In another place^[2] he says, "I am the Ancient One in the country [or fields];^[3] it is I who am Osiris, who shut up his father Seb and his mother Nut on that day of the great slaughter." "It is I who am Osiris, the Ancient One." In another recension of the same text, contained in the 96th chapter, the words nuk pu nuk disappear, because the narrative is in the third person. "He is the Bull in the fields, he is Osiris who shut up his father," and so forth. I have looked through a number of works professing to discover Egyptian influences in Hebrew institutions, but have not even found anything worth controverting. Purely external resemblances may no doubt be discovered in abundance, but evidence of the transmission of ideas will be sought in vain. I cannot find that any of the idolatries or superstitions of the Israelites are derived from Egyptian sources. The golden calf has been supposed, but on no sufficient grounds, to represent Apis or Mnevis.

1. Todt. 78, 21.
2. Ib. 31, 4.
3. Two of the many names of Horus are "the Youth in Town" and "the Lad in the Country." Todt. 85, 8, 9.