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Egypt's Strengths
The lines of sayings below, are rooted in pharaoh pictures and knowledge of a pharaoh's lot, in part re-edited. - T. Kinnes. Contents
Egypt's Strengths
THE CULTURE of ancient Egypt was remarkably advanced. We owe very much to ancient Egypt. How some lived: [LINK]The tradition-steered sivilization was versatile and rich in fixed contrasts and opposites. Ancient Egyptians were not so much concerned with the after-life and death in their everyday life as remains may give the impression of; their customs-regulated lives had room for artistic outlets, regulated celebrations and the good life for some. As might be expected, in the Pharaoic time an older culture was changed and controlled severely to serve those on top. [Ags] Famous texts from pyramids, sarcophaguses (lime-stone coffins), and the Egyptian Book of the Dead deal with the after-life, but still there are depictions of the vivid, old life in pyramid chambers and on sarcophaguses too. Ancient instructions that have come down to us show a series of neat moral standards. The Encyclopaedia Britannica says, Practical wisdom consisted chiefly of wise sayings that appealed to experience and offered prudential guidelines for a successful and happy life. Such wisdom is found in a collection of sayings bearing the name of Ptahhotep, a vizier to the Egyptian pharaoh about 2450 BCE, in which the sage counsels his son that the path to material success is by way of proper etiquette, strict discipline, and hard work. Although such instructions were largely materialistic and political, they were moral in character and contributed to a well-ordered society. [Ebu, "Proverbs"][LINK]The Book of Proverbs in the Bible contains seven collections of wise, short sayings from after Solomon's time. The third collection (22:17–24:22) has a close affinity to the Egyptian "Wisdom of Amenemope", from between the 900s and 500s BC. The likeness suggests the wisdom literature of Egypt was imported by smaller neighbours. [Ebu, "Proverbs, the"] Terse yet free-floating words and teachings that could fit a kind pharaoh are found below. All may be studied with the pharaoh picture as picture comments, except the one in quotation marks, which is a partial proverb. You can meditate on them. -TK SayingsAttain to a solid, good look into nature if you can.The darling shows strength. A touching scene needs to be appreciated. Inner clarity can illumine.¤ Keep strong happiness inside your own family. We should look after our children very well if we can (Vi skulle sjå vel etter om vi kan.) (3) A true master will not deceive an able servant. Doing well in time shows strength. ¤ Think "well-well" to fit in and avoid drudgery. Is mere faith - as little deviant as possible - a way? Is mere faith a way? Is sure faith really folly? "Birds are entangled by their feet -" Great doubts can both support and destroy little children. (5) The hardships could show our core beliefs. Is lost faith requited through folly?
Tao happens to assist little children. ¤ The hardship met with can be a yardstick of the strength of one's belief. You shall reap what you sow. (Proverb). Try not to waste a lot of the crop, then. Great thoughts and theories can be put in different languages. A pitiful mother would please anyone. (7)
[A T+ study]
AdjoinedAgs: Lurker, Manfred. Ægyptiske guder og symboler. København: Politiken, 1994.Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006. Soe: Hichens, Robert. The Spell of Egypt. New York: The Century Co., 1911.
CLICK on 'Literature' for the references of about 2000 works. ANNOTATIONS: Acronym letters in square brackets in the text refer to works. Click on 'Literature' above for examples. Page references are put right after reference letters. The abbreviation cf. means "compare". [MORE]. SEARCH THE SITE: Click on the rose in the upper left column for site searches, access to dictionaries, and further. REFER to the page by its 'location' address (above). PILOTING: Some pictures and texts on top of the pages are clickable, to ease navigation. [MORE]
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