8. THE MATERIAL NEEDS OF THE SOUL.
In order that the soul might have its link with earth, the worshipper of the Aton prayed that his mummy might remain “firm” and uncorrupted, that the “flesh might live upon the bones,” and that his limbs might remain “knit together.” The Egyptians of other days believed that the body itself would live again at the resurrection, this being the reason why they attempted so carefully to preserve it; and Akhnaton does not appear to have altered this conception of the nature of the material body. So, too, in the Christian faith it is thought that at the last day the graves will give up their dead.
The spiritual body retained the form and the individuality of the material body, and therefore, in a somewhat vague manner, it was thought that the needs of the soul would not be very dissimilar from those of the body upon earth. Christ, after His resurrection, asked for food; and the feasts of Paradise are more than allegory to many a Christian. Likewise the follower of Akhnaton believed that material food, or its spiritual equivalent, would be necessary to the soul’s welfare in the next world. “May I be called by my name,” says he, “and come at the summons, in order to feed upon the good things provided upon the temple altar.” It would seem that through fidelity to the Aton creed he might have the privilege of partaking of the offerings made at the great ceremonies in the temple; for, after these sacrifices had been offered, the food, probably, was distributed to the priests and to those attached to the tombs, who represented the interests of the dead. Thus the deceased prays that he may enjoy “a reception of that which has been offered in the temple”; “a reception of offerings of the King’s giving in every shrine”; “a drink-offering in the temple of Aton”; “food deposited on the altar every day”; and “everything that is offered in the sanctuary of Aton in the City of the Horizon of Aton.” He further asks that “wine may be poured out” for him, and that “the children of his house may spill a libation for him at the entrance of his tomb.”
While life lasted God was very apparent to those who sought Him. Wherever the sun shone, wherever the great pulse of the earth beat beneath one, wherever the river flowed or the garden bloomed, there was God to be found; for God was happiness, was beauty, was love. But when the cold mists of death had enveloped a man, when there was no longer any spring-time nor any opening of the blossoms, how should there be contentment any more? From the depths of his heart Akhnaton urged his followers to pray God that He might provide this happiness, though it could only be voiced in very human words. It was not “sweet perfume” nor “the smell of incense” that the soul required; but how else could the pleasure of light-heartedness be worded? They prayed that their “limbs might be provided with pleasure every day.” In the stagnant air of the tomb they craved for the touch of the “sweet breeze,” for “the breath of the pleasant airs of the north wind.” They hoped in shadowy form to be able to visit the beloved scenes of their lifetime. “May I raise myself up and forget languor,” prays one. “May I leave and enter my mansion,” says another. “May my soul not be shut off from that which it desires. May I walk as I will in the grove that I have made upon earth. May I drink the water at the edge of my lake every day without ceasing.” “May water be poured out from my cistern,” cries a third; “may I receive fruit from my trees.” Incessantly each man implores God to grant that he may cool his parched lips with water. “A draught of water at the banks of the river,” is his desire; “a draught of water at the swirl of the stream.” While he smells “the scent of the wind” blowing amidst the petals of “a bouquet of Aton,” and while there runs “a brook of water” by his side, he need not know the horror of death. And thus, by receiving “everything good and sweet,” he may hope for “health and prosperity” in the hills and the valleys of the West; for a “happy life, provided with pleasure and joy,” for “amusement, merriment, and delight,” and for a “daily rejoicing” throughout eternity.
It may be argued that this material conception of the life after death is not equal in purity of tone to the faith of the Aton. But is it, then, less lofty to believe in a heaven in which there is joy and laughter, a scent of flowers, and a breath of north wind, than in one where the streets are paved with gold, and where there are many mansions? By no religion in the world is Christianity so closely approached as by the faith of Akhnaton; and if the Pharaoh’s doctrines as to immortality are not altogether convincing, neither are the Christian doctrines, as they are now interpreted, altogether without fault. In the above pages it has been necessary always to compare Akhnaton’s creed with Christianity, since there is so much common to the two religions; but it should be remembered that this comparison must of necessity be unfavourable to the Pharaoh’s doctrine, revealing as it does its shortcomings. Let the reader remember that Akhnaton lived some thirteen hundred years before the birth of Christ, at an age when the world was steeped in superstition and sunk in the fogs of idolatry. Bearing this in mind, he will not fail to see in that tenderly loving Father whom the boy-Pharaoh worshipped an early revelation of the God to whom we of the present day bow down; and once more he will find how true are the words—
“God fulfils Himself in many ways.”
Since writing the above, another point in Akhnaton’s teaching has become apparent, from the scenes, recently discovered by the present writer, in the tomb of Rames. There is a scene often represented upon the walls of tombs of Dynasty XVIII. which seems to represent human sacrifice. The figure of a man is seen dragged to the tomb upon a sledge, and Sir Gaston Maspero has pointed out that this can hardly be anything else than such a sacrifice. This scene was shown on one of the walls of the tomb of Rames, and evidently dated from a period previous to Akhnaton’s revolution. When, however, the young king had formulated his religion of love he could not tolerate a barbaric and cruel ceremony of this kind. We thus find that the entire scene is here obliterated, almost certainly by the king’s agents. The objection to human sacrifice is closely in accord with his objection to human suffering as recorded on [page 175].
[V.]
THE TENTH TO THE TWELFTH YEARS OF THE REIGN OF AKHNATON.
“One must be moved with involuntary admiration for the young king who in such an age found such thoughts in his heart.”—Breasted: ‘History of Egypt.’