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Reviewed by Kerry Wisner for Cup of Wonder Issue 6

Until recently it would seem that most academics in English speaking countries have glossed over the subject Ancient Egyptian religion. It was almost as if the rich complexities and deep thought that had gone into the formation of this wonderful system of spiritual understanding was lost to most. With the exception of the work of Dr. George Hart out of the UK it seemed as though few really gave Ancient Egyptian religion serious consideration. However, within the past ten years there has been a shift in research. Many new and brilliant works have emerged in English speaking countries that begin to reach into this important area of philosophical study. I believe this is in part due to the translation of the works of German Egyptologist E. Hornung. Following in this wake, German Professor Jan Assmann's 1984 classic "The Search For God In Ancient Egypt" was just released by Cornell University in a new English translation. With it the probability of an even greater renewed interest in Ancient Egyptian spiritual thought seems likely.

This is undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read on the subject. From the very beginning Dr. Assmann carefully engages the reader in thought-provoking discussions concerning many of the complexities of Egyptian philosophical thought. For me personally, every turn of the page seemed to provide unique insights and information that caused me to rethink much of what I had thought I had known of Egyptian religion. This book is an invaluable tool for the academic and the ritual Kemetic alike.

Dr. Assmann begins with an overview of the fundamental concepts that form the foundation of this philosophy. In particular I was drawn to his discussion "God versus Gods." In this he concludes that both the concept of monotheism and polytheism were vital to Egyptian thought as part of a cohesive singular philosophy. And that while most in today's era may find the two concepts in conflict with each other, in Ancient Egypt they were seen as fundamentally linked to each other as complimentary views throughout Egypt's long history. Unlike most other scholars Dr. Assmann doesn't feel that monotheistic thought began with Akhenaten:

"They [the Egyptians-KW] held on to both truths, the unity of god and the differentiated plurality of gods, until Akhenaten, who would not tolerate this tension and made an attempt to found a new religion that knew only a single god. That such an attempt could be made, along with its immediate failure, show how indispensably both realities were anchored in the complexity of Egyptian polytheism and its experience of the world."

Dr. Assmann concludes that this ancient view, rather than being in conflict with each other was really two different ways of viewing the same thing:

"We have here a general complementarity, two equally valid but mutually exclusive points of view, like the wave and the particle theories of light."

There are so many wonderful concepts discussed in this book I hardly know which to point readers to first. One of the most impressive is the discussion on the "Cosmos and Time."Here Dr. Assmann explains that the Egyptians saw time as two complimentary concepts: neheh and djet. This reviewer can not adequately describe Dr. Assmann's discussion of these important ideas in the limited space available here. However, briefly he equates neheh with 'change' and djet with 'completeness' or that which 'endures.' Neheh is perhaps closest to our modern 'everyday' notion of time, while djet is boundless and eternal.

I could continue on for some time describing the tremendous contribution this work brings to modern understanding of ancient wisdom. While it is a very dry, academic work the effort put forth to understand this book is well worth the investment. I strongly recommend this book to all serious students of Ancient Egyptian religion; it is an excellent work for members of Akhet Hwt-Hrw who are at the Bezzu level of training with a view toward entering the Wenwet.