The Classical historian Herodotus described the Egyptians as the most religious of peoples. And, indeed, many people today find themselves wondering about the cross-overs between religious concepts in pharaonic, Christian, and Islamic outlooks. The author of the present book has studied a range of ancient texts, including Scripture, and investigated more than a century of modern assessments in order to tease out some common threads in Egyptian religion. This makes an especially good departure point for accessing further literature on a range of topics concerning religion in Egypt published over the past 150 years or more.
The introduction sets out the central focus on the concepts of invisibility and sanctity in religious practice in Egypt, with the ‘anthropology of the unseen’ being a central theme. This introduces some of the theoretical and ethical issues covered in the work. Chapter 2 sets out the research methods adopted, drawing on a large number of studies in the area of religion previously published by the author, especially focusing on the site of Kherbeta on the fringes of the Western Delta.
Chapter 3 examines the concepts of hidden (divine) names, souls, and dreams. Oneiromancy – the interpretation of dreams to foretell the future – is traced from ancient to contemporary times, providing a fascinating insight into this socio-cultural practice.
