U.S. Copts Association

Ancient Egyptian Literature, Part VI (a)
by Ed Rizkalla

“Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”Mt 19. 14

Over the past few weeks, I was blessed, by visiting and extending congratulations to some friends, whom the Lord has blessed their families with new babies. It is always a source of great joy to see new babies, the glimmer of thankful happiness in the eyes of their parents and families, and the hopes for new beginnings and the future. The Christians of Egypt, the Copts, very much like their ancestors the ancient Egyptians, love and cherish children. This is another reflection of some of their cultural traits towards the family, women, and society at large. Edward Wakin (1) notes the Copts’ commitment to the family stating that “this locates the answer to the centuries of Coptic survival, for the family unit is solid…Coptic women have always been more emancipated, and the mother has been in a special position.

” Wakin writes about the Coptic identity as a Copt states “After all, Egypt is my mother”. Wakin further notes “Enclosed within the
home in which he was reared was the response to the challenge of survival. Each generation of each family handed identity to the next, a relay race pursued over the centuries and summed up in the ultimate simplicity of an individual Copt’s statement on his identity: I was born a Copt. That’s why I’m a Copt.”

Many ancient Egypt artifacts portray their “joy of life” in scenes reflecting their daily lives, and testify to their respect for women, commitment to the family, and the love of children. For example a frieze, that survived from el-Amarna period circa 1352-1336 BC, depicts a vivid scene for the joy of life and family bliss                                                                                                          (http://ofna.project.org.il/info/ofmuz-sh/2003-4/noi/AkhnatenAndFamily.jpg).
That frieze shows King Akhenaton sitting on a chair facing his wife and queen Nefertiti on another chair, while he holds one of his children and she carries two others. The frieze shows both the king and queen enjoying one another’s company and lavishing their love on their children, under the watchful Aten’s (sun) rays ending with ankhs, the symbol of life. Another example comes to us from the tomb of Nakht, who was a relatively low ranking scribe, who lived during the 18th dynasty circa 1550-1295 BC. Nakht’s tomb, located at the low foothills of the Theban Mountains, has wall paintings depicting Nakht, his wife and children enjoying the pleasure of family-life, while they are hunting and fishing
(http://www.ihistory101.net/espanol/images/hunting_boomrang_fish_spear.jpg). One of the tomb’s wall paintings depicts Nakht in hunting & fishing scene. He is shown ready to throw a stick at flock of birds, while his wife braces him with her left hand, and their son hands him another stick.

The advent of Christianity in Egypt invigorated cultural traits for a strong family commitment and respect for women. Christian teaching further enhanced commitment to the family, wife and children by forbidding divorce, which was common in ancient Egypt. The Bible admonishes the believers “And the Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause? He answered them, “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.” Mat 19. 3-6. The Bible further admonishes “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Eph 5. 25, “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.” Eph 5.23, and “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his
hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.” Mat 19. 13-15.

In this article, the writer continues to review examples of ancient Egyptian literature, which help understand some of the Coptic cultural attributes. Perhaps more than one genre or type provide examples to help understand and appreciate the Copt’s love for children, commitment to family, respect for women, and the equality of men and women. In the interest of space, and to better present these literary genres, this part VI (a) will present examples from love songs. The continuation of the article, part VI (b) will, with the grace of Christ the Lord, present examples from wisdom literatures or instructions in another near-future posting.

Several literary compositions dating to the New Kingdom celebrate love between man and a woman. Though these excerpts do not directly address the cultural attributes mentioned above, the mutual attraction between a man and woman and love-in the ancient Egyptian/Coptic cultural milieu- are prerequisites for marriage, and establishing a household and a family.  The following are two excerpts from papyrus Harris 500 (2), the first one is a sort of a lover’s wish or a prayer to the gods to grant him his beloved, and the second one illustrates a lover’s longing for his beloved:

1) “I am sailing downstream on the ferry,
(Guided) by the hand of the helmsman,
With my bundle of reeds on my shoulder,
I am bound for Ankh-Tawy (Memphis),
And I shall say to (the god) Ptah, the Lord of Ma’at,
Grant me my beloved this night…
There is rejoicing as the land brightens in its beauty,
Memphis is a bowl of mandrakes
Laid before the god who is beauteous of face (Ptah).”

2) “I shall go out [to seek my lover].
[I yearn] for your love
And my heart stops within me.
To look at a sweet cake
Is like looking at salt;
Sweet pomegranate wine in my mouth
Is like the bitter gall of birds.”
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The above mentioned examples from ancient Egyptian songs of love show their zest and joy of life, and provide vivid portrayals for the continued quest of humanity throughout the ages for love. (To be continued in part VI (b).

The peace of the Lord be with you all. Irene Passe.

References:
(1)    A Lonely Minority: The Modern Story of Egypt’s Copts, by Edward Wakin, iUniverse.com, Inc, Lincoln, NE, 2000.
(2)     Ancient Egyptian Literature, volume I “The Old and Middle Kingdoms”, by Miriam Lichtheim, University of California Press, Los Angeles, CA, 2006.