A classic translation of the ancient Egyptian hymns, rituals, and prayers.

The sacred wisdom of the priests of ancient Egypt and the experiences of the soul after death: one of the most important books in Egyptian history. Includes full hieroglyphic text along with a transliteration of sounds, word-for-word translation, and a separate smooth translation.

For millennia, the culture and philosophy of the ancient Egyptians have fascinated artists, historians, and spiritual seekers throughout the world. Now, this reissue of a Chronicle Books classic brings to light once more the legendary 3,500-year-old Papyrus of Ani—the most beautiful of the Egyptian funerary scrolls ever discovered. Restored to its original sequences, the elaborately bordered papyrus conveys its intended sense of motion and meaning in a way no other book on the subject can match. From mysticism and philosophy to anthropology and astronomy, this sumptuous volume will appeal to casual readers, serious scholars, and the generally inquisitive mind. The translation of the text of each image is placed on the page directly below the image, allowing the reader, for the first time in 3500 years, to gaze on the images while reading the words of the papyrus. Uncluttered with footnotes or other extraneous matter, the papyrus is displayed with the intent of allowing the modern reader to experience the full depth of the original. The restoration of the unity of word and image in this publication of the Papyrus of Ani has brought to life one of the most important early spiritual treasures of mankind.

Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies is your one-stop guide to once-hidden works that add a new dimension to Biblical teachings. Most people have heard about the discovery of strange ancient religious writings that are not part the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament, such as the Gnostic Gospels. Now, you will find new insights and a fresh perspective on long-lost works that may have once been in the running for Biblical inclusion, but didn't make the final cut.This easy-to-understand guide examines the sometimes weird, provocative, and profoundly moving texts that have been "lost" as well as those hotly debated works that are in some Bibles and not others. You will come away with a clearer understanding of the Judeo-Christian religion and the development of the Biblical canon. You’ll learn about the origins of the Bible, explore early scriptures, and understand why translations affect the meanings of texts. You’ll even learn how the Greek influenced early Biblical writing. Find out how to:Explain what the term “lost books” meansUnderstand the definition of “canon”Take translation differences into considerationDivide early writings into style categoriesTake another look at scripture with the Dead Sea ScrollsSee how the Greeks influenced early scriptureDecode apocalyptic visionsComplete with a list of ten of the weirdest Jewish lost books, ten of the weirdest Christian lost books, ten sayings of Jesus NOT in the Bible, and ten “lost books that every student of the Bible should read, Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies is your one-stop guide to understanding and reading the Biblical lost books.

THE EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD is one of the oldest and greatest classics of Western spirituality. Until now, the available translations have treated these writings as historical curiosities with little relevance to our contemporary situation. This new version, made from the hieroglyphs, approaches the Book of the Dead as a profound spiritual text capable of speaking to us today. These writings suggest that the divine realm and the human realm are not altogether separate; they remind us that the natural world, and the substance of our lives, is fashioned from the stuff of the gods. Devoted like an Egyptian scribe to the principle of "effective utterance", Normandi Ellis has produced a prose translation that reads like pure, diaphanous verse.

In ancient Egypt, The Book of the Dead was buried with the deceased to assist the spirit in its journey to eternal life. This special edition of the classic text comes packaged in a stunning gold foil-stamped, embossed gift box along with a beautiful collectible scarab--a symbol of resurrection for the Egyptians. Translated by an eminent Egyptologist, the book features hundreds of photos of jewelry, tomb paintings, amulets, papyrus scrolls, and other artwork that will delight the eye as well as the mind. 

The most famous of all ancient Egyptian texts—with an introduction by one of the most celebrated Egyptologists of our timeAMONG THE MOST WIDELY read and studied of all ancient writings, The Egyptian Book of the Dead consists of funerary texts that ancient Egyptian scribes composed for the benefit of the dead. This astonishing array of spells, hymns and litanies, magical formulae and names, and words of power and prayers were all found cut or painted on walls of pyramids and tombs, and painted on coffins, sarcophagi, and rolls of papyri.

The Book of the Dead is not a single text but a compilation of spells that the ancient Egyptians believed would assist them in the afterlife as they made their perilous journey toward the realm of the gods and the ultimate state of eternity. No two copies are identical. The spells are often accompanied by colored vignettes, which graphically show the imagined landscape of the Netherworld, the gods and demons whom the deceased will meet, and the critical “weighing of the heart”—the judgment that will determine whether the traveler will be admitted into the afterlife or condemned to destruction by the monstrous “Devourer.” With contributions from leading scholars and detailed catalog entries that interpret the spells and painted scenes, this fascinating and important book affords a greater understanding of ancient Egyptian belief systems and poignantly reveals the hopes and fears of mortal man about the “world” beyond death. The whole is beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned photographs of these exceptional papyri and an array of contextual funerary objects—painted coffins, gilded masks, amulets, jewelry, tomb figurines, and mummy trappings. (20110114)