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el-Sayed el-Aswad
Anthropos 92.1997
whole universe. The temple runs from east to west,
following the course of the sun. As the real sun
divides the sky, the pharaoh or god divides the
temple into two regions. On the one hand, there
is the eastern side connected to the south of the
temple and the sky which is the realm of rising
sun or the god Ra, the god of life. On the other
hand, there is the western side attached to the north
which is the sphere of the sinking sun, of the Osiris
or the god of the dead (Moret 1972: 415-421).
The invisible quality as the underlying principle
or theme was repeatedly stressed. In official doc
trines of the 12th dynasty, Osiris is “the soul of
Ra, his great hidden Name which resides in him”
(Moret 1972: 385). The name of Osiris was enough
to turn a dead man into a god (Moret 1972: 260).
One might ask if this explain Isis’ successful at
tempt to obtain Ra’s sacred and hidden name?
And that name, one speculates, might have been
that of “Osiris” who became Isis’ husband. This
speculation can be considered reasonable within
the context or given the fact that both Osiris and
Isis were the most dominant deities in ancient
Egyptian religion and cosmology.
Osirian cosmology developed further in the
Middle Kingdom (and New Kingdom), and the
Osirian burial rituals became available and acces
sible to all people without being restricted to the
royal and privileged families. At this period of
time (history), the religious and intellectual center
moved from Heliopolis to two cities, one in lower
Egypt known as Busiris, where Osiris’ backbone
was buried, the other in upper Egypt, known as
Abydos, the burial place of Osiris’ head (Frazer
1987: 426; Moret 1972: 246). Osirian doctrine or
cosmology spread over all Egypt binding all classes
of that society. The cohesion of the members
of a society “is not so much due to their similarity
(mechanical solidarity) or to their complementarity
(organic solidarity) as to their common submis
sion to the ruling power” (Sahlins 1985: 45) that
controls them in this life as well as in the other
life.
Osirian cosmology enjoyed a certain prece
dence compared to the cosmology of Ra. This
statement can be substantiated by comparing both
cosmologies with each other. First, Ra cosmology
deals directly with the problem of creation of the
universe as well as with the constituents of that
universe and principles upon which it is construct
ed. Osirian cosmology deals with social, moral,
and political problems as well as with the destiny
of man in both this life and the afterlife. In short, it
deals with the problem of “meaning” in Weberian
terminology, i.e., meaning related to life and death
and complicated social relationships.
Second, Ra resides in the heights of heaven,
attached not to people’s everyday life, but rather
with creation and destiny of the universe. On the
contrary, Osiris lives on earth among people, rul
ing them and organizing their lives. Ordinary as
well as privileged people were interested more in
practical issues such as fighting for, and achieving
certain objectives, maintaining justice, and per
forming death rituals including mummification.
Third, Ra doctrine or cosmology is confined
to the living world or universe whereas Osirian
cosmology goes beyond that living world to in
clude the domain of the afterworld that attracted
Egyptians who showed a great concern of the their
afterlife or eternal world.
Fourth, as a man or god who lived on earth,
died, resurrected, and then ascended to heaven,
Osiris encompassed earth and heaven as well as
Visible Cosmos M Osiris ►- Invisible Cosmos
Earthly
Vegetation
Fertility Body ^ p. Soul
Nile Corpse-Mummy Spirit
Heavenly
Enlightenment
Justice
Word
Hidden Name
Material
Mortal
Dark
inferior
powerless
Immaterial
Immortal
Light
superior
powerful
. Sacrifice
Corporeal <■ ► Divine
Fig. 2: The visible and the invi
sible aspects of the cosmos and
the related features showing the
encompassment of Osiris of the
whole universe or cosmos.