An analysis of the Egyptian mythology: to which is subjoined, a critical examination of the remains of Egyptian chronology / [J.C. Prichard].

  • James Cowles Prichard
Date:
1819
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An analysis of the Egyptian mythology: to which is subjoined, a critical examination of the remains of Egyptian chronology / [J.C. Prichard]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to the school of Alexandria. There they imparted their knowledg’e of astronomy and oOier branches of science to their conquerors, and acquired tlie Greek language, whic]i continued for a thousand years to be tlie medium of learned conversation and writing through a great part of the civilized world. Here they were encouraged to transf :r the memo¬ rials of their dynasties, and the institutes of their ancient hierarchy, into the Greek language. It is true that they acquired, togetlier with the idiom of their conquerors, modes of thinking which were widely different from their ancient domestic habits. Accordingly we cannot believe that their writings displayed the genuine representation of Egyptian antiquity, altogether free from the prejudices and distorted conceptions of the Greeks. Yet it is just to suppose that their works contained whatever was the most important or most singular in the ancient Hermetic volumes. lamblichus, indeed, assures us that faithful trans¬ lations of the Egyptian books existed in the Greek language; he adds, that these were unjustly sus¬ pected of being impostures, from the circumstance that they contained expressions which savoured of more modern doctrines. This arose from the fact, that the persons, who translated them into the Greek language, were men not unacquainted .with the Grecian philosophy; and that they accordingly used the phraseology of the Platonic school, in set¬ ting forth doctrines originally derived from the lessons of Hermes.'' Cyril of Alexandria informs us that there existed an edition of the Hermaic books, entitled, TreuTSKathKa Fifteen Books of
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