Egyptian belief and modern thought / by James Bonwick.

  • James Bonwick
Date:
1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Egyptian belief and modern thought / by James Bonwick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    82/474 (page 68)
    RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, This doctrine has, by some persons, been supposed confined to the religion of Jews, Christians, and Mahometans. Among the Jews it is met with in the Talmud, a work mostly composed in Babylon, which bears so many evidences of indebtedness to Chaldean and Egyptian thought. Nothing is more clear in the annals of Egypt than the belief in the Resurrection of the Dead, and the Resurrection of the Body. At a recent discussion before the London Victoria Institute—a society which was formed for the acquire- ment of information upon Christian evidence—when this Egyptian subject came up for consideration, Mr. Rendall wished to know, “ how it was made out that the doctrine of a resurrection of the body was held at that time,” as that doctrine had often been treated as one of the most distinc- tive doctrines of Christianity. Mr. Gorman, on the con- trary, said “ the doctrine of the resurrection is taught in the Old Testament, and is not peculiar to Christianity.” But he thinks “ it becomes a very important and curious ques- tion, why Moses did not bring out that doctrine promi- nently.” The Rev. Dr. Fisher observed: “ I never supposed for a moment that the Old Testament writers did not believe in the resurrection of the body.” The Rev. Pre- bendary Row thought the Egyptian “ idea was of a pan- theistic character.” The chairman doubted if the Jews “ had a clear idea of the resurrection of the body.” He rather fancied tfiat the Egyptians, “ having got a primitive notion of life after death, distorted it in a pantheistic sense.”