ABSTRACT

Creation of man In the last chapter we pointed out that the Egyptians thought the world that God had created would come to an end. Even in a cosmic dimension, therefore, the concept of death is a correlate to creation and evolution. But of course one thinks of death pri­ marily in the context of individuals. It casts a great shadow over men’s minds and has a decisive effect upon their lives. It therefore seems essential to introduce the subject with a few words about the creation of man, to which his death comes as an antithesis. It stands to reason that in our context we shall be concerned with the religious aspects of this problem; whether and to what extent Egyptians may have disregarded the religious aspects of birth and death is something that cannot be given consideration here. The creation of man is part of the creation as such; in that respect the following sentences constitute a supplement to the last chapter.