1 55 canonical Compositions (Egyptian) 1.14

DAILY RITUAL OF TIlE TEMPLE OF AMUN-RE AT KARNAK (1.34) P. Berlin 3055 - A Selection

Robert K. Ritner

Dating from the 22nd Dynasty, this Theban ritual papyrus is one of the best sources for the standardized morning liturgy used for divine and royal cults throughout Egypt from the New Kingdom until Roman times. The Seti temple at Abydos depicts thirty-six chapters or "spells," with nineteen represented at the Ptolemaic temple of Edfu and six at the contemporary temple of Dendera. In contrast, this Berlin papyrus adapted for Amon (together with P. Berlin 3014 + 3053 designed for his consort Mut), contains sixty-six recitations. No single source provides the complete ritual, but the constituent elements are easily reconstructed. The royal representative enters the chapel, censes and opens the naos to reveal the cult image. Thereafter follow spells of prostration, praise and offerings, after which the cult statue is removed, salved, clothed, adorned, and provided with unguent and eyepaint. In the concluding rites, fresh sand is strewn on the chapel floor, and the god is purified by water and natron and replaced in the naos. On exiting, the priest sweeps away his footprints, banishing impurities and demonic forces. .

BEGINNING OF TI:IE SPELLS' of the divine ritual enacted in the temple of Amon-Re, king of the gods, in the course of every day by the chief wah-priest2 who is in his daily service. SPELL FOR striking the fire. WORDS TO BE SAID: "Come, come in peace, Eye of Horus, luminous, sound, rejuvenated in peace! May it shrine like Re in the two horizons, since the power of Seth has hidden himself before the Eye of Horus, who took it and brought it to put in its place for Horus. Concerning his Eye, Horus is triumphant, while the Eye of Horus repels the enemies of Amun-Re, Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands, in all their places. May the King give an offering! I am pure." SPELL FOR taking the censer. WORDS TO BE SAID: "Hail to you, [censer of the gods] who are in the following of Thoth; my arms are upon you as (those of) Horus, my hands upon you like (those of) Thoth, my fmgers on you like (those of) Anubis, foremost of the divine booth.3 I am the living servant of Re. I am a wah-priest, since I aiD pure (wab). The purity of the gods is my purity. May the King give an offering! I am pure. " [SPELL FOR] PLACING the incense-bowl on the censer arm.

WORDS TO BE SAID: "Hail to you, incense-bowl of [ ... ] the field in Mendes, the. clay in Abydos. I am purified by the Eye of Horus so that I might perform the rites with you, they being pure for Amon-Re, Lord of the Thrones of the Two

fering! I am pure ... SPELL FOR putting incense on the flame. WORDS TO BE SAID: "To the ba-soul of the East, to Horus of the East, to Kamutef' within the solar disk, to the Terrible One who shines with his two Sound Eyes, to Re-harakhti,' the great god, the winged power, foremost of the two' southern conclaves of heaven. " SPELL FOR advancing [to) the sacred place.6 WORDS TO BE SAID: "0 ba-souls of Heliopolis, as you are sound, so I am sound, and vice-versa. Your ka-spirits are sound precisely because my ka-spirit is sound before all the ka-spirits of the living. As all live, so I live. The two jugs of Atum are the protection of my body. For me Sakhmet the great, beloved of Ptah, placed life, stability and dominion around all my flesh by an oath of Thoth. I am Horus the chief, beautiful of respect, lord of terror, great of respect, high of plumage, great in Abydos. May the King give an offering! I am pure. " .

ANO'niER SPELL. "Awake happily in peace, Karnak, mistress of the temples of the gods and goddesses who are in her! 0 gods and goddesses who are in Karnak, gods and goddesses who are in Thebes, gods and goddesses who are in Heliopolis, gods and goddesses who are in Memphis, gods and goddesses who are in heaven, gods and goddesses who are in the earth, gods and goddesses who are in the South, North, West and East, the kings of Upper and Lower Egypt, children of kings, who took the White Crown, who made monuments forLands, and his Ennead. May the King give an of-

I The translation "spell" has been adopted to conform with the rendering of the same Eg. term in so-called Mmagical" texts. One could as easily adopt "recitation" or "utterance" for all contexts. There is no distinction in Eg. terminology - or theology - between official cultic "recitations" and private magical "spells"; see Ritner 1993:41-42.

1 Lit.. "pure priest ... 3 The embalming booth. 4 "Bull of His Mother." an epithet of Min-Amun. I A fusion of Re and "Horus of the Two Horizons." 6 The holy of holies or naos in which the divine image resides.

56 The Context of Scripture, I Amun in Karnak, may you awaken, may you be in peace. May you awaken happily in peace. " SPEll. fOR breaking the cord.7 WORDS TO DE SAID: "The cord is broken, the seal is loosened. Bringing to you the Eye of Horus, I have come. You have your Eye, 0 Horus." SPElJ. fOR breaking the clay seal. WORDS TO DE SAID: "The clay seal is broken, the waters are breached, the vessels of Osiris are drained. I have come not to drive the god away from his throne.' It is to put the god upon his throne that I have come. May you be established upon your great throne, 0 Amun-Re, Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands. I am the one whom the gods initiated.9 May the King give an offering! I am pure." SPELL FOR unfastening the naos. IO WORDS TO DE SAID: "The finger of Seth is withdrawn from the Eye of Horus so that it be well. The finger of Seth is released from the Eye of Horus so that it be well. The hide is loosened from the back of the god. II 0 Amun-Re, Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands, receive for yourself your two plumes and your White Crown as the Eye of Horus, the right (plume) being the right Eye. the left (Plume) beIng the left Eye. You have your beauty, 0 Amun-Re,Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands. Naked one, be clothed. Dressed one, be dressed, though I am but a prophet. It is, the king who sent me to see the god. ,,12

SPElJ. fOR revealing the god. WORDS TO DB SAID: "The doors of heaven are opened. The doors of the earth are opened. Hail to Oeb, as, the gods have said, established on their thrones. The doors of heaven are opened so that the Ennead might shine. As Amun-Re, Lord of the Thrones of the Two' Lands, is exalted, so the great Ennead is exalted upon their thrones. You have your beauty, 0 Amun-Re, Lord of the

ed. Dressed one, be dressed. " SPELL FOR seeing the god.

WORDS TO DE SAID: "My face is protected froml3

the god and vice-versa. 0 gods, make way for

me so that 1 might pass. It ill the king who bas

sent me to see the god."

SPElJ. fOR kissing the ground.

WORDS TO DE SAID: "I have kissed the ground; I

have embraced Geb. For Amun-Re, Lord of the

Thrones of the Two Lands, have 1performed the

chants {by which} 14 I am purified for him. You

have your sweat, 0 gods. You have your per

fumes, 0 goddesses'. You have the perfumes of

your bodies." My kiss is life for Pbaraoh, praise

for the Lord of the Two Lands. "16

SPELL FOR prostratingP

WORDS TO DE SAID: "Hail to you, Amon-Re,

Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands, enduring

upon your great throne. I have prostrated (my

self) through fear of you, fearful of your dignity.

I have embraced Geb and Hathor so that she

might cause that I be great. I shall not fall to the

slaughter of this day."

SPELL FOR prostrating and for rising. WORDS TO DB SAID: "Hail to you, Amun-Re,

Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands. I have

not acted with your secretions; I have not

removed your dignity ,19 I have not conflated your

appearance with that of another god.:IO 1 have

prostrated myself through fear of you, so that 1

might perceive what you desire. You shall not

fall to your enemies on this day. Your enemies

whom you hate, may you overthrow them as

your enemies of this day. 21 There is no wretched

ness for the one who adores his lord. "

SPElJ. fOR kissing the ground with the face

bowed.

WORDS TO DE SAID: "I have kissed the ground

with my face bowed; I have caused Truth to

ascend to you. There is no god who bas doneThrones of the Two Lands. Naked one, be cloth

, Tbe knotted aDd sealed cord securina the door of the IUlOJ. As noted by WUson. the breatm, of the seal is symbolized by the opening of a clay dam. Tbe term "vessels designates the arteries aDd

veins of the god, from which flow the waters of the NUe. , Moret ttarllllates: "who enters (to) the gods. 10 Tbe parallel rilUal for the goddess Mut reads "drawing back the bolt ... II Pemaps a reference to a shroud placed over the statue at night. 12 In theol)'. only the kina should be able to confront the statue of the god. Of necessity. this privUele was delegated to local biBh priests

as royal represemadvcs. U Moret translates "protection for the god. " 14 Restored from the Abydos variant. I' Tbe "sweat" aDd "secretions" of the gods are perfume. If Moret ttarllllates: ". have smelled (these things) so that Pharaoh live and the Lord of the Two Lands be adored ... 17 Lit., "placing (oneself) upon the belly."I' All fluids are restored to the gods to avoid potential misuse as in "Tbe Legend of.sis aDd the Name of at" (text 1.22 above). I' See above, n. 14. 211 Ur., ". have not caused your color to resemble another god. " 21 Probably the enemies included in the daily execration rite; see text 1.32 above.

57 Canonical Compositions (Egyptian) 1.34

,

primordial one of the Two Lands, He of the have not inflicted impurities. I have not conflated what I have done. I have not lifted up my face. I

Sacred Arm,22 Amun-Re, Lord of the two your appearance with that of another god." plumes, great one with the crown of greatness on .. , (col. S, 3) your head, king of the gods resident in Karnak,

image of Amun,23 enduring in all things in your SPELL FOR adoring Amun. name of 'Amun, more powerful than all the WORDS TO BE SAID: "Into your presence gods.' They will not tum their backs on you in Pharaoh has come, 0 male one of the gods, their name of 'Ennead.'"24

12 The epithets describe the standard posrure of the male, ithyphallic creator with upraised ann.

23 Contra Assmann, who translates: Myou are Amun. "

l4 A pun on ps!l Mback" and ps!l.t Mennead."

REFERENCES

Text: KOniglichen Museen zu Berlin (1901: pis. I-XXXVII). Translations: Moret 1902; Roeder 1960:72-141; ANET 325-326; Assmann 1975:260-273; and Barta 1980: cols. 841-45.