Kemet Online: Followers of The Religion of Ancient Egypt: Facts & Meaning in the study of AE religion ?

Em hotep all,
<bow>

Many interesting conversations about scholarship are happening on the candidates list (Per Ankh's lists for those training for the Priesthood in the Kemetic Traditional Religion)

I wanted to begin a conversation on the public KOL boards as well. One Kemetic website suggested that doing research on the old faith is simple and really does not require training or degrees ..rather, the writer suggests just follow the writers 5 simple rules and go for it.

I must say as a professional scholar I had to shake my head. Following her instructions would yield AT BEST a high school book report. Yet as interest in our faith grows..(by "our faith her I mean both specifically Kemetic Traditional Religion of Per Ankh and those who wish to be true to the ancient faith and take academic scholarship as a central way of understanding that faith) this issue needs more explicit discussion.

I will make a series of posts on scholarship and scholarly approaches to the study of Ancient Egyptian Religion. The first one is aimed at clearing up the most common misconception......

That is that the way to "Truth" in scholarship is through the collection of facts.

Student: Misconception? So you guys don't care about facts--you ask

Rev Renee: Oh we care very much...but we care more about Truth and Meaning

Student: How can you have truth without facts?

Rev Renee: You can't.

Student: Now I reqally don;t get it

Rev Renee: Consider a Court Case. In a trial the goal is to reach the "truth" correct

Student: Why Yes..And that is why they debate the facts

Rev Renee: Actually the "facts" or "evidence" is not in question during the trial. Think about how it works

The Prosecution and the Defense must first enter into evidence "facts" they believe to be relevant to the court case. By the time the trial has begun both Prosecutor and Defense have the SAME evidence with which to work.

Student: Whoa..that's really weird..wouldn't the same evidence lead to the same conclusion

Rev Renee: ever watch Perry Mason or Matlock or Law and Order or the practice

Student ..Not Perry Mason you must be old!

Rev Renee..Perhaps I am old..perhaps not:)

Student: Laughs. Well it is true that at the trial the evidence has been agreed upon. But they sure do not come to the same conclusions

Rev Renee: Right.

The prosecutors job is to put the facts together into a story in favor of a guilty verdit

The defense to do the same in favor of an innocent verdict

So what does the jury do?

Student: Choose which story is true

Rev Renee: Right. Since they have one set of evidence and two stories their job is to decide which story best FITS the evidence

Student: OK so what does this have to do with the study of Ancient Egyptian Religion?

Rev Renee: Well we have a certain set of "evidence" or "data" . And what we do to understand the religion is make a similar judgement about the meaning of that evidence and how it all best fits together.

Since our goal is to LIVE the ancient faith..today....we are more concerned with the skills involved in evaluating which story fits..than the skills involved in gathering the archeological evidence.

While some Egyptologists have studied this issue (Jan Assman Erik Hornung and John Baines most notably) many are more archeologists than scholars of religion, religious experience, theology or culture. Their training is more on the level of hearings around admissibility of certain facts than around questions of meaning.

In fact in a recent book Jan Assman takes this tendency on directly and suggests that it is erroneous.

That book is

The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the time of the Pharohs

It is by far not Assmann's easiest read. It is much easier..and takes a lot less training to gather and spit put "facts" than it is to be rigorous and scholarly in what you do with those facts. You can do the first using a few simple guidelines. The second takes years of training and cannot be understood in a few weekends

Often those taking the fact based approach are shocked to hear that three of the best sources all disagree with one another on interpretation of "facts".

Yet kemetic groups tend not to even present these differences but instead present a single picture based on whichever scholars story they feel suites them..and disregard those who do not.
I am talking about differences among the likes of Assman and Hornung and Baines (not pseudo scholars or alien theorists or even what are consider "alternative" scholars of Ancient Egypt like Bauval)

Instead I want those of our members who wish to engage scholarship to be able to look at the texts of these great scholars and be able to understand how each authors Point of view results in a different explanation...and each has SOME truth..and some limitations. And I want them then to have a basis to make sense of the differences and what those tell us about Ancient Egypt and our knowledge of Ancient Egypt.

Student: I'd rather gather facts..this seems so BIG I mean how would I ever learn..and I want to worship Netjer

Rev Renee: You only need the training if that is your call.

We have little patience for those who claim it to be their call but then do not bother to put in the time energy and money it takes to get the training.

However we do not believe one needs to be a scholar or have a huge collection of facts to be Kemetic and worship Netjer.
Like all great faiths they need an understanding of the faiths worldview and practices and approach to organization

Thats enough for this installment:) Please feel free to ask questions or make comments. But I must go

Matlock just came on TV..
And hey in Matlock the defense and prosecution always end up on the same side (and I am still waiting for those two to get married!)

Senebty!

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Rev Renee Levant, Hemet Sekhmet & Aset
Founder & Wehemu & Educational Director
Per Ankh: The Traditional Religion of Ancient Egypt
http://www.per-ankh.org

Edited by RevRenee (04/03/04 07:33 AM)