THE PRIESTS IN ANCIENT EGYPT:

O

ne of the most curious things is that ancient Egypt was a civilization in which only one person could work as a priest: Pharaoh. The Egyptians believed that was the only human being able to enter into communication with the gods.

The big difference between the Egyptian priests and Catholic priests, for example, is that the parish priests are priests because they are calling for it, while those of ancient Egypt were kind of officials who were limited to magically feed the gods (for that serve the offerings). Furthermore, the Catholic priests have to be good people to be good people and help others with their problems and all that, while Egyptian priests could be all bad people they wanted.

The obligations of priests in ancient Egypt had not only had heavy obligations to perform the divine offerings once in the morning and afternoon. The ritual took time and before entering the inner sanctum (the name of the room at the back of the temple where the statue of the god was, tucked inside a small stone cabinet with wooden doors) had to be purified: shave your head mouth with water, with salt and bathing in the sacred lake of the temple. The ceremony was performed in entering the sanctuary, open cabinet doors sacred (the "naos" so called), make it the statue of the god, clean, change clothes and put new ones. Then makeup on the statue, burned incense before it and then gave him offerings. Then withdrew these offerings, kept the statue in its naos clean and out of the inner sanctum, walking backwards and cleaning their steps as they did.

The most important priests were chosen by the Pharaoh, who substituted for worship daily. The king chose for their knowledge of religion, medicine and astronomy. The rest were happening in families and met many tasks; feed the gods, cleansing the temple, take the boat of the god the holidays ... Due to the aforementioned accumulation of titles, it is very difficult to make a hierarchical division of the various positions that covered the priests of ancient Egypt, as varied in function of the importance and size of the temple, love some positions that even today there we can locate. Some examples: we know from the Papyrus Harris I, the time of Ramses III, which, at this time of the New Kingdom, the Amon temple at Karnak, he employed an average of 81,322 people, while the Temple of Anubis, in the Fayum, was led for only 50 people.

One of those parties was very important (varied on each temple), as the priests who worship the statue of the god put a notebook and drew boat shoulders in procession. That was the only time that the townspeople could see the god, since it was forbidden to enter the interior of the temples could only get to the first courtyard with columns. The rest of the building was sacred space and if they could have entered into many problems. However, they also wanted to talk to their gods in the end managed to sculpt ears (yes, yes, you read that right) on the back wall of temples to the deity by them could hear what people had to tell without having to enter the building. This kind priest, he could see the God and cared for his statue, was not the only one in Egypt. There were others who performed different tasks, tasks that were not required of Pharaoh. The most important was the "funerary priest", who performed the offerings necessary for a dead person could live in the Hereafter, was responsible for keeping alive the cult of the dead and therefore charged a salary. Another very common priest was 'sem priest', which was responsible for conducting the ritual during

the burial of a person. Usually the place was occupied by the son of the deceased, but not always. One very important was the "lector priest." As it turns out that in Egypt there were very few people who could read (about one hundred) was necessary for one that did know to take care of you read a book (well, actually a roll of papyrus) different texts and the various steps that had to be taken to perform a ritual properly, which alone were effective. As you see, the Egyptian priests not resemble the modern priest.

The Egyptian priesthood: At the top of the clerical hierarchy, the high priest of the cult, also called first prophet, was delegated directly by the Pharaoh to take the picture of the local god and interpret his word, so that it could always serve for eternity. As a repository of divine knowledge, should implement and enforce rigorously the sacred tradition and detail, putting great care all religious and cultural parameters which affect the clergy and the Egyptian religion. The temples besides being cared for by the priests, were also the attention of civil administrators that secured management with an iron hand the sacred precincts and nearby domains belonging to religious buildings. The shrines were attended by a diverse staff, who had no access to the inner sanctum where he was the image of the local god. It was called the priests assistants or low clerics, who took care under very specific tasks.

The functions of the Egyptian priests: Many priests were careful instruction in all facets of it, in so-called life houses, other liturgical texts compiled, others were engaged in studying and teaching astronomy and calendars make the description of the good days and harmful. Others are engaged in all kinds of burials chair, practicing opening his mouth to the deceased at funerals. At the funeral there was the figure of the priest reader, a distinguished position, whereby chanting ritual texts, which were to be delivered without any error on his part. The goddesses, some substantiated in sacred animals, were served by priestesses, but the first prophet was always a man. In temples involved women to dance, sing and manage a complicated series of ritual music elements. All these details we recorded the description found in the temples, in which women of the court, they did record their names and positions of women who were generally liturgical choir. The priests of ancient Egypt, dressed in a white robe of linen. They wore sandals of papyrus fibers or palm, and sows were completely shaved from head to foot, as a sign of purification in order to serve the gods of the pyramids. As for the liturgical function, it was they who were in direct contact with the gods, forcing them to observe a physical purity, following certain rules in Egyptian religion whose gods varied by eras and regions. They must be circumcised, and were required to practice four daily ablutions, more than observe certain food taboos respect as a priest. Thus, generally abstained from pork and fish. The functions of priests in ancient Egypt: Regardless of the limitations explained above, the Egyptian clergy was not an exercise of spirituality, and it was not considered necessary to the exercise of the priestly vocation. There was a principle of inheritance from parents to children taking habits, which as we know, was very common in the country of the Nile At certain times there was also the right to buy through properties and property, the right to the priesthood. Apart from certain very specific cases, the priests were not used to officiate in principle more than three times a year, active government and officials at other times, given its high cultural preparation

A priest who left imprint: Petosiris, it was a high priest of Toht in Hermopolis Magna, racked up a number of titles we recorded their importance. That was Great of the five, also the largest of the blind or him who sees great. The cult of the god Toht, considered primordial god, he exercised rigorously and iron hand, directing the temples that were for this duty. Over the years at the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Toht was identified with Hermes Trismegistus, who was considered lord of knowledge and enlightenment.

The unfinished mystery of the Egyptian priests: There are many gaps in the detailed study of the priestly function in ancient Egypt. In the course of all dynasties, the priestly work, an important and basic, should have provided more documentation. Currently we are working on this issue, and are taken as work to follow, the name and title that once led the Egyptian priesthood components.

CURIOSITY: In ancient Egypt, priests plucked every hair and body hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes.

Web pages: http://www.egiptologia.com/egipto-para-ninos/49-la-religion-y-los-dioses-de-egipto/235-lossacerdotes-del-antiguo-egipto.html http://suite101.net/article/el-sacerdocio-en-el-antiguo-egipto-a10385#axzz2PmKEcOsh http://www.egiptoantiguo.org/foro/viewtopic.php?t=725&sid=a541534ab9472b532d388589b4215 a54