Book 2: The House of Life
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In Thebes in those days, all higher education was in the hands of the priests of Amun, and it was not possible to study for an important post without a certificate from the priests. As everyone knows, the Houses of Life and of Death had stood for untold ages within the Temple walls along with the theological schools for priests in the higher orders. That the faculties of mathematics and astronomy should be subordinate to the priesthood can be understood, but when both juridical and mercantile training were taken over, misgivings arose in the minds of the more alert among the educated classes that the priests were meddling with matters that concerned Pharaoh and the Taxation Department. Initiation was not, indeed, indispensable to membership in the merchants’ and lawyers’ guilds, but as Amun controlled at least a fifth of the land of Egypt and therefore also of its commerce, those who wished to become merchants on a large scale or enter the administration found it wise to qualify for the lowest grade of priesthood and submit themselves as the faithful servants of Amun.
The largest of the guilds was naturally the lawyers’ guild, as it guaranteed qualification and position to any office whatsoever, whether in the field of taxation, administration or military. The small group of astronomers and mathematicians carried on absent-minded lives in their own auditoriums, deeply resenting upstarts rushing to classes on mercantile administration and land-surveying. But Houses of Life and Death were separated by their own walls in the Temple area, living their own lives altogether, and all other Temple students had a fear-ridden respect of the students there.
Before I might set foot in the House of Life, I had to pass the examination for admission to the lowest grade of priesthood in the theological faculty. This took me more than two years, for at the same time I had to accompany my father on his visits to the sick and from his experience gain knowledge that would profit me in my future career. I lived at home as before, but had to attend one lecture or another every
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day. Those seeking access to the lawyers’ guild usually passed the lowest grade of priesthood in a few weeks if they had high-ranking friends and recommendations. In addition to the basics of writing, reading and arithmetic, it also included memorising holy scriptures, and stories about holy trinities and holy nine-shapes and, of course, the holiest himself, the King of Gods, Amun. The purpose of all the memorising and mechanical rote learning was to suppress students’ natural desire to think independently and teach them to rely blindly on memorised texts. Only after blindly submitting to the power of Amun, could a student become the lowest ranking priest. I don’t know how the ever-thinning and ageing group of students were taught in the third, fourth or fifth grades, as higher ranking priests had their own secret practices. A second grade priest was already supposed to be able to transform a stick into a snake before a crowd. Other tricks they also practiced in the Temple courts, and their training included fasting, staying awake, and interpreting dreams and visions. Information on this and what purpose it served would only be known by the priest who had passed these grades. During the times of upheaval, a second grade priest could gossip, but I have never heard a high ranking priest reveal divine secrets to uninitiated.
I became familiar with the Temple, and the Temple’s immense grandeur and vast wealth made a lasting impression on my boyhood mind: already the crowd jostling about the Temple courts and halls from dawn till dusk was a sight of its own. All classes of people, all languages and skin colours arrived to honour Amun, to pray for success to themselves, their companies and families, or to bring gifts to Amun that he had earned by protecting their enterprises, health and business schemes. My eyes grew weary of treasures, expensive vessels, ivory statues and black wooden boxes. My nose became numb from feeling the scent of incense and expensive resins. My ears became weary of foreign talk and holy chanting that the ordinary people could not understand. The might of Amun fell crushingly on me, until I saw nightmares and bemoaned at sleep.
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