Animal Rights History » Thomas Taylor

» A Vindication of the Rights of Brutes, "That this was Likewise the Practice of the Egyptian Priests"

[Thomas Taylor], A Vindication of the Rights of Brutes (London, 1792; Gainesville, Florida: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, 1966; Online at Animal Rights History, 2003).

Chap. IV

That this was likewise the Practice of the Eqyptian Priests.

PORPHYRY then proceeds to shew from the writings of Chæremon the stoic, that abstinence from animal food, formed one part of that mode of living, which was adopted by the Egyptian priests; whose relation epitomized is as follows:

"These priests, who are considered as philosophers by the Egyptians, choose a place for their residence, which is best adapted to the study and exercise of sacred rites; so that a desire of contemplation is excited by only frequenting those recesses, which are dedicated to their use. But they live entirely solitary, except at particular times when they mix with others, in certain public assemblies and feasts; but on tall other occasions, they are scarcely to be approached. He adds, that these men, renouncing every other occupation, and all human affairs, give themselves entirely, through the whole of life, to the contemplation of divine concerns, and to enquiring into the divine will: by the latter of these employments, procuring to themselves honour, security, and the estimation of pity; and by contemplation tracing out the latent paths of wisdom and science. Indeed a solitary life rendered them perfectly venerable. For during that periods, which they call the time of purification, they scarcely mixed with the associates of their own order; and even refrained from the sight of any one of them, but him whose presence was necessary, on account of certain menial employments which the exercise of purity required.

He adds, they are always seen employed, among the resemblances of the gods; either carrying their images, or preceding them in their accustomed processions, or disposing them with gravity of deportment, and in a graceful order. But their gravity was so extreme, that when they walked, their pace was perfectly equable, and their eyes so steady, that they frequently even refrained from winking; and their risibility extended no father than to a smile. Their hands too always contained within their garments; and as there were many orders of priests, each carried about him some remarkable symbol of that order which he was allotted in sacred concerns. Their sustenance was slender and simple; and with respect to wine, some of them entirely refrained from it; and others drank it very sparingly, because they affirmed that it hurt the nerves, was an impediment to the invention of things, and an incentive to venereal desires. They also abstained from bread in exercises of purity; and if they eat it at other times, it was first cut in pieces, and mingled with hyssop. For the most part too, they refrained from oil; and when they used it mixed with olives, it was only in small quantities; and just as much as was sufficient to mitigate the taste of the herbs.

In the mean time, it was not lawful for any one to taste of the aliment, whether solid or fluid, which was brought to Egypt from foreign parts. They likewise abstained from the fish which Egypt produced, and from all quadrupeds having solid, or many fissured hoofs; from such as were without horns; and from all carnivorous birds; but many of them abstained entirely from animal food. At those times too, when they all rendered themselves pure, they did not even eat an egg. But when the period drew near, in which they were to celebrate some sacred rites, or festival, they employed many days in previous preparation; some of them setting apart forty-two days, others a greater length of time than this, and others again a shorter, but never less than seven days; abstaining during this period from all animals, and from all leguminous and oily nutriment, but especially from venereal congress. They washed themselves thrice every day in cold water; viz. after rising from bed, before dinner, and when they betook themselves to rest; and if they happened to be polluted in their sleep, they immediately purified their bodies in a bath.

Their beds likewise were composed of the branches of a palm, which they called [Greek omitted] bais. A piece of wood of a semicircular form, and well plained, served them for a pillow. But through the whole of life, they were exercised in the endurance of hunger and thirst, and were accustomed to a paucity and simplicity of nutriment.

But as a testimony of their temperance, thought they neither used the exercise of walking, or riding, yet they lived free from disease, and were moderately strong. For indeed they endured great labour in their sacred ceremonies, and performed many services, exceeding the common strength of men. They divided the night between observations of the celestial bodies, and offices of purity; but the day was destined to the cultivation of the divinities, whom they worshipped with hymns each day, three or four times; viz. in the morning and evening, when the sun is at his meridian, and when he is setting; the rest of their time they were occupied in arithmetical and geometrical speculations, always laborious and inventing, and continually employed in the investigation of things. In winter nights also they were diligent in the same employment, and were ever vigilant to literary studies, since they were not solicitous about external concerns, and were freed from the base dominion of intemperate desires. Their unwearied and assiduous labour therefore, argues their great patience; and their continence is sufficiently indicated by their privation of desire. Besides, it was esteemed very impious to sail from Egypt, as they were very careful in abstaining from the manners and luxuries of foreign nations; so that to leave Egypt was alone lawful to those who were compelled to it by state necessities. But they discoursed much concerning a retention of their native manners; and if any priest was judged to have transgressed the laws in the least particulars, he was expelled the college. Besides, the true method of philosophilsing was preserved in commentaries and diaries by the prophets, and ministers of sacred concerns; the remaining multitude of priests, pastophori, (or priests of Isis and Osiris) governors of temples, and servants of the gods, studied purity, but not so exactly, no with such great continence, as those we have mentioned. And thus much is related of the Egyptians, by a man who is equally a lover of truth, and of accurate diligence, and who is deeply skilled in the stoic philosophy.

But the Egyptian priests having proceeded thus far in the study of purity, and conciliating divinity to their nature, were of opinion, that not only men may become divine, and that soul is participated by man on this terrestrial globe, but that it passes at different periods into the bodies of all animals. Hence, in framing the resemblance of the gods, they made use of every animal form; and sometimes they united for this purpose the bodies of men and beasts, and again of men and birds. For it was customary with them to represent some particular god in a human form from the extremities to the neck, but with the face of a bird, or a lion, or of some other animal: and again they fashioned another divinity with a human head, having the other parts composed from different animals; applying the superior parts of some animals, and the inferior parts of others in this conjuction. By all which they shewed, according to the sentiments of the divinities, that men and beasts possess something in common, and do not without the concurrence of the divine will, from a savage state become tame, and receive their education together with mankind. Hence a lion is venerated by them as a god; and a certain part of Egypt, called Nomos, is surnamed Leontopolis, or the city of Lion-worshippers; another part, Busiris, or Ox-worshippers: and again, another, Lycopolis, or Wolf-worshippers. For they venerated the divine power which is exalted above all things, under the similitude of that species of animals which the providence they inhabited produced: and on this account they dedicated particular animals to particular gods. Among the element they paid a particular veneration to fire and water, as they are the principal causes of our preservation; an this they exhibited in their temples; and even at the present time, when the sanctuary of Serapis is opened, the rites are celebrated with fire and water. For the minister who sings the sacred hymns, both pours out water by drops, and exhibits fire when standing in the place appointed for such purposes, he invokes the divinity in the native language of the Egyptians. Since therefore they venerated these elements they particularly worship, whatever possesses most of these , as participating largely of holy natures. But after this they worshipped all animals; and in the village Anubis paid divine honours to man; for they sacrificed to him, in honour of his nature upon altars. And prepared for themselves (in a short time after the religious cermonifes) such food as was accommodated to his nature as man. From which conduct we conclude, that other animals are to be abstained from as well as mandkind.— Again, from their most excellent wisdom, and from their intimate acquaintance with divine concerns, they learned what animals are friendly to men and dear to the gods. Thus they affirm that a hawk is acceptable to the sun, because its nature is entirely composed from blood and spirit: besides, it feels compassion for man and bewails his death, lightly casting earth upon his eyes, in which they believed the solar light resided.

They have likewise discovered that a hawk lives many years, and that when dead, it is endued with a divining power; and being freed from its corporeal bonds possesses great wisdom, and is very knowing in future events: that it also gives perfection to images and moves temples. The rude uninformed vulgar, ignorant of divine concerns, doubtless abhors the [Greek omitted] or beetle; but the Egyptians worship it as a living image of the sun. For every beetle is of the male kind, but drops its offspring in the mud, which it fashions into a spherical shape; and moves round it in a retrograde course, like the sun in the heavens. And in this manner it remains expecting the conclusion of twenty-eight days, that is, a lunar period. After the same manner, the ram, the crocodile, the vulture, the ibis, and universally all animals, were the subjects of their philosophical disquisitions. So that in consequence of their wisdom, and great knowledge of divine concerns, they at length came to animal worship. But the unlettered man is perfectly ignorant by what means they preserved themselves from being carried away by vulgar folly; how they deserted the paths of ignorance frequented by the multitude; and admitted as a part of their worship things of no general estimation.

But this consideration, no less than the preceding observations, strengthened their belief in the propriety of animal worship: I mean their discovering, that the souls of all animals when freed from body are endued with reason; an Præscient of future events; possess a prophetic power, and are capable of all the various operations of man, when divested of his corporeal bonds. Hence they justly reverenced all animals, and as much as possible abstained from using them in food. But as the Egyptians worshipping the gods through the medium of animals, requires much investigation, and far more than the limits of this work will admit, what has been already revealed concerning their mysteries must suffice our present design."