Publisher's Synopsis
Throughout this book, we examine ancient Egyptian speculations about Thoth the Atlantean to show the prevailing tendencies. After reviewing the most famous references to Thoth the Atlantean in Egyptian literature and ritual, it is difficult to distinguish the most critical aspects of his character, or phases of his being, that contribute to explaining the various activities he is assigned to in Egyptian mythology and ritual.
In many instances, an effort has been made to determine the simple meaning underlying characteristic epithets of the god. Epithets should be grouped according to what can be associated with well-defined activities or aspects of the god. There is no attempt to analyze the god individually comprehensively. To do so would require a closer examination of Egyptian religious literature and a more extensive recording of results than Egyptological scholarship has attempted concerning any ancient Egyptian spiritual problem.
Throughout this work, it is evident that texts derived from Egyptian literature of the Graeco-Roman period have been freely employed. Every student of Ptolemaic texts concludes that they contain a substantial amount of theology, which, though not always paralleled in older texts, seems to be in accord with Egyptian thought in the early period.
The Ptolemaic texts have thus been considered authentic Egyptian speculations and beliefs whenever they tended to explain any aspect of Thoth the Atlantean. The Pyramid texts have, of course, been examined in detail about the theological thought of the early period. The complexity of the texts prevented the recitation of vast amounts of quotations, but frequent references to the numbered Pyramid Texts will enable ardent scholars to follow.
Thoth, the Atlantean, who, to the general reader, may appear to be a divinity of purely Egyptian significance, was nevertheless associated with such a widely flowing current and ancient thoughts as well as the speculation of the Hermetic writings. The most famous work of Thoth the Atlantean, Passages from the Book of the Dead, has been mostly referred to rather than quoted. As a result, esoteric researchers emphasize the significance and intelligent thought behind all aspects of Thoth the Atlantean.
