Teaching of the Hasheshonqi
The doctrine of Chascheschonqi (outdated: doctrine of Ankhscheschonqi , doctrine of Ankhscheschonki , doctrine of Ankh-Scheschonki ) has been passed down as a papyrus of the genus wisdom texts written in demotic language , which was probably written during the late Ptolemaic period in the second or first century BC. Was written. It is kept in the British Museum under inventory number BM 10508.
Papyrus description
The teaching of the Hasheschonqi contains a collection of sayings that is embedded in a framework that is based on a much older basis. A reliable dating of the time of origin has not yet been made. Due to the linguistic style and content of the framework story, an original drafting of the original text during the string period in the sixth century BC can be assumed . BC - at the latest in the fifth century BC. - to be assumed. The sayings are complex and show similarities with the content of ancient Egyptian wisdom teachings from different epochs. The content of the papyrus is closely related to the late Ptolemaic papyrus Berlin 15709 rt .
The papyrus was purchased in 1896 by the Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge in Achmim for the British Museum in London and originally had a total length of 462 cm. It was cut into nine pieces for preservation . The content is told in 28 columns , most of which are missing the first line. In addition, larger sections are no longer present in the first two columns and the information is difficult to read from the 24th column onwards due to holes and abrasion.
content
The contents of the teaching of the Hasheschonqi have a practice-oriented character that is clearly focused on one's own benefit. The end of the main plot is similar to the omen literature as well as to the " else-now " scheme of the Middle Kingdom . The collection of sayings itself lacks a context in terms of content, it is mostly based on rules that are easy to implement in everyday life. The statements in the wealth-related area mostly contain references to sources of income in the agricultural sector, which is why earlier those sayings were erroneously classified as “ peasant wisdom ”.
Particularly noteworthy are the connections to the ancient Egyptian wisdom literature The Doctrine of Hordjedef , which has already been handed down on some ostraca from the New Kingdom . Due to the language, the original drafting time of the teachings of Hordjedef in the Middle Kingdom is assumed, whereby the content refers to Prince Hordjedef from the Old Kingdom . The so-called doing-doing-connection does not exist with regard to the reports of Chascheschonqi, since he feels the fate bestowed upon him as "arbitrariness of the sun god Re ":
"Every hand is outstretched to God, but he only takes the hand of his favorite."
Framework story
The framework plot is described as a historical narrative in columns 1–5. Chascheschonqi, who referred to himself as "the son of Sanuphis and Sitnecho", was active as a priest of Re in Heliopolis . Since he was in unspecified difficulties, Chascheschonqi asked the sun god Re in a prayer for the possibility of living with his old childhood friend Harsiese in Memphis . His request was fulfilled and so he came to Harsiese, who in the meantime had risen to become "First of the Pharaoh's Doctors". After Chascheschonqi accepted Harsiese's request to visit his relatives in Heliopolis three times a month, Hasiese told of his plan to participate in a conspiracy against the Pharaoh. Chascheschonqi tried unsuccessfully to dissuade Harsiese from his plan.
An official of the royal court overheard the conversation and then warned the Pharaoh of the planned act. After the arrest of the conspirators along with Harsiese and Chascheschonqi, the pharaoh asked Chascheschonqi in the subsequent court hearing about the reasons why he had not warned him. The corresponding answer that “he assumed that the Pharaoh would uncover the conspiracy himself” was little convincing, which is why he remained in prison for an indefinite period of time. Harsiese and the conspirators, on the other hand, were sentenced to death by burning. On the following "Feast of the Accession to the Throne " the Pharaoh released all prisoners except for Chascheschonqi. Many years passed and Chascheschonqi, who saw the end of his life, decided to write down his wisdom teachings, which he wanted to dedicate to his son. Since Pharaoh Chascheschonqi granted a scribal palette, but did not provide the papyrus necessary for the collection of sayings, Chascheschonqi had to be content with the pottery shards lying around on which he wrote down his wisdom. Chascheschonqi, who saw his life imprisonment as an unjust punishment and humiliation, finally looked for the reasons that induced the sun god Re to impose the fate assigned to him:
“See, that is the teaching that the Father of God Chascheschonqi, son of Sanuphi, his mother is Sitnecho, his son wrote on the pieces of the pots ... He says:“ Humiliation and misery, my great Lord, oh Re, imprisonment and I have been humiliated for not killing anyone. It is an abomination to you, my great Lord, O Re! Is that the way Re will be angry with a country? O people who will find the broken pieces of the pots, hear from me how Re will be angry with a country! If Re is angry with a country, his ruler will neglect the law, he will let the laws and purity as well as the mate cease in it, he will decrease values in it, he will not allow trust in it, he will be great and his little ones make his greats humble, he will let the stupid masters be the wise, he will order his ruler to do evil to his subordinates, he will make his clerk the chief administrative officer, he will make his launderer the chief of police ”. This is followed by the words that Chascheschonqi wrote on the pots ... that were reported daily to Pharaoh and his great ones. Khasheshonqi realized that his detention would be delayed because he had not been released. He wrote on the broken pieces of the pots the things he could teach his son in writing. "
Collection of sayings
The collection of sayings mostly consists of one-line idioms, aphorisms and proverbs, whereby the author also had knowledge of Greek , Hebrew , Aramaic and Hellenistic sources due to the wisdom used . In addition, there are fragmentary parallels with identical wording, some of which exist in other ancient Egyptian wisdom texts. For example, the principle of the golden rule is listed twice:
“ 12.6 Do not harm anyone, in order not to cause another to do it to you. 15.23 Do not do what you hate to anyone, in order not to cause someone else to do it to you. "
Other passages show that people were not thought of superficially, for whose welfare the author was concerned. Rather, the focus was on self-interest in order to receive a specifically named consideration as possible:
“Serve your God to protect you. Serve your brothers and sisters in a good name. Serve a sage that he may serve you. Serve him who will serve you. Serve everyone that you may be useful. Serve your father and mother that you may go while you are well. "
literature
- Stephen Ranulph Kingdon Glanville: The Instructions of 'Onchsheshonqy (British Museum Papyrus 10508) (Catalog of Demotic Papyri in the British Museum 2) . London 1955.
- Miriam Lichtheim : Ancient Egyptian Literature. A book of readings. Vol. III: The Late Period . University of California Press, Berkeley 2006, ISBN 0-520-24844-9
- Joachim Friedrich Quack : The teaching of the Chascheschonqi. In: Friedhelm Hoffmann , Joachim Friedrich Quack: Anthology of demotic literature (= introductions and source texts for Egyptology. Volume 4). Lit, Berlin 2007, ISBN 3-8258-0762-2 , pp. 273-298 and 365-367.
- Joachim Friedrich Quack: The demotic and Graeco-Egyptian literature. Lit, Münster 2005, ISBN 3-8258-8222-5
- Heinz Josef Thissen: The teaching of the Anchscheschonqi. In: Otto Kaiser , Günter Burkard : Texts from the Environment of the Old Testament (TUAT), Vol. 3, Delivery 2: Wisdom Texts II . Mohn, Gütersloh 1991, ISBN 3-579-00073-X , pp. 251-277.
- Heinz Josef Thissen: Achmim and the demotic literature. In: Arno Egberts: Perspectives on Panopolis: An Egyptian town from Alexander the Great to the Arab Conquest (Acts from an international Symposium held in Leiden on 16, 17 and 18 December 1998) . Brill, Leiden 2002, ISBN 90-04-11753-9 , pp. 249-260.
- Karl-Theodor Zauzich : Demotic fragments of the Ahikar novel In: Herbert Franke: Folia rara: Wolfgang Voigt LXV. diem natalem celebranti from amicis et catalogorum codicum orientalium conscribendorum collegis dedicata. Steiner, Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-515-02166-3 , pp. 180-185.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Joachim Friedrich Quack: On the chronology of demotic wisdom literature . In: Kim Ryholt: Acts of the Seventh International Conference of Demotic Studies: Copenhagen, 23-27 August 1999 . Museum Tusculanum Press, Copenhagen 2002, ISBN 87-7289-648-5 , p. 342.
- ^ Paul John Frandsen: A miscellany of Demotic Texts and Studies. The Carlsberg Papyri 3 . Museum Tusculanum Press, Copenhagen 2000, ISBN 87-7289-547-0 , p. 28.
- ↑ a b Joachim Friedrich Quack: The demotic and Graeco-Egyptian literature . P. 114.
- ^ Joachim Friedrich Quack: The demotic and Graeco-Egyptian literature . P. 112.
- ^ Joachim Friedrich Quack: The demotic and Graeco-Egyptian literature . P. 115.
- ↑ Heinz Josef Thissen: The teaching of the Anchscheschonqi . Pp. 251-252.
- ↑ Heinz Josef Thissen: The teaching of the Anchscheschonqi . Pp. 253-256.
- ↑ Heinz Josef Thissen: The teaching of the Anchscheschonqi . Pp. 255-256.