From Seth to Star Wars

A Presentation by Lisa Schwappach-Shiriff, Curator and Steven Armstrong, Research Associate, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, San José, CA 7/27/02. The material below was issued as a research handout accompanying the talk, and is not an outline of the discussion.

All opinions, materials and links below are informational only, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the presenters, nor imply an endorsement by the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum or the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.  

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(from http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/texts/ipuwer.htm )

“It is impossible to give a date for the composition of this document. The surviving papyrus (Papyrus Leiden 334) itself is a copy made during the New Kingdom. Ipuwer is generally supposed to have lived during the Middle Kingdom or the Second Intermediate Period, and the catastrophes he bewails to have taken place four centuries earlier during the First Intermediate Period. Fringe historians often compare the contents of this papyrus with the second book of the bible, Exodus. Such comparisons between Egyptian texts and the bible are easily made and assuming Egyptian influence on the Hebrews is reasonable, given their at times close contacts. To conclude from these similarities that the Ipuwer Papyrus describes Egypt at the time of the Exodus requires a leap of faith not everybody is willing to make. Lacunae in the papyrus text are marked by [...].” 

I [. .] The door [keepers] say: "Let us go and plunder." The confectioners [. . .]. The washerman refuses to carry his load [. . .] The bird [catchers] have drawn up in line of battle [. . . the inhabitants] of the Delta carry shields. The brewers [. . .] sad. A man regards his son as his enemy. Confusion [. . .] another. Come and conquer; judge [. . .] what was ordained for you in the time of Horus, in the age [of the Ennead . . .]. The virtuous man goes in mourning because of what has happened in the land [. . .] goes [. . .] the tribes of the desert have become Egyptians everywhere. Indeed, the face is pale; [. . .] what the ancestors foretold has arrived at [fruition . . .] the land is full of confederates, and a man goes to plough with his shield. Indeed, the meek say: ["He who is . . . of] face is as a well-born man." Indeed, [the face] is pale; the bowman is ready, wrongdoing is everywhere, and there is no man of yesterday. Indeed, the plunderer [. . .] everywhere, and the servant takes what he finds. Indeed, the Nile overflows, yet none plough for it 

[I/1]. Everyone says: "We do not know what will happen throughout the land." Indeed, the women are barren and none conceive. Khnum fashions (men) no more because of the condition of the land.

II Indeed, poor men have become owners of wealth, and he who could not make sandals for himself is now a possessor of riches. Indeed, men's slaves, their hearts are sad, and magistrates do not fraternize with their people when they shout. Indeed, [hearts] are violent, pestilence is throughout the land, blood is everywhere, death is not lacking, and the mummy-cloth speaks even before one comes near it. Indeed, many dead are buried in the river; the stream is a sepulcher and the place of embalmment has become a stream. Indeed, noblemen are in distress, while the poor man is full of joy. Every town says: "Let us suppress the powerful among us."

[II/1] Indeed, men are like ibises. Squalor is throughout the land, and there are none indeed whose clothes are white in these times. Indeed, the land turns around as does a potter's wheel; the robber is a possessor of riches and [the rich man is become] a plunderer. Indeed, trusty servants are [. . .]; the poor man [complains]: "How terrible! What am I to do?" Indeed, the river is blood, yet men drink of it. Men shrink from human beings and thirst after water.

[II/2] Indeed, gates, columns and walls are burnt up

[II/3], while the hall of the palace stands firm and endures. Indeed, the ship of [the southerners] has broken up; towns are destroyed and Upper Egypt has become an empty waste.Indeed, crocodiles [are glutted] with the fish they have taken, for men go to them of their own accord

[II/4]; it is the destruction of the land. Men say: "Do not walk here; behold, it is a net." Behold, men tread [the water] like fishes, and the frightened man cannot distinguish it because of terror. Indeed, men are few, and he who places his brother in the ground is everywhere. When the wise man speaks, [he flees without delay]. Indeed, the well-born man [. . .] through lack of recognition, and the child of his lady has become the son of his maidservant. 

III Indeed, the desert is throughout the land, the nomes are laid waste, and barbarians 

[III/1] from abroad have come to Egypt 

[III/2]. Indeed, men arrive [. . .] and indeed, there are no Egyptians 

[III/3] anywhere. Indeed, gold and lapis lazuli, silver and turquoise, carnelian and amethyst, Ibhet-stone and [. . .] are strung on the necks of maidservants. Good things are throughout the land, (yet) housewives say: "Oh that we had something to eat!" Indeed, [. . .] noblewomen. Their bodies are in sad plight by reason of their rags, and their hearts sink when greeting [one another]. Indeed, chests of ebony are broken up, and precious ssndm-wood is cleft asunder in beds [. . .]. Indeed, the builders [of pyramids have become] cultivators, and those who were in the sacred bark are now yoked [to it]. None shall indeed sail northward to Byblos today; what shall we do for cedar trees for our mummies, and with the produce of which priests are buried and with the oil of which [chiefs] are embalmed as far as Keftiu? They come no more; gold is lacking [. . .] and materials for every kind of craft have come to an end. The [. . .] of the palace is despoiled. How often do people of the oases come with their festival spices, mats, and skins, with fresh rdmt-plants, grease of birds . . . ? Indeed, Elephantine and Thinis [...] of Upper Egypt, (but) without paying taxes owing to civil strife. Lacking are grain, charcoal, irtyw-fruit, m'w-wood, nwt-wood, and brushwood. The work of craftsmen and [. . .] are the profit of the palace. To what purpose is a treasury without its revenues? Happy indeed is the heart of the king when truth comes to him! And every foreign land [comes]! That is our fate and that is our happiness! What can we do about it? All is ruin! Indeed, laughter is perished and is [no longer] made; it is groaning that is throughout the land, mingled with complaints. 

IV Indeed, every dead person is as a well-born man. Those who were Egyptians [have become] foreigners and are thrust aside. Indeed, hair [has fallen out] for everybody, and the man of rank can no longer be distinguished from him who is nobody. Indeed, [. . .] because of noise; noise is not [. . .] in years of noise, and there is no end [of] noise. Indeed, great and small [say]: "I wish I might die." Little children say: "He should not have caused [me] to live." Indeed, the children of princes are dashed against walls, and the children of the neck 

[IV/1] are laid out on the high ground 

[IV/2]. Indeed, those who were in the place of embalmment are laid out on the high ground, and the secrets of the embalmers are thrown down because of it. Indeed, that has perished which yesterday was seen, and the land is left over to its weakness like the cutting of flax.Indeed, the Delta in its entirety will not be hidden, and Lower Egypt puts trust in trodden roads. What can one do? No [. . .] exist anywhere, and men say: "Perdition to the secret place!" Behold, it is in the hands of those who do not know it like those who know it. The desert dwellers are skilled in the crafts 

[IV/3] of the Delta. Indeed, citizens are put to the corn-rubbers, and those who used to don fine linen are beaten with . . . Those who used never to see the day have gone out unhindered; those who were on their husbands' beds, let them lie on rafts. I say: "It is too heavy for me," concerning rafts bearing myrrh. Load them with vessels filled with [. . . Let] them know the palanquin. As for the butler, he is ruined. There are no remedies for it; noblewomen suffer like maidservants, minstrels are at the looms within the weaving-rooms, and what they sing to the Songstress-goddess is mourning. Talkers [. . .] corn-rubbers.Indeed, all female slaves are free with their tongues, and when their mistress speaks, it is irksome to the maidservants. Indeed, trees are felled and branches are stripped off  [IV/4]. 

V I have separated him and his household slaves, and men will say when they hear it: "Cakes are lacking for most children; there is no food [. . .]. What is the taste of it like today?" Indeed, magnates are hungry and perishing, followers are followed [. . .] because of complaints. Indeed, the hot-tempered man says: "If I knew where God is, then I would serve Him." Indeed, [Right] pervades the land in name, but what men do in trusting to it is Wrong. Indeed, runners are fighting over the spoil [of ] the robber, and all his property is carried off. Indeed, all animals, their hearts weep; cattle moan because of the state of the land. Indeed, the children of princes are dashed against walls, and the children of the neck are laid out on the high ground. Khnum groans because of his weariness.Indeed, terror kills; the frightened man opposes what is done against your enemies. Moreover, the few are pleased, while the rest are . . . Is it by following the crocodile and cleaving it asunder? Is it by slaying the lion roasted on the fire? [Is it] by sprinkling for Ptah and taking [. . .]? Why do you give to him? There is no reaching him. It is misery which you give to him. Indeed, slaves . . . throughout the land, and the strong man sends to everyone; a man strikes his maternal brother. What is it that has been done? I speak to a ruined man. Indeed, the ways are [. . .], the roads are watched 

[V/1]; men sit in the bushes until the benighted traveler comes in order to plunder his burden, and what is upon him is taken away. He is belabored with blows of a stick and murdered. Indeed, that has perished which yesterday was seen, and the land is left over to its weakness like the cutting of flax, commoners coming and going in dissolution [. . .]. 

VI Would that there were an end of men, without conception, without birth! Then would the land be quiet from noise and tumult be no more. Indeed, [men eat] herbage and wash [it] down with water; neither fruit nor herbage can be found [for] the birds, and [. . .] is taken away from the mouth of the pig. No face is bright which you have [. . .] for me through hunger. Indeed, everywhere barley has perished and men are stripped of clothes, spice, and oil; everyone says: "There is none." The storehouse is empty and its keeper is stretched on the ground; a happy state of affairs! . . .Would that I had raised my voice at that moment, that it might have saved me from the pain in which I am. Indeed, the private council-chamber, its writings are taken away and the mysteries which were [in it] are laid bare 

[VI/1]. Indeed, magic spells are divulged 

[VI/2]; smw- and shnw-spells 

[VI/3] are frustrated because they are remembered by men. Indeed, public offices are opened and their inventories are taken away; the serf has become an owner of serfs. Indeed, [scribes] are killed and their writings are taken away. Woe is me because of the misery of this time! Indeed, the writings of the scribes of the cadaster are destroyed, and the corn of Egypt is common property 

[VI/4]. Indeed, the laws of the council chamber are thrown out; indeed, men walk on them in public places, and poor men break them up in the streets. Indeed, the poor man has attained to the state of the Nine Gods, and the erstwhile procedure of the House of the Thirty 

[VI/5] is divulged. Indeed, the great council-chamber is a popular resort, and poor men come and go to the Great Mansions. Indeed, the children of magnates are ejected into the streets; the wise man agrees and the fool says "no," and it is pleasing in the sight of him who knows nothing about it. Indeed, those who were in the place of embalmment are laid out on the high ground, and the secrets of the embalmers are thrown down because of it. 

VII Behold, the fire has gone up on high, and its burning goes forth against the enemies of the land. Behold, things have been done which have not happened for a long time past; the king has been deposed by the rabble. Behold, he who was buried as a falcon 

[VII/1] [is devoid] of biers, and what the pyramid concealed has become empty. Behold, it has befallen that the land has been deprived of the kingship by a few lawless men. Behold, men have fallen into rebellion against the Uraeus, the [. . .] of Re, even she who makes the Two Lands content. Behold, the secret of the land whose limits were unknown is divulged, and the Residence is thrown down in a moment. Behold, Egypt is fallen to pouring of water, and he who poured water on the ground has carried off the strong man in misery.Behold, the Serpent is taken from its hole, and the secrets of the Kings of Upper and Lower Egypt are divulged. Behold, the Residence is afraid because of want, and [men go about] unopposed to stir up strife. Behold, the land has knotted itself up with confederacies, and the coward takes the brave man's property. Behold, the Serpent 

[VII/2] [. . .] the dead: he who could not make a sarcophagus for himself is now the possessor of a tomb. Behold, the possessors of tombs are ejected on to the high ground, while he who could not make a coffin for himself is now [the possessor] of a treasury. Behold, this has happened [to] men; he who could not build a room for himself is now a possessor of walls. Behold, the magistrates of the land are driven out throughout the land: [. . .] are driven out from the palaces. Behold, noble ladies are now on rafts, and magnates are in the labor establishment, while he who could not sleep even on walls is now the possessor of a bed 

[VII/3].Behold, the possessor of wealth now spends the night thirsty, while he who once begged his dregs for himself is now the possessor of overflowing bowls. Behold, the possessors of robes are now in rags, while he who could not weave for himself is now a possessor of fine linen. Behold, he who could not build a boat for himself is now the possessor of a fleet; their erstwhile owner looks at them, but they are not his. Behold, he who had no shade is now the possessor of shade, while the erstwhile possessors of shade are now in the full blast of the storm. Behold, he who was ignorant of the lyre is now the possessor of a harp, while he who never sang for himself now vaunts the Songstress-goddess 

[VII/4]. Behold, those who possessed vessel-stands of copper [. . .] not one of the jars thereof has been adorned. 

VIII Behold, he who slept wifeless through want [finds] riches, while he whom he never saw stands making dole. Behold, he who had no property is now a possessor of wealth, and the magnate praises him. Behold, the poor of the land have become rich, and the [erstwhile owner] of property is one who has nothing. Behold, serving-men have become masters of butlers, and he who was once a messenger now sends someone else. Behold, he who had no loaf is now the owner of a barn, and his storehouse is provided with the goods of another. Behold, he whose hair is fallen out and who had no oil has now become the possessors of jars of sweet myrrh. Behold, she who had no box is now the owner of a coffer, and she who had to look at her face in the water is now the owner of a mirror. Behold, [. . .]. Behold, a man is happy eating his food. Consume your goods in gladness and unhindered, for it is good for a man to eat his food; God commands it for him whom He has favored [. . .]. [Behold, he who did not know] his god now offers to him with incense of another [who is] not known [to him]. [Behold,] great ladies, once possessors of riches, now give their children for beds. Behold, a man [to whom is given] a noble lady as wife, her father protects him, and he who has not [. . .] killing him. Behold, the children of magistrates are [ . . . the calves] / of cattle [are given over] to the plunderers. Behold, priests transgress with the cattle of the poor [. . .]. Behold, he who could not slaughter for himself now slaughters bulls, and he who did not know how to carve now sees [. . .]. Behold, priests transgress with geese, which are given [to] the gods instead of oxen. Behold, maidservants [. . .] offer ducks; noblewomen [. . .]. Behold, noblewomen flee; the overseers of [. . .] and their [children] are cast down through fear of death. [Behold,] the chiefs of the land flee; there is no purpose for them because of want. The lord of [. . .]. 

IX [Behold,] those who once owned beds are now on the ground, while he who once slept in squalor now lays out a skin-mat for himself. Behold, noblewomen go hungry, while the priests 

[IX/1] are sated with what has been prepared for them. Behold, no offices are in their right place, like a herd running at random without a herdsman. Behold, cattle stray and there is none to collect them, but everyone fetches for himself those that are branded with his name 

[IX/2]. Behold, a man is slain beside his brother, who runs away and abandons him to save his own skin. Behold, he who had no yoke of oxen is now the owner of a herd, and he who could find for himself no ploughman is now the owner of cattle. Behold, he who had no grain is now the owner of granaries, and he who had to fetch loan-corn for himself is now one who issues it. Behold, he who had no dependents is now an owner of serfs, and he who was [a magnate] now performs his own errands. Behold, the strong men of the land, the condition of the people is not reported [to them]. All is ruin! Behold, no craftsmen work, for the enemies of the land have impoverished its craftsmen. [Behold, he who once recorded] the harvest now knows nothing about it, while he who never ploughed [for himself is now the owner of corn; the reaping] takes place but is not reported. The scribe [sits in his office], but his hands [are idle] in it. Destroyed is [. . .] in that time, and a man looks [on his friend as] an adversary. The infirm man brings coolness [to what is hot . . .] fear [. . . / . . .]. Poor men [. . . the land] is not bright because of it. 

X Destroyed is [. . .] their food is taken from them [. . . through] fear of his terror. The commoner begs [. . .] messenger, but not [. . .] time. He is captured laden with goods and [all his property] is taken away. [. . .] men pass by his door [. . .] the outside of the wall, a shed, and rooms containing falcons. It is the common man who will be vigilant, the day having dawned on him without his dreading it. Men run because of [. . . for] the temple of the head, strained through a woven cloth within the house. What they make are tents, just like the desert folk. Destroyed is the doing of that for which men are sent by retainers in the service of their masters; they have no readiness. Behold, they are five men, and they say: "Go on the road you know, for we have arrived." Lower Egypt weeps; the king's storehouse is the common property of everyone, and the entire palace is without its revenues. To it belong emmer and barley, fowl and fish; to it belong white cloth and fine linen, copper and oil; to it belong carpet and mat, [. . .] flowers and wheat-sheaf and all good revenues . . . If the . . . it in the palace were delayed, men would be devoid [of . . .]. Destroy the enemies of the august Residence, splendid of magistrates [. . .] in it like [. . .]; indeed, the Governor of the City goes unescorted. Destroy [the enemies of the august Residence,] splendid [. . .]. [Destroy the enemies of] that erstwhile august Residence, manifold of laws [. . .]. [Destroy the enemies of] that erstwhile august [Residence . . .]. Destroy the enemies of that erstwhile august Residence [. . .] none can stand [. . .]. Destroy the enemies of that erstwhile august Residence, manifold of offices; indeed [. . .]. Remember to immerse [. . .] him who is in pain when he is sick in his body; show respect [. . .] because of his god that he may guard the utterance [. . .] his children who are witnesses of the surging of the flood. 

XI Remember 

[XI/1] to [. . . . . .]. . . shrine, to fumigate with incense and to offer water in a jar in the early morning. Remember [to bring] fat r-geese, trp-geese, and ducks 

[XI/2] and to offer god's offerings to the gods. Remember to chew natron 

[XI/3] and to prepare white bread; a man [should do it] on the day of wetting the head. Remember to erect flagstaffs and to carve offering stones, the priest cleansing the chapels and the temple being plastered (white) like milk; to make pleasant the odor of the horizon and to provide bread-offerings. Remember to observe regulations, to fix dates correctly, and to remove him who enters on the priestly office in impurity of body, for that is doing it wrongfully, it is destruction of the heart [. . .] the day which precedes eternity, the months [. . .] years are known. Remember to slaughter oxen [. . .]. Remember to go forth purged [. . .] who calls to you; to put r-geese on the fire [. . .] to open the jar [. . .] the shore of the waters [. . .] of women [. . .] clothing [. . . / . . .] to give praise . . . in order to appease you. [. . .] lack of people; come [. . .] Re who commands [. . .] worshipping him [. . .] West until [. . .] are diminished [. . .]. Behold, why does he seek to fashion [men . . .]? The frightened man is not distinguished from the violent one. 

XII He brings coolness upon heat; men say: "He is the herdsman of mankind, and there is no evil in his heart." Though his herds are few, yet he spends a day to collect them, their hearts being on fire. Would that he had perceived their nature in the first generation; then he would have imposed obstacles, he would have stretched out his arm against them, he would have destroyed their herds 

[XII/1] and their heritage. Men desire the giving of birth, but sadness supervenes, with needy people on all sides. So it is, and it will not pass away while the gods who are in the midst of it exist. Seed goes forth into mortal women, but none are found on the road. Combat has gone forth, and he who should be a redresser of evils is one who commits them; neither do men act as pilot in their hour of duty. Where is he today? Is he asleep? Behold, his power is not seen. If we had been fed, I would not have found you, I would not have been summoned in vain; "Aggression against it means pain of heart" is a saying on the lips of everyone. Today he who is afraid . . . a myriad of people; [. . .] did not see [. . .] against the enemies of [. . .] at his outer chamber; who enter the temple [. . .] weeping for him [. . .] that one who confounds what he has said . . . The land has not fallen [. . .] the statues are burned and their tombs destroyed [. . .] he sees the day of [. . .]. He who could not make for himself [. . .] between sky and ground is afraid of everybody. . . . if he does it . . . what you dislike taking. Authority, knowledge, and truth are with you, yet confusion is what you set throughout the land, also the noise of tumult. Behold, one deals harm to another, for men conform to what you have commanded. If three men travel on the road, they are found to be only two, for the many kill the few. 

XIII Does a herdsman desire death? Then may you command reply to be made, because it means that one loves, another detests; it means that their existences are few everywhere; it means that you have acted so as to bring those things to pass. You have told lies, and the land is a weed which destroys men, and none can count on life. All these years are strife, and a man is murdered on his housetop even though he was vigilant in his gate lodge. Is he brave and saves himself? It means he will live. When men send a servant for humble folk, he goes on the road until he sees the flood; the road is washed out and he stands worried. What is on him is taken away, he is belabored with blows of a stick and wrongfully slain. Oh that you could taste a little of the misery of it! Then you would say [. . .] from someone else as a wall, over and above [. . .] hot . . . years . . . [. . .]. [It is indeed good] when ships fare upstream [. . . . . .] robbing them.It is indeed good [. . .]. [It is indeed] good when the net is drawn in and birds are tied up [. . .]. It is [indeed] good [. . .] dignities for them, and the roads are passable. It is indeed good when the hands of men build pyramids, when ponds are dug and plantations of the trees of the gods are made. It is indeed good when men are drunk; they drink myt and their hearts are happy. 

XIV It is indeed good when shouting is in men's mouths, when the magnates of districts stand looking on at the shouting in their houses, clad in a cloak, cleansed in front and well-provided within 

[XIV/1]. It is indeed good when beds are prepared and the headrests of magistrates are safely secured. Every man's need is satisfied with a couch in the shade, and a door is now shut on him who once slept in the bushes. It is indeed good when fine linen is spread out on New Year's Day [. . .] on the bank; when fine linen is spread out and cloaks are on the ground. The overseer of [. . .] the trees, the poor [. . . / . . .] in their midst like Asiatics [. . .]. Men [. . .] the state thereof; they have come to an end of themselves; none can be found to stand up and protect themselves [. . .]. Everyone fights for his sister and saves his own skin. Is it Nubians? Then will we guard ourselves; warriors are made many in order to ward off foreigners. Is it Libyans? Then we will turn away. The Medjay are pleased with Egypt 

[XIV/2]. XVHow comes it that every man kills his brother? The troops whom we marshaled for ourselves have turned into foreigners and have taken to ravaging 

[XV/1]. What has come to pass through it is informing the Asiatics of the state of the land; all the desert folk are possessed with the fear of it. What the plebs have tasted [. . .] without giving Egypt over [to] the sand. It is strong [. . .] speak about you after years [. . .] devastate itself, it is the threshing floor which nourishes their houses [. . .] to nourish his children [. . .] said by the troops [. . . . . .] fish [. . .] gum, lotus leaves [. . .] excess of food. 

XVI What Ipuwer said when he addressed the Majesty of the Lord of All: [. . .] all herds. It means that ignorance of it is what is pleasing to the heart. You have done what was good in their hearts and you have nourished the people with it. They cover their faces through fear of the morrow. That is how a man grows old before he dies, while his son is a lad of understanding; he does not open [his] mouth to speak to you, but you seize him in the doom of death [. . .] weep [. . .] go [. . .] after you, that the land may be [. . .] on every side. 

XVII If men call to [. . .] weep [. . .] them, who break into the tombs and burn the statues [. . .] the corpses of the nobles [. . . / . . .] of directing work. .......................... 

Notes: 

I[I/1] the Nile overflows, yet none plough for it: The collapse of the Old Kingdom civilisation is generally attributed to a repeated failure of the Nile to inundate the flood plain. A few consecutive crop failures can result in many subsequent years of suffering, as all the grain that can be grown and which is to serve as seed, will been consumed as food. 

II[II/1] Let us suppress the powerful among us: Let us banish many from us (John A. Wilson) 

[II/2] Indeed, the river is blood, yet men drink of it. Men shrink from human beings and thirst after water: Why really, the River is blood. If one drinks of it, one rejects (it) as human and thirsts for water. (Wilson) 

[II/3] gates, columns and walls are burnt up: doors, columns, and floor planks are burned up (Wilson) 

[II/4] crocodiles [are glutted] with the fish they have taken, for men go to them of their own accord: crocodiles [sink] down because of what they have carried off, (for) men go to them of their own accord. (Wilson) 

III [III/1] barbarians : Egyptians saw themselves as the pinnacle of creation: their land was The Land, their people were The People. In this their attitude was similar to that of other ancient (and not so ancient) peoples. 

[III/2] from abroad have come to Egypt: Times of weak central power opened opportunities for foreigners to infiltrate the country in even larger numbers than ordinarily: The Nubian Medjay during the First Intermediate Period, the Hyksos during the Second. Still, they probably numbered in the thousands rather in the hundred thousands. 

[III/3] Egyptians: people (Wilson) cf. [III/1] 

IV[IV/1] ...the children of the neck (i.e. holding onto the neck of the carrying grown-up): The (once) prayed-for children (Wilson) 

[IV/2] on the high ground: burial ground above the flood plain. 

[IV/3] crafts: work (Wilson) 

[IV/4] trees are felled and branches are stripped off: the wholesale destruction of trees causes serious fuel problems, as witnessed nowadays in the Sahel region of sub-saharan Africa 

V [V/1]the ways are [. . .], the roads are watched: the ways [are not] guarded roads (Wilson) 

VI [VI/1] the private council-chamber, its writings are taken away and the mysteries which were [in it] are laid bare the writings of the augurs enclosure are read. The place of secrets which was (so formerly) is (now) laid bare (Wilson) 

[VI/2] magic spells are divulged: Magic has always shunned the light of day and becomes ineffectual when scrutinized with a critical mind. Strangely, this has never prevented people from believing in it. 

[VI/3] smw- and shnw spells: Go-spells and Enfold-spells (Wilson) 

[VI/4] the corn of Egypt is common property: The grain-sustenance of Egypt is (now) a come-and-get-it. (Wilson) The storage of surplus grain and its redistribution was one of the corner stones of the Egyptian economy. 

[VI/5] House of Thirty: Tribunal, cf. Hail Eater of entrails who came forth from the House of Thirty, I have not committed perjury. from the Book of the Dead transl. by Allen and Faulkner 

VII[VII/1] Falcon: the pharaoh, son of Horus 

[VII/2] Serpent: (guardian-)serpent (Wilson) 

[VII/3] Behold, noble ladies are now on rafts, and magnates are in the labor establishment, while he who could not sleep even on walls is now the possessor of a bed. Behold, nobles' ladies are (now) gleaners, and nobles are in the workhouse. (But) he who never (even) slept on a plank is (now) the owner of a bed. (Wilson) 

[VII/4] Songstress-goddess: goddess of music (Wilson) 

IX [IX/1] priests: king's men (Wilson) 

[IX/2] everyone fetches for himself those that are branded with his name: Every man takes for himself and brands (them) with his name. (Wilson) 

XI [XI/1] Remember: The things to remember are the duties of the priests, first among them the pharaoh as High Priest, to their gods. In accordance with the magical thinking of the day (and which still persists among many believers) the meticulous fulfilment of duties brings with it the favour of the gods and thus the well-being of the pious. 

[XI/2] ducks: sat-geese (Wilson) 

[XI/3] natron: used for cleaning teeth, cf. Personal hygiene and cosmetics 

XII [XII/1] their herds: the seed thereof (Wilson) 

XIV [XIV/1] well-provided within: firm-bellied (Wilson) 

[XIV/2] The Medjay are pleased with Egypt: The Madjoi fortunately are with Egypt. (Wilson); The Medjai are content with Egypt." (Lichtheim) 

XV [XV/1] foreigners and have taken to ravaging: barbarians, beginning to destroy that from which they took their being (Wilson) 

 From: (http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/negative_confessions)

 From the Book of the Dead Translated by E.A. Wallis Budge 240 BCE

Hail, Usekh-nemmt, who comest forth from Anu, I have not committed sin.
Hail, Hept-khet, who comest forth from Kher-aha, I have not committed robbery with violence.
Hail, Fenti, who comest forth from Khemenu, I have not stolen.
Hail, Am-khaibit, who comest forth from Qernet, I have not slain men and women.
Hail, Neha-her, who comest forth from Rasta, I have not stolen grain.
Hail, Ruruti, who comest forth from heaven, I have not purloined offerings.
Hail, Arfi-em-khet, who comest forth from Suat, I have not stolen the property of God.
Hail, Neba, who comest and goest, I have not uttered lies.
Hail, Set-qesu, who comest forth from Hensu, I have not carried away food.
Hail, Utu-nesert, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have not uttered curses.
Hail, Qerrti, who comest forth from Amentet, I have not committed adultery,

Hail, Her-f-ha-f, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have made none to weep.
Hail, Basti, who comest forth from Bast, I have not eaten the heart.
Hail, Ta-retiu, who comest forth from the night, I have not attacked any man.
Hail, Unem-snef, who comest forth from the execution chamber, I am not a man of deceit.
Hail, Unem-besek, who comest forth from Mabit, I have not stolen cultivated land.
Hail, Neb-Maat, who comest forth from Maati, I have not been an eavesdropper.
Hail, Tenemiu, who comest forth from Bast, I have not slandered [no man].
Hail, Sertiu, who comest forth from Anu, I have not been angry without just cause.
Hail, Tutu, who comest forth from Ati, I have not debauched the wife of any man.
Hail, Uamenti, who comest forth from the Khebt chamber, I have not debauched the wife of [any] man.
Hail, Maa-antuf, who comest forth from Per-Menu, I have not polluted myself.
Hail, Her-uru, who comest forth from Nehatu, I have terrorized none.
Hail, Khemiu, who comest forth from Kaui, I have not transgressed [the law].
Hail, Shet-kheru, who comest forth from Urit, I have not been wroth.
Hail, Nekhenu, who comest forth from Heqat, I have not shut my ears to the words of truth.
Hail, Kenemti, who comest forth from Kenmet, I have not blasphemed.
Hail, An-hetep-f, who comest forth from Sau, I am not a man of violence.
Hail, Sera-kheru, who comest forth from Unaset, I have not been a stirrer up of strife.
Hail, Neb-heru, who comest forth from Netchfet, I have not acted with undue haste.
Hail, Sekhriu, who comest forth from Uten, I have not pried into matters.
Hail, Neb-abui, who comest forth from Sauti, I have not multiplied my words in speaking.
Hail, Nefer-Tem, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have wronged none, I have done no evil.
Hail, Tem-Sepu, who comest forth from Tetu, I have not worked witchcraft against the king.
Hail, Ari-em-ab-f, who comest forth from Tebu, I have never stopped [the flow of] water.
Hail, Ahi, who comest forth from Nu, I have never raised my voice.
Hail, Uatch-rekhit, who comest forth from Sau, I have not cursed God.
Hail, Neheb-ka, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not acted with arrogance.
Hail, Neheb-nefert, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not stolen the bread of the gods.
Hail, Tcheser-tep, who comest forth from the shrine, I have not carried away the khenfu cakes from the Spirits of the dead.
Hail, An-af, who comest forth from Maati, I have not snatched away the bread of the child, nor treated with contempt the god of my city.
Hail, Hetch-abhu, who comest forth from Ta-she, I have not slain the cattle belonging to the god.

 From the Papyrus of Nu

From the Book of the Dead Translated by E.A. Wallis Budge Brit. Mus. No. 10477, Sheet 22

[THE FOLLOWING] WORDS SHALL BE SAID BY THE STEWARD OF THE KEEPER OF THE SEAL, NU, WHOSE WORD IS TRUTH, WHEN HE COMETH FORTH TO THE HALL OF MAATI, SO THAT HE MAY BE SEPARATED FROM EVERY SIN WHICH HE HATH COMMITTED, AND MAY BEHOLD THE FACES OF THE GODS.

 The Osiris Nu, whose word is truth, saith: Homage to thee, O great God, Lord of Maati! I have come unto thee, O my Lord, and I have brought myself hither that I may behold thy beauties. I know thee, I know thy name, I know the names of the Forty-two Gods who live with thee in this Hall of Maati, who live by keeping ward over sinners, and who feed upon their blood on the day when the consciences of men are reckoned up in the presence of the god Un-Nefer. In truth thy name is Rehti-Merti-Nebti-Maati. In truth I have come unto thee, I have brought Maati (Truth) to thee. I have done away sin for thee.

I have not committed sins against men.
I have not opposed my family and kinsfolk.
I have not acted fraudulently in the Seat of Truth.
I have not known men who were of no account.
I have not wrought evil.
I have not made it to be the first [consideration daily that unnecessary] work should be done for me.
I have not brought forward my name for dignities.
I have not [attempted] to direct servants. [1]
[I have not belittled God].
I have not defrauded the humble man of his property.
I have not done what the gods abominate.
I have not vilified a slave to his master.
I have not inflicted pain.
I have not caused anyone to go hungry.
I have not made any man to weep.
I have not committed murder.
I have not given the order for murder to be committed.
I have not caused calamities to befall men and women.
I have not plundered the offerings in the temples.
I have not defrauded the gods of their cake-offerings.
I have not carried off the fenkhu cakes [offered to] the Spirits.
I have not committed fornication.
I have not masturbated [in the sanctuaries of the god of my city].
I have not diminished from the bushel.
I have not filched [land from my neighbor’s estate and] added it to my own acre.
I have not encroached upon the fields [of others].
I have not added to the weights of the scales.
I have not depressed the pointer of the balance.
I have not carried away the milk from the mouths of children.
I have not driven the cattle away from their pastures.
I have not snared the geese in the goose-pens of the gods.
I have not caught fish with bait made of the bodies of the same kind of fish.
I have not stopped water when it should flow.
I have not made a cutting in a canal of running water.
I have not extinguished a fire when it should burn.
I have not violated the times [of offering] the chosen meat offerings.
I have not driven away the cattle on the estates of the gods.
I have not turned back the god at his appearances.

I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. My pure offerings are the pure offerings of that great Benu which dwelleth in Hensu. For behold, I am the nose of Neb-nefu (the lord of the air), who giveth sustenance unto all mankind, on the day of the filling of the Utchat in Anu, in the second month of the season Pert, on the last of the month, [in the presence of the Lord of this earth]. I have seen the filling of the Utchat in Anu, therefore let not calamity befall me in this land, or in this Hall of Maati, because I know the names of the gods who are therein, [and who are the followers of the Great God].

 

Anu - Heliopolis
Ati - the Busirite Nome
Bast - Bubastis
Hensu - Herakleopolis
Het-ka-Ptah - Memphis
Khemenu - Hermopolis
Per-Menu - Panopolis
Sau - Sais
Suat - Asyut
Ta-she - The Faiyum
Tetu - Busiris

[1] In a different rendition this is translated as: I have not domineered over slaves.

Classical approaches from Graeco-Roman Philosophy and various Theologies. Problem: there is an all good, all-powerful, all knowing Divinity from which all being flows. How, therefore, can there be evil? 

Monistic Theories            (Even though both poles of “the one and the many” are “real,” all being is somehow unitive, and that being is “good.”): 

I. Evil has no “being”

A. All that is, is created or emanated by / from the Divine

B. Everything that is (“the cosmos”) is therefore an image of the Divine

            1. Platonic: ladder of being

            2. Hermetic: As above, so below…

            3. Byzantine Christian: Iconic relationship of below to above…

C. Therefore, no “thing” is or could be evil in itself, in its own nature.

 II. Evil does not exist, i.e. Evil “is” non-Being, but is “experienced.”

            A. These terms are meant in the technical, ontological sense.

            B. The “experience of evil” is therefore not an experience of a “thing” that is evil

            C. The “experience of evil” is a privation or absence of the good that should be there.

                        1. Disease is the absence of health (i.e. the disordering of bodily vibrations)

                        2. Betrayal is the absence of loyalty and faithfulness

                        3. Lying is the absence of truth

            D. The “experience of evil” is the disordered replacement of a higher good by a

                        Lower good in a given circumstance

                        1. e.g. eating a gallon of ice cream for a severe diabetic

            E. Evil is a “relation” not a “being” 

III. Solutions posited as to why The Divine “permits” evil:

             A. Necessary result of free will, which is itself a necessary component

of being the Image (Icon) of the Divine.

                        1. Eternal punishment also a necessary possible result of free will

                        2. Necessary part of allowing this level of existence to be a training ground

             B. Apocatastasis (Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Nicholas Berdyaev,

George MacDonald et al.)

                        1. Universal Theosis (Divinization) for the whole Cosmos after one or more

lifetimes on this or other planes of existence.

                        2. Therefore, “Evil” is only temporary, an agon or refining fire,

and all will be balanced and given meaning “in the end.”

                                    a. This approach lends itself to a western adaptation of karma / dharma

                        3. Similar to the Triple Knot of Druidry and approaches of

Rosicrucians, Qabalists, et al.

 Dualist Theories (more or less):

 I. Subordinate Dualism:

             A. The ultimate source of the cosmos is the good Divinity

                        1. However, ignorant and /or malicious demiurges have created material

lower reality

                        2. Thus, the ultimate good and the subordinate ignorance and / or evil are

opposed to one another (“biblical demiurgical” beliefs: cf.

Williams, Rethinking Gnosticism.)

            D. Good demiurges have “subcreated” the cosmos in harmony with The One,

but a rebel demiurge is interfering (Tolkien’s mythos).

II. Strict Dualism: There are two opposing forces in the cosmos: Good and Evil, Light and Dark, etc.

             A. Good wins in the end:

                         1. Zoroastrianism (Good will win in the end):

God (Ahura Mazda) opposed by Anghra Mainyu

(Phl. Ahriman), meaning "Destructive Spirit." 

            B. Outcome is uncertain, depends on human (and other) effort:

                                     a. Ancient Nordic beliefs (outcome of the struggle unknown)

                                                (1) The Aesir of Asgard and their allies

vs. the forces of destruction

                                    b. H.P. Lovecraft Mythos as interpreted by August Derleth

 

(LC Call numbers in the UC Library system are given at the end of most citations for your convenience in researching.)

 (1) Theodicy and Apocatastasis:

 Berdyaev, Nikolæi. The Beginning and the End. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1952. Reprint,        
            Translation of: Opyt êskhatologicheskoæi metafiziki. BD116 .b4713 (GTU).

 Capon, Robert Farrar. The Third Peacock: The Goodness of God and the Badness of the World. 1st ed. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1971. BJ1401 .c28 (GTU).

 Gregory of Nyssa. "On the Soul and Resurrection." In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, Volume 5, 428 - 470. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994. BR60 .N66 1994

 Hein, Rolland. The Harmony Within: The Spiritual Vision of George MacDonald. Grand Rapids, MI: Christian University Press, 1982. Reprint, Includes index. PR4969 .H44 1982 and Dewey: 823.8

 MacDonald, George. Lilith: A Romance. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1981. Reprint, Cover illustration by Jim Lamb, with preface by C.S. Lewis. PR4967 .l5 1981 (UCB)

Marshall, Cynthia, ed. Essays on C.S. Lewis and George Macdonald: Truth, Fiction, and the Power of Imagination. Lewiston, NY: E. Mellen Press, 1991. PR6023.e926 z646 1991 and Dewey: 828.91209

Moore, William, and Henry Austin Wilson, eds. Gregory of Nyssa: Dogmatic Treatises, Etc. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Vol. 5, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994. BR60 .N66 1994

 Origen of Alexandria. "On First Principles." In Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts, 1826-1901 and James Donaldson, Sir, 1831-1915, 4, 239 - 384. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994. BR60 A56 1994

 Roberts, Alexander, James Donaldson, Sir, A. Cleveland Coxe, and Allan Menzies, eds. Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen Parts First and Second. Vol. 4, Ante-Nicene Fathers. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994. BR60 A56 1994

 Williams, Michael Allen. Rethinking "Gnosticism": An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1996. BT1390 .w475 1996 or Dewey: 299.932

 (2) Science Fiction: Morality, Ethics and Metaphysics:

 (a) General:

 Alsford, Mike. What If? Religious Themes in Science Fiction. London: Darton Longman & Todd, 2000. 
          PN3433.6 .a58 2000

 Blizek, William L, ed. The Journal of Religion and Film. http://www.unomaha.edu/%7Ewwwjrf/

 Jenkins, Henry, Tara McPherson, and Jane Shattuc, eds. Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture. Durham: Duke University Press, 2002. Hop on Pop showcases the work of a new generation of scholars—from fields such as media studies, literature, cinema, and cultural studies—whose writing has been informed by their ongoing involvement with popular culture and who draw insight from their lived experiences as critics, fans, and consumers. Proceeding from their deep political commitment to a new kind of populist grassroots politics, these writers challenge old modes of studying the everyday. As they rework traditional scholarly language, they search for new ways to write about our complex and compelling engagements with the politics and pleasures of popular culture and sketch a new and lively vocabulary for the field of cultural studies. The essays cover a wide and colorful array of subjects including pro wrestling, the computer games Myst and Doom, soap operas, baseball card collecting, the Tour de France, karaoke, lesbian desire in the Wizard of Oz, Internet fandom for the series Babylon 5, and the stress-management industry. Broader themes examined include the origins of popular culture, the aesthetics and politics of performance, and the social and cultural processes by which objects and practices are deemed tasteful or tasteless. The commitment that binds the contributors is to an emergent perspective in cultural studies, one that engages with popular culture as the culture that "sticks to the skin," that becomes so much a part of us that it becomes increasingly difficult to examine it from a distance. By refusing to deny or rationalize their own often-contradictory identifications with popular culture, the contributors ensure that the volume as a whole reflects the immediacy and vibrancy of its objects of study. Hop on Pop will appeal to those engaged in the study of popular culture, American studies, cultural studies, cinema and visual studies, as well as to the general educated reader.  

            Table of Contents:

Kirking, Donna M. Messianic Themes of the Old Testament Prophets in Science Fiction, 1987. Reprint, Typescript. Thesis cage 1987 GTU

Kreuziger, Frederick A. Apocalypse and Science Fiction: A Dialectic of Religious and Secular Soteriologies. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1982. Reprint, Includes index. PN3433.6 .k7 1982 and Dewey: 809.3/876

___________________. The Religion of Science Fiction. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1986. PN3433.6 .k74 1986 and Dewey: 809.3/876

Reilly, Robert, ed. The Transcendent Adventure: Studies of Religion in Science Fiction/Fantasy. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1985. PR830.s35 t73 1985 and Dewey: 823.0876/09382 

Sklar, Elizabeth Sherr, and Donald L. Hoffman, eds. King Arthur in Popular Culture. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2002. DA152.5.A7 K57 2002 Dewey: 942.01/4 21.

(B) Babylon 5:

Floyd, Robin. Babylon 5: Creating the Future. http://www.rastus.force9.co.uk/B5Floyd.html .  A follow-up to Steele, Bob. The Deconstruction of Babylon 5. 

Grimm, Steven. The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5. http://babylon5.cybersite.com.au/lurk/lurker.html . The resources page is valuable for further searches: http://babylon5.cybersite.com.au/lurk/resources/online.html .

 Johansen, Jay. The World View of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Babylon 5. 1998. http://my.voyager.net/~jayjo/sfview.htm .

 Olton, Bert. "Knights in Space : The Arthur of Babylon 5 and Dr. Who." In King Arthur in Popular Culture, ed. Elizabeth Sherr Sklar and Donald L. Hoffman, vi, 266 ill. 23 cm. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2002. DA152.5.A7 K57 2002 Dewey: 942.01/4 21. 

Snell, Jason. Rise of 'Babylon'. 1996.  http://www.teevee.org/archive/1996/10/21/ .

Steele, Bob. The Deconstruction of Babylon 5. http://www.rastus.force9.co.uk/SteeleB5.html .

The scope of web literature on Religion and Babylon 5 is too vast to list here. A search on Google using (“religion” AND “Babylon 5”) netted an initial 20,000 hits. Explore to your heart’s content!

Google Category for Babylon 5 
Yahoo Category for Babylon 5

(C) Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

 Buffy Studies have recently exploded, both in print and on the web. In recognition of this, here is a selected and annotated listing of some major resources and essays. (NB: abstracts are from http://madinkbeard.com/buffy/index.html and http://www.slayage.tv/ .)

 (1) Print Anthologies:

 Kaveney, Roz, ed. Reading the Vampire Slayer: An Unofficial Critical Companion to Buffy and Angel. New York: Tauris Parke Paperbacks, 2001. Table of Contents.

 Parks, Lisa, and Elana Levine, eds. Red Noise: Critical Writings on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Durham: Duke University Press, 2002 (not yet published). 

 University of East Anglia, Norwich. Proceedings of the Conference October 2002: Blood, Text and Fears: Reading around Buffy the Vampire Slayer. University of East Anglia, Norwich, 2002. http://www.uea.ac.uk/~r036/buffy_conference.htm (Not yet published).

 Wilcox, Rhonda V., and David Lavery, eds. Fighting the Forces: What’s at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001. Table of Contents.  Review by Cesnur.

(2) Primary Web sites: 

Badman, Derik A. The Academic Buffy Bibliography: An (Partially) Annotated Bibliography of Critical/Academic Writings on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. 2002. http://madinkbeard.com/buffy/index.html . “I was not able to limit the scope of this project with any clear cut boundaries. Some articles obviously belong and some are more marginal. Inclusivity is based on my subjective opinion of what constitute an academically or critically minded discussion of the series. Most of the pieces represented are taken from the two books published exclusively on the show (Reading the Vampire Slayer and Fighting the Forces) and the online journal Slayage. The rest of the (non-online) articles were found by searching various databases related to (mostly) humanities. Weeding out irrelevant articles -- industry news, star-based articles, minor news bits, etc. -- became more difficult the closer I veered toward popular publications. Which is all to say, I may have missed a little or a lot, so please send me any suggestions for addition (email me at the address at the bottom of the pages). Online articles are even more problematic with the surfeit of Buffy sites out there, separating the wheat from the chaff is more luck (and help from others) than anything else.” -- derik@madinkbeard.com

Bloody Awful Poet Society. 2002. Accessed July 25 2002. Available from http://www.bloodyawfulpoet.com/ . The Bloody Awful Poet Society continues to champion the redemption of the character "Spike" on the television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." We believe that Spike's humanity eventually will triumph. Members communicate through a Yahoo mailing list. It's free and open to anyone who shares in our hope for Spike's redemption. If you'd like more information, follow the link below. You must sign up for a free Yahoo membership in order to access the area: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bloody_Awful/  . feedback@bloodyawfulpoet.com

Cesnur. The  Buffy the Vampire Slayer International Annotated Bibliography. http://www.cesnur.org/buffy_nonf_01.htm

 Judd, L.J. The Existential Scoobies. 2002. http://ivyweb.com/btvs/ . Essays at http://ivyweb.com/btvs/fictionary/index-e1.htm#essays.

 Lavery, David, and Rhonda V. Wilcox. Slayage: The on-Line International Journal of Buffy Studies. 5 issues available Jan 2001 forward. Supported by Middle Tennessee State University, 2002. http://www.slayage.tv/ . “The idea of Slayage was born in the spring of 2001 as we considered over one hundred and forty proposals submitted for possible inclusion in Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We learned, too, that two other collections of essays on Buffy were also in the works. It seemed obvious that there was a not-soon-to-be-exhausted international critical and scholarly interest in BtVS. With Whoosh! The Journal of the International Association of Xenoid Studies in mind as a model, Slayage was born early in 2001. It will continue to be published at least four times a year as long as interest warrants.” ---David Lavery and Rhonda Wilcox. dlavery@mtsu.edu  <David Lavery> rhondapcas@aol.com  <Rhonda V. Wilcox>

Shaffer, Nancy. All Things Philosophical on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 1999. http://www.atpobtvs.com/ . Includes pages which discuss:  Good and Evil; Metaphysics; Philosophies on BTVS; Ethical Quandaries.

 Wendy’s Spoilerzone. Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- Tabula Rasa. 2002. http://www.btvs-tabularasa.net/spoilerzone/index.html . "This is the home page of the BTVS-Tabula Rasa mailing list, devoted to the character Spike in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We believe in Spike's redemption. We believe that Spike will be redeemed through his interactions with other characters and specifically, through his interactions with Buffy as she progresses on her hero's journey. Our sister site, Bloody Revelation, a fanfiction archive, will be opening soon!" -- from the site.

 (3) Essays:

 Abbott, Stacey. “A Little Less Ritual and a Little More Fun: The Modern Vampire in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” http://www.middleenglish.org/slayage/essays/slayage3/sabbott.htm .

 Bloustien, Geraldine. “Fans with a Lot at Stake: Serious Play & Mimetic Excess in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” European Journal of Cultural Studies 5, no. 4 (2002).

 Bowman, Laurel. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Greek Hero Revisited.” 2002. http://web.uvic.ca/~lbowman/buffy/buffythehero.html .

 Braun, Beth. “The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer:  The Ambiguity of Evil in Supernatural Representations.” Journal of Popular Film & Television 28, no. .2 (Summer 2000): 88-94. In the Buffy related part of this article, Braun uses the psychoanalytic theory of Melanie Klein to examine moral ambiguity and its relation to sexuality, particularly in regard to love and aggression in the Buffy/Angel relationship of Season Two.

 Campbell, Richard, and Caitlin Campbell. “Demons, Aliens, Teens and Television.” Television Quarterly 34, no. 1 (Winter 2001).

 DeCandido, GraceAnne A. “Bibliographic Good Vs. Evil in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” American Libraries 30, no. 8 (1999): 44 - 47.  DeCandido feels that perhaps only Katherine Hepburn in the motion picture "Desk Set" has done more for the image of the library profession than the character Rupert Giles on the television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Giles is a Watcher, a keeper if you will, of a Vampire slayer and after Buffy's former Watcher is slain, Giles is assigned to advise Buffy. Rupert Giles is the high school librarian as well as the source of training, research, guidance, support, and a father-figure for Buffy. DeCandido describes Giles in many ways: occasionally befuddled, very wise, elegant, deeply educated, well if fussily dressed, tweedy, handsome, and charged with eroticism. One would say he fits the bookish, bespectacled image that librarians are trying to break free from if it weren't for the fact that this professional's " love of books and devotion to research hold the key to saving the universe - every week". Giles is one of the few stable, friendly, and supportive adults in the series and his character has depth as he has romantic interests in the series and and a touch of darkness in his own past as well. Discussions between Buffy's supporters and Giles often take place in the school library where Giles keeps arcane tomes on a plethora of preternatural topics such as vampire and demon lore, the occult, witchcraft and spellcasting.

 DeCandido, GraceAnne A. “Rupert Giles and Search Tools for Wisdom in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” 1999. http://www.well.com/user/ladyhawk/giles.html . ladyhawk@well.com

 d'Herblay. “The End of the World, as We Know It: Defining Apocalypse in the Buffyverse.” http://ivyweb.com/btvs/fictionary/essays/010908A_DEH.htm .

 Erickson, Greg. “Imported Mythologies: American Christianity and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” In Fighting the Forces: What’s at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ed. Rhonda V. Wilcox and David Lavery. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001.

 Graeber, David. “Rebel without a God: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is Gleefully Anti-Authoritarian – and Popular.” http://members.tripod.com/~MikeHolt/buffy.html . From In These Times 23.2 (Dec 27, 1998): A brief look at Buffy as anti-authoritarian, godless (and the remarkable thing is that the writers manage to come up with a new supernatural theme every week without ever even once implying the possible existence of God.), and ethically healthy People - most people anyway - mean well, but being good is difficult.

 Greene, Richard, and Wayne Yuen. “Why We Can’t Spike Spike?: Moral Themes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” http://www.middleenglish.org/slayage/essays/slayage2/greeneandyuen.htm

 Introvigne, Massimo. God, New Religious Movements and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. CESNUR: Center for Studies on New Religions, 2000. http://www.cesnur.org/2001/buffy_march01.htm . A lecture on new religious movements, with a very brief part on Buffy and Angel.

Kryzywinska, Tanya. “Hubble-Bubble, Herbs and Grimoires: Magic, Manichaeanism, and Witchcraft in Buffy.” In Fighting the Forces: What’s at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ed. David Lavery and Rhonda V. Wilcox. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield, 2002.

Leon, Hilary M. “Why We Love the Monsters: How Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Wound up Dating the Enemy.” http://www.middleenglish.org/slayage/essays/slayage1/hleon.htm

Money, Mary Alice. “The Un-Demonization of Supporting Characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” In Fighting the Forces: What’s at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ed. Rhonda V. Wilcox and David Lavery. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001. Looks at the transformation of the demonic Other into a heroic character in such characters as Angel, Spike, Anya, and Cordelia. This is one theme that has taken interesting turns in Season 6.

Playdon, Zoe-Jane. “The Outsiders’ Society: Religious Imagery in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” 2002. http://www.slayage.tv/essays/playdon.htm .  Playden discusses Buffy from a political and spiritual feminist viewpoint involving the joining of ontology (being) and epistemology (knowing). Within this framework she looks at outsiders, citizenship, and learning.

 Simpson, Craig S. “Myth Versus Faux Myth.” Chronicle of Higher Education 47, no. 37 (2001): B15-B16. Simpson briefly looks at the idea of telemyths (that probe a deeper reality: the moral ambiguities and moments of truth that illuminate our experiences) in The X-Files and Buffy. According to him, The X-Files literalizes the myth, stripping it of real meaning, while Buffy uses myth consistently and seriously.

 Skwire, Sarah E. “Whose Side Are You on, Anyway? Children, Adults, and the Use of Fairy Tales in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” In Fighting the Forces: What’s at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ed. Rhonda V. Wilcox and David Lavery. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001.

Wandless, William. “Undead Letters: Searches and Researches in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” http://www.middleenglish.org/slayage/essays/slayage1/wandless.htm . Wandless discusses the nature of research, knowledge, and communication in the series. He starts with the centralized interaction and bookbased reserach provided by the Sunnydale High Library in Seasons One through Three and moves on to the dispersion of the group and search for self-knowledge in Season Four. A good overview of one of the main themes of Season Four.

 Wilcox, Rhonda. “’Who Died and Made Her the Boss?’ Patterns of Mortality in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” In Fighting the Forces: What’s at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ed. Rhonda V. Wilcox and David Lavery. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001. 

(D) Star Trek: 

Barad, Judith A., and Ed Robertson. The Ethics of Star Trek. 1st ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. PN1992.8.s74 b37 2000 

Barrett, Michèle, and Duncan Barrett. Star Trek: The Human Frontier. Cambridge, England: Polity Press, 2001. PN1992.77.s73 b37 2001 

Blair, Karin. Meaning in Star Trek. Chambersburg, PA: Anima Books, 1977. Reprint, Includes index. PN1992.77.s73 b55; and Dewey: 791.45/7 

Hanley, Richard. The Metaphysics of Star Trek. New York: Basic Books, 1997. Reprint, Cover art by Shasti O'Leary. Alternately published: Is Data Human?. New York, NY : BasicBooks, c1997. PN1992.77.s73 h36 1997 

Huntley, Steven. “The Q: The Principles behind Star Trek.”  http://angel.scientium.com/strek.htm  ; http://www.win.net/~blacksqr/startrek/theq/Theq.html . 

 Johansen, Jay. The World View of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Babylon 5. 1998. http://my.voyager.net/~jayjo/sfview.htm .  

Kraemer, Ross Shepard, and William Cassidy and Susan Schwartz. Religions of Star Trek. Boulder, Colo. ; Oxford: Westview, 2000. PN1995.9.s694 k72 2000. 

Porter, Jennifer E., and Darcee L. McLaren., eds. Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1999. PN1995.9.s694 s72 1999; and Dewey: 791.43/75 

Richards, Thomas. The Meaning of Star Trek. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1997. PN1992.77.s732 r5 1997; and Dewey: 791.45/72 

Wagner, Jon G., and Jan Lundeen. Deep Space and Sacred Time: Star Trek in the American Mythos. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1998. PN1995.9.s694 w35 1998 and Dewey: 791.45/75/0973

 (E)  Star Wars: 

Corthouts, Christophe. La Guerre Des Étoiles: Les Coulisses D'un Mythe. Bruxelles: Lefranc Littérature, 1997. Reprint, Cover art by Dol. Eaton PN1997.S65943 C67 1997

 Henderson, Mary S. Star Wars The Magic of Myth. New York: Bantam Books, 1997. Reprint, "Companion to the Star wars exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum." PN1995.9.s695 h46 1997 and Dewey: 791.43/75

  Johansen, Jay. The World View of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Babylon 5. 1998. http://my.voyager.net/~jayjo/sfview.htm .

Lyden, John. The Apocalyptic Cosmology of Star Wars. 2000. http://www.unomaha.edu/~wwwjrf/LydenStWars.htm . The Journal of Religion & Film: The paper analyzes the saga of Star Wars as a text that has borrowed extensively from biblical apocalyptic. There is a cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil; a great cataclysm is foretold, but the faithful will survive with the help of God (The Force); a messiah figure (Luke) appears; and a new world order will come about in which justice triumphs and wickedness is punished. This myth is made relevant to modem viewers by being framed as a battle of technology vs. the natural human: the machine Vader vs. the human Anakin, the Death Star vs. the Force, Imperial walkers vs. primitive Ewoks. The films' apparent technophilia is cover for a technophobic message: we must remember our humanity lest we be absorbed or destroyed by our machine creations.  

Martin, Joel W., and Conrad E. Ostwalt Jr., eds. Screening the Sacred: Religion, Myth, and Ideology in Popular American Film.  Boulder: Westview Press, 1995. 

Robin, Doris, Lee Vibber, and Gracia Fay Ellwood. In a Faraway Galaxy: A Literary Approach to a Film Saga. Pasadena, Calif.: Extequer Press, 1984. Reprint, Interior illustrations by Jacqueline Honeywell. PN1997.s659453 r63 1984 

Segal, E. L. The Force Is with Us: Jewish Kabbalist Affinities of Good and Evil in Star Wars. http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/970306_StarWars.html .  

Verbeeck, Muriel. The "Star Wars Religion".  http://ibelgique.ifrance.com/sw-anthropo/txt/religiontxtangl.html

Watkins, Greg. "Review of Screening the Sacred: Religion, Myth, and Ideology in Popular American Film."  http://www.unomaha.edu/~wwwjrf/BR_sacred.htm . 

(F) J.R.R. Tolkien: 

See also: The Inklings (includes MacDonald, George; Sayers, Dorothy L.; Tolkien, J.R.R.;  Williams, Charles; and C.S. Lewis), and http://members.aol.com/theloego/inklings.html

Armstrong, Steven A. “There and Back Again: Creation and Reintegration in the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien.” Rosicrucian Digest 80:1 (Spring 2002) 2 – 5 . An expanded, interactive version is at http://www.joyfullight.org/essays/tolkien.html . 

Chance, Jane. The Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 2000.

 __________.  Tolkien’s Art: A Mythology for England. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 2001.

 Clark, James Andrew. “The Idea of the Good, Duality and Unity: A Study of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.” Ashland Theological Journal 19 (Fall 1987): 1-34.

 Dowie, William. “The Gospel of Middle-Earth according to J.R.R. Tolkien,” in J.R.R. Tolkien: Scholar and Storyteller, ed. Mary Salu and Robert T. Farrell, 265-285. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1979.

 Flieger, Verlyn.  A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Road to Faerie. Kent: Kent State University Press, 1997.

_________.  “Naming the Unnameable: the Neoplatonic ‘One’ in Tolkien’s Silmarillion,” in Diakonia: Studies in Honor of Robert T. Meyer, ed Thomas Halton and Joseph P. Williman, 127- 132. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1986. 

________. Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien’s World. Grand Rapids:  Eerdmans, 1983.

 ________, ed, with Carl F.Hostetter. Tolkien’s Lengendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-Earth. Westport: Greenwood Press. 2000. 

Helms, Randel. Tolkien and the Silmarils. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

Irving, James. “The Succor of Those Years: Fallenness in Tolkien’s Cosmos.” Crux 23 (September 1987): 7-9. 

Lobdell, Jared. England and Always: Tolkien’s World of the Rings. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981.

Montgomery, John W., “Introduction: The Apologists of Euchatastrophe,” in Myth, Allegory and Gospel, ed J.W. Montgomery, 11-32.  Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1974. 

The Mythopoeic Society. http://www.mythsoc.org/ . Major Web resource for Tolkien studies. 

Noel, Ruth S. The Mythology of Middle-Earth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1977.

Provost, William. “Language and Myth in the Fantasy Writings of J.R.R. Tolkien,” in Modern Age 33:1 (Spring 1990): 42-52.

Purtill, Richard L. J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality and Religion. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1984.

 ________. Lord of the Elves and Eldils: Fantasy and Philosophy in C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974.

 Rose, Mary Carman. “The Christian Neo-Platonism of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams,” in Neoplatonism and Christian Thought, ed. D.J. O’Meara, 203-212, (notes): 289-290. Norfolk, VA: International Society for Neoplatonic Studies, 1982.

 Tolkien, J.R.R.  “On Fairy Stories,” essay in Tree and Leaf, reprinted in The Tolkien Reader. New York: Ballantine Books, 1966. p. 33-99. [Originally published in Essays Presented to Charles Williams, ed C.S. Lewis, 38-89. London: Oxford University Press, 1947.]

 ________. Tree and Leaf (including the Poem Mythopoeia). Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988.                                                                                                                          

 Urang, Gunnar. Shadows of Heaven: Religion and Fantasy in the Writing of C.S. Lewis,Charles Williams and J.R.R. Tolkien. Philadelphia: United Church Press (A Pilgrim Press Book), 1971.

 Wright, Marjorie Evelyn. “The Vision of Cosmic Order in the Oxford Mythmakers,” in Imagination and the Spirit: Essays in Literature and the Christian Faith presented to Clyde S. Kilby, ed Charles A. Huttar, 259-276. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971. 

 Bibliographical Essay on Apocatastasis from:

Schaff, Philip (1819-1893), New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge 

http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc01/htm/iii.v.htm

(Christian Classics Ethereal Library)

 APOCATASTASIS, ap"o-ca-tas'ta-sis.

·        Earliest Advocates (§ 1).

·        In the Middle Ages (§ 3).

·        Opponents (§ 2).

·        The Reformation (§ 4).

·        In Modern Times (§ 5).

 

By Apocatastasis ("restoration") is meant the ultimate restitution of all things, including the doctrine that eventually all men will be saved. The term comes from the Greek of Acts iii. 21, but is given a wider meaning than it has in that passage. The doctrine first appears in Clement of Alexandria (flourished 200) in the declaration that the punishments of God are " saving and disciplinary, leading to conversion " (Strom ., vi. 6). His successor at the head of the Alexandrian catechetical school, Origen (186-253),

 

I. Earliest taught that all the wicked would be Advocates. restored after they had undergone severe punishment and had received instruction from angels and then from those of higher grade (De principiis, I. vi. 1-3). He also raised the question whether after this world there perhaps would be another or others in which this instruction would be given (De principiis, II. iii. 1), and interpreted Paul's teaching respecting the subjection of all things to God as implying the salvation of the °° lost " (De principiis, III. v. 7). These beliefs and speculations he based on Bible statements(especially on Ps. ex. 1;1 Cor. xv. 25 sqq.), but declared that the doctrine would be danger ous to disseminate (Contra Celaum, vi. 26). He, and it would seem, Clement of Alexandria. also, advocated the Apocatastasis as part of a theory of the divine attributes which subordinated right eousness to mercy; of human freedom, which made the will never finally fixed; and of sin, which represented it rather as weakness and ignorance.

 

Similar ideas of the divine goodness, human freedom, and sin led to the advocacy of the Apocatastasis by Gregory Nazianzen (328-389), but not openly; by Gregory of Nyssa (332--398), publicly, as in his treatise "On the Soul and the Resurrection" (MPG, xlvi. 104); by Didymus of Alexandria (308-395), in his commentary on I Peter iii.