Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World

by Gerald Massey

Overview

With his earlier two series in Egyptology, Gerald Massey turned existing doctrine on its head to argue that not only had Egypt spawned human civilization, but that Egyptian mythology was the basis for Jewish and Christian beliefs. The culmination of his years at this particular intellectual pursuit, Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World is Massey's crown jewel. In this, the most philosophical (in both tone and concept) of his Egyptological works, Massey, ever the intrepid escort, leads a tour through thousands of years of sociological, cultural, and spiritual development, all the while pointing, with dazzling reason and persuasive prose, to a distant, common, Egyptian origin. British author GERALD MASSEY (1828-1907) published works of poetry, spiritualism, Shakespearean criticism, and theology, but his best-known works are in the realm of Egyptology, including A Book of the Beginnings and The Natural Genesis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781070345
Publisher:	Old Book Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	10/08/2011
Pages:	354
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

Gerald Massey (29 May 1828 - 29 October 1907) was an English poet and self-educated Egyptologist. He was born near Tring, Hertfordshire in England.
He was attracted by the movement known as Christian Socialism, into which he threw himself with whole-hearted vigour, and so became associated with Frederick Denison Maurice and Charles Kingsley.
He became interested in Egyptology and the similarities that exist between ancient Egyptian mythology and the Gospel stories. He studied the extensive Egyptian records housed in the British Museum, and eventually taught himself to decipher the hieroglyphics.
Massey's first public appearance as a writer was in connection with a journal called the Spirit of Freedom, of which he became editor. When he was only twenty-two he published his first volume of poems, Voices of Freedom and Lyrics of Love. These he followed in rapid succession with The Ballad of Babe Christabel (1854), War Waits (1855), Havelock's March (1860), and A Tale of Eternity (1869).
He also published works dealing with Spiritualism, the study of Shakespeare's sonnets, and theological speculation. It is generally understood that he was the original of George Eliot's Felix Holt.
Massey's poetry has a certain rough and vigorous element of sincerity and strength which easily accounts for its popularity at the time of its production. He treated the theme of Sir Richard Grenville before Tennyson thought of using it, with much force and vitality. Indeed, Tennyson's own praise of Massey's work is still its best eulogy, as he found in him "a poet of fine lyrical impulse, and of a rich half-Oriental imagination". The inspiration of his poetry is essentially British; he was a patriot to the core. His poem "The Merry, Merry May" was set to music in a popular song by composer Christabel Baxendale.
Concerning Egyptology, Massey first published The Book of the Beginnings, followed by The Natural Genesis. His most prolific work is Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World, published shortly before his death, which draws comparisons between the Judeo-Christian religion and the Egyptian religion.
One of the more sensational aspects of Massey's writings were the parallels he drew between Jesus and the Egyptian god Horus. These comparisons are primarily contained in his book The Natural Genesis. Massey's writings on this subject have influenced various later authors such as Alvin Boyd Kuhn, Tom Harpur, and D. M. Murdock.