42 Laws Of Maat Nether Kemet Law

Maat was the dominion of police clit too moral jurist amid the ancient Kemet people, too the divine cosmological company inside their mythology, astronomy, too astrophysical studies.

Kemet is the advert the native African people of the province forthwith known every bit Arab Republic of Egypt called themselves inward their surviving writings. Many scholars refer to the people every bit "kmt" or Kemet. The surviving artifacts of the Kemet viziers too scribes bear witness that Kemet dominion of police clit was “Maat,” contained at to the lowest degree inward business office inward observing the 42 Laws of Maat.

The Goddess Maat every bit the Cosmological Origin of Kemet Rule of Law

Heliopolis-era creation stories from the Kemet people study that inward the foremost Atum emerged from the Isfet (chaos) of Nu (primordial waters). Atum created the god Shu (personification of air/cool dryness) too goddess Tefnut (personification of moisture) from Nu. Shu is depicted inward the Kemet iconography every bit an ostrich feather.

Under Kemet cosmology, Maat is designed to avert chaos (Isfet) too maintain truth (Maat). The symbol for truth, justice, balance, too company is the Goddess Maat. The iconography for Maat inward the hieroglyphs pull the unmarried ostrich plumage (Shu), worn atop Goddess Maat’s head.

During the reign of Pharaoh Menes, some 2925 B.C.E., afterward the unification of upper too lower Kemet, archaeological finds bear witness direction of the 42 Laws of Maat amid the Kemet people every bit deduced from Kemet coffin texts or funerary papyri dating from this period.

The Duat, the Hall of Two Truths, too the Weighing the Ka (Heart)

Photo: Plate iii of the Papyrus of Ani. 42 Laws of Maat, or 42 Negative Confessions, or 42 Admonition to Goddess Maat

The duat (underworld every bit the house for judgment) is where the pop Kemet funerary scene of the Hall of Two Truths is depicted inward the diverse versions of the “Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani,” edited yesteryear E.A. Wallis Budge. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 closer interpretation of the championship from the Kemet linguistic communication is said to hold upwards “Book of Coming Forth yesteryear Day.” The Budge translation was a funerary text written for the "coming forth" of Kemet scribe Ani.

In Chapter 30B of The Papyrus of Ani entitled “Chapter for Not Letting Ani’s Heart Create Opposition Against Him, inward the Gods’ Domain,” nosotros run across the deceased scribe standing earlier his ain heart/soul (ka) on the scale of Maat. On the reverse scale is the Goddess Maat’s plumage of truth (Shu). The caput of the Goddess Maat is depicted atop the scales of justice. Thoth, also known yesteryear other names such every bit Tehuti, stands holding a tablet too a writing tool to tape the results from the scales. The ibis-headed Thoth is the patron saint of Maat scribes too priests.

Petitioner Announces the 42 Divine Principles of the Maat

In Chapter 125 of The Papyrus of Ani, nosotros notice the petitioner led yesteryear Anubis into duat too pronouncing his/her 42 affirmative declarations, listed below from Budge’s world domain translation of the 42 Divine Principles of Maat:

1. I receive got non committed sin.
2. I receive got non committed robbery alongside violence.
3. I receive got non stolen.
4. I receive got non slain men or women.
5. I receive got non stolen food.
6. I receive got non swindled offerings.
7. I receive got non stolen from God/Goddess.
8. I receive got non told lies.
9. I receive got non carried away food.
10. I receive got non cursed.
11. I receive got non shut my ears to truth.
12. I receive got non committed adultery.
13. I receive got non made anyone cry.
14. I receive got non felt sorrow without reason.
15. I receive got non assaulted anyone.
16. I am non deceitful.
17. I receive got non stolen anyone’s land.
18. I receive got non been an eavesdropper.
19. I receive got non falsely defendant anyone.
20. I receive got non been angry without reason.
21. I receive got non seduced anyone’s wife.
22. I receive got non polluted myself.
23. I receive got non terrorized anyone.
24. I receive got non disobeyed the Law.
25. I receive got non been solely angry.
26. I receive got non cursed God/Goddess.
27. I receive got non behaved alongside violence.
28. I receive got non caused disruption of peace.
29. I receive got non acted hastily or without thought.
30. I receive got non overstepped my boundaries of concern.
31. I receive got non exaggerated my words when speaking.
32. I receive got non worked evil.
33. I receive got non used evil thoughts, words or deeds.
34. I receive got non polluted the water.
35. I receive got non spoken angrily or arrogantly.
36. I receive got non cursed anyone inward thought, discussion or deeds.
37. I receive got non placed myself on a pedestal.
38. I receive got non stolen what belongs to God/Goddess.
39. I receive got non stolen from or disrespected the deceased.
40. I receive got non taken nutrient from a child.
41. I receive got non acted alongside insolence.
42. I receive got non destroyed belongings belonging to God/Goddess.

After the petitioner’s testimony containing the 42 affirmative declarations, the weighing of the ka for truth, too the reading of the scales, it is said that the doer of Maat is administered Maat. If the petitioner is deemed yesteryear the Goddess Maat to hold upwards inward substantial compliance alongside the 42 Laws of Maat the petitioner passes from duat to the Field of Reeds (Arus) where Osiris sits every bit the finally gatekeeper.

- yesteryear Vanessa Cross, J.D., LL.M.

References:

• "Maat the Moral Ideal inward Ancient Egypt," yesteryear Maulana Karenga (Sankore Publisher, 2006).
• "The Book of the Dead," edited yesteryear E.A. Wallis Budge (Gramercy Publisher, 1995).
• “Maxims of Good Discourse” writings of the notable Kemet vizier too scribe Ptah-Hotep (accounting of some procedural laws nether Maat).