Christ's College Webinar Series - Dr Alexandre Loktionov

Duration: 1 hour 8 mins

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Description:	"Apocalypse and rebirth: Ancient Egyptian pathways to a brighter future"


Created:	2021-03-26 10:15
Collection:	Christ's College Alumni Webinars
Publisher:	University of Cambridge
Copyright:	Catherine Twilley
Language:	eng (English)


Abstract:	As we ponder the ‘rebirth’ of our own society and economy after the Covid ‘apocalypse’, it is worth bearing in mind that the theme of apocalypse and rebirth has fascinated humans for millennia. In this talk, we will be exploring some of the earliest documented beliefs in this area, brought to us from Ancient Egypt. Using a range of prophetic texts dating from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (2055-1650BCE) all the way through to Roman Egypt (30BCE-641CE), we will reconstruct the basic tenets of Egyptian apocalyptic thought, with a particular emphasis on the perceived cyclical nature of time and the notion of the ‘saviour King’. In so doing, we will discover how the idea of apocalypse could be used by unhappy Egyptians to understand the world around them, and ultimately generate new hope for a brighter future.

Abstract:

As we ponder the ‘rebirth’ of our own society and economy after the Covid ‘apocalypse’, it is worth bearing in mind that the theme of apocalypse and rebirth has fascinated humans for millennia. In this talk, we will be exploring some of the earliest documented beliefs in this area, brought to us from Ancient Egypt.

Using a range of prophetic texts dating from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (2055-1650BCE) all the way through to Roman Egypt (30BCE-641CE), we will reconstruct the basic tenets of Egyptian apocalyptic thought, with a particular emphasis on the perceived cyclical nature of time and the notion of the ‘saviour King’. In so doing, we will discover how the idea of apocalypse could be used by unhappy Egyptians to understand the world around them, and ultimately generate new hope for a brighter future.

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