The Tradition of Ma'at in Contemporary Religious Practise

The outstanding theological contribution of ancient Egypt is Ma'at, a complex construction which combines order with truth. justice and charity. It is often referred to simplistically as righteousness. Although unacknowledged, it has surreptitiously influenced most of the important Western religious congeries: Christianity, Judaism, Islam and, somewhat surprisingly, Neo-paganism. An examination of Ma'at is most particularly relevant in view of recent suggestions that the story of Jesus is an entirely mythic recapitulation and elaboration of the story of Isis-Osiris-Horus. Irrespective of the hostoricity of Jesus, however, it is clear that Egyptian theology influenced the establishment and development of ethics and morality in the Abrahamic religions, and is also consonant with Wiccan practice.