CHAPTER XI

THE RITUAL AND PRIESTHOOD

The accounts which we have of the temple ritual are of the later
periods, and we must look to the buildings themselves to trace
differences in the system. The oldest form of shrine was a wicker hut,
with tall poles forming the sides of the door; in front of this
extended an enclosure which had two poles with flags on either side of
the entrance. In the middle of the enclosure or court was a staff
bearing the emblem of the god. This type of shrine and open court was
kept up always, and is like the Jewish type. We find stone used for
the doors in the sixth dynasty, and stone-built temples in the twelfth
dynasty. The earlier type of temple was essentially a resting-place
for the god between the excursions of the festivals. It was open at
both front and back, and a processional way led through it, so that the
priests walked through, taking up the ark of the god, {71} carrying it
in procession, and then returning and depositing it again in the temple
as they passed. This form lasted till the middle of the eighteenth
dynasty; but the fixed shrine was already coming into use then, and
seems to have become the only type after that age. This was emphasised
still more in the twenty-sixth dynasty by the great monolith boxes of
granite which contained not only precious statuettes, but even
life-sized statues of granite. It seems that the processional form of
ritual had been supplanted by the service of a more mysterious Holy of
Holies.

The course of daily service by the priests was of seven parts. 1st.
_Fire-making_--rubbing the fire sticks, taking the censer, putting
incense in it, and lighting it. 2nd. _Opening the Shrine_--going up to
the shrine, loosening the fastening, and breaking the seal, opening the
door, seeing the god. 3rd. _Praise_--various prostrations, and then
singing a hymn to the god. 4th. _Supplying food and incense_--offering
oil and honey and incense, retiring from the shrine for a prayer,
approaching and looking on the god, various prostrations, again
incense, and then prayers and hymns, a figure of Maat (goddess of
truth) was then presented to the god, and, lastly, more incense for all
the companions of the god. {72} 5th. _Purifying_--cleansing the figure
and its shrine, and pouring out pitchers of water, and fumigating with
incense. 6th. _Clothing_--dressing the god with white, green, bright
red, and dark red sashes, and supplying two kinds of oint