The Book of the Dead, Saite through Ptolemaic Periods; A Study of Traditions Evi

Note:
This volume concerns Book of the Dead Spells 144, 145, and 146. In many respects, these spells comprise a gnostic set that provide the deceased with the names of the various gatekeepers, guardians, and heralds at the different gates and portals in the underworld through which the deceased must pass in order to reach Osiris and stay with the sun-boat. Knowledge of these names gives the deceased the power to get past the various protectors at the entrances of said gates and portals. Similar to the spells examined in previous volumes of the SPBDStudies series, in BD 144, 145, and 146 one can observe subtle changes in the development of the texts as well as the accompanying illustrations from the Saite Period to pre-Ptolemaic Thebes and into Ptolemaic Thebes.