Maat, the moral ideal in ancient Egypt : a study in classical African ethics / Maulana Karenga.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 413-447) and index.

Print version record.

Front Cover; Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Preface; Foreword; Chapter 1. The Maatian Ideal: A Conceptual Framework; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 Maat: The Conceptual Ideal; 1.3 Conceptual Assumptions ofthe Study; 1.3.1 Stance and Tradition; 1.3.2 Difference from Egyptology; 1.3.3 The Open Texture of Maatian Discourse; 1.3.4 Beyond the Eurocentric Approach; 1.3.5 Toward An African-Centered Approach; 1.3.6 The Unity and Diversity of Tradition; 1.3.7 Continuity and Development; 1.4 Tasks and Delimitations of the Study.

Chapter 2. The Maatian Ideal: From the Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom2.1 Introduction: Formative Context; 2.1.1 The Decisive Factor of Kingship; 2.1.2 Civil Service and Social Ethics; 2.1.3 A Context of Peace and Stability; 2.1.4 The Economic Conditions; 2.2 The Evolution of the Maatian Ideal: The Old Kingdom; 2.2.1 The Pyramid Texts; 2.2.2 The Declarations of Virtues; 2.2.3 The Sebait; 2.3 Maat in the First Intermediate Period; 2.3.1 The Declarations of Virtues (DOV); 2.3.2 The Sebait; 2.4 Maat in the Middle Kingdom; 2.4.1 The Coffin Texts; 2.4.2 The Declarations of Virtues.

2.4.3 The Moral Narrative2.4.4 The Books of Contemplation; Chapter 3. The Maatian Ideal: From the New Kingdom to the Late Period; 3.1 Maat in the New Kingdom; 3.1.1 Early Phase: Formative Context; 3.1.2 Early Phase: Autobiographies; 3.1.3 The Amarna Period: Autobiographies; 3.1.4 The Restoration; 3.1.5 The Ramessid Period; 3.1.5.1 Introduction: Piety and Ethics; 3.1.5.2 The Sebait; 3.2 Maat in the Late Period; 3.2.1 Introduction; 3.2.2 The Early Phase: Autobiographies; 3.2.3 The Nubian Period: Autobiographies; 3.2.4 The Saite Period: Autobiographies.

3.2.5 The Persian Periods and the Last Independence3.3 Maat in the Greek and Roman Periods; 3.3.1 The Autobiographies; 3.3.2 The Sebait; Chapter 4. Maatian Theology: The Declarations of Innocence; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 The Textual Locus; 4.3 The Theological Setting; 4.4 The Transliteration and Translation; 4.4.1 The Introduction; 4.4.1.1 The Transliteration; 4.4.1.2 The Translation; 4.4.2 Declarations of Innocence (A); 4.4.2.1 The Transliteration; 4.4.2.2 The Translation; 4.4.3 Declarations of Innocence (B); 4.4.3.1 The Transliteration; 4.4.3.2 The Translation.

4.4.4 Address to the Divine Ones4.4.4.1 The Transliteration; 4.4.4.2 The Translation; 4.5 The Sitz im Leben of the DOl; 4.6 Maatian Moral Theology; 4.6.1 Fundamental Concepts; 4.6.2 Evolution of the Idea of Judgment; Chapter 5. Maatian Ontology; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 The Potentiality and Power of Being; 5.2.1 Creative Becoming; 5.2.2 The Self-Affirmation of Life; 5.2.3 The Creative Character of Speech; 5.3 The Orderedness of Being; 5.3.1 The Created Order of Maat; 5.3.2 The Social Order of Maat; 5.4 The Continuity of Being; 5.4.1 The Creative Source of Being; 5.4.2 Differentiation in Unity.

This work is a critical examination of Maat, the moral ideal in ancient Egypt. It seeks to present Maat in the language of modern moral discourse while at the same time preserving and building on its distinctiveness as a moral ideal capable of inspiring and maintaining ethical philosophic reflection.

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