I wonder if anyone here can help me by suggesting a book on the topic of the relationship between Egyptian mythology and Christianity.
I have a friend in the UK who is very interested in all things Egyptian, and who pointed out to me that the 15 "commandments" of Egyptian religion are very similar to the "ten commandments" of the Old Testament.
I am sorry to say that I remain ignorant of the relative dates of origin or historical provenance of either of these sets of religious commandments. (Obviously, I understand Moses' involvement, but I meant speaking from a historical perspective.)
Just this week, I had occasion to reread Vladika Antoniy's sermon concerning the thieves who were crucified with Christ, and in it, he touched upon the idea of the Cross as a scale, and the origin of the slanted crossbar. I had heard him talk about this before, when I was a child, but it reminded me.
I was struck by the similarity of that imagery to the Egyptian mythology of Ammut, who weighed the heart of a deceased person against a feather of Ma'at, the goddess of order and justice. Also similar to some Christian traditions is the fact that the myth of Ammut refers to a "lake of fire."
There are other examples of similarities between Egyptian ideas or myths and Orthodoxy, many of which predate Greek civilization.
I am left wondering whether there is a text about this subject.
It is possible, of course, that ideas of judgment and punishment are simply human.
I know this is an Orthodox site, and I am Orthodox, but I don't think Orthodoxy requires us to leave our minds or our intellects at the door.
I am curious as to whether anyone has run across these parallels between Egyptian mythology and Christianity before or knows of a book which discusses the topic.
Thank you for your help.