Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. We find this advice echoed almost verbatim in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes: In summary: life is short, so live it to the fullest. Siduri in “ Epic of Gilgamesh” (2100 B.C.) Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace for this too is the lot of man. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but This epic offers an answer to the question of the meaning of life. The story centers on the life of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk.Ī surviving tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Humankind’s oldest surviving work of literature, is the Epic of Gilgamesh, written in Sumerian cuneiform 4,100 years ago. It is also the first to develop written language. This requires a life of truth, justice, and harmony, avoiding chaos, violence, and evil. In the view of ancient Egyptians, the meaning of life is to live a life worthy of passing to the eternal joy of paradise. If the heart is heavier, it is eaten by the demoness Ammit, making the soul forever restless. If one led a virtuous life, their heart will be found lighter than the feather of truth and their soul is free to pass to the Field of Reeds where it will live forever in paradise. During this trial one’s heart is weighed against a feather of truth. Perhaps the oldest of these records are the Pyramid Texts - inscribed in the tombs of ancient Egyptian kings some 4,400 years ago.Īccording to these texts, after death, one’s life is judged in a trial by Osiris and 42 judges in the Hall of Two Truths. Hieroglyphs of the Pyramid Texts in the pyramid at Saqqara Let’s review the oldest of humanity’s answers to this ageless question. A few have left records of their thoughts that have survived to this day. Peoples in every time and place have considered this question. Let’s see what answers have been given by ancient civilizations, religions of the world, and philosophical traditions. The question “ What is the meaning of life?” has a long and rich history.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |