Editing Osiris (section)

== <!-- [[Osiris and his council]] links here -->Judgement ==
[[File:The judgement of the dead in the presence of Osiris.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Judgment scene from the [[Book of the Dead]]. In the three scenes from the [[Book of the Dead]] (version from ~1375 BC) the dead man ([[Hunefer]]) is taken into the judgement hall by the jackal-headed [[Anubis]]. The next scene is the weighing of his heart against the feather of [[Ma'at]], with [[Ammut]] waiting the result, and [[Thoth]] recording. Next, the triumphant Hunefer, having passed the test, is presented by the falcon-headed [[Horus]] to Osiris, seated in his shrine with Isis and [[Nephthys]]. (British Museum)]]
The idea of divine justice being exercised after death for wrongdoing during life is first encountered during the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old Kingdom]] in a [[Sixth Dynasty of Egypt|Sixth Dynasty]] tomb containing fragments of what would be described later as the [[Maat#42 Negative Confessions (Papyrus of Ani)|Negative Confessions]] performed in front of the 42 [[Assessors of Maat|Assessors of Ma'at]].<ref>"Studies in Comparative Religion", General editor, E. C Messenger, Essay by A. Mallon S. J, vol 2/5, p.&nbsp;23, Catholic Truth Society, 1934</ref>

At death a person faced judgment by a tribunal of forty-two divine judges. If they led a life in conformance with the precepts of the goddess [[Ma'at]], who represented truth and right living, the person was welcomed into the kingdom of Osiris. If found guilty, the person was thrown to the soul-eating demon [[Ammit]] and did not share in eternal life.<ref>''Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt'', Rosalie David, pp. 158–159, Penguin, 2002, {{ISBN|0-14-026252-0}}</ref> The person who is taken by the devourer is subject first to terrifying punishment and then annihilated. These depictions of punishment may have influenced medieval perceptions of the inferno in [[hell]] via [[early Christian]] and [[Copt]]ic texts.<ref>"''The Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology: The Oxford Guide''", "Hell", pp. 161–162, Jacobus Van Dijk, Berkley Reference, 2003, {{ISBN|0-425-19096-X}}</ref> Purification for those who are considered justified may be found in the descriptions of "Flame Island", where they experience the triumph over evil and rebirth. For the damned, complete destruction into a state of non-being awaits, but there is no suggestion of eternal torture.<ref>"''The Divine Verdict''", John Gwyn Griffiths, p.&nbsp;233, Brill Publications, 1991, {{ISBN|90-04-09231-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Letter: Hell in the ancient world. Letter by Professor J. Gwyn Griffiths |date=December 31, 1993 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letter-hell-in-the-ancient-world-1470076.html |access-date=December 4, 2017 |archive-date=September 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901184319/http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letter-hell-in-the-ancient-world-1470076.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the reign of [[Seti I]], Osiris was also invoked in royal decrees to pursue the living when wrongdoing was observed but kept secret and not reported.<ref>"The ''Burden of Egypt''", J.A Wilson, p.&nbsp;243, University of Chicago Press, 4th imp 1963; The INSCRIPTIONS OF REDESIYEH from the reign of Seti I include ''"As for anyone who shall avert the face from the command of Osiris, Osiris shall pursue him, Isis shall pursue his wife, Horus shall pursue his children, among all the princes of the necropolis, and they shall execute their judgment with him.''" (Breasted Ancient Egyptian Records, Vol 3, p.&nbsp;86)</ref>
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