Wisdom in Egypt
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Abstract
Current definitions of “Wisdom” for ancient Egypt often suffer from the influence of categories developed for the Hebrew Bible. Applying emic categories leads instead to a focus on instructions, which have a clear Egyptian term (sbꜣy.t). They are typically stylized as the teaching of a son by his father and authorized by the indication of name and title of the teacher. Often a prologue indicates the setting of the teaching more closely. Some historical development can be recognized, but at the same time, there are also contemporary compositions with different outlooks and social settings. For some periods, the older “classical” texts exist together with more recent ones, and the question of their respective role has still to be studied in more detail. The older compositions often have a casuistic structure of maxims recommending behavior in certain situations, while the younger ones are more loosely organized. The main aim of the texts is to teach how to have success in life.