Tag Archives: free will

Selections from the Husia

Selections from the Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt by Maulana Karenga, from University of Sankore Press, is part of the collection at the Reading Room.

Maulana Karenga Selections from the Husia from University of Sankore Press

“The primary aim of this volume is to provide a brief representative selection of ancient Egyptian sacred literature which can serve as a readable and enjoyable reference for those interested specifically in ancient Egyptian and African sacred literature in general whether sacred or secular. In this brief selection we read the earliest written record of the dawning of humanity’s structured consciousness concerning spirituality and ethics. And we find for the first time in human history the concepts of:

· Maat (truth, justice and rightness)
· Humans in the image of God
· Human Dignity
· Judgement after death
· Immortality of the soul
· Free will
· Human equality
· Social justice” — back cover

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent: Sex and Politics in Early Christianity by Elaine Pagels, the 1989 paperback edition from Vintage Books, is part of the collection at the Reading Room.

Elaine Pagels Adam, Eve, and the Serpent from Vintage Books

“How did the early Christians come to believe that sex was inherently sinful? When did the Fall of Adam become synonymous with the fall of all humanity? What turned Christianity from a dissident sect that championed the integrity of the individual and the idea of free will into the bulwark of a new imperial order—with the central belief that human beings cannot choose not to sin? In this provocative masterpiece of historical scholarship Elaine Pagels re-creates the controversies that racked the early church as it confronted the riddles of sexuality, freedom, and sin as embodied in the story of Genesis. And she shows what was once heresy came to shape our own attitudes toward the body and the soul.” — back cover