The End of Time and existence (Creator, Kingdom, coffins, creation)

[Kowalski]

Commonly, in ancient Egypt, time was thought of as an endless duration of millions upon millions of years. The egyptians didn't have a word for what we term eternity. They would use not usually in any religious texts refer to an end of the world.

However, a rare occurence of thinking otherwise can be found in the so-called coffin texts dating from the Middle kingdom period.

The coffin texts, as you might rightly guess, were painted on the wooden coffins of this period. And so we find in text CT1130:

" Words spoken by him whose names are hidden.

I have placed millions (nhh) of years between me and that weary hearted one, the son of Geb (Osiris);
then I shall dwell with him in one place.
Mounds will be towns,
Towns will be mounds,
Mansion will destroy mansion"

The 'I' in this text is Atum, the great creator God of Iwnw (Heliopolis). What he is saying to Osiris is this, that I shall destroy everything I have created, even the Gods themselves will cease to exist (all gods are simply manifestations of Atum), so that I Atum will dwell with my opposite Osiris in the primeval ocean as it was before the creation. That is to say, Atum, the life giver, the creative force and his opposite Osiris will renunite and exist as they did in the beginning.

K