A lector priest was a priest in
ancient Egypt who recited
spells
Spell(s) or The Spell(s) may refer to:
Processes
* Spell (paranormal), an incantation
* Spell (ritual), a magical ritual
* Spelling, the writing of words
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Spell'' (1977 film), an American ...
and
hymns during
temple rituals and official ceremonies. Such priests also sold their services to laymen, reciting texts during private
apotropaic rituals or at
funerals.
[Ritner, Robert Kriech (1993). ''The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice''. pp. 220–222] As such, they were some of the most prominent practitioners of "
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
" (''heku'') in ancient Egypt. In
ancient Egyptian literature
Ancient Egyptian literature was written in the Egyptian language from ancient Egypt's pharaonic period until the end of Roman domination. It represents the oldest corpus of Egyptian literature. Along with Sumerian literature, it is conside ...
, lector priests are often portrayed as the keepers of secret knowledge and the performers of amazing magical feats.
[Doxey, Denise, "Priesthood", in Redford, Donald B. (ed) (2001). ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt''. Vol. III, pp. 69–70]
The highest-ranking lector priest in a temple, the chief lector priest, managed the temple's archives of ritual texts.
The term ''lector priest''" is usually used to translate the
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
title, ''ẖrj-ḥꜣb'' (''kheri-hab''), which literally means "the carrier of the book of ritual".
[Collier, Mark, and Bill Manley (1998). ''How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs''. p. 33] The term for a chief lector priest, ''ẖrj-ḥꜣb ḥrj-tp'', was so closely associated with magic that, in
Late Egyptian language, the shortened form ''ḥrj-tp'' became a general term for "magician".
Lector priests wore a sash across the chest that indicated their position.
References
Ancient Egyptian titles
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