(Re)constructing the ancient Egyptian concept of sin

The aim of this paper is to present some results of my doctoral thesis “Sünde im Alten Ägypten: eine begriffssemasiologische und begriffsgeschichtliche Untersuchung” defended in 2016 at Heidelberg University. The problems that make approaching this controversial topic in ancient Egyptian religion difficult are discussed. However, the semasiological method used in my doctoral thesis and dealing with the meanings of abstract negative Egyptian lexemes both provide useful information which can help us to better understand how ancient Egyptians perceived the concept of sin and how it worked in the system of their religious communication. In certain contexts, some Egyptian words with the meanings “fault”, “offence” and others can be given the meaning “sin”. It is the case, for instance, when they appear in the speeches of the deceased or gods in the scenes of the judgement of the dead. A closer look at the meanings of such words and their use in different (con)texts is a new approach which can also help to trace historical changes in the ancient Egyptian concept of sinIstorijos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta