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The Oldest Book in the World: Philosophy in the Age of the Pyramids
A new translation of a philosophical and practical advice classic of the ancient world, The Teaching of Ptahhatp , written in Egypt four thousand years ago and still relevant for modern readers today. Noted author and Egyptologist Bill Manley renders into approachable modern English for the first time the oldest surviving statement of philosophy from the ancient the thirty-seven teachings and twelve conclusions of The Teaching of Ptahhatp , vizier, or chief minister, to the Old Kingdom pharaoh Izezi (2390–2350 BCE). Manley’s expert commentary elucidates Ptahhatp’s profound yet practical philosophy, which covers such topics as ambition, fame, confrontation, sex, and wisdom, and offers a unique window onto ancient Egyptian life and society. The Teaching of Ptahhatp ought to begin the list of the world’s classics of philosophy, yet it has been largely forgotten since its rediscovery in the nineteenth century. Manley’s new translation corrects this oversight, making accessible for the first time the Old Kingdom vizier Ptahhatp’s concise, helpful insights into the human condition. New translations of two further texts― The Dialogue Between a Man and His Soul , in which a man asks himself, “What is the point of living?,” and Why Things Happen , the oldest surviving account of creation from anywhere in the world―demonstrate how Ptahhatp’s philosophy was founded in ancient Egyptian beliefs about truth and reality. Manley introduces the vizier and the world within which he operated, as well as the significance of the “oldest book of the world,” preserved in a scroll now known as the Papyrus Prisse in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. Together these works by Ptahhatp provide a new perspective on the Pyramid Age and overturn traditional stereotypes about the origins of Western philosophy. 74 illustrations / 25 in color
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2364
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About the author
Bill Manley
16 books11 followersBill Manley is Honorary President of Egyptology Scotland. He was appointed Research Associate at the National Museum in Edinburgh in 1995, and Senior Curator of Egyptian Scripts in 2006. He is an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Liverpool, at which he has taught Egyptology. He spent many years shaping and developing the Egyptology program offered by DACE at the University of Glasgow. Bill has been involved with archaeological work in Palestine and Egypt, most recently at Mo’alla, and his publications include three best-selling books, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Egypt (1996), How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (1998, with Mark Collier) and The Seventy Great Mysteries of Ancient Egypt (2003).
http://www.egyptologyscotland.com/EgS...
http://www.egyptologyscotland.com/EgS...
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March 24, 2024
The Teaching of Ptahhatap is a text of about 15 pages, and one of the oldest narrative writings that have come down to us. It was produced in Ancient Egypt and contains moral instructions from a top employee of the pharaoh to his son. The earliest surviving version (a papyrus document) dates from about 1700 BCE, but its origins are thought to be several centuries earlier. Bill Manley delves particularly deeply into these and related texts and also provides partial translations.
The whole thing looks solid and interesting. But his thesis that this is the oldest book in the world is not entirely convincing, because it is mainly based on reasoned speculation. It is also strange that he nowhere mentions the Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia, which is at least as old, but has been handed down in many more different versions. Also, the connection with philosophy is not entirely clear to me: foremost, The Teaching of Ptahhatap contains ethical guidelines, not philosophical musings. But Manley makes a connection with an Egyptian text from the 7th century bce, so at least a thousand years later, to prove his point. In short, this is certainly a fascinating book, but it does not quite live up to its ambitions. More in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The whole thing looks solid and interesting. But his thesis that this is the oldest book in the world is not entirely convincing, because it is mainly based on reasoned speculation. It is also strange that he nowhere mentions the Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia, which is at least as old, but has been handed down in many more different versions. Also, the connection with philosophy is not entirely clear to me: foremost, The Teaching of Ptahhatap contains ethical guidelines, not philosophical musings. But Manley makes a connection with an Egyptian text from the 7th century bce, so at least a thousand years later, to prove his point. In short, this is certainly a fascinating book, but it does not quite live up to its ambitions. More in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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October 22, 2024I previously read a translation of The Teaching of Ptahhatap in Toby Wilkinson's excellent anthology Writings from Ancient Egypt. In his book Bill Manley also presents his (a bit diverging) translation, based on the oldest manuscript, the Papyrus Prisse, from the 19th or 18th century BCE, and currently preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris. Manley rightly puts it in the spotlight, because it is a remarkable piece of writing (see my review here). And he does so in detail, with an interesting discussion on the development of writing in ancient Egypt and the transmission history of the papyrus.
Manley's central theses, that this is the oldest book in history and that philosophy was practiced in Ancient Egypt long before the Greeks, are not entirely convincing and consistently developed. I also notice that he makes no mention of elder writings (such as 'the Instruction of Hardehef', which is unfortunately only fragmentarily preserved, or 'the Teaching for Merikar'e, which is much longer than Ptahhatap's) or of much more interesting writings (such as the 'Dispute between a man and his ba', or 'the story of the Eloquent Farmer'). All these texts, like those of Ptahhatap, date from the early Middle Kingdom (19th-18th century BCE), the golden period of the Ancient
Egyptian literature. It seems a bit like Manley wanted to show off with the oldest book, even though he can't prove it.
It gets even stranger at the end of his study: Manley claims that philosophy was not invented in classical Greece (more specifically Ionia, in the 6th-5th century BCE), but much earlier in Ancient Egypt. His strongest argument is the text on the Shabaka Stone, a long inscription found in a temple in Memphis and dated to around 700 BCE (though there’s a lot of discussion amongst Egyptologists about this date). This is indeed a very remarkable text, with a clear mythological-religious slant (including a creation myth). Manley suggests that the text should be read par excellence as a philosophical document, and he continually makes connections with the text of the Teaching of Ptahhatap, giving a pre-Socratic interpretation of the document. It is clear that he consciously opts for a very personal take, which fascinates and intrigues, but also goes a bit too far, especially when he makes a connection with quantum physics. Clearly Manley is overplaying his hand, although I certainly agree with him in his statement that we should absolutely not regard those early texts as primitive; that really is a cardinal sin of Western modernity.
Manley's central theses, that this is the oldest book in history and that philosophy was practiced in Ancient Egypt long before the Greeks, are not entirely convincing and consistently developed. I also notice that he makes no mention of elder writings (such as 'the Instruction of Hardehef', which is unfortunately only fragmentarily preserved, or 'the Teaching for Merikar'e, which is much longer than Ptahhatap's) or of much more interesting writings (such as the 'Dispute between a man and his ba', or 'the story of the Eloquent Farmer'). All these texts, like those of Ptahhatap, date from the early Middle Kingdom (19th-18th century BCE), the golden period of the Ancient
Egyptian literature. It seems a bit like Manley wanted to show off with the oldest book, even though he can't prove it.
It gets even stranger at the end of his study: Manley claims that philosophy was not invented in classical Greece (more specifically Ionia, in the 6th-5th century BCE), but much earlier in Ancient Egypt. His strongest argument is the text on the Shabaka Stone, a long inscription found in a temple in Memphis and dated to around 700 BCE (though there’s a lot of discussion amongst Egyptologists about this date). This is indeed a very remarkable text, with a clear mythological-religious slant (including a creation myth). Manley suggests that the text should be read par excellence as a philosophical document, and he continually makes connections with the text of the Teaching of Ptahhatap, giving a pre-Socratic interpretation of the document. It is clear that he consciously opts for a very personal take, which fascinates and intrigues, but also goes a bit too far, especially when he makes a connection with quantum physics. Clearly Manley is overplaying his hand, although I certainly agree with him in his statement that we should absolutely not regard those early texts as primitive; that really is a cardinal sin of Western modernity.
December 1, 2023
Anyone familiar with the wisdom literature of the Old Testament will know that ancient Israel, despite her cognizance of the uniqueness of her calling by God, did not isolate herself from the intellectual currents then prevailing across the ancient near Eastern world. The book of Proverbs reveals parallels with Egyptian models and, in the book of Job, the legendary reputation for wisdom enjoyed by the sages of Arabia and Edom is implicit – even Job himself figures as a prototypical patriarch, not expressly identified as a Hebrew worshipper of YHWH (cf. Ezekiel 14:14,20; Jeremiah 49:7; Baruch 3:22-23; Obadiah 8).
But what if we want to evaluate the extra-biblical wisdom literature on its own terms, not merely in so far as it is reflected in scripture? Bill Manley in The Oldest Book in the World: Philosophy in the Age of the Pyramids (published by Thames & Hudson in 2023) attempts just this for Egypt in particular. Manley, as an expert Egyptologist who has published on Egyptian art and a guide to hieroglyphics for beginners, is well equipped for the present essay, in which, based on his extensive scholarly knowledge, he imparts a lively picture of what life must have been like for contemporaries.
We are fortunate in this case that a good deal of the ancient literature is extant and can be deciphered. The present teaching was written down in the late eighteenth or seventeenth century BC but dates to much earlier, around the twenty-fifth century BC and the reign of king Izezi (fifth dynasty). Its author, Ptahhatp, was a high-ranking official at court who was to attain legendary status in the later tradition (as so often happens with the sages active at the founding of a civilization). In Manley’s telling, the Old Kingdom must have been an expansive era, when the great pyramids were being built and irrigation and other large construction projects were underway. Hieroglyphic writing was still a relatively new technology and, like today, those who could master it held the prospect of rapid advancement in the burgeoning bureaucracy. Such, indeed, was Ptahhatp’s fate. Manley is to be commended for his convincing reconstruction of the period in terms that speak to us today (at least to anyone who has ever contemplated a high-powered career, say at a Wall Street investment bank). But for all its resemblance to some aspects of current culture, in other ways ancient Egypt was a society profoundly different from ours, dominated by a royal court and saturated with religion (this side of things comes to the fore in the second major document translated here, Why Things Happen from the Shabaka stone, about which more below).
To the text itself. Already by the early chapters, one notices how reminiscent of the biblical book of Proverbs Ptahhatp’s teaching is, timeless and canny: the author would have been on speaking terms with Solomon, had he lived 1,500 years later! But what this recensionist finds striking is how some rather modern-seeming themes stand out in places, such as the role of conscience:
Trust your mind all the time of your being. Do not add to what has already been said. Never go against your mind. Doing so is a spiritual offense. Do not spend one moment of the day except in strengthening the foundation of your home. As you gain possessions, trust your mind – there is no real gain when it grows dull. [p. 107]
Another two passages bearing a surprisingly modern ring:
If an instance of the ideal happens through one who is in charge, it is meaningful for eternity. All his wisdom is for all of time. The educated person is the one who nurtures his soul by realizing on earth the ideal self within. The educated person is wise because of what he has learned. The responsible person in his ideal moment through the action of his intention and his tongue – whose lips are precise when speaking and his eyes in seeing, his ear accurate in hearing what is transformative for his student – is one who acts out truth free from error. [p. 125]
A student who listens to what has been passed down through the ages has the ideal. After listening he shall grow old and long be remembered. He shall pass on the same things to his children by living out his teacher’s teaching. Every person, who is a teacher by the way he acts, passes on as much to the next generation. This is how he informs his children. Show character, do not pass on your flaws. Let truth be apparent so that the next generation may thrive. [p. 128]
Can this be a trick of translation? Probably not, although who unversed in ancient languages could judge! For one thing is evident about Ptahhatp’s teaching: it is almost entirely unencumbered with religion and, thus, genuinely philosophical long before the Greeks got around to practicing the love of wisdom.
Let us leave it to the reader to delight in this early manifestation of the philosophical impulse, namely, to ground one’s manner of life in knowable truth, and turn to the second part, concerning the way of truth as taught in one of the oldest religious texts in existence, the inscription entitled ‘Why things happen’ found on the Shabaka stone, documenting the theology of creation current among the priests of Memphis during the early fifth dynasty, circa 2,500 BC. Manley possesses a gift for rendering seemingly obsolete views in a way that speaks to us today; if one were to scan the text without consulting his commentary, it would perhaps be striking as a no doubt venerable testament to an old-fashioned polytheistic view of the world but hardly cause to motivate a serious reflection in terms relevant to us. But that would be a mistake – as if the ancients could not have grappled with the perennial themes of human existence just as well as might we!
The odd-sounding but provocative catchphrase Manley employs to describe the priestly doctrine of creation is ‘the physics of meaning’. What he means by this is captured roughly by the following passage:
So, creation comes into being out of Non-being through the intention of the creator expressed as a word. As we have discussed – and as Ptahhatp assumes – all things that happen have an intrinsic meaning and form because they are first of all a thought and then a word expressed in language. The first elements of creation are divine – not only the gods but also their spirits, which in turn entail relationships in accordance with Ptahhatp’s Seventh Teaching. Creation immediately assumes both the principle of elemental laws, embodied in Horus the king, and the principle of knowing and understanding them, embodied in Thoth, the god of wisdom and learning. As a child knows, questions make sense because there is a reason behind what happens, in accordance with Ptahhatp’s Fifth Teaching (‘seek meaning for you in every event’). The constant rediscovery of the same truth by every child is itself proof that meaning is to be found outside the minds of humans, which, nonetheless, are open to knowing and learning. [p. 186]
Manley goes on to contend that Ptah ought to be viewed as engaged in sustaining the world through a continuous creation – which then connects to another theme of paramount importance to the ancient Egyptians, namely, death, for one thing has always to decease to make room for another in an endless succession. New to this recensionist is the suggestion that the Egyptian theology, if not monotheistic, could be characterized as henotheistic (somewhat like Xenophanes’ position with respect to Greek polytheism, two millennia later).
Chapter five thus constitutes a fine example of what goes largely missing in Marc van de Mieroop’s mainly political history of ancient Egypt (our recent review here, but see also his Philosophy before the Greeks: The Pursuit of Truth in Ancient Babylonia which we are about to review in a moment). Is there a parallel with the Babylonian perspective on the creation? Perhaps it will be best to defer discussion of a theme like this (which Manley does not himself raise) to our review of van de Mieroop’s latter work. For van de Mieroop, the Babylonian epistemology – with which the Egyptians, too, would be closely engaged at a later date, after the spread of Babylonian influence on international higher culture during the second millennium – was structured around a disposition to interpret the world as a giant text, the ‘writing of the gods’. While the ‘physics of meaning’ Manley treats here also serves to confer a mythological semantic value on the world of experience, this seems to be less directly mediated by the hieroglyphic writing system itself than is the case with cuneiform. Something deep to ponder! We are fortunate to have these two works to introduce us non-experts into the Egyptian resp. Babylonian world-views and to occasion our reflection.
To connect the theology of Why Things Happen to the modern intellectual milieu, there is in it in the idea of a divine spontaneity, perhaps an anticipation of the late F.W.J. Schelling’s ages of the world [Weltalter] expressed in mythological rather than conceptual terms, of course. But Schelling himself was a great friend of mythology, one of the first to take it seriously as a genuine pursuit of truth and not merely as irrational simpliciter (maybe this reviewer will get around someday to writing about Schelling’s difficult thought on the subject of mythology and revelation; for now, Manley’s account here makes invitingly accessible the Egyptian priestly doctrine, which needless to say figures as a central datum that Schelling must explain).
In conclusion, let us remark on the most outstanding theme to emerge from Ptahhatp’s philosophical work, namely, the inherent catholicity of truth. As the Vatican II document Nostra aetate teaches,
From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense….The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself. [§2]
The sympathetic reader of ancient Egyptian wisdom literature cannot miss its elemental timeless verity. Yet he will, at the same time, discern the developmental character of mankind’s ongoing appropriation of truth (cf. Johann Gottfried Herder’s Ideen zur Geschichte der Philosophie der Menschheit from 1791). We cannot expect all the refinements of later ages, but even at an early stage the message of the compelling evidential nature of truth resounds undeniably. Unlike the coercion so unreflectingly popular these days among enforcers of political correctness, evidence appeals to reason in freedom and, so, already in Ptahhatp we can note a corresponding high moral commitment. Recall the judgment of the ancient author:
Wherever you are in charge, accountable for the circumstances of many, seek the meaning for you in every event until your conduct becomes impeccable. Truth is ever important, ever relevant. It has not been changed since the beginning of time….The definition of truth is that it is constant and people cannot say that it is only for their teacher. [p. 104]
– what is equally disrespected by and inimical to modern-day relativists on the left or on the right, for whom Ptahhatp would reserve an especial opprobrium. Would be that men of good will, if any be left in our endarkened age, might aim to restore the lost wisdom of Egypt from four and a half millennia ago! How could there be a secure foundation for anything like justice without an elementary respect for the constancy of truth?
But what if we want to evaluate the extra-biblical wisdom literature on its own terms, not merely in so far as it is reflected in scripture? Bill Manley in The Oldest Book in the World: Philosophy in the Age of the Pyramids (published by Thames & Hudson in 2023) attempts just this for Egypt in particular. Manley, as an expert Egyptologist who has published on Egyptian art and a guide to hieroglyphics for beginners, is well equipped for the present essay, in which, based on his extensive scholarly knowledge, he imparts a lively picture of what life must have been like for contemporaries.
We are fortunate in this case that a good deal of the ancient literature is extant and can be deciphered. The present teaching was written down in the late eighteenth or seventeenth century BC but dates to much earlier, around the twenty-fifth century BC and the reign of king Izezi (fifth dynasty). Its author, Ptahhatp, was a high-ranking official at court who was to attain legendary status in the later tradition (as so often happens with the sages active at the founding of a civilization). In Manley’s telling, the Old Kingdom must have been an expansive era, when the great pyramids were being built and irrigation and other large construction projects were underway. Hieroglyphic writing was still a relatively new technology and, like today, those who could master it held the prospect of rapid advancement in the burgeoning bureaucracy. Such, indeed, was Ptahhatp’s fate. Manley is to be commended for his convincing reconstruction of the period in terms that speak to us today (at least to anyone who has ever contemplated a high-powered career, say at a Wall Street investment bank). But for all its resemblance to some aspects of current culture, in other ways ancient Egypt was a society profoundly different from ours, dominated by a royal court and saturated with religion (this side of things comes to the fore in the second major document translated here, Why Things Happen from the Shabaka stone, about which more below).
To the text itself. Already by the early chapters, one notices how reminiscent of the biblical book of Proverbs Ptahhatp’s teaching is, timeless and canny: the author would have been on speaking terms with Solomon, had he lived 1,500 years later! But what this recensionist finds striking is how some rather modern-seeming themes stand out in places, such as the role of conscience:
Trust your mind all the time of your being. Do not add to what has already been said. Never go against your mind. Doing so is a spiritual offense. Do not spend one moment of the day except in strengthening the foundation of your home. As you gain possessions, trust your mind – there is no real gain when it grows dull. [p. 107]
Another two passages bearing a surprisingly modern ring:
If an instance of the ideal happens through one who is in charge, it is meaningful for eternity. All his wisdom is for all of time. The educated person is the one who nurtures his soul by realizing on earth the ideal self within. The educated person is wise because of what he has learned. The responsible person in his ideal moment through the action of his intention and his tongue – whose lips are precise when speaking and his eyes in seeing, his ear accurate in hearing what is transformative for his student – is one who acts out truth free from error. [p. 125]
A student who listens to what has been passed down through the ages has the ideal. After listening he shall grow old and long be remembered. He shall pass on the same things to his children by living out his teacher’s teaching. Every person, who is a teacher by the way he acts, passes on as much to the next generation. This is how he informs his children. Show character, do not pass on your flaws. Let truth be apparent so that the next generation may thrive. [p. 128]
Can this be a trick of translation? Probably not, although who unversed in ancient languages could judge! For one thing is evident about Ptahhatp’s teaching: it is almost entirely unencumbered with religion and, thus, genuinely philosophical long before the Greeks got around to practicing the love of wisdom.
Let us leave it to the reader to delight in this early manifestation of the philosophical impulse, namely, to ground one’s manner of life in knowable truth, and turn to the second part, concerning the way of truth as taught in one of the oldest religious texts in existence, the inscription entitled ‘Why things happen’ found on the Shabaka stone, documenting the theology of creation current among the priests of Memphis during the early fifth dynasty, circa 2,500 BC. Manley possesses a gift for rendering seemingly obsolete views in a way that speaks to us today; if one were to scan the text without consulting his commentary, it would perhaps be striking as a no doubt venerable testament to an old-fashioned polytheistic view of the world but hardly cause to motivate a serious reflection in terms relevant to us. But that would be a mistake – as if the ancients could not have grappled with the perennial themes of human existence just as well as might we!
The odd-sounding but provocative catchphrase Manley employs to describe the priestly doctrine of creation is ‘the physics of meaning’. What he means by this is captured roughly by the following passage:
So, creation comes into being out of Non-being through the intention of the creator expressed as a word. As we have discussed – and as Ptahhatp assumes – all things that happen have an intrinsic meaning and form because they are first of all a thought and then a word expressed in language. The first elements of creation are divine – not only the gods but also their spirits, which in turn entail relationships in accordance with Ptahhatp’s Seventh Teaching. Creation immediately assumes both the principle of elemental laws, embodied in Horus the king, and the principle of knowing and understanding them, embodied in Thoth, the god of wisdom and learning. As a child knows, questions make sense because there is a reason behind what happens, in accordance with Ptahhatp’s Fifth Teaching (‘seek meaning for you in every event’). The constant rediscovery of the same truth by every child is itself proof that meaning is to be found outside the minds of humans, which, nonetheless, are open to knowing and learning. [p. 186]
Manley goes on to contend that Ptah ought to be viewed as engaged in sustaining the world through a continuous creation – which then connects to another theme of paramount importance to the ancient Egyptians, namely, death, for one thing has always to decease to make room for another in an endless succession. New to this recensionist is the suggestion that the Egyptian theology, if not monotheistic, could be characterized as henotheistic (somewhat like Xenophanes’ position with respect to Greek polytheism, two millennia later).
Chapter five thus constitutes a fine example of what goes largely missing in Marc van de Mieroop’s mainly political history of ancient Egypt (our recent review here, but see also his Philosophy before the Greeks: The Pursuit of Truth in Ancient Babylonia which we are about to review in a moment). Is there a parallel with the Babylonian perspective on the creation? Perhaps it will be best to defer discussion of a theme like this (which Manley does not himself raise) to our review of van de Mieroop’s latter work. For van de Mieroop, the Babylonian epistemology – with which the Egyptians, too, would be closely engaged at a later date, after the spread of Babylonian influence on international higher culture during the second millennium – was structured around a disposition to interpret the world as a giant text, the ‘writing of the gods’. While the ‘physics of meaning’ Manley treats here also serves to confer a mythological semantic value on the world of experience, this seems to be less directly mediated by the hieroglyphic writing system itself than is the case with cuneiform. Something deep to ponder! We are fortunate to have these two works to introduce us non-experts into the Egyptian resp. Babylonian world-views and to occasion our reflection.
To connect the theology of Why Things Happen to the modern intellectual milieu, there is in it in the idea of a divine spontaneity, perhaps an anticipation of the late F.W.J. Schelling’s ages of the world [Weltalter] expressed in mythological rather than conceptual terms, of course. But Schelling himself was a great friend of mythology, one of the first to take it seriously as a genuine pursuit of truth and not merely as irrational simpliciter (maybe this reviewer will get around someday to writing about Schelling’s difficult thought on the subject of mythology and revelation; for now, Manley’s account here makes invitingly accessible the Egyptian priestly doctrine, which needless to say figures as a central datum that Schelling must explain).
In conclusion, let us remark on the most outstanding theme to emerge from Ptahhatp’s philosophical work, namely, the inherent catholicity of truth. As the Vatican II document Nostra aetate teaches,
From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense….The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself. [§2]
The sympathetic reader of ancient Egyptian wisdom literature cannot miss its elemental timeless verity. Yet he will, at the same time, discern the developmental character of mankind’s ongoing appropriation of truth (cf. Johann Gottfried Herder’s Ideen zur Geschichte der Philosophie der Menschheit from 1791). We cannot expect all the refinements of later ages, but even at an early stage the message of the compelling evidential nature of truth resounds undeniably. Unlike the coercion so unreflectingly popular these days among enforcers of political correctness, evidence appeals to reason in freedom and, so, already in Ptahhatp we can note a corresponding high moral commitment. Recall the judgment of the ancient author:
Wherever you are in charge, accountable for the circumstances of many, seek the meaning for you in every event until your conduct becomes impeccable. Truth is ever important, ever relevant. It has not been changed since the beginning of time….The definition of truth is that it is constant and people cannot say that it is only for their teacher. [p. 104]
– what is equally disrespected by and inimical to modern-day relativists on the left or on the right, for whom Ptahhatp would reserve an especial opprobrium. Would be that men of good will, if any be left in our endarkened age, might aim to restore the lost wisdom of Egypt from four and a half millennia ago! How could there be a secure foundation for anything like justice without an elementary respect for the constancy of truth?
February 14, 2025
This translation of the Teaching of Ptahhatp by Bill Manley makes this very early example of ancient Egyptian wisdom literature accessible to the modern reader in a highly readable form. The text itself is preserved in its entirety in what is known as the Papyrus Prisse from the name of its original antiquarian collector, and was written down late in the Middle Kingdom, probably in the late eighteenth or early seventeenth century BCE'. The name of its author is claimed to be Ptahhatp, vizier of the Old Kingdom pharaoh Izezi, who ruled Egypt in the 5th Dynasty, about 2410 - 2375 BCE. Ptahhatp's tomb is extant and accessible, and a wooden statue of him survives probably from his tomb-chapel. The form of his name used by Bill Manley, unlike the more conventional form 'Ptahhotep', is based on Akkadian and Assyrian spellings of the element 'htp', which insert vowels not written in the hieroglyphic script.
The author accepts that the attribution to Ptahhatp is correct and that the text was therefore originally composed in the mid third millenium BCE. As such he calls it "the oldest book in the world". In view of the common practice of ancient scribes in attributing their work to a famous name from history in order to give it the authenticity of age (the books of the Old Testament spring to mind), I would have thought this assumption unjustified. In fact the author's constant use of this nickname, "the oldest book in the world" throughout the book (it also forms part of the title) came across to me as a marketing ploy on the part of Thames & Hudson, the book's publishers. Similarly, the description of these teachings (which are primarily succinct pieces of moral advice for proper behaviour, in order to win favour in the royal palace, and live in accordance with the principles of 'maat', the rule of justice and order), as philosophy, again feels unjustified and possibly also a marketing ploy.
This said, however, Bill Manley's excellent translation finally makes these sayings memorable and relevant to the modern world. In particular he debunks the wilful mistranslation of the Thirty-second Teaching by earlier Egyptologists, who attempted to project their homophobia onto ancient Egyptian thought by claiming this was a condemnation of homosexuality. In fact, as the author makes clear, the term involved, 'woman-child', refers to a juvenile and hence condemns sex with someone under-age, or paedophilia, as it is now known. The book as a whole provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking discussion of the Teachings and their context. It is written very much in the style of Bill Manley's own teaching, which challenges the assumptions and prejudices often found in conventional Egyptology, and encourages the student to question and reinterpret what they read. I found this a very enjoyable, interesting and informative book to read, and cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone with an interest in ancient Egypt.
The author accepts that the attribution to Ptahhatp is correct and that the text was therefore originally composed in the mid third millenium BCE. As such he calls it "the oldest book in the world". In view of the common practice of ancient scribes in attributing their work to a famous name from history in order to give it the authenticity of age (the books of the Old Testament spring to mind), I would have thought this assumption unjustified. In fact the author's constant use of this nickname, "the oldest book in the world" throughout the book (it also forms part of the title) came across to me as a marketing ploy on the part of Thames & Hudson, the book's publishers. Similarly, the description of these teachings (which are primarily succinct pieces of moral advice for proper behaviour, in order to win favour in the royal palace, and live in accordance with the principles of 'maat', the rule of justice and order), as philosophy, again feels unjustified and possibly also a marketing ploy.
This said, however, Bill Manley's excellent translation finally makes these sayings memorable and relevant to the modern world. In particular he debunks the wilful mistranslation of the Thirty-second Teaching by earlier Egyptologists, who attempted to project their homophobia onto ancient Egyptian thought by claiming this was a condemnation of homosexuality. In fact, as the author makes clear, the term involved, 'woman-child', refers to a juvenile and hence condemns sex with someone under-age, or paedophilia, as it is now known. The book as a whole provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking discussion of the Teachings and their context. It is written very much in the style of Bill Manley's own teaching, which challenges the assumptions and prejudices often found in conventional Egyptology, and encourages the student to question and reinterpret what they read. I found this a very enjoyable, interesting and informative book to read, and cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone with an interest in ancient Egypt.
January 25, 2026
If you enjoy reading books that surprise you, and if you like reading about origin and creation stories, as well as morals, values, and ethics, then this is a book for you.
What surprised me the most was how Bill Manley handles the Egyptian creation stories. While reading these, I kept thinking about the Genesis story in the Old Testament. Both tell us that it all started with an expulsion of breath from the Creator.
This book could have been full of academic jargon, but instead, to me, it presented information intelligently in a way that made sense to me. It is full of new information.
I learned how to make papyrus and what is a book.
I learned much more such as the meaning of life seems to be to live the exemplary life of moderation and community. The book attempts to tell us the meaning of life.
This is the fourth book on Ancient Egypt that I've read this January 2026. My reading project is working well. I pondered over what order I should read the books in. My next book will be Volume I of the five volume Oxford History of the Ancient Near East. I plan to follow this by reading Vols. 2 & 3. Vol 4 focuses on Assyria while the final Vol focuses on Persia. There will be information on Egypt in both of these volumes.
What surprised me the most was how Bill Manley handles the Egyptian creation stories. While reading these, I kept thinking about the Genesis story in the Old Testament. Both tell us that it all started with an expulsion of breath from the Creator.
This book could have been full of academic jargon, but instead, to me, it presented information intelligently in a way that made sense to me. It is full of new information.
I learned how to make papyrus and what is a book.
I learned much more such as the meaning of life seems to be to live the exemplary life of moderation and community. The book attempts to tell us the meaning of life.
This is the fourth book on Ancient Egypt that I've read this January 2026. My reading project is working well. I pondered over what order I should read the books in. My next book will be Volume I of the five volume Oxford History of the Ancient Near East. I plan to follow this by reading Vols. 2 & 3. Vol 4 focuses on Assyria while the final Vol focuses on Persia. There will be information on Egypt in both of these volumes.
October 24, 2024
After an introduction covering the history and writing technology of the ancient Egyptians, along with some detective work on the identity of the author, the palindromynous Ptahhatp, we're presented with a new translation of what looks to have been the earliest complete piece of self help literature; a teaching mainly concerning dealing with others, in particular interpersonal conflict and handling the behaviour of, to put it politely, difficult people.
This most reminds me of Marcus Aurelius's 'Meditations' and other classics of Stoic ethics written around 2500 years later.
It also reminds me (and this is driven home time and again by the author in the surrounding chapters) that while our technologies have evolved rapidly (too rapidly! I don't think our species is ready for the internet or smart phone), our human nature has not. We still suffer from the same collective ego, pride, and irrational passion led behaviour as our ancient ancestors.
The book wraps up with a commentary on the translated text, more history of ancient Egypt, and some heavyweight philosophical discussions.
Fascinating introduction to an often overlooked era of philosophy.
This most reminds me of Marcus Aurelius's 'Meditations' and other classics of Stoic ethics written around 2500 years later.
It also reminds me (and this is driven home time and again by the author in the surrounding chapters) that while our technologies have evolved rapidly (too rapidly! I don't think our species is ready for the internet or smart phone), our human nature has not. We still suffer from the same collective ego, pride, and irrational passion led behaviour as our ancient ancestors.
The book wraps up with a commentary on the translated text, more history of ancient Egypt, and some heavyweight philosophical discussions.
Fascinating introduction to an often overlooked era of philosophy.
July 15, 2025
Is it the oldest book in the World? Maybe. Unfortunately there wasn't any mention or comparison with Mesopotamian literature, at the very least we can say it is the oldest book with a (probably) verifiable author. The first two chapters are a background on writing in Ancient Egypt and the times in which it was written. The third chapter is the text itself with two other far shorter teachings. The final two are a sort of commentary on the text itself. Although I was a bit disappointed by the final chapter as it didn't explain the ideas of the Egyptians that well when it came to physics and how the world worked.
September 6, 2024
Interesting read about The Teaching of Ptahhatap. It falls short for me in that it seems to ignore other ancient texts like the Epic of Gilgamesh (an all time favorite of mine), the Instruction of Hardehef, Teaching for Merikar'e, etc. It is still a fun read even though I didn't feel that the central hypothesis, that this is the oldest book in history, was either convincing or consistently developed.
3.5 but that's not an option -- so 4 stars
3.5 but that's not an option -- so 4 stars
September 7, 2023
Livro incrível e muito profundo sobre o sentido da vida. O fato de ser o mais antigo livro do mundo (escrito na 5a dinastia do Egito Antigo - reino de Izezi) e se manter atual até hoje é impressionante.
February 13, 2024
It can be rare to find a historic book that is both serious and thorough, and witty and light. As someone who studied history but never Egyptology, I appreciated the context given surrounding this new translation and the explanation of previous historical thought and debates surrounding the work.
July 6, 2024
This book is an introduction to ancient Egyptian philosophy, based on the book of Ptahhapt, apparently written 4000 years ago. The book is hard to follow at points, but presents a very different view of how the ancient Egyptians saw life, death and the world around them.
April 5, 2024
It was fine. A lot of the commentary felt like filler so they could publish a whole book.
December 31, 2024
A mind bending thought provoking book. I will need to read it again.
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