Opening of the Mouth and Holy Communion

Opening of the Mouth:
The Holy Communion of Ancient Egypt
A Modern Variation
By:
Rev. Michael J. Costa
© Copyright 2011 MJ COSTA, All rights reserved.

Opening of the Mouth

Comparing the ritual ceremony of the Opening of the Mouth, which was performed mostly at funerals in Ancient Egypt, with the Holy Communion, which is performed at funerals (pertaining to the Last Meal of Christ before his execution) allows many similarities into the evolution of the ideology.

Christ died for the sins of humanity, as his body was sacrificed like a scapegoat of an earlier Jewish ritual whereby a goat absorbed the sins of the community and was cast out of it. His Sacrifice represents in Egypt the idea of the Sacrificed Eye of the god Horus, who lost an eye in battle against the evil god Set(h). This eye was offered by Horus to his slain Holy Father, the god Osiris, after Thoth repaired or installed a new eye. Christ absorbed the sins of the world and was killed, thus destroying the sins of the world; this is similar to collecting evils into a clay pot or idol of Egyptian ritual and then smashing it. The Eye of Horus, through a complex ceremony, became divine food and drink and was offered to the image of the deceased via the Opening of the Mouth ritual and its accompanying feast. The Opening of the Mouth ritual also involved sacrifices of a new born Calf’s heart and foreleg, representing flowing blood and its still-beating heart. This was supposed to convey a new heart with blood being pumped, to simulate new life or to coerce the spirit to resurrect itself in the old body. The Chalice of Christian ritual held the Sacred Blood of Christ (wine transformed by ritual). The bread wafer represents the bread shared at the Last Meal by Christ, as his body that is shared by him to his students, or the World who shares the fate of the risen Lord. This bread is offered up to the Sun or Christ on the Cross (Ankh), like the Eye is offered to Osiris in the Heavens; then it is broken up into pieces, representing the pieces of the Eye or the body of Osiris, which was dismantled by Set(h). This shared meal is given to his students; eating it gave his power to them. The wine is usually red wine, symbolic of red blood; but the Liturgy of Offerings of Egypt includes every type of food and drink known to the Egyptians represented in the Eye ritual. This was done to preserve the knowledge of their economy for use in the afterlife.

Christ was said to be a Carpenter. Both the tools used in the Eye ritual (An adze or Carpenter’s tool) and the translation of Osiris (“Creator of Furniture”) have to do with Carpentry. The Adze tool was used to ritually open the mouth of the dead, by touching its lips or the lips of an image or statue. If done on a statue, this caused the statue to be “animated” or possess the qualities of the living (by behaving like a living creature. If one had an animated dog statue and routinely gave it offerings, on one day offerings were not given, the statue would attract “angry dogs” to the priest’s presence). If the ritual was done on the deceased, this opened the door for the belief in the Resurrection of the Dead in some distant future. When Christ’s sealed tomb was opened, his body was not in it, causing people to accept that he resurrected and left it. Egyptian tombs were houses of eternal life, whereby the dead Spirit lived in. The belief or acceptance of Christ enabled people to live forever; this simplified the rituals and allowed people to live forever in Heaven (ending the economy of tomb building in Egypt).

The Trinity of Christ as being the Son, Father & Holy Ghost was seen in the form of Julius Caesar (Heavenly Father), Ptolemy Caesarion (Son), and the Ghost of Caesar (Divine Julius). Caesarion was also called “King of Kings” of Egypt. He died before Christ was (said to be) born.


M7 2011.