Jenseitsgericht und Priesterweihe: Ein singuläres Zeugnis für die Tür als Ort der Rechtfertigung und Initiation aus der Tempelanlage von Philae

Publication of a lintel and fragment of a door jamb from the temples of Philae. Both blocks probably belong to the same door and carry an unusual decorative program for doors. The decoration of the lintel combines a unique variation of the ‘weighing of the heart’ scene known from the Final Judgement of the Dead (Book of the Dead Spell 125) with the subjugation of Seth before Osiris, while the jamb depicts Horus Behedety with a spear. The general themes of the door decoration are thus ‘justification,’ ‘verifying righteousness at the door,’ and ‘destruction of evil.’ As the article explains, the gate of Philae could have been the place where the priests made a declaration of purity as part of their initiation or renewed their cultic purity before entering the temple.