statue of the God Ptah from the Serapeum of the Villa at Tivoli of the Emperor Hadrianos, 117-138 CE, now in the Vatican Museum..
-HYMN AND PRAISE TO THE GOD PTAH BY THE GLORIOUS KING RAMSES III-
from the Great Harris Papyrus
(translation from “Ancient Records of Egypt” by J. H. Breasted)
Said King UserMaatRa MeryAmon, the Great God, to His father, the august God, Ptah the Great, “South of His Wall”, the Lord of Life of the Two Lands, God of the Primeval Mound, the Father of the Gods, lofty-plumed, ready-horned, beautiful-face, upon the great throne:
“Hail to Thee!
Great art Thou,
revered art Thou,
O God of the Primeval Mound,
Father of the Gods,
Great God of the First Time (the Primeval Time),
Former of human beings,
Maker of Gods,
Beginning that became the First Primeval Being,
after Whom happened all that came to pass,
Who made Heaven after the conception of His mind,
Who suspended it by the elevation of the atmosphere,
Who founded the Earth by that which He Himself did,
Who surrounded it with Nun, and the sea,
Who made the NetherWorld,
Who satisfied the dead, and caused the Sun to come to prosper them, as Ruler of Eternity and Lord of Everlastingness,
Lord of Life Who fills the throat and gives breath to every nostril,
Who preserves alive all mankind by His sustenance.
Lifetime, Destiny, and bringing up are under His authority,
human beings live by that which comes out of His mouth,
Maker of Offerings for all the Gods, in His form as Nun the Great,
Lord of Eternity, Everlastingness is under His authority,
Breath of Life for all people,
Leading the King to His Great Throne in His name: King of the Two Lands.
I am Thy son whom Thou hast installed as King in the place of my father in peace.
I follow Thee, O Ptah, Thy plans are before me.
Thou didst multiply good things for me, while I was upon Earth,
Thou hast led me to rest by Thy side in the Western Heavens like all the Mysterious Gods of the NetherWorld, and I am associated with Thy Divine Ennead in Thy Mysterious Seat, like Apis, Thy august son, Who is by Thy side. Grant that I may eat the food of Thy Divine Offerings, of bread, incense, beer, shedeh, and wine, grant that I may live again in the Land of the Blessed-Ones (in the NetherWorld), seeing Thee every day like Thy Divine Ennead.
[then follows a long list of the sacred buildings, offerings, and gifts dedicated by the Glorious King Ramses III to Ptah, Sekhmet, Nefertum and all the Gods of Memphis (…)]
Give to me Thy eyes and Thy ears, O Lord, Ptah, Father of Fathers, Former of the Gods,
and hear my plea, which I make before Thee:
I am Thy beloved son, great in benefactions,
install my son (Ramses IV) to be King, establish Him upon Thy Throne as Ruler of every land over the people, Horus UserMaatRa SetepenAmon (Ramses IV), Life, Power, Health, the child who came forth from Thy limbs.
Grant that He may be crowned upon Earth like Horus the son of Isis, when He took the Atef Crown, bearing the …. (Royal scepter).
Grant that He, Horus the King, may rest upon Thy Throne as King of the Two Lands, as Horus, the Mighty Bull, Beloved of Maat.
Give to Him my kingdom according as Thou makest His life happy upon Earth, possessed of joy.
Make His sword victorious, while the lands and the countries fall beneath His feet forever.
Let Him take possession of Egypt as King, Life, Power, Health, of the Two Lands,
let Him be Divine before Thee, possessed of Thy favor.
Extend for Him the boundaries of the Nine Bows (the Nine Bows are the traditional enemies of Egypt),
let them come because of His might, that they may do obeisance to Him.
Give satisfying life, united with His limbs, and health for His members at every season,
Horus the King, the King of Upper and Power Egypt Lord of the Two Lands UserMaatRa SetepenAmon, Life, Power, Health, the Son of Ra and Lord of Diadems Ramses (IV) HeqaMaat-MeryAmon, Life, Power, Health!”
-HYMN TO THE GOD PTAH-
from the Berlin Papyrus 3048
“Adoration be to Thee, O Ptah,
He Who founds the Two Lands, the mountains and the deserts,
and keeps them green through water which comes from Heaven,
He Who covers with dew the twigs of the trees which are in every mountain-land,
There is nobody who could live without Thee, because breath comes out of Thy nose permanently, and water out of Thy mouth,
the Tree of Life grows up upon Thee,
Thou makest green the land so that Gods, humans and cattle have abundance,
He Who brings forth the Nile from His cavern,
Who makes prosperous the Tree of Life
and cares about the portion of that which come out from Him again and again in His name of Nun,
Who sets in motion the Primeval Waters of Heaven
and expels the water in the mountains continuously in order to keep alive mankind in His name of Ptah the Creator of Life”.
-PRAISE TO THE GOD PTAH-
from the votive stela of Neferabu
“Praisegiving to Ptah, Lord of Maat,
King of the Two Lands,
Fair of face on His great seat,
the One God among the Ennead of the Gods,
Beloved as King of the Two Lands.
May He give life, prosperity, health,
alertness, favors, and affection,
and that my eyes may see Amon every day,
as is done for a righteous man
who has set Amon in His heart!
So say the servant on the Place of Truth, Neferabu, whose word is right and true.
Beginning of the recital of the might of Ptah, South of His Wall, by the servant in the Place of Truth on the West of Thebes, Neferabu whose word is right and true.
He says:
“I am a man who swore falsely by Ptah, Lord of Maat,
and He made me see darkness by day.
I will declare His might to the fool and the wise,
to the small and great:
Beware of Ptah, Lord of Maat!
Behold, He does not forgive anyone’s deed!
Refrain from uttering Ptah’s name falsely,
He who utters it falsely, he falls!
He caused me to be as the dogs of the street,
I being in His hand;
He made men and Gods observe me,
I being as a man who has sinned against His Lord.
Righteous was Ptah, Lord of Maat, towards me,
when He taught a lesson to me!
Be merciful to me, look on me in mercy!”
So says the servant in the Place of Truth on the West of Thebes,
Neferab, whose word is right and true before the Great God Ptah.”
AMNTE NOFRE (Amentet Neferet) 