Show CraffdhL Ogden k ' si April 5 1986 Standard-Examine- r Ramses exhibit ends at BYU link Egyptian-Mormo- n By JOHN DeVILBISS PROVO — The museum door to Ramses tomb slams shut today ending a viewing during which half a million people came to pay their respects The crowds came to see hundreds of Egyptian items that mark the reign of the great Ramses II preserved in royal tombs through centuries of human struggle The Egyptian pharaoh died more than 000 years before the birth of Christ yet his fervent Egyptian belief in an afterlife spurred him to preserve his name memory and many of his earthly possessions for the world to come Perhaps it is this sense of timelessness in the artifacts — many of them lifelike in ap- pearance with seemingly fresh coats of paint — that has lured so many to the unique exhibit in the past six months Seeing the exhibit is like an encounter with immortality and a satisfying quench of the thirst for the past and the roots that bind the human race together It is this sense of kinship with the ancient Egyptians that is dynamically felt by at least one man — C Wilfred Griggs Brigham V'oung University director of Ancient Studies who is responsible for bringing the Ramses II exhibit to the university As a Mormon scholar of tiquity Griggs said he has come to find many similarities between his beliefs as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daSaints and the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians "My personal belief is that nobody should feel so much kinship with what it (Ramses II) represents as should Saints" he said A point of comparison he said is that the Egptian religion permeated cery aspect of — ancient Egyptian life "so an- asserted the Latter-dapractical Saint in emphatic way" The religious symbolism found in the exhibit is similar to and in many ways identical with religious symbolism of Saints he said the Latter-daSome of these symbols include the "tree of life" found throughout the display and the "sacred circle" representing eternity Also there is a key LDS symbol as described scripture the Book of Mormon In addition there are washing vessels for the ritual washing of the king to purify him he said Saints "One finds Latter-daw ith sacred ordinances of washings and anointings (in Mormon temples)" he said "It's quite obvious I think to anybody who has studied the idea of temples and antiquity that Mormons seem to have more kinship with temples and what goes on in temples than modern society that I likewise a very know It v TmMr M - iCl - vJN of" Griggs said there is also an anointing stand in the exhibit and a symbol of a man going into the presence of the god Osiris to be resurrected The man has his wife and children with ryfil him ( "The idea of heaven in ancient Egxptian religion is something of a family affair" he said "Those kind of similarities should strike rather close to home with an LDS heart" He said Mormons identify with Egypt more than any other Christian faith For example Joseph of old in the Bible married an Egyptian and through her gave birth to Ephraim and Manasseh "Mormons certainly identify with that heritage" he said "That takes you back into an Egxptian world through the mother of these two children" Book of Mormon prophet stated at the beginning of his book that he was trained in the language See RAMSES Egyptian on Page 6 r A An P- - W i- - !' - Tomb door depicts him f f - of -- - x v - f- ' " ? and his family worshiping DeLorean says he's akin to Job t L I) u-- s - gods "3 of the dead Page 5 |