Religious Studies Sample Paper (Annotated Bibliography Sample)

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Annotated Bibliography – Religion and Spirituality in Ancient Egypt
Bleiberg, Edward and Yekaterina Barbash. The Jackal god Anubis. Bowers Museum, New York, NY.
The artifact that was displayed at the Bowers Museum in New York represents Anubis, the Jackal god. Egyptian keenly observed wildlife in their surroundings and based on their keen knowledge on the strength, ferocity and fertility of the animals, made divine associations. For ancient Egyptians, mummification of animals was a common practice since it provided a direct line of communication between the living and the divine beings. These mummified animals would relay the prayers of a person to a god or goddess if presented as a votive offering. Since jackals were often found in cemeteries, the animal was associated with the dead and as such, the guardian of the cemeteries. The jackal was the god who controlled the embalming of the dead and an image made of carve wood was also found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The artifact is an animal mummy which in addition to representing the religious function of animals in ancient Egypt also exemplified the art of animal mummification.
Elshamy, Mostafa. Ancient Egypt: The Primal Age of Divine Revelation: Volume I Genesis. Cairo: Mostafa Elshamy, 2014.
The book is a product of 14 years of solitary research in the field of ancient Egyptian religion. The author is a dedicated Egyptologist who took the time to explore sources beyond the reach of other professionals to write the book. The book discredits prejudices, superiority, ignorance, partiality, egoism, falseness and misrepresentation by other Egyptologists. The research puts into account the fact that Egypt was colonized by the Greeks and Romans and examines how the colonization impacted on their religion. The research counters mainstream Egyptology methodology setting out from the very beginnings of Dynastic Egypt. Shocking truths are revealed and illusionary historical traditions of the Egyptians are debunked. Focusing on the fundamentals of religion, the author lays ground for the next volume of his publication which will focus on the topic of gods. This irrefutable publication reviews Egyptian thought respecting man’s spiritual constituents. It is thus an invaluable resource in the study of theology, religion, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, and paganism studies.
Okon, Etim E. "Archaeological Reflections on Ancient Egyptian Religion and Society." European Scientific Journal (2012, vol.8): 107-117.
The article co-authored by a professor of anthropology with a keen interest in Egypt and a curator of Nubian and Egyptian antiquities examines the significance that religion had in the lives of ancient Egyptians. The authors reveal an understanding of the disparity between the cultures in Europe and America and that in ancient Egypt. The article illustrates the intricate relationship that occurred between religion and other every-day aspects such as medicine, astronomy, agriculture, geography, civil law and art. The authors show how Egyptian religion was founded on the fundamental love sunlight, the solar cycle, and the regularity of nature and agriculture. The article examines the origins of the gods and their nature, and the cult of the various gods in ancient Egypt religion. The principles of monotheism, polytheism and henotheism that characterized ancient Egypt are also discussed. The concept of Maat as it related to the king and his subjects is examined in the article. The authors also focus their attention on Osiris and the ritual of rejuvenation.
Sayce, Archibald Henry. "The Religions of Ancient Egypt and Babylonia." 12 April 2011. Gutenberg. 16 November 2014 .
The Ebook on the religions of Egyptians and Nubians is based on a set of lectures delivered by a professor of Assyriology, Archibald Henry Sayce. The lectures discuss the conceptions that the Babylonians and Egyptians had on the divine. The lectures are an attempt to grasp the real nature and traits of Babylonian religion with the student of religion as the target audience. As such, the Ebook contains presupposed materials which are a helpful introduct...