A Book of the Beginnings, Vol.1 by Gerald Massey

A Book of the Beginnings, Vol.1 by Gerald Massey

Gerald Massey's work has become essential for readers seeking a balanced understanding of human origins, religious thought and belief, and the role of Africa in world history. Massey, born in England (1828-1907), was at once a poet, Shakespearean scholar, mythographer and radical Egyptologist, who maintained that Africa was the source for the greatest civilization in the world. According to Massey, all evidence cries aloud its proclamation that Africa was the birthplace of the nonarticulate and Egypt the mouthpiece of articulate man.

A Book of the Beginnings, first published in 1881 in a limited edition, introduced the public to the author's extensive research that transcended conventional opinion of race supremacy.

In volume one, Massey focuses on Egyptian origins in the British Isles. The implications of Massey's research, which extend far beyond the British Isles, are unveiled systematically through comparative linguistics, symbolism, and mythology.

In volume two, Massey explores the African/Egyptian roots o the Hebrews, the Akkado-Assyrians, and the Maori. By linking these diverse cultures and their origins to their African roots, Massey demonstrates not only the extent of African influence, but its permanence as well.

Gerald Massey (29 May 1828 - 29 October 1907) was an English poet and self-educated Egyptologist. He was born near Tring, Hertfordshire in England. He was attracted by the movement known as Christian Socialism, into which he threw himself with whole-hearted vigour, and so became associated with Frederick Denison Maurice and Charles Kingsley. He became interested in Egyptology and the similarities that exist between ancient Egyptian mythology and the Gospel stories. He studied the extensive Egyptian records housed in the British Museum, and eventually taught himself to decipher the hieroglyphics. Massey's first public appearance as a writer was in connection with a journal called the Spirit of Freedom, of which he became editor. When he was only twenty-two he published his first volume of poems, Voices of Freedom and Lyrics of Love. These he followed in rapid succession with The Ballad of Babe Christabel (1854), War Waits (1855), Havelock's March (1860), and A Tale of Eternity (1869). He also published works dealing with Spiritualism, the study of Shakespeare's sonnets, and theological speculation. It is generally understood that he was the original of George Eliot's Felix Holt. Massey's poetry has a certain rough and vigorous element of sincerity and strength which easily accounts for its popularity at the time of its production. He treated the theme of Sir Richard Grenville before Tennyson thought of using it, with much force and vitality. Indeed, Tennyson's own praise of Massey's work is still its best eulogy, as he found in him a poet of fine lyrical impulse, and of a rich half-Oriental imagination. The inspiration of his poetry is essentially British; he was a patriot to the core. His poem The Merry, Merry May was set to music in a popular song by composer Christabel Baxendale. Concerning Egyptology, Massey first published The Book of the Beginnings, followed by The Natural Genesis. His most prolific work is Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World, published shortly before his death, which draws comparisons between the Judeo-Christian religion and the Egyptian religion. One of the more sensational aspects of Massey's writings were the parallels he drew between Jesus and the Egyptian god Horus. These comparisons are primarily contained in his book The Natural Genesis. Massey's writings on this subject have influenced various later authors such as Alvin Boyd Kuhn, Tom Harpur, and D. M. Murdock.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781602060821
ISBN 10	1602060827
Title	A Book of the Beginnings, Vol.1
Author	Gerald Massey
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Cosimo Classics
Year published	2013-01-01
Number of pages	516
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.