cosmos-godsWe're still mapping where this idea was first discussed. Key passages and related ideas below.
Isfet — Chaos & Disorder
The chaos at the edge of the world that order must hold back every single day.
Egyptians paired ma'at (order) with isfet, its opposite: chaos, falsehood, violence, and wrong. Creation did not destroy chaos once and for all; it pushed it to the edges, and it always pressed back. The king's wars, the sun's nightly battle against the serpent Apophis, and a person's honest conduct were all understood as holding isfet at bay.
Key passages(1)
The Pyramid Texts · 2350 BCE
High