Initiation into the Ancient Secret Society of Egyptian Priests

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of men, and the candidate was let in 8).

There he was questioned by the HierophantFrom the Greek 'hierophantes', the chief priest who interprets sacred mysteries and "shows the holy things" during rituals. about various things, to which he had to give a precise answer 9).

Afterwards, they led the student through a labyrinthThe original Russian text uses "бирантѣ" (biranthe), a term likely derived from 18th-century ritual texts like the Crata Repoa, referring to a winding underground passage or maze used for testing the candidate's resolve. 10), and during this time, they produced wind by artifice and let rain fall upon the candidate; lightning illuminated his sight, and terrible thunder struck his ears 11).

8. See the explanation of the Egyptian pyramid, on which this action is vividly depicted.

9. Plutarch in the Lacedaemonian Apophthegms, under the entry for Lysander.Plutarch’s "Sayings of Spartans" includes anecdotes about Lysander, a Spartan admiral; the text likely refers to his interactions with oracles or mysteries.

10. See the History of Heaven, Volume I, page 44.Referring to 'Histoire du ciel' by Noël-Antoine Pluche (1739), a popular work that attempted to explain the origins of mythology and Egyptian rituals.

11. Eusebius of Caesarea, Preparation for the Gospel. Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathens.These are Early Christian writers who described pagan mysteries—often critically—to contrast them with Christian teachings.