Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World

those burdens of the corruptible body which weigh

upon the soul. Th us the things necessary for this mortal

life are used by both kinds of men and families alike,

but each has its own peculiar and widely diff erent aim

in using them. Th e earthly city, which does not live by

faith, seeks an earthly peace, and the end it proposes,

in the well-ordered concord of civic obedience and

rule, is the combination of men’s wills to attain the

things which are helpful to this life. Th e heavenly city,

or rather the part of it which sojourns on earth and

lives by faith, makes use of this peace only because it

must, until this mortal condition which necessitates

it shall pass away. Consequently, so long as it lives like

a captive and a stranger in the earthly city, though it

has already received the promise of redemption, and

the gift of the Spirit as the earnest of it, it makes no

scruple to obey the laws of the earthly city, whereby the

things necessary for the maintenance of this mortal

life are administered; and thus, as this life is common

to both cities, so there is a harmony between them

in regard to what belongs to it.... Th is heavenly city,

then, while it sojourns on earth, calls citizens out of

all nations, and gathers together a society of pilgrims

of all languages, not scrupling about diversities in

the manners, laws, and institutions whereby earthly

peace is secured and maintained, but recognizing that,

however various these are, they all tend to one and the

same end of earthly peace. It therefore is so far from

rescinding and abolishing these diversities that it even

preserves and adopts them, so long only as no hindrance

to the worship of the one supreme and true God is thus

introduced. Even the heavenly city, therefore, while

in its state of pilgrimage, avails itself of the peace of

earth, and, so far as it can without injuring faith and

godliness, desires and maintains a common agreement

among men regarding the acquisition of the necessaries

of life, and makes this earthly peace bear upon the

peace of heaven.... In its pilgrim state the heavenly

city possesses this peace by faith; and by this faith it

lives righteously when it refers to the attainment of that

peace every good action towards God and man; for the

life of the city is a social life.

From: Th e Internet History Sourcebooks.

Available online. URL: http://www.

fordham.edu/halsall/.

(cont inues)

Th ere was a man, Hunanup by name, a peasant of

Sechet-hemat, and he had a wife.... Th en said this

peasant to his wife: “Behold, I am going down to Egypt

to bring back bread for my children. Go in and measure

the grain that we still have in our storehouse.”... Th en

this peasant went down to Egypt after he had loaded his

asses with all the good produce of Sechet-hemat.

Th is peasant set out and journeyed southward to Ehnas.

He came to a point opposite Per-fefi , north of Medenit,

and found there a man standing on the bank, Dehuti-

necht by name,...

Th en said this Dehuti-necht, when he saw the asses of

this peasant which appealed to his covetousness: “Oh

that some good god would help me to rob this peasant of

his goods!”

Th e house of Dehuti-necht stood close to the side of the

path, which was narrow, not wide. ... Upon one side of

it was the water and upon the other side was growing

grain. Th en said Dehitu-necht to his servant: “Hasten

and bring me a shawl from the house!”... Th en he spread

this shawl upon the middle of the road, and it extended

one edge to the water and the other to the grain.

Th e peasant came along the path which was the common

highway. Th en said Dehuti-necht: “Look out, peasant,

do not trample on my clothes!” Th e peasant answered:

“I will do as you wish; I will go in the right way!” As he

was turning to the upper side, Dehuti-necht said: “Does

my grain serve you as a road?” Th en said the peasant:

“I am going in the right way. Th e bank is steep and the

path lies near the grain and you have stopped up the

road ahead with your clothes. Will you, then, not let

me go by?” Upon that one of the asses took a mouthful

of grain. Th en said Dehuti-necht: “See, I will take away

your ass because it has eaten my grain.”

Th en the peasant said: “... As one side was made

impassable I have led my ass along the other, and will

you seize it because it has taken a mouthful of grain?

But I know the lord of this property; it belongs to the

 “Th e Tale of Th e Eloquent Peasant,” ca. 1800 b.c.e. 

Egypt

668 literature: primary source documents