In this two-part program from For the People, Host Listervelt Middleton sits down to talk with Dr. Charles Finch, a distinguished scholar from Morehouse School of Medicine. They delve into Gerald Massey’s work, "Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World." (Parts 1 and 2 of a six-part series.)
Dr. Charles Finch on Gerald Massey's "Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World" Part 1
Before Dr. Finch is introduced, the program includes a portion on the distortion of the traditional world map at the hands of European colonial powers. These distortions exaggerated the land proportions of white dominated countries that diminished the true scale of Africa and other land masses.
Following this notion, Dr. Finch emphasizes that approaching Massey’s work must be entered with an open mind without preconceived notions and beliefs. He notes that all that you have learned and believe will be challenged. Dr. Finch outlines specifications surrounding the origin of man that emerged in east Africa as well as their relationship between the Ancient Egyptian framework and the broader African continent.
The discussion continues with Dr. Finch's commentary on the iconography of Ancient Egyptian deities. He deciphers an illustration of Osiris, the god of afterlife and fertility, and notes his connection to Egyptian religion. Additionally, Dr. Finch touches on the divine counterpart of Osiris, Isis, and the relationship between the two deities.
Dr. Charles S. Finch died on January 17, 2026.
Dr. Charles Finch on Gerald Massey's "Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World" Part 2
In the second part of the series, Dr. Charles S. Finch discusses some of the ancient African Egyptian religious ideas, and compares them with Biblical concepts. We look at the use of animals as symbols in ancient Egyptiian thought.
Dr. Finch discusses the African principles of God in the universe and in nature--the personification of the powers of God, who were given names, histories and animal forms, symbolically given to manifest the attributes of God. The Egyptians were accused of worshipping animals. They did not worship animals. Animals were used to personify or symbolize the power in certain deity. For example, the golden hawk was a symbol of the sun, the hippopotamus was an image of the great mother or maternity or moterhood, the tree was another maternal image because it spread branches to protect and gave fruit.
These had their beginnings in the inner African homeland. As man now developed the capacity for self-reflection, they took what was around them in nature to create concepts to populate their mental world, to give them a way of understanding the world around them. They looked at nature and saw that animals and certain plants had powers that were greater than them. For example, the lion was stronger, the gazelle was swifter, the hippopotamus or elephant was bigger, the hawk could fly, the tree could produce fruit. They could look at all of these natural phenomena and see that they had powers greater than man, and they used these powers to create symbols for their own mental or psychological benefit. They never worshipped animals, rocks or trees. They venerate the power inherent in the tree or the rock or the animal because that power comes from God.
Listervelt asks about Amenta. Dr. Finch responds that Amenta means hidden land and is the netherworld or the underworld. It is the world that the soul enters at death and must traverse through, populated by many dangers and perils, and is reborn. They discuss the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Dr. Finch describes it as the rituals by which the soul can successfully meet and overcome and conquer all the dangers inherent in the voyage through the underworld, so that it can be born again. Dr. Finch states that the Book of the Dead is a book of judgment and salvation, and the Old Testament is a book of judgment, and the New Testament is a book of salvation. The rituals accumulated over thousands of years, going back to the infancy of the human race in Africa. He discusses when the Book of the Dead and the Bible were written.
They discuss the word in the African Egyptian conception and in the Bible. Dr. Finch mentions the importance of speech and speaking, that it was not taken lightly. For example, oaths were bringing God to witness, and it would be a sin to break an oath because the word was sacred.
They discuss a chapter in Massey's book in which he uses sayings attributed to Jesus from the Bible compared to Horus from the Book of the Dead.
Please view the full interview for more.
