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 5 and 6 of a six-part series.)
Part 5
In Part 5, the discussion of names and their meaning continues, comparing Biblical names to Egyptian names. They discuss fairy tales, and Dr. Finch relates them to their Egyptian history and origin. He gives examples such as "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Sleeping Beauty", "Cinderella", "Tom Thumb", "Beauty and the Beast", "Br'er Rabbit," and "Br'er Fox," and their Egyptian origin and meaning. They discuss the circumcision of Ra, causing bleeding, and semen to mix, bypassing the female aspect, and incorporating it onto himself, so that Ra becomes the creator and the creator alone.
Part 6
This interview begins with a discussion of the concept of the judgment of the soul, as conceived by the ancient Africans several thousand years before the Christian era. Dr. Finch states that the Book of the Dead is a ritual of both judgment and salvation. Osiris will judge the soul to weigh against the feather of truth to determine whether his evil deeds have outweighed his good deeds. As he meets Osiris, he becomes one with Osiris.
They discuss that in Amenta, there is a passage across the waters, implying that the soul has made the transit successfully. They make other comparisons between the Bible and Egyptian rituals, including the African right of passage to manhood, which occurs at the age of 12 and at age 30. They compare the rising of Osiris to that of Lazarus. Listervelt questions Dr. Finch on the differences between the religion of African Egyptians and Christians. View the full interview for Dr. Finch's response, including his response on original sin and damnation, neither of which existed in African or Egyptian religion.
Listervelt asks Dr. Finch to discuss pharaoh and the Egyptian as representative of evil. Dr. Finch responds about what happens when a new religion supercedes an old one. Listervelt asks about the negative image of Egypt and Egyptians in the Bible preventing Black people from identifying and claiming Egypt. Dr. Finch responds that Black people believe in the authenticity of the Bible and have taken on the same attitudes about Egypt and Africa, particularly the pharaoh being a common and recurring figure of the oppressor and the evil one. Listervelt asks if there are any Biblical references to Egypt and its role in science and mathematics, and as a contributor to world civilization, and about Africans and Judaism. As his final question, Listervelt asks Dr. Finch what he would like viewers to take away from this interview. View the full interview for his response and stay tuned for the final portion, "In Retrospect," a final reflection on Massey's book, and a closing reference to the zodiac and the progress of the perfected soul.
Dr. Charles S. Finch died on January 17, 2026.