In the footsteps of the "inner man" in the Biblical East: The habits of the heart in Egyptian anthropology

Abstract

In the contemporary philosophical, theological and ecclesiastical panorama, in which new anthropological interests are emerging to explore the interiority of man, we propose a reading of the process of formation of the "inner man" in Egiptian religious literature. The study of the habits of the heart, as the nucleus of the person, will offer an image of the human being that is compatible with a proper biblical anthropology and will contribute to a better understanding of it. It offers a "constellative" image of the human being, whose inner quest culminates in the interpersonal encounter with the divine in the act of prayer.