"A monument and a classic. . . . In this book we find the impact of nature upon religion in the abounding land of Egypt; the first skepticism and questionings of the system; the search for social justice as an answer to social woes, and the consequent seizure of royal privileges by lesser men; the attempt to assert monotheism; humble trust in a forgiving god; and the final triumph of priestly rule over religion. Because it is remote from us in time and place, we can look at it in detachment. And yet, in its cadences and in its stresses, it is our own story."