Such priests also sold their services to laymen, reciting texts during private apotropaic rituals or at funerals.
In ancient Egyptian literature, lector priests are often portrayed as the keepers of secret knowledge and the performers of amazing magical feats.
[2] The term lector priest is usually used to translate the Egyptian title, ẖrj-ḥꜣb (kheri-hab), which literally means "the carrier of the book of ritual".
[3] The term for a chief lector priest, ẖrj-ḥꜣb ḥrj-tp, was so closely associated with magic that, in Late Egyptian language, the shortened form ḥrj-tp became a general term for "magician".
[2] This article about subjects relating to ancient Egypt is a stub.