“Even if we assume that the Bible is derived from earlier sources yet to be discovered, it still describes events that occurred more than a thousand years before its completion, and in those ancient times few peoples had a strong tradition of historical writing and perspective. Much of what passed for history consisted of myth, legend, and rumor, elements of which are pervasive throughout the biblical text… Though several nations had written records in the second, third, and fourth millennia B.C. from which modern historians can draw conclusions, there is no evidence that Israel was among them.” “By way of preview, however, let me briefly outline the argument. Patriarchal history draws upon Egyptian mythology. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their key family members correspond to a family of popular Egyptian deities associated with the Egyptian god Osiris. Most of the events depicted in the patriarchal accounts come directly from Egyptian literary sources and themes, and I will examine the precise mythological incidents that gave rise to the biblical sources.” “When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the people brought with them the many stories about Egyptian gods and goddesses, stories they believed to be true histories of their country. But because the Israelites were militantly monotheistic, with a strong prejudice against the god Osiris, the deities were transformed into human ancestors. As with any immigrant group, after centuries of immersion in new cultures and surroundings, the settlers adopted the traditions and beliefs of their new neighbors, often integrating their old beliefs with the newly learned traditions.” “Chapter 10 moves from the biblical accounts of the Exodus and looks at the event through Egyptian eyes, examining ancient Egyptian texts and the writings of other classical historians. The Egyptian materials parallel the biblical story in many areas but reverse the roles of Moses and the pharaoh, making Moses the cruel ruler and Pharaoh the young child who was hidden away and later returned to liberate his people. Reducing the parallel themes to their essential elements, we learn how Egyptian mythological and literary motifs helped shape the biblical story of Moses. Placing the Egyptian and classical histories alongside the biblical accounts, we learn that upon Horemhebs death Moses launched a military campaign aimed at restoring the Atenists to the throne, but failed in the effort and led his followers out of Egypt.” “Chapters 11 through 13 place the patriarchal history in mythological perspective. The evidence shows how the early Israelites adapted Egyptian myths about the god Osiris and his family and transformed them into stories about distant human ancestors, removing them from the magical realm of Egyptian religion and placing them in the hands of the one and only God of Israel. The chapters trace most of the major events in the lives of the Hebrew patriarchs and set forth many of the Egyptian myths and stories upon which the biblical accounts were based.” Gary Greenberg “The Moses Mystery: The African Origins of the Jewish People” Pages 3, 18 and 22 respectively
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 23:28:15 +0000
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