01-02-2010, 07:51 AM
This subject has been debated among Bible scholars and archeologists for centuries; however, due to a general lack of trust in the accuracy of the Bible accounts, most of them have assumed it was a Pharaoh who lived much later than the Bible account suggests. And this could be true, because, current Jewish chronology also dates such things as the reigns of David and Solomon, and the first destruction of Jerusalem quite a bit later than standard Bible chronology (see the link The Problem with Setting Bible Historical Dates).
However, according to written history, a people known as the Hyksos (from the land of Canaan) invaded Egypt somewhere in the 1700s B.C.E., and they dominated Egypt until the mid 1500s B.C.E. The Jewish historian Josephus identified the Hyksos as the Hebrews (long before the Egyptian hieroglyphs could be read), and at least the first portion of their rulership over Egypt could be a reference to the period of Joseph (the son of Jacob), who was second in command to the Pharaoh, and who served as Egypt’s virtual ruler. Then, according to archeologists, sometime in the mid 1500s, a Pharaoh arose who conquered them, who could have been Kamose of the seventeenth dynasty, for he lived during the most likely period, he died mysteriously during just the third year of his reign, and although his mummy has been found, it is recorded that it is in particularly bad shape.
Now, if such people (the Hyksos) were different from the Hebrews, and they did in fact conquer Egypt, we would expect to read of them in the detailed Bible accounts in Genesis or Exodus, and we don’t. However, if you consider what happened through the eyes and propaganda of the Egyptians, you can see that the Hyksos could in fact have been the Hebrews, because, despite the fact that they became slaves (not kings), the Egyptians were frightened by them. For we read at Exodus 1:9, 10, ‘Look! The children of Israel have [grown tremendously] and they are now more powerful than we are. So, let’s be smooth in the way we deal with them, because, if they continue to grow and then we find ourselves at war, they could side with our enemies. And after they beat us in war, they will leave our land.’
So, you can see how (with a little governmental propaganda to justify their actions against the Hebrews and a total defeat in war) the story that the Egyptians tell, is about their being dominated by the Hyksos, and how they fought a war to liberate themselves. For, the Egyptian history of where these people came from, what part of Egypt they lived in, and many more details, indicate that Hyksos (pronounced heeksos) could have been just the Egyptian pronunciation of Hebrews. For more information, please see the link Exodus: The Biblical Exodus Inscribed on an Ancient Egyptian Stele.
By the way, just a little side point:
The Egyptians never called their kings Pharaohs, they just called the the kings. This term for their kings actually comes from ancient Hebrew and Greek writings. It is in fact an Egyptian term, meaning Great House (Phara Oh). And foreign peoples likely started using the term to refer to Egyptian kings, because they received salutations from "The Great House" (think White House), which they thought of as coming from the kings of Egypt.
However, according to written history, a people known as the Hyksos (from the land of Canaan) invaded Egypt somewhere in the 1700s B.C.E., and they dominated Egypt until the mid 1500s B.C.E. The Jewish historian Josephus identified the Hyksos as the Hebrews (long before the Egyptian hieroglyphs could be read), and at least the first portion of their rulership over Egypt could be a reference to the period of Joseph (the son of Jacob), who was second in command to the Pharaoh, and who served as Egypt’s virtual ruler. Then, according to archeologists, sometime in the mid 1500s, a Pharaoh arose who conquered them, who could have been Kamose of the seventeenth dynasty, for he lived during the most likely period, he died mysteriously during just the third year of his reign, and although his mummy has been found, it is recorded that it is in particularly bad shape.
Now, if such people (the Hyksos) were different from the Hebrews, and they did in fact conquer Egypt, we would expect to read of them in the detailed Bible accounts in Genesis or Exodus, and we don’t. However, if you consider what happened through the eyes and propaganda of the Egyptians, you can see that the Hyksos could in fact have been the Hebrews, because, despite the fact that they became slaves (not kings), the Egyptians were frightened by them. For we read at Exodus 1:9, 10, ‘Look! The children of Israel have [grown tremendously] and they are now more powerful than we are. So, let’s be smooth in the way we deal with them, because, if they continue to grow and then we find ourselves at war, they could side with our enemies. And after they beat us in war, they will leave our land.’
So, you can see how (with a little governmental propaganda to justify their actions against the Hebrews and a total defeat in war) the story that the Egyptians tell, is about their being dominated by the Hyksos, and how they fought a war to liberate themselves. For, the Egyptian history of where these people came from, what part of Egypt they lived in, and many more details, indicate that Hyksos (pronounced heeksos) could have been just the Egyptian pronunciation of Hebrews. For more information, please see the link Exodus: The Biblical Exodus Inscribed on an Ancient Egyptian Stele.
By the way, just a little side point:
The Egyptians never called their kings Pharaohs, they just called the the kings. This term for their kings actually comes from ancient Hebrew and Greek writings. It is in fact an Egyptian term, meaning Great House (Phara Oh). And foreign peoples likely started using the term to refer to Egyptian kings, because they received salutations from "The Great House" (think White House), which they thought of as coming from the kings of Egypt.