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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] pharaoh as god

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com>
  • To: Karl Randolph <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • Cc: Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] pharaoh as god
  • Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 02:09:30 -0700

On 09/07/2003 20:45, Karl Randolph wrote:

Dear Liz:

That depends on when the stories of Genesis were written. I have heard some
who claim that Moses basically edited earlier materials that were written by
the persons whose authorship was listed at the end of each section, making
the sections contemporanious with the authors listed. I find that argument
quite persuasive. But even if it was late, as others claim, the pharaoh who
elevated Joseph was still portrayed as a high status man, not a god. It is
this high status man who became angry with his underlings. After all, it is a
Hebrew word, not an Egyptian word, that we are talking about, so it depends
on the Hebrew context in which it was written.

The fight between the Egyptian gods and YHWH was later, a different story,
and even then it was written in a way that only an ancient Egyptian or modern
scholar would recognize it as a contest between dieties. How many Jews (and
Christians) through the ages recognized it as such? I suspect very few.

So I guess my question has relevance only if we assume an early date for the
writing of Genesis.

Yours, Karl W. Randolph.


The "earliest written sources" in question, in which Pharaoh was considered a god, certainly date back to the Old Kingdom, and include for example the Pyramid Texts, from around 2500 BCE on the generally accepted chronology. Those who consider Joseph to be a historical figure generally date him to the late Middle Kingdom or the succeeding Hyksos period, so between 1900 and 1500 BCE on the same chronology. And the dates given for Moses range from 1500 to 1200 BCE. I hope that helps to put the matter in proper perspective.

--
Peter Kirk
peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com
http://web.onetel.net.uk/~peterkirk/






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